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Okay, so I decided to get some games on my computer knowing that all of these games are within the computer requirements. But none  of these (WAR Thunder, Kerbal Space Program, Unturned) work. But Cd games like Age of empires II and Civ 3,4 all work, so does Visual C++ 10, Notepad++, Defcon, Firefox. I have come to the conclusion that the computer itself has a problem.

I have recently got a massive update from sp1 to sp3. Also java was recently installed. I have direct x 9c, not the best but okay graphics and audio cards. And I have know idea why this is not working. Any other information need, I will TRY to provide.How exactly did you "get" these games on the PC ? ?
Most programs need installed...they cannot simply be copied and expect to RUN...
This by design.I download their INSTALLERS and none of the installers reported any problems.
Thanks for the reply.So all is good then...or not ? ?
No, I told you how i got those programs on the computer like you asked.whether the .EXE crashes or get you any error message while installing?

Hello.

I have a really hard excel formula and although i know what i want it to do in my head im not sure if this is possible.

i need column 3 to work out:-
if column 1 is 2 that equals figure in column 2 up to the amount of 10, if column 1 is 3 that equals figure in column 2 up to the amount of 15, if column 1 is 4 that equals figure in column 2 up to the amount of 20, if column 1 is 13 that equals figure in column 2 up to the amount of 65

also column 4 to work out:-
if column 1 is 2 that equals figure in column 2 if over 10, if column 1 is 3 that equals figure in column 2 if over 15, if column 1 is 4 that equals figure in column 2 if over 20, if column 1 is 13 that equals figure in column 2 if over 65

any help WOULD be greatly appreciated      First of all, you should use A, B, C, ... to talk about columns in Excel and numbers for rows so instead of saying "Column 1" use "Column A" or even better, REFER to the actual cell as in A1 (column A, row 1).  That should make it easier to explain what you want.

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking for.  You want a formula that: if A1 has the value of 2, the value in C1 should be equal to the value in B1 up to the value of 10.  What HAPPENS if the value is greater than 10?

Is this what you want for the first formula?

=IF(A1=2,IF(B1<=10,B1,),IF(A1=3,IF(B1<=15,B1,),IF(A1=4,IF(B1<=20,B1,),IF(A1=13,IF(B1<=65,B1,)))))

If that works for you then the 2nd formula is pretty similar:

=IF(A1=2,IF(B1>10,B1,),IF(A1=3,IF(B1>15,B1,),IF(A1=4,IF(B1>20,B1,),IF(A1=13,IF(B1>65,B1,)))))

BTW, I usually get paid to write stuff like this so, in the future, you should attempt to write the formulas yourself.  If you can't get it to work then you can post what you wrote and forum members can help straighten out why your formula doesn't work.  If you can't write the formulas at all then you need to take a class, study on-line or pay someone to help you.  It's not right to come here and ask for formulas to be WRITTEN for you.The problem statement certainly is vague, but here's my attempt at a solution...

A1 - data - expecting values between 2 and 13 inclusive
B1 - data - Some other value whose 'significant thresholds' appear to be 5x A1
C1 - formula - "=MIN(5*A1,B1)"
D1 - formula - "=IF(B1>(5*A1),B1,"")"

There's no indication of fractional parts, or whether C1 or D1 should be blank if not 'in range'...

Yes, I presumed that A1's value is from a continuum between 2 and 13, and that C1 and D1 reflect the 'pattern' implied by the problem statement.  Otherwise, this has little meaning and a simple (large) table lookup would fill the need.

If this is "really hard", then Gillian1552 needs to hit the books...
"Press 'F1' for help" would be a good place to START...

I have the following PROBLEM:

I set the path in autoexec.bat (for example set path=%PATH%;c:\Program Files), and when Windows XP loads, and I try to see the PATH in prompt, it doesn´t show anything.

What could be happen?

Someone had this problem before?

Thanks,

PAULO Omar.can you EXPLAIN what are you trying to do....install winxp >running a BATCH file?more info....

I have no address bar to access the INTERNET.  I can go to MSN and USE theirs.  How can I get it back?Right click on the area above where your adress bar used to be and select the option "Adress bar"

If that option is tagged, untag it and then tag it again.

If that does not work, SCAN for viruses, spyware and trojans.Diane Makrinos.....open internet explorer........now click on view up at the top....when the drop-down menu appears select tool bars.......now a secondary menu will appear ....make sure theres a tick in FRONT of address bar.
that should get it back for you .

let us know

DL65

Ok. I have Windows XP and its like my alternative OS thing for playing old games. I installed something that required a restart and its making my XP CRASH during boot. Its boot, gets through the loading, but before login screen the system restarts.

I was thinking of using a CD to "Repair" the installation. But I dont want to lose the Registry and have to reinstall all the program. The XP partition doesn't have any data except PROGRAMS and the Registry.

Is there a way to---

1) Repair and then Restore the Registry? As it was....
2) Make everything normal.

I mean I know I can backup the Documents and SETTING folder ...the Application Data etc to retain my browser history, bookmarks, application settings...etc. But what about the deeper stuck? Windows Registry, installations (not the data in the Program Files folder, the actual installations... STUFF you can see in the "Installed Programs" in Control Panel) ..etc

I was thinking of Backing Up everything. And then PUTTING it back in after installation. Will that work? If I basically backup all the Registry files... NTUSER data, etc. But I dont know how to backup the "Installed Programs" thing.Can you boot in safe mode?
Have you ever done the XP repair option? Often it works very well and makes only minor changes to the system. It depends on how much damage.
My first choice with any XP problem is to boot in safe mode and do the SFC option.
https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/system_file_checker.mspx?mfr=true
SFC inspects important system files and  replaces them if needed. Of course, you need to have the CD in the drive.
At the command line, the command is:
SFC /scannow
Try it.  What did you install ? ?Pinnable Game Profiler.

I'm missing certain items from the context menu "Send to".  The one I most need it "Desktop (create shortcut)" but others are missing too.  In fact, all I do have are the floppy and DVD drives.  Some more info which might help:

1)  All the necessary items appear in c:\documents and settings\[USER]\sendto just not on the menu.

2)  They DO appear on the menu for administrator users on my PC but not "limited" users.  That is also so if I temporarily change a non-administrator to an administrator.

3)  I know you can tinker with "Send to" settings via TweakUI but I have not done that.

4)  Suggested solutions which I have found on other sites are as follows.  Neither of these has worked in my case.

     regsvr32 /i shell32
     regsvr32 sendmail.dll
     shell:sendto
     fixsendto.vbs

Any further suggestions would be much appreciated.PowerToys for XP...Many thanks.  I've downloaded that "toolbox" but am not sure which of the many tools in it will do what I need.  None seems obvious from its file-name.  Would you point me in the right direction, please?  (Sorry if I'm being a bit thick.)No problem...it's the Send To context menu editor...
You don't have to install all of the tools...Oh dear, that makes me FEEL very stupid!

I think either I'm blind or I've downloaded the wrong toolbox.  All that was extracted from the zip file I downloaded were the following:

ClearType.exe
CmdHerePowertoySetup.exe
DeskmanPowertoySetup.exe
HTMLSlideShowSetup.exe
ImageResizerPowertoySetup.exe
MagnifierPowertoySetup.exe
PowerCalcPowertoySetup.exe
RAWViewerSetup.exe
SlideshowPowertoySetup.exe
SyncToy.msi
TaskswitchPowertoySetup.exe
TimershotPowertoySetup.exe
TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe
TweakUIPowertoySetup_ia64.exe
WinColorSetup.exe

I cannot SEE the Send To context menu editor.Sorry 'bout that...it's in the TweakUI setup....
1st 1 is for 32 bit Win...2nd is 64bit.You can also just open the "Send To" folder in Windows Explorer and copy the locations of other folders you want to add.Many thanks for responding.  That's what I meant in point "1)" of my original post; everything I want to have on my context menu is already in that folder (it just doesn't appear on the menu). Quote from: patio on December 05, 2014, 08:19:09 AM

Sorry 'bout that...it's in the TweakUI setup....
1st 1 is for 32 bit Win...2nd is 64bit.

Okay. See if this helps: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/sendtofix.htm

BTW, did this just start? If so, What is new or different since the last time everything worked properly (ie, new hw, new sw, virus, error, etc)?

We have a PC running Windows 98 - when you LOOK in the autoexec.bat & config.sys file there are no ENTRIES.  Could this be why I cannot use my CD-Rom drive?

When the system is booting up - it detects the drive and the device manager says it is working properly.  I have removed it and then restarted my COMPUTER but it still won't work.

Thanks Quote

...Could this be why I cannot use my CD-Rom drive?...

i have an unwated toolbar at the bottom of my screen that i cant get rid of. And my MSWORD will not open along with other programs can anyone help me.right CLICK on this unwanted tool bar.....PROPERTIES what do it tell you.....i would download these stinger from nail.com spysweeper from webroot.com and SHREDDER from thespykiller.co.uk   and run them....SCAN for viruses, trojans and spyware.

I tunred my PC off and when I tunred it back on I noticed all my desk top icons are not there !!   !!

Whats up with that ??/!!!?!?


Thanks I too have this problem! But what I would like to know is what I can do to get back my desktop icons, without having to go through  task manager?Since no one at this site has any solutions I WENT to another site and was informed that I can use the XP Operating Disk and use the Repair option instead of the install option. I havent tried this yet cause I am looking for my XP OS disk !!??!?!


You could try this tool.

• Please download Unhide by Grinler from here and save it to your desktop.
  
• Double click unhide.exe to run the tool.
  
• It will TAKE some time to go through all your files, so please be patient.
• If this tool doesn´t fix the problem, please let me know.

I have started to get a pop up screen that asks me to update "video performer."
Is there an easy way to get rid of this?
Thanks.Un-install it from Add/Remove PROGRAMS...
Or see the Help files to see if that can be switched off.Sorry Patio I would have thanked you sooner but I didn't get any auto notification that anyone had read my post.
I couldn't find video performer in my add/remove files.
Not sure what you meant by look in Help Files (where are they)?Update:
 There is a legit app named Video Performer...if it is not listed in Add/Remove then it's likely an infection of the same name...

DLoad and update and run MalWareBytes Anti-Malware (Free)  and let it clean whatever it finds...

Re-boot afterwards and report back with results...Patio, I tried your suggestion and removed about 30 infections. I didn't see video performer listed but I will see what
happens when I use the program that VP pops up on.
Thanks for your help! Good NEWS...hope it stays clean....

I keep MBAM in my arsenal...i run it once a week...depending on your online activity adjust accordingly....
It's a good ADDITION to your protection package...BTW which A/V app are you running ? ?VLC player?Sorry...i meant Anti-Virus...AVG

I have some jobs (backup and so on) running every night by the Task Scheduler, but some days ago they stopped running. In the control panel the service is is set to automatic and started. I can start the TASKS manually and that works OK. I'm running WINDOWS XP Pro sp.3. How to make the task run again?

Lars H.Have you installed any new protection apps since this started ? ?
Was Task Scheduler set to auto when you checked the settings ? ?
Are the Triggers still valid?No, none new protection installed, only a new IP-camera.
Yes, the Task Scheduler was set to auto when checking the settings.
Triggers??? Quote from: Lars H. on March 13, 2014, 09:10:09 AM

Yes, the Task Scheduler was set to auto when checking the settings.
Triggers???

I had to get my computer fixed by a Tech and as a BACKUP (I guess) he copied "My documents" directory under my name on the C drive.  So now I have two My Documents directories that take up a lot of room on my computer and my External drive copied it also.

I would LIKE to know how to delete it without having to delete each directory that's in it one by one.

Thanks for your help.Some details please.
You have Windows XP and a Technician repatriated it. He left a spare copy of "My Documents" on a spare drive.
IMHO that is not a problem.
The problem is when you do not have a backup.
If you have limited disk space you should:

• Remove unwanted Videos from the  drive.
• UNINSTALL large programs you never use.
• Use DVDs to backup the most IMPORTANT documents.
• Get a larger hard drive.

Those who continue to use Windows XP should know sometimes it will damage a user profile. The usual care is to just create a NEW user. 

This MATERIAL below  was copied from Microsoft .
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473
Quote

Microsoft will end support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014
How to recover the damaged user profile in Windows XP
When you log on to your account, you may receive the
following error message:
The system has recovered from a serious error. User profile
is damaged.
You may also notice all the user documents, Outlook,
Internet Explorer, and .NET settings missing.
The solution recommended in the following Knowledgebase
article will resolve the issue:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;enus;326688
However, the solution recommended in the above article
suggests to copy the settings manually. ALTERNATIVELY, you
can follow the below solution:
Create a new user account:
Go to Control Panel.
Click User Accounts tool.
Select the Create A New Account link.
Give the account a name and click Next.
NOTE: Ensure that the account type is Computer
Administrator (You can see the option button displayed in the
process.)
Click Create Account button.
Logoff from the current account, and login with the new
account. This will create a user profile for the new account.
When the user profile creation procedure is complete log Off
from the account without doing any other modifications.
Login to the old account again and PERFORM the following:
Right-click My Computer, and select Properties.
Select the Advanced tab.
Click the Settings button in the User Profiles section.
Select the user account that was corrupted.
Click the Copy To button.
Click Browse button and then browse For Folder dialog box
to locate the Documents and Settings folder and select the
new account.
A confirmation dialog box should appear that informs you
that the original files will be deleted and prompts you to
confirm the copy operation. Click Yes.
Once the profile is copied, log off from the system and login
again with the new username. All the settings of the old
account will be copied.
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Article ID: 555473 - Last Review: October 11, 2005 -
Revision: 1.0
APPLIES TO
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
END.

My computer crashed yesterday.  I think thats the term for it.  Its running windows xp.  Well, I shut it off at night, and when I tried to turn it on in the morning, the computer came on , the fan started SPINNING, lights came on, but the hard DRIVE KEPT making clicking noises.  So, I hurriedly took out the hard drive, and retrieved my data from the hard drive through that IDE-USB adapter.  So, at least that was safe now

I think the disk is bad, and I need to replace it.  HOWEVER I dont really want to pay for a whole new operating system.  Is there a way to transfer the operating system from the old drive to the new drive with its activation status, so that I dont start gettting those pesky activation notices?
Does the PC have the COA activation sticker on it still ? ?
If so you can legally re-install XP to it...
NOTE:: The CD needs to be from MS and the versions need to match exactly.yes the computer has the COA sticker on it.  Problem is I dont have the disk and I dont even remember getting one.  I have another computer that runs XP for which I do have a disk, can I use that disk?
Only if it's a Microsoft CD...and only if the installed version matches the disc version as i said above.
If not you will need to borrow the correct one.Just WANTED to mention that if you had a friend who has the correct disc version for your system, you can make a new disc for yourself by creating a slipstream disc. As long as you have the COA on the computer its still legal to use slipstream with this box, and the next time you need to perform a rebuild for any reason, hopefully this slipstream disc will be available to use to install the OS.

Slipstreams are mainly used by IT professionals to push an install to a system direct with security patches and service packs all rolled into the install process, this way after the install your not having to play catch up with the 150+ updates and up to 3 service packs depending on the disc version used to create the slipstream from.

My computer will not read a cd not a music one but a regular cd it keeps SAYING MICROSOFT data access components 2.5 needs to upgraded but when i TRY to upgrade it will not LET me. Any ideas?MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Components) 2.5 Update: Service Pack 2 (2.52.6019.2)

Greetings to the Group - My system is XP Pro and used ONLY for gaming.  I have another pc for everything else.  So the gaming pc will be replaced shortly with a new system, probably W7 Pro 64, so I'm needing input on the hard drives configuration for this new pc.  Currently the old system internal hard drives are C: 80 GB, a 320 GB partitioned for game files, and a 500 GB for other game files and some misc.  My external drives are: 2 - 320 GB for back ups, 1 TB for backups, 2 - 1.5 TB for backups.  All backups are backed up in case one of the external hard drives craps out.  I am not interested in adding an SSD at this time as they are too small for what I need.  All game files must be backed up with a backup, so I would like some ideas on which hard drives to add internally to the new pc and which ones can be kept external.  The new pc will be a pretty good gaming pc with some USB3 ports too. I am looking at a Asus Sabertooth Z77 mobo, I5 Ivy Bridge, HD 7850 Graphics card, 800 W power supply, and 8GB ram.  I usually only copy files to the backups monthly or less often.  All input is appreciated.

Jim Asus Sabertooth Z77
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z77/
Impressive! 

Can we assume the backup is to save game levels incrementally?It would probably be best if you could create a new post in the hardware section with more information about the parts you are looking at, I'd be happy to help you pick parts.

In particular, what make/model is that 800w PSU?  800w is really overkill for that machine and PSUs vary massively in terms of quality and reliability.  Also, there is no real point getting Ivy Bridge stuff now that Haswell is out, all you are doing is buying 2012 technology at a very small discount.

As far as your drives go, you could either get a single drive of the size you need and backup to externals or get a pair of internal drives - One for storage, one for backups.  I'd personally backup to external as in some rare cases something like a power supply issue could kill both drives that are running internally.

I know you mentioned that SSDs are too small but they are really worthwhile, in that case you would get a fairly small SSD - Say 120-250gb and use that to only hold your OS, programs and some games that you play regularly, everything else such as less often played games and large video and media files would still be stored on HDD(s).Hey Geek 9 - The backups are all for original zip files that I download for my sims.  I also keep the complete sim backed up.  The sims are trains, planes, and various Steam games.

Camerongray - thanks for your input on the processor.  I will LOOK into that now.  I'm just using the hardware that I bought last year for my sons computer (games) so I'm not all that up to date for my pc get.  The power supply is a Civo brand which was included in my sons I7 system.  As for the hard drives, I'm trying to utilize the ones I have without buying any more.  I have too many now.

Jim Quote from: frog on March 02, 2014, 07:58:56 PM

The power supply is a Civo brand which was included in my sons I7 system.

What does this switch do in my Boot.ini?

Quote

/NoExecute=OptIn

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

After rebooting I open CONTROL panel/admin tools/event viewer. Under the system section it says: error Service Control Manager tImeout (30000 Milliseconds) waiting for transaction response from the NVSvc Event ID 7011. Error I get multiple side by side errors-event ID 59, Error Dependent Microsoft Windows COMMON control could not be found and the last error was the referenced assembly is not installed on you system. Event Id 32. Error sptd Driver detected an internal error in its data structures for Event ID 4. Error Service Control Manager Time out(30000 milliseconds) Waiting for the IMAPI CD burning COM Service service to connect. Error Service Control Manager The IMAPI CD burning Com Service service failed to start due to the following error The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion Event ID 7000. Under the application section I get Application Error Update exe. Version 00.00. faulting module update exe. version 00.00. faulting address 0x000000000007c2d0 Event ID 1000.  I built this PC for gaming, and it seems that I alway have problems when I try to play a game! Can any BODY tell me why? I'd appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you

a whole folder full of my pictures has become encrypted and some jpeg files in another folder.  I did not encrypt them and when i try to decrypt it sya that my machine is disabled for file ENCRYPTION.

i need help....i can't lose these photosWhich Operating System?windows xp pro

help pleaseManually Edit:  Right CLICK On image file.  Choose "open with", then "choose program" Select your FAVORITE image viewer program. Check the "always use selected program" box Click OK  try thatnope. can't view the file....need to decrypt them

STILL needing some helpIs Encrypted file system (efs) enabled in services?where is that loacted at?
Try control panel, administrative tools, services.  Not 100% SURE as I use xp home wich doesn't support EFShttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;313277&sd=tech Quote

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;313277&sd=tech

It will do nothing...zero...zip on the OS it was created on...be patient.

BTW I've never trusted it...but i hope it works out for you.
Consider another backup method before you wipe the drive just in case...

On the final note in your PS i would say yes...that's the way to go...

Well, April is getting really close! I continue to read about various options to replace XP. One option is to migrate to Win7. I came cross the MS Win7 Upgrade Advisor (free download). Just wondering if any of you have used this and if it is reliable? Migration to Win7 looks complicated for me, especially getting into 32 vs 64 bit stuff. Some folks are buying refurbished towers with Win7. Is this a good way to go? Maybe I will bite the bullet and buy a new tower with Win8. My PC is 6 years old but has new ram sticks and HD. It works great and I hate to toss anything that still works.XP will continue to run fine loong after April...i plan on keeping my XP rig until the PC itself dies personally. Quote from: artbuc on January 13, 2014, 02:46:33 AM

Well, April is getting really close! I continue to read about various options to replace XP.  ...    Some folks are buying refurbished towers with Win7. Is this a good way to go? Maybe I will bite the bullet and buy a new tower with Win8 

XP will continue to run fine loong after April...i plan on keeping my XP rig until the PC itself dies personally.

You will not like Win 8 on a conventional PC.  Nobody does.

As for Win 7 on a refurbished, yeah. I did that. Bought two  of them.. But no all at once. Refurbished dual core towers run either 32 bit XP or 64 bit Win7. Some are limited to 4 GB max RAM. But for little more than  cost of Windows 7 you get a off-lease PC that has a warranty. The attributable vendors get the reload software from Microsoft. Easy way to get Windows 7 64 bit and save some money. 

You will not like Win 8 on a conventional PC.  Nobody does.

You will not like Win 8 on a conventional PC.  Nobody does.

I do.  It just takes getting used to.

Well, April is getting really close! I continue to read about various options to replace XP. One option is to migrate to Win7. I came cross the MS Win7 Upgrade Advisor (free download). Just wondering if any of you have used this and if it is reliable? Migration to Win7 looks complicated for me, especially getting into 32 vs 64 bit stuff. Some folks are buying refurbished towers with Win7. Is this a good way to go? Maybe I will bite the bullet and buy a new tower with Win8. My PC is 6 years old but has new ram sticks and HD. It works great and I hate to toss anything that still works.

You will not like Win 8 on a conventional PC.  Nobody does.

Exactly what are the hardware specs on your PC?  It may be capable of running Win 7 or 8.

I think I may be an exception. Have watched a few tutorials and played around with Win8 at Staples today. I like it!

My advice...Keep the XP rig...buy a new Win 7 rig...

Can't I just transfer or restore images of my XP files and programs to/on the new PC?

I have just got back my old PII486 2.4Ghz PC that I gave my son for gaming.

I would like to wipe it and install Linux on it but can't get PAST the log-in because my son installed Windows XP on it and can't remember the name/password he used.

He can't even find the original Windows CD, all that came back with it was a copy which is supposed to boot but doesn't.

I am not familiar with managing BIOS because I am principally a Mac user.

I have started with either a Linux Mint DVD in the DVD Drive or the Windows XP CD and hold down the F2 key which is supposed to TAKE me into BIOS. But both times it will go through the VERIFICATION and then onto the Windows log-in.

I removed the DVD Drive and reinstated all the cables and it does seem to spin up.

I am pretty CERTAIN this model predates the ability to boot off a USB drive or Key.

There is a 2nd DVD/RW drive and 3 internal HDDs but I can't see where and how to stop the verification so that I can alter the Boot process.

Any suggestions? Correction I have a Pentium 4 2.4Ghz BIOS revision 1.13a

HDD:
Primary master    Seagate HDD
Primary slave       Fujitsu HDD

I can see a 3rd drive, don't know what that is.

Secondary master LITE-ON DVDRW
Secondary Slave"   Sony CD-RWYou don't need the password. If you want to format the system partition it needs to be done before the system boots to Windows. You'll need to have or create a CD to format at boot.

My young neighbor's father died last month after which he received several items that had belonged to his father including a computer. But his dad had set a password to access Windows and he doesn't know what that password is. He asked me how to figure out what the password is. He's is a great little, hard working guy and this is his 1ST computer and I'd like to help him out if I can.
 As ALWAYS, thanks for any help on this!!!
Mike  I'd use a password reset disc. You burn it to a CD and boot the system off of this disc, and then you can force change the password to no password or a password of choice.

http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/ I have the file burned to disc and will give it a try tomorrow evening when he gets home from work.
I'll post back with results.
Thanks so much,
MikeIs that correct that it is such a small file (3-4Mb) for a CD burn?

Almost seems a waste of a CD. Quote from: DaveLembke on December 05, 2013, 08:06:27 PM

I'd use a password reset disc. You burn it to a CD and boot the system off of this disc, and then you can force change the password to no password or a password of choice.

http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

Almost seems a waste of a CD.

Kinda ridiculous someone questioning solid advice for the cost of a blank CD anyways...
Just sayin...

Hi,
I run old dos software under XP. I can change between a window and full screen mode. I have a sound card and this works in window mode. In full screen mode there is no sound (except the built in BEEP). Any ideas?

GeofflHi,
Can anyone help me with this problem?
GeofflWhich old DOS software ? ?Hi,
An old date BASE. One program is a cash register. On occasions you NEED to allert the operator so I can beep the terminal. The command I use in this language is " display '\007'; " . This old stuff runs under NTVDM. In full screen mode it BEEPS the speeker on the mother board.
If I hit Alt+enter the screen changes to a window. Now the beep comes from the sound card.
GeofflAm I posting his in the wrong forum?
GeofflNo...again which program ? ?An old data base program written in 1980I give up...someone else may be along to assist...

It's probably a limitation of the software itself...but since it's Top SECRET i'm outta ideas.No secret - It's called FMS80. I have never spoken to anyone who has  heard of it. I am guessing that anything this old would work the same. In window mode it uses the sound card. ALT+ENTER same program still running now in full screen it uses the beep on the mother board.Then it's gonna continue to function that way...it is what it is.Thanks for that. I know it is what it is. That is why I came here - I thought there may be someone a little smarter who could tell me why it is what it is.

I have problems with copying many folders and files. Windows EXPLORER starts using all CPU after MAKING copies of image files.
Maybe it cannot copy other file formats, but I didn't try it.
I have got 32-bit Windows and Service PACK 3.Sorry, I have explained it wrong. The Explorer FREEZES only when replacing many files and folders with the same names.
My OS is Professional Edition of Windows XP. If it's also NEEDED - my machine is a desktop computer.

I purchased a new computer and it came with WIN XP home edition installed. No XP disk, just a recovery disk in case the system FAILS. I also have a laptop with WIN ME operating system.
Is there any way I can COPY, tranfser, the Xp OS to the laptop?
chow
TedNot legallyXP Home US$69.99 http://www.buysoftware.ws/pd_microsoft_windows.cfm

But is your ME Laptop compatible with XP?

If you buy XP Home use AutoStreamer 1·0 to slipstream SP2 together with the (Original Microsoft) XP CD and burn yourself an XPSP2 CD to do the installation.

This is a much better way of doing things.msoft states than you can have winxpand other msoft o/s on two systems providing you own them...you would have to image the laptop hard drive to run winxp. i would just INVEST in a datalink cable instead....

Im running Xp Home on my home computer and whenever I start it up it does like it normally does asn loads and starts to load my settings. Now it loads my settings and immediatley after its done it SAVES them adn goes right BACK to the USER login screen.  Wahts wrong?  please someone help..is this a batch file you are using..Seems to happen more often.. New virus out there or user's fault?

hi guys

My cd rom drive (I/O MAGIC 8X DVD Burner)  seems to be having a problem when i swich cds.  When th computer boots up whatever disc is in is recognized in full (Name, icon, autorun, etc.)  however, when i change discs in the drive, the name, icon, and autorun settings stay the same as the previous disc, presenting a problem for multi-disc software or cd burning (for example, ill boot with halo in the drive.  when i remove halo, the icon, and name stays the same but the disc is read as whatever i just put in.  however if its a cd-r/rw, the protection from  the halo cd is still there too so it wont let me write on it.)

If you need more info plz post what u want and i can get it to you. thank you all so very much.


BTW GO HALO 2 NOV 9  w00tWhat if you eject the CD by right clicking on the CD-ROM drive in question?nope, doesnt appear to help the name or the icon.

o and by the way, Someone2die is Andrew M.Have you tried uninstalling your CD-ROM drive from My Computer -> MANAGE -> Device Manager.

Allowing Windows to redetect may cause it to function properly.No Luck.  Any other things i could try?Did this problem occur recently?

This article may be of use:

CD-ROM DRIVER HELPIve already searched through that.  if someone post a zip file of the drivers that come standard with XP pro i can try that.  I THINK installing cheetah cd burner overides the normal drivers (cause it happened to both me and my friend with xp pro 2 time right after we installed a cheetah product, it just took us this long to figure it out.

if ANYONE could please try and send me the xp professional drivers, i can try to fix it.you have the wixp drivers on your system?and disk...what burning software is use...and a conflict between it and roxio? doe this happen with all disks or just media disks? Quote

you have the wixp drivers on your system?

...and a conflict between it and roxio (part of wmp)?

does this happen with all disks or just media disks?

not all cd/rw contain media...some are just burnt as data

what happens if you untick auto run...

have you looked on the combo drive manufactors site<cheeta> for a reg patch

like  i have stated why do you need winxp drivers when you have the disk

have you tried the refresh option...when you load a difference disk?

the hcl is ...hardware compatibilty list...

reviews>http://www.driverzone.com/viewcomment.php?company=I/O%20Magic&masterid=323

Dell Vostro running Windows XP Pro Service Pack 3


This morning some of my usual software was playing up.  Then AVG alerted many “Identity Threats” and prompted me to quarantine them, which I did for each one.  Then it said it needed to reboot, which I did.  But the computer failed to boot.  It got past the Dell logo screen to the Advanced Boot Options page and I tried all the options, including Safe Mode, but it just cycles round again.

I recall a lot of the so-called Identity Threats that AVG flagged were in the Windows\System32 directory and some in Windows\System32\drivers.  I figured a Windows XP repair was needed.

I booted to the “Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3” Reinstallation CD that Dell SUPPLIED with the computer and attempted a repair.  It copied some files across and all seemed to be going well until it got past the text based part to the screen shown here: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1_9.htm

Trouble is, I get an error box on the screen saying:

"Files Needed:  The file ‘asms’ on Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 CD is needed.  Type the path where the file is located, and then click OK."

I tried clicking OK on the path suggested, “GLOBALROOT\DEVICE\CDROM0\I386”, but nothing happened.  Then I tried “D:\I386” but again nothing.  The CD drive doesn’t even whir when I click OK.

It’s like the Computer isn’t attempting to communicate with the CD, which led me to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311755.  I’ve been trying to follow the instructions they give for my NTFS system as follows.

1.   When you receive the error message, press SHIFT+F10 to start a command session.
2.   Type regedit.exe, and then press ENTER.
3.   Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4.   On the File menu, click Load Hive, and then load %Windir%\System32\Config\System.sav.
5.   When you are prompted to specify a name, type Test.
6.   Locate and then click the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\ControlSet1\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
7.   Delete the UPPERFILTERS and LOWERFILTERS registry keys.
8.   Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other ControlSet# keys under the Test hive.
9.   Click File, and then click Exit to quit Registry Editor.
10.   If the path in the error message is the correct drive letter for the CD-ROM drive, click OK to continue the Setup program.
11.   If you receive the error message again, the Setup program cannot correctly read from the CD-ROM drive, or the path information is incorrect. In this case, restart your computer and let the Setup program resume.

I managed to get to step 6 and located the key.  Now I’m a bit stumped: I can see a LowerFilters entry in the right hand pane of regedit but no UpperFilters.  Also I have no idea what step 8 means:  what are the other ControlSet# keys?

I’ve never used regedit before so am frightened to continue.  Last thing I want is to mess things up and have to do a complete reinstall.  I’m hoping some kind soul can give me a guiding hand here.

Keith
Good afternoon whathim and welcome to CH

    I must give you kudos for what you have attempted so far. Please don't take this he wrong way and I am not being a wise guy if you are not familiar working your way through the registry you should not attempt it ever the PC can be very unstable or worse unusable.

    If windows will not install correct files it needs during a repair or installation the issue will end up being a couple of different things.

#1... The CD may have SCRATCHES or imperfections so the CD drive can not read the information to finish the install.
#2... The CD drive it self is failing and needs to be replaced. < a lot of times this can be the issue if the disc if self looks OK.
#3... One of the sticks of memory are in need of replacment. The reason for this the information is taken from the the cd and goes through the memory to the HARD drive and if one of the sticks has a bad bank data corruption will happen.
#4... The hard drive it self may have some bad sectors.

I would run a test on the memory  http://www.memtest86.com/. Just download memtest and burn it to an ISO.   download memtest (http://memtest.org/). Burn it to a cd using a dedicated .iso burning utility (http://www.petri.co.il/how_to_write_iso_files_to_cd.htm), make sure the cd drive is at the top of the boot order in bios, then boot to the newly created cd and run the utility. 

I don't know who your hard drive manufacture otherwise we could give you the link for that one. Please let us know what hard drive you have like western digital, maxtor etc. Plus what model vostro PC is this?

Hope to hear from you soon, Mike         Mike, thank you so much for replying.  It is such a relief to have some guidance.

The computer is a Dell Vostro 430.  I don’t know the hard drive manufacturer (is there an easy way to find out?).  On the invoice, it simply says “Hard Drive 500 GB Serial ATA non Raid (7200 rpm)”.

I downloaded Memtest86+ V4.20 Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO and burnt it to a CD with ISO Recorder Power Toy.  I booted troubled machine from this CD and Memtest86 ran automatically.  It ran for well over an hour and then I found on the web site, “Memtest86 executes indefinitely. The pass counter increments each time that all of the selected tests have been run”.  I exited after 2 complete passes with no errors found.

Must admit I’m a bit sceptical of items 1 and 2 on your list of possible faults.  When I ran the Reinstallation CD, the repair seemed to be going fine and a load of files were clearly being read and copied successfully right up to the point where one gets the graphic interface for the install.  That’s when the error message box appeared and there was no response at all from the CD – no whiring, no retries, nothing.  Like I say, it seems like the Computer loses communication with the CD just at this point.  On the Microsoft page (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311755) they say, regarding the error message, “This issue may occur if the Setup program cannot communicate with the CD-ROM drive” – but it clearly was communicating prior to this point.  Puzzled.

I’ve subsequently looked at the CD from my laptop and I can see there is a \I386\ASMS folder on it.

Don’t know what to do now.

Keith
Good evening whathim and welcome back to CH

I very happy to hear that the memory passed.

     Sorry I was not being a wise guy  I will try to re-explain my self. With being skeptical on #1 and #2 I can only speculate as I can not see the CD but if the CD is scratched or ware marks etc it will interfere with the windows installation. CD's are like a old record player but they read the information the opposite way direction (records read music from outside in and CD / DVD's are read from the INSIDE out).  The information / data is read from the inside on out to the edge of a CD. So when the installation is starting it will pull info from the inside of the CD and as the installation continues then go further out on the CD until the OS is installed. If the inside of the disk is OK but say the out side of the disk is scratched up it will not be able to read any data from that section of the disk. Windows continues to pull info / data off the CD until you are at the desktop and logged into the PC. So yes this can interfere even when you are at the GUI part that you showed us here on CH. 

    For figuring out what Hard drive you have just go into the device manager open the drive by clicking on the + and in there will be something like "Fujitsu MHY2250BH ATA hard drive" etc

    This is just an example of a CD drive "A Plextor PX-760a has a MTBF of 60 000h. So you can leave it on for 60,000 hours before they think the drive will die. Typically duty is about 10%, so figure 6,000 hours of writing before that drive is supposed to die. That's if you're lucky. Then they usually give you a figure about how many times you can open the disc tray before that fails" The life of a CD drive is total on time as well as burning CD/DVD's just one year is over 8,700 hours no granted most people do not leave there PC on 24x7 but you can see how fast it add up.

    For an example I have seen DVD drives that when they get older will only read CD and not read DVD's but that is just one example. I am not saying that your DVD drive is bad but I have seen this time after time.

Hope this help you some more, Mike

PS Please let us know how you make out.          Thanks for the info Mike.  Things have moved on a bit.

I was staring at the computer still stuck on that error message.  From the Dos box (Shift – F10) I can see all my hard drive directories – all looks to be there ok.  I closed the dos box and just out of a whim (also this http://forums.techguy.org/all-other-software/547086-file-asms-windows-xp-professional.html) I entered c:\i386 as the path to search for the needed file.  It worked, but the same error message kept reappearing with a different file needed.  I kept entering c:\i386  - did this about 20 or so times – they were all *.cat files, and one dll.  Then it got the Regional and Language Options popup – accepted that.  Then it gave some more error messages for files needed and this time I entered d:\i386 – the CD kept whiring and the setup continued.  Finally it got to a point where it was removing temporary files and said just 1 minute left.

Screen went black.  Then a boot options page appeared, Windows XP or Recovery Console.  I selected XP.  The Windows XP logo screen has now appeared – it says please wait, but it seems to be waiting forever.  Infuriating – so near yet so far.

Waited ages, then turned machine off.  Waited few seconds, then started it.  Got same XP vs. Console option page but this time it has booted into XP.  I have my familiar desktop back – great relief.

Really must get some sleep now.  Will explore tomorrow what things have been messed up – bound to be some.

Keith
Good evening whathim and welcome back

    I am happy to hear that you may be OK.
But you may not be aware of this some files on the CD are compressed / zipped so when windows pulls the files off the CD (or attempts too) then they are put on the hard drive and then uncompressed (temp file) then windows puts them on the hard drive where they are needed. So when you keep on getting a prompts like 20x than that means the files / data was not successively pulled off the CD. So this is where either the CD or CD drive may be the culprit for all of your issue.

    Also if at any time when those boxes pop up and you hit cancel you will possibly run to a improperly installed OS and then have nothing but problems.

Well hope to hear from you soon, Mike 

     Hi Mike.  I do take your point about the CD and files.  It bothers me somewhat that I got Setup to proceed by giving the path c:\i386 so that it pulled the files off C drive and these might well be corrupted by the original trouble.

Anyway, here is a progress report, and some queries that I would be very grateful for your thoughts.

Startup (this morning):

On startup the computer shows a bootup options page:

Windows XP Professional
Recovery Console

This page always appears now when I reboot.  Any idea how to get rid of it?

My familiar XP desktop is back  and I have Internet connectivity – Google Chrome works, IE does not.  None of my Internet shortcuts work (I use a lot in various folders).  They all show a default icon and when I right-click to Properties I see there is a General tab but no URL tab.

Internet Explorer:

This http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917964 says, “If you performed a repair installation of Windows XP but did not uninstall any later version of Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer will not run. To troubleshoot this issue, follow these steps”.

Followed these instructions, I rebooted and tried to start into Recovery Console via the bootup options page.  I got a blue screen of death.

Rebooted into Recovery Console using the XP CD as here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654#howtouserc.  Successfully did the following commands to uninstall IE8:

CD ie8\spuninst
batch Spuninst.txt

Surely, I could have done that from Start > Run.  Still, it’s done now.  I restarted into XP, downloaded IE 8 and installed.  IE now works and my Internet shortcuts are back and working.

Updates:

Did IE > Tools > Windows Update.  It checked my system for updates and gave me a long list of 116 “High-priority updates”.  I clicked Install Updates.

It downloaded and installed all 116 and said done for each one and then prompted for reboot.  It took a very long time installing two of them:

Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on XP, Server 2003, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008 x86 (KB2656368) and (KB2686827).

After reboot the yellow Updates shield appears in the tray.  When I click this it again INSTALLS KB2656368 and KB2686827, taking ages just as before and says done.  When I reboot, the yellow shield is back for the same updates.  I’ve had this persistent problem from way before the recent trouble.  Never been able to find a solution to it.  Any suggestion here would be welcome.

Other issues:

There are several other issues I’m working on now.  I wont bother you with them until I can be more specific.

Thanks for the help and support.
Keith

Hello, can someone tell me the syntax I would use in a batch file (logon script) that checks the OS VERSION? I want to use a logon script that only PERFORMS a function on XP machines as opposed to earlier versions. Thanks!If your using VB Script then you can try this:

Code: [Select]strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
   & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")

Set colOperatingSystems = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
   ("Select * from Win32_OperatingSystem")

For Each objOperatingSystem in colOperatingSystems
   Wscript.Echo objOperatingSystem.Caption & " " & _
       objOperatingSystem.Version
Next
   
If you parse objOperatingSystem.Version you can extract the info you need.
     

OR with a .bat file

Code: [Select]echo off
ver > dummy.txt
for /f "tokens=1-4" %%i in (dummy.txt) do (if %%k=="XP" whatever
     )
del dummy.txt

You will have to make some adjustments depending on your situation.

Hope this helps.

Man, have I got a weird problem!

My computer froze up, which happens from time to time.  This time however, it will not start up in ME.  It kind of does, it gets to the screen where the log in used to be (I changed that to quick logon about 2 weeks ago) then it just sits there....forever.
Unfortunatly, I donot have a WinME disk, just the System Restore disk, which does not seem to do anything at all.
I was able to get the computer into MS-DOS mode by using and old win98 start up floppy I had made years ago, and going through the EZ-BIOS boot from floppy.

I can navigate just find in MS-DOS as it is, but no matter what I try I cannot get WINME to come up.
I have run scandisk on the drives with no errors.
The system restore disk does nothing.

Thats about all the information I have off the top of my head.  More can be provided if you need
Thanks!
Jamesgo to safe mode f5 key.......chose start pc from the command prompt.........now type scanreg/restore  at the a:\>  



Some systems on boot search for the floppy drive....on boot and not the cdrom drive......of which can be altered in the bios.......[DEL key on boot setup]..if desired..but if you use the recovery disk......you will encounter file loss.cannot get into safe mode
i can trick the system into the command prompt using an old 98 diskette.
tried entering scanreg/restore but get the response bad command or file namego to bootdisks.com and download the winme boot disk......and try again......have you got valuable files??if you have not .......go to the bios setup....del key....and change the boot sequence....to boot from cdrom.....what is the make of this pc.....Got the boot disk and tried to boot from it.  It did boot.
However, trying scanreg/restore from the command prompt resulted in bad command.....

The boot sequence is set to 1)CD, 2)Floppy, 3) C:

The computer is an old compac Celeron 633, 393Mb Ram, with 'new' sound and video cards (added about 3 years ago) and a MAXTOR 40G HD added quite some time ago (henche the EZ-BIOS)

what recover disk is this a cdom........i was wondering if ezbios...has caused this problem.....did you use it for partitioning a drive....?The "recovery CD" was compacs version of a system disk, I GUESS.  I consider it a coaster now.

I was able to download a Windows ME bootdisk from bootdisk.com

I got a little further with this.  Once I was even able to do scanreg/restore.  I thought this was going to work, as it let me restore to a POINT of about 4 days ago.
no joy.
I tried rebooting and got the same thing.

I used the boot floppy again, and tried scanreg, and now it tells me that its a bad command/file name....

I did type 'win' and it appeared that the computer was going to attempt and run ME, but I got the lovely old blue screen saying im missing isfhlp.sys  (it must have ran away when I smacked the computer about an hour ago)
a BIT of searching online has led me...no where.  I was hoping this would be an easy download, but alas it is not.
I sure hope you have some more tricks up your sleeve!
Thanks again!

Does  Windows XP Pro have its own firewall?

Does Office that is part of Windows XP also have its own firewall?

We use Trend Micro P-Cillin for our personal Firewall.
We have DSL.

Could all these firewalls be slowing down my reading & deleting emails ?Windows XP has a firewall ONLY if you have service Pack two installed... Also... About how fast your compter is running... How much RAM do you have?

[glb]Flame[/glb]I have 512 MB RAM.maybe your isp is  the cause.......run a system scan for bugs......spysweeper........webroot.com ......Actually Flame, Windows XP comes with the firewall at any LEVEL.  It is just automatically turned on with SP2 where with all other levels the default setting was off. Quote

Does  Windows XP Pro have its own firewall?

Does Office that is part of Windows XP also have its own firewall?

We use Trend Micro PC-Cillin for our personal Firewall.
We have DSL.

Could all these firewalls be slowing down my reading & deleting emails ?

...Could all these firewalls be slowing down my reading & deleting emails ?

hey guys!

i have a serious problem. Couple of days ago after restarting my computer it hasn't worked. eveytime i turn it on it works fine until the point where you login on xp. the windows xp screen comes up with the little time line and then right after the screen turns black then FLASHES a blue screen (which IM not fast enough to read) and then just restarts. If anyone can help me please do so.

ThanksLets try RUNNING in safe mode... Follow these instructions to start... Restart your computer and start PRESSING the F8 key on your keyboard... Keep pressing F8 until you see the Boot Menu. (3 options). Use your arrow keys to select safe mode. Press enter... Your computer will now boot... Give it a few minutes... You should now be able to login... Here's what I want you to do... Reply to this topic once you boot in safe mode... After, we will talk about fixing the problem...  

[glb]Flame[/glb]Have you added any new hardware/?//and what is make~specs of this pc......
Hey!

None of the modes work to start the computer with. I believe it might be a virus of some sort. Because same thin that HAPPEND to my computer happend to my brothers computer as well. The make is an HP. And no no new hardware has been added in the past weeks.

Thanks guysAre there any error/code messages.......on boot....is this a laptop......Hey

No there are no error messages at all. And no it's not a laptop. Have you heard of any new viruses that might cause this kinda problem...

Thxdoes anyone have any advice of what i can do to fix his problem...

thxTry booting to command prompt only and run stinger from McAfee
http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
You, of course, will have to download this to a floppy on another computer.

Platform:        Windows Me
Make:            HP
Ram:             128MB
Processor:       Intell PENTIUM III
Megahertz:       866
Hard Drive:      40.0

I cant find my System Tools. They have always been in my accessories. I went there to do a skan disk and eveything in my accessories was gone. It just says empty. I can't do a system RESTORE to an earlier date because THATS where my system restore was. Where can I do a system restore to an earlier date besides in System tools?

Diagnose/troubleshooting:

Just tried to find my system tools. Scared I'll screw SOMETHING up.

Help?  I have tried to search the forums and the other help on the site and still am not quite sure of if/how to do this.  My son's lap top starts to boot up, shows it is loading XP, goes to blue screen and shuts off.  He has tried to start in safe mode and it will not allow him to do so.  Last Friday I had put a virus scan on the computer and ran it. It came up with several trojan HORSES and "fixed" them.  He was able to boot up on both Saturday and Sunday(in the morning) but Sunday afternoon this problem started. I am assuming it is a trojan horse virus and wonder how to repair it or if I can simply wipe out everything and reload the XP.  If I can - how do I do that?  Will I have to reformat the hard drive?  Thanks for any help!    I have found a program called "WD Cleaner" that states if will clean up your hard drive before trying to reload.  Has anyone heard of or used this?  Thanks!  LindaYou do not need any such program in order to reformat the Hard Disk Drive.

I suggest you refer to this
article for precise details on how to format your Hard Disk Drive and what to keep in mind before doing so.

Once that is done, you should follow the instructions described in this
article in order to reinstall Windows XP.

If you have any questions regarding these documents, do not hesitate to contact us.Thank-you for the information.  I have read and printed out the articles you suggested.  The computer will not boot up at all so I am stuck!  How do I get to the point where I can reload?  Clarify Quote

The computer will not boot up at all so I am stuck!  How do I get to the point where I can reload?

On a friend's computer, everything has become chaos. The internet explorer doesn't work. Wireless drivers don't work, several other programs don't work, including virus scanning programs and firewalls. Printer drivers don't work, updating programs don't work, etc.

I need to format the hard drive.  

When I inserted the Windows XP Prof. CD-ROM, I click install and it installed some installation files on the c: drive. Then it restarted, when it restarted, it opened in the CD program. Eventually, I come to a point where I have to choose a partition to install the OPERATING system on. There are two available, only one is likely (the other is only 31mb). I try to delete the current partition, by following the instructions on the screen, but I get a message informing me that the partition cannot be deleted because it contains some installation files.

Next, I try it from the desktop. I restart the computer normally and go to 'My Computer' and right-click on C: and choose 'Format...' I close the 'My Computer' window and select the options on the small formatting window. I select 'Format' or 'OK' or whatever, and it shows a message informing me that the contents of the drive will be lost; I click 'OK' and another message appears that says the drive c: is still being used by another program.

I went to msconfig and shut down everything, but I still can't figure out how to format. I need help. Thanks in advance!Follow these steps for a proper way to format the Hard Disk Drive.

1. Enter your BIOS
-- This can be done during the POST. Press DEL, F1 or any other key. You should be notified of the proper key by your system.
2. Set the first boot device to CD-ROM or DVD-ROM
-- Depending on what medium you plan on inserting the Windows XP CD in.
3. Follow onscreen instructions
-- I do not remember wheter it automatically boots off the CD or asks you to.
4. Choose to install Windows XP.
-- It will notify you of the fact that an existing copy has allready been installed.

From here you can REMOVE, create and format partitions.


Additional:

Windows XP can not remove it self when it is in use, therefore, trying to format a station that Windows is using from within Windows does not work.

I'm going off memory here so a COUPLE things may be off.  You'll need to boot off CD, this will bring up a blue screen from which you will need to choose to install Windows XP.  It will install a some system files into memory, you'll need to press F8 to ACCEPT the user agreement.  Eventually you'll be presented with the partitions you wish to install Windows XP on.  Go ahead and just delete all the partitions and start from scratch.  Create a new partition and choose that partition to install Windows XP on, you will be given an option to format.  I wish I had a spare computer to walk you through it step by step.  I'll check the web to see if there is one... If you need additional help, you can reach me at ResourcePC.

Daveyou need to make a dos disk and copy format.com from win98 use the dos disk to format the hddThanks Raptor, your method WORKED nicely.

I m very upset CAUSE i cant install any anti virus sw. on my pc, with os XP    Have you tried the Microsoft AV?

www.microsoft.com/security_essentials

It's free and updates through Windows updates in the optional software section. Quote from: vandish on April 19, 2011, 11:47:07 AM

I m very upset cause i cant install any anti virus sw. on my pc, with os XP   

i need a way to make it so that when the user types in a word that it will only respond to that word and NOTHING else.

example

SET /P input=:%=%

IF /I "%input%"=="yes" GOTO END

when i use this it works just fine but when i just push enter it just goes to the next SEGMENT of CODE in the batch.
make sense?If the STRING "%input%" equals "yes" then you goto the label :end, otherwise execution continues with the next line, so you have to put something in the next line to cope with that situation.

I'm not SURE how to do this....

My laptop computer did not come with any discs but instead has the HARD drive (only 30GB) partitioned with the OS on D drive partition. I would like a larger hard drive but would then not have any OS to install on the new larger drive so I want to make a copy of the Windows XP that is on the drive before I get and install a larger drive. I think that the computer had a pop-up window, way back when we first got it, asking if we wanted to burn a back-up copy of the OS but now I've forgotten how to access that pop-up window. It seems that the OS takes up 15GB (the entire D partition). However, I have Windows 2000 on a CD-Rom disc that is only 700MB so I'm not sure why Windows XP would be so much larger. The computer is older and only came with a CD-Rom drive so this MUST be possible to get a copy of the OS onto a CD-R disc.http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspthanks!

I was using SOMEBODY ELS'S computer and was trying to set up a HOME network, when i was propted to restart the computer i did. after that it seemed to take an INCREDIBLY long time to load, so i restarted it while it was at the loading screen doing nothing, then i GET the message that it did not load on its last attempt and could choose normal mode safe mode ect and no matter what i choose it goes to a black screen with a   _   at the top left corner of the screen, and it does nothing.

help me i dont want to be blaimed for this!!!I'll try and answer your question if you try and answer mine... READ "unsolvable Problem?" PLZZZ  Question:

1. What steps have you taken to set up the home network?
2. What software have you installed?

Suggestion:

1. Use or create a Boot diskette and remove the FILES you have installed from the MS-DOS prompt.i did not install anything. all i did was go to the  network setup wizard. some wizard huh. i wonder if this happened because of what i did, it seems unlikly. but this should not just happen for no reason though now should it?Then it seems to me like it was bound to happen sooner or later.use a virus scanner to scan for bugs.....disable system restore..>>>does it have  an anti-vrus program on it... or a firewall??never known winme to re-boot........go back in safe mode a run scandisk......type it after the msdos prompt

Hi!

I used Resource Hacker to customize this dialog, BOOT logo, BIOS logo and Start button.

Only one THING I don't know how to remove:

TEXT "SERVICE Pack 3"

In attachment is picture of changes (I'm Commodore 128 fan).

Can anybody HELP me with removing Service Pack 3 text?

Many thanks for EVERY reply.

Miro

[recovering disk space - old attachment deleted by admin]

Do win xp has a program equivalent to win98's scanreg for system RESTORATION?  I just want to back my system on its GOOD state.Not clear on what you mean... Windows XP System Restore can go back just as far as 98... To adjust how much memory System restore takes up, right-CLICK on My Computer, and click on properties... Next, click on the System Restore tab... You will now see a sliding bar... Set that to the maximum to go back as far as possible.. Also, yes, System Restore does make its own points when new software is installed.

[glb]Flame[/glb]my pc doesnt display the desktop after boot. When I logon it stops on that. But all the processes are working on the background. I used that pc as my INTERNET server in my home. I dont want to reformat and install all my programs all over again.

Is there any way that I can do to back my pc on its good condition cause the repair on xp didnt work.  I dont know how the repair on xp should be done. is says enter the windows intallation than I picked up 1, then I asked for the administrator password and I supplied it. But it display c:\windows. I guess its done and the repair didnt run.  

Can you tell me how to use that repair?Refer to the following articles:
Microsoft Windows XP - Using Recovery Console
Microsoft Windows XP - Installing and Using Recovery Console
Recovery Console

Question:

1. Have you used the last known good configuration on boot?
-- You can choose the last known good configuration by following these steps:

1. Before Windows loads press F8.
2. Select 'Last known good configuration'
3. Press Enter
-- Windows should boot normally.
be careful when using last known good configuration in Win XP as to the best of my knowledge it purges your system restore points. When I have used it in the past and got back into windows successfully, I found that even then setting a new restore point did not help on a reboot. Maybe someone can confirm the CASE?what is the make of this pc........do you have a problem?I disable system restore alltogether and choosing last known good configuration works properly none the less.

If it has removed your system restore points, it most likely did so because they were not included with the last known good configuration.

What are the benifits of purchasing Win Xp Pro vs. Win Xp HOME ?
I have Xp Home on my Desktop, but am in the MARKET for a notebook.
I am STARTING a NEW home-based business and will have a web site.

Kellee ......Have a read and then you decide.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx


dl65  Will this home-based business be on a network? Will you have a lot of important files that need to be kept secure? Windows XP Professional will help you do that easier...

[glb]Flame[/glb]THANK you both for your help.

Take care
Kellee

I am unable to MINIMIZE pages in WINDOWS without losing them entirely. Rather than reducing to a BAR at the BOTTOM of my screen (which I can bring back up any time at the click of my mouse) the page I am trying to minimize simply vanishes. The result: I am only able to work with a single web page at a time -- and must close that page entirely whenever I want to open another one. No more 'multi-tasking', in other words. I SUSPECT there's a simple reason for the problem I am experiencing.  Do the following:

• Scan for Viruses
  
• Scan for Spyware
  
• Scan for Trojan Horses
  

Had some serious bugs that 'Super Dave' is spending a lot of TIME helping me with on the Malware forum, but I thought this question should go here.

One, or more. of the bugs had made all my existing files inaccessible.  I finally had my 'Duh' moment when I realized it had simply made them hidden, as I NOTICED that search would bring the files up, but they wouldn't show up on my drive. Finally checking properties on one, I saw that it was checked 'Hidden', and checking more, I see they all are.

Anyway, another 'Duh' moment occurred when I realized I have a lot of INDIVIDUAL files on my C drive, but they are not in a folder, which means there is no 'folder' to uncheck 'Hidden' on,  and a properties menu on the HARD drive does not OFFER that option.

So the question is, is there any way to change these files from 'Hidden' without doing it one at a time?  I've probably got 80 of them, and doubt that I could even remember all the names in order to bring them up in a search. Try this - open a command prompt in the C:\ folder and type ATTRIB -H *.* and press Enter.Download and run UnHide

I have allowed Windows to scan this at 3 different times to no avail. I still have a message when inputting So I decided to tell Windows not to check that drive by inputting However, Windows now wont allow me to defrag. How can I solve this problem once & for all? Please keep SUGGESTIONS simple, as I am still a beginner. Thankyou for whatever help you can offer.
robinpThe usual way of unsetting the dirty bit is to allow chkdisk /F to run to completion. Have you tried this? If so, and the dirty bit keeps being set, you may have a hard disk problem.

Quote

I have allowed Windows to scan this at 3 different times