Posted: 1/18/2004 3:32:41 AM EDT
| This isn't my computer but a friends mothers computer. Running Windows ME and her granddaughter was on the thing and must have done something to it. I'm not an expert but know a little and busted my head on this for several hours yesterday and couldn't get it working. When you boot it up all that is there is just the wallpaper and nothing else. No icons, no task bar, start button, system tray...nothing but the picture. The mouse pointer moves like its suppose to but clicking either buttons has no effect. The only keys that works is ctl+alt+delete. Then the usual box pops up and it shows the only thing running is explorer. Start it up in safe mode and everything is there of course in the safe mode they dont look quite right but task bar and icons and everything else is there. Doesn't appear that windows is loading everything up in the normal mode being when the ctl+alt+del window comes up it only has explorer in it. I wanted to use the re-install windows me option when booted up on the CD but she kept telling me that someone told her that it would wipe everything out like her pictures, email etc. and couldn't convince her otherwise so didn't do it. I think I explained it ok. Anybody have any tips on this. |
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See if you can get into windows and run system restore. Also press the windows icon key on the keyboard, see if that will bring up the start menu, if it does go to display, can can hide icons there, and type msconfig in the run box, see what is checked under startup. Also if you have to reinstall you can burn things you want to save to CD. |
| done all that and didn't work. Kept trying the Restore thing and tried to go back to an earlier date but would get about 3/4 done than stop and had to just end the task. Kept going back farther and farther but kept doing the same thing. Couldn't get msconfig to run in the safe mode. kept comming up with some kind of memory or kernal error...cant remember exactly what it said but it wouldn't run. That key didn't work either. Like I said the only thing that would work was ctl+alt+del than have to hit shut down button to shut it down. Don't know about windows ME but my win 98SE has more running than just explorer in that box. Also noticed that the config.sys file had nothing in it "0" blank. |
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Since you can boot it into safe mode. Back up all her files to a CD or something and then re-install. Best option there is. You might figure out what is screwing up, using boot logger and other stuff, but it's not worth the time. You'll probably spend more time figuring it out than just re-installing. You might seriously want to consider upgrading her OS to Win2K or XP as WinME sucks worse than Win98SE. If she is using Outlook Express for e-mail. You can figure out where it is keeping all the files (which you can then backup) by going to "tools", "options", "maintenance", "store folder". It will show where it is keeping all the files. Save them all and then copy them to re-installed OS using the same process. If she is using regular Outlook, the email files are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\"her username"\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\. |
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From what you said was done it sounds like its best to do a reinstall. Just back up everything. Any other attempt at fixing it will probaly be much more time consuming then reinstalling and replacing all the files. Another option to copy everything is ti hook up a spare hard drive to the computer install an OS on it and copy everything to it. |
| Think thats the best thing is to reinstall it. This thing is one of those "e-machines" and she got it here in town. Told her to just take it over there and they will fix it but it will cost her a little. She is on fixed income and don't have alot. Thats why I tried to help her out. I'll see if I can get over there today but I don't think I can make it. Have to head out this evening for Detroit and wont be back till thursday. Dont think she wants to wait that long. |
| your probably right there. I'll have to give her a call later today after she gets back from church and if I can't get over there today see if she can wait till thurs or fri. Don't think she knows how to put her stuff on a cd so will have to do that for her......If I can get that to work!!!! Thats where she needs to be putting all her pictures, anyway. Along with other stuff she wants to keep. |
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I had ME, it came preinstalled on a Sony VAIO computer that I bought a few years ago. The "Blue Screen of Death" was a daily occurrance on that platform. Why the hell they ever installed that POS on something as complicated as a digital editing studio, I'll never know... ANYWAY, I bit the bullet and put Windows XP Pro on every machine in the office last year, converted all from FAT 32 to NFTS and have not seen the Blue Screen of Death since [:D] |
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Quoted: Tell your friend to dump ME and get XP. I had contiunal problems with ME. ME was a good idea in concept but it they just couldn't get it to work right. This is your answer. I beleive MS has dropped support Suck it up and have her buy XP. mike |
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Quoted: go to start, run and type msconfig and click ok go to startup and uncheck all the boxs. hit apply and ok. if it starts normally you have a "tsr" that is a problem. go back to msconfig and turn them back on until you can pip-point the problem. I would if I could. Thats one of the first things I tried in the safe mode and it would not work. Came up with some kind of error..don't remember what it was but something like a memory or kernl error. and I [b]can't[/b] do it in normal mode cause there is no start button or anything else for that matter except for that wallpaper picture.[headbang] [banghead] |
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You could try and run regedit in safemode to check for those TSR's. The keys to look for are (At least under XP and 2000, I'm sure ME is similar): 1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\RUN 2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\RUN Should show a list of apps being run on startup. Just delete key or edit the value and add a ";" to the beginning of each to diable it. Although it "is" possible to re-install using a standard copy of WinME and not lose everything, it depends on the disk supplied my the manufacturer. Many custom versions basically wipe out everything and reset WinME to some default configuration. |
| ME is probably the bigest POS OS that Microsoft has produced. Check and see if the little tyke somehow logged on as a different user. If she did and the machine loaded her configuration at startup. If her preferences had no icons on the screen desktop you may have what you are seeing. I can't remember if you can do this with ME, but you can with Win2000, since it allows multiple users to logon. Go to control panel, and click on users and passwords and check it out. |
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try this; it is reversable... using a windows 98 or ME bootdisk, boot to a dos prompt. type: ren c:\windows winold (this renames windows and effectively disables it/you can always rename winold back to windows) reinstall windows ME. at a point it will ask you if you want to install to the winold directory... edit the name of the directory to windows and proceed. this will allow you to install a fresh new version of windows without deleting anything. you can find your old drivers in the winold directory and all your programs and data will still be there although you may need to re-install your programs in order for them to work in the new windows without errors. after a week or so if everything is working ok you can safely delete the winold directory. |
| Well...here's an update. While I was out on the road, she took it to where she got it and they also had problems getting it right without wiping everything out and starting over. I don't feel so bad now. They aren't going to hit her too hard for it, they realize that she is on a fixed income and don't have much so they work with her. I think maybe she got some kind of virus that was causing it. I agree with the thoughts about dumping the Win ME for XP but they said her computer won't handle it too good. Thanks for all the tips. |
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Quoted: You mean a problem other than that someone convinced the owner to use ME? That is the biggest POS Op system out there. Install Win 2000, that'll solve most problems. Thats what was on the computer when she bought it, or should I say her son bought it for her. At the time it was the latest version. I agree with the POS operating system. |
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I'm curious how many times you restarted the computer, because a similar thing happens to me where only the desktop picture appears. I have shut the computer off with the tower button and restarted and after doing this a couple times, had the computer boot normally. With windows me, cold or hard restarts are common. Sometimes ctrl, alt, delete will restart, sometimes not. System Restore and ctrl., alt., delete are getting worn out on the computer I'm using now![:D] And system restore can screw up you virus definitions real good too. |
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Quoted: I'm curious how many times you restarted the computer, because a similar thing happens to me where only the desktop picture appears. I have shut the computer off with the tower button and restarted and after doing this a couple times, had the computer boot normally. With windows me, cold or hard restarts are common. Sometimes ctrl, alt, delete will restart, sometimes not. System Restore and ctrl., alt., delete are getting worn out on the computer I'm using now![:D] And system restore can screw up you virus definitions real good too. Restarted it a lot of times but did it with the ctl, alt, del and clicked the shutdown button. Thats the only thing that would work. Out of my hands now as someone else has it so its their headache. But they had the same problems and couldn't get anything to work either no mater what they did; so they are going to wipe it out and reinstall and start from scratch. |