startup won't go past Windows ME screen

My Windows ME laptop will no longer start up. Powering up, I get to the
white Windows ME screen, but no farther. If i hit escape, a black screen
appears that says "Please wait while Setup updates your configuration files.
This may take a few minutes..." However, after 10-15 minutes, a line
appears "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %2 This keeps
repeating every 15 minutes or so. What do I do?

OEMXXX.inf files

Ever heard of Norton System Doctor shooting its users in both feet? If not
and using or having used System Doctor read on, if not ignore the rest of
this post.

Check your windows\inf folder (a hidden system folder and you will have to
enable the viewing of such files and folders in Explorer (Tools | Folder
Options | View and check "Show hidden files and folders" and uncheck "Hide
protected operating system files") and look for large numbers of oem*.inf
files that are all 0 bytes in size. If you've got thousands of such files
this is the cause of your problem as you're probably at the limit of the
number of entries that can be entered in a FAT folder and therefore cannot
add
any inf file associated with the update.

Why has this happened? Did you perhaps forget to disable System Doctor
before
updating your system from the Windows Update site? If you don't delete
these
files some software and most hardware and driver installs will take a very
long time to complete if they complete at all.

For more details see the Symantec site:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...15010309&src=n
and also MS KB Q281967 - "Computer Stops Responding (Hangs) During Setup,
Installing Updates, or Adding New Hardware"
(http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;Q281967). I would
strongly recommend that you contact Microsoft and mention Q281967 and also
Q301540 and ask for a copy of the new ifsmgr.vxd v4.90.3003. You will then
either be sent the file or told how and where to download a copy. There
should be no charge for this call other than for the cost of the phone call.
--
Mike Maltby 9/01/2002
------
KB 301540 - "CreateFile Improperly Returns ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS
if the Drive Is Locked and the File Did Not Exist"
(http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;301540)





--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...t/default.aspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"jjjimmys" wrote in message
...
My Windows ME laptop will no longer start up. Powering up, I get to the
white Windows ME screen, but no farther. If i hit escape, a black screen
appears that says "Please wait while Setup updates your configuration
files.
This may take a few minutes..." However, after 10-15 minutes, a line
appears "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %2 This keeps
repeating every 15 minutes or so. What do I do?

In case the issue started after an update or the addition of some other
software, this info (also from Mike Maltby, MS-MVP), may be of some
help.......

First boot to DOS using a floppy and check whether you have a WININIT.INI
file in your C:\WINDOWS folder. If present rename it to something like
wininit.old and try booting again. It is also probable that you will have
to
repeat the last software install or update that you made. See MS KB283069 -
"Error Message: (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=283069).

If you can't find a wininit.ini file then I suspect your problem is due to
the
C:\_RESTORE\TEMP folder having around 64K files in it which is the limit
(2**16) for the number of files that can be located in a folder using the
FAT32 filing system. This can also lead to the "Cannot upgrade file %1 from
%2.." message when booting. I suggest you try deleting the _RESTORE folder
with the loss of any system restore checkpoints you might have (not that I
think they are now usable) and see if that solves the problem. [BTW do you
have any Symantec applications installed? I ask because LiveUpdate is
implicated in this problem.] Delete the folder as follows:
a) Boot to DOS using a floppy. Do NOT choose "Minimal Boot" from the menu
when booting from a floppy but rather choose "Start computer with (or
without)
CD-ROM support" otherwise the ATTRIB command will not be available.
b) At the DOS A:\ prompt, type:

ATTRIB -H -S -R C:\_RESTORE
REN C:\_RESTORE OLDREST

c) Remove the floppy
d) Reboot your PC

Another problem though is that the update you were doing was probably never
completed so your system may still be unusable. If however it does manage
to
boot then
e) Delete the folder C:\OLDREST
f) Check that an automatic system restore checkpoint was created.
g) Finally adjust the space allocated to the restore folder:
System | Performance | File System | Hard Disk and adjust the restore slider
to your preferred setting. A figure of 200MB is normally more than
adequate
for day to day use allowing perhaps a week of checkpoints to be available
although increasing this to perhaps 400MB for a few days during periods of
large installs such Microsoft Office is advisable.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


=======================================
Heirloom, old and starting to hate the smell of latex

"Jack E Martinelli" wrote in message
...
OEMXXX.inf files

Ever heard of Norton System Doctor shooting its users in both feet? If
not
and using or having used System Doctor read on, if not ignore the rest of
this post.

Check your windows\inf folder (a hidden system folder and you will have to
enable the viewing of such files and folders in Explorer (Tools | Folder
Options | View and check "Show hidden files and folders" and uncheck "Hide
protected operating system files") and look for large numbers of oem*.inf
files that are all 0 bytes in size. If you've got thousands of such files
this is the cause of your problem as you're probably at the limit of the
number of entries that can be entered in a FAT folder and therefore cannot
add
any inf file associated with the update.

Why has this happened? Did you perhaps forget to disable System Doctor
before
updating your system from the Windows Update site? If you don't delete
these
files some software and most hardware and driver installs will take a very
long time to complete if they complete at all.

For more details see the Symantec site:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...15010309&src=n
and also MS KB Q281967 - "Computer Stops Responding (Hangs) During Setup,
Installing Updates, or Adding New Hardware"
(http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;Q281967). I
would
strongly recommend that you contact Microsoft and mention Q281967 and also
Q301540 and ask for a copy of the new ifsmgr.vxd v4.90.3003. You will
then
either be sent the file or told how and where to download a copy. There
should be no charge for this call other than for the cost of the phone
call.
--
Mike Maltby 9/01/2002
------
KB 301540 - "CreateFile Improperly Returns ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS
if the Drive Is Locked and the File Did Not Exist"
(http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;301540)





--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...t/default.aspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"jjjimmys" wrote in message
...
My Windows ME laptop will no longer start up. Powering up, I get to
the
white Windows ME screen, but no farther. If i hit escape, a black
screen
appears that says "Please wait while Setup updates your configuration
files.
This may take a few minutes..." However, after 10-15 minutes, a line
appears "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %2 This keeps
repeating every 15 minutes or so. What do I do?

-----Original Message-----
My Windows ME laptop will no longer start up. Powering
up, I get to the
white Windows ME screen, but no farther. If i hit
escape, a black screen
appears that says "Please wait while Setup updates your
configuration files.
This may take a few minutes..." However, after 10-15
minutes, a line
appears "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %
2 This keeps
repeating every 15 minutes or so. What do I do?
.
Well Alot of people dont know that about once a year
Windows should be reinstalled!
Reinstalling Windows seems best, I am a computer repaiman,
install Windows in Partial install mode first, if that
doesnt work install Windows again in Full install Mode and
that should work.

wrote in message
...

-----Original Message-----
My Windows ME laptop will no longer start up. Powering
up, I get to the
white Windows ME screen, but no farther. If i hit
escape, a black screen
appears that says "Please wait while Setup updates your
configuration files.
This may take a few minutes..." However, after 10-15
minutes, a line
appears "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %
2 This keeps
repeating every 15 minutes or so. What do I do?
.
Well Alot of people dont know that about once a year
Windows should be reinstalled!
Reinstalling Windows seems best, I am a computer repaiman,
install Windows in Partial install mode first, if that
doesnt work install Windows again in Full install Mode and
that should work.

.....and that's the reason that you're a 'computer repairman'!
Reinstalling Windows is a LAST resort - and NOT necessary under most
circumstances.

Reinstalling the OS has at least two effects - both of which mean that
another reinstallation is more likely in the future.
1) if the reinstall is a clean one, then the user is forced to reinstall all
programs, and is likely to commit the same errors in doing so that he did
the first time, which created the apparent need for the reinstall
2) if the reinstall is an over-the-top one, then version soup is the likely
result - with effects that are entirely unpredictable, and the end-result is
most likely to be a clean install and loss of data

Neither teaches the user anything about the cause of the problem, and
possible prevention of recurrence

It would seem that you are more intent on repeat business for your repair
shop than on helping your customers understand their PC's.
It would also seem that you know very little about computers - please let me
know the company name so I can put it on my 'avoid' list! There is no such
thing as either a 'Partial Install' of Windows, or a 'Full install' -
although they may be terms that you have invented for whatever it is that
you purport to attempt to do to your clients' machines.



--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2005, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm
http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

ROFL!

As soon as I read *I am a computer repairman* I envisaged *Bicycle Repair
Man!*. I think the former is the more ludicrous!


Shane


"Noel Paton" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
...

-----Original Message-----
My Windows ME laptop will no longer start up. Powering
up, I get to the
white Windows ME screen, but no farther. If i hit
escape, a black screen
appears that says "Please wait while Setup updates your
configuration files.
This may take a few minutes..." However, after 10-15
minutes, a line
appears "Windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %
2 This keeps
repeating every 15 minutes or so. What do I do?
.
Well Alot of people dont know that about once a year
Windows should be reinstalled!
Reinstalling Windows seems best, I am a computer repaiman,
install Windows in Partial install mode first, if that
doesnt work install Windows again in Full install Mode and
that should work.

....and that's the reason that you're a 'computer repairman'!
Reinstalling Windows is a LAST resort - and NOT necessary under most
circumstances.

Reinstalling the OS has at least two effects - both of which mean that
another reinstallation is more likely in the future.
1) if the reinstall is a clean one, then the user is forced to reinstall
all programs, and is likely to commit the same errors in doing so that he
did the first time, which created the apparent need for the reinstall
2) if the reinstall is an over-the-top one, then version soup is the
likely result - with effects that are entirely unpredictable, and the
end-result is most likely to be a clean install and loss of data

Neither teaches the user anything about the cause of the problem, and
possible prevention of recurrence

It would seem that you are more intent on repeat business for your repair
shop than on helping your customers understand their PC's.
It would also seem that you know very little about computers - please let
me know the company name so I can put it on my 'avoid' list! There is no
such thing as either a 'Partial Install' of Windows, or a 'Full install' -
although they may be terms that you have invented for whatever it is that
you purport to attempt to do to your clients' machines.



--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2005, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm
http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Reinstalling Windows seems best, I am a computer repaiman,

Yeah, my arse you are!


Shane

Don't know about the rest of the world, but, Me has been on this machine
since the day it hit the shelves and has never been
're-installed'.......either "partially" or "full." Just refrain from
putting garbage on it........a clean machine is a happy machine.
Heirloom, old and clean

"Shane" wrote in message
...
Reinstalling Windows seems best, I am a computer repaiman,

Yeah, my arse you are!


Shane

Hiya Heirloom where have you been hiding g
Joan

heirloom wrote:
Don't know about the rest of the world, but, Me has been on this machine
since the day it hit the shelves and has never been
're-installed'.......either "partially" or "full." Just refrain from
putting garbage on it........a clean machine is a happy machine.
Heirloom, old and clean

Not hiding, just painting........and painting.........and painting,
aaauuuurrrrgh! The smell of latex has softened my brain. Had to take a
break today....got up at 8:30a, had coffee, showered, ate breakfast and took
a 4 hour nap, checked some email and feeling tired again. Did I mention I
hate painting?
Heirloom, old and caulking is okay


"Joan Archer" wrote in message
...
Hiya Heirloom where have you been hiding g
Joan

heirloom wrote:
Don't know about the rest of the world, but, Me has been on this machine
since the day it hit the shelves and has never been
're-installed'.......either "partially" or "full." Just refrain from
putting garbage on it........a clean machine is a happy machine.
Heirloom, old and clean