Start up error after upgrade

I had the very same problem with my PC. I was able to restore the system to
an earlier resore point through DOS using a Windows ME startup disk.
Unfortunately, the restore point was 2 1/2 years ago--have no idea why.
Windows is now starting up normally. I downloaded all the critical updates
without problem. But now the hard drive seems to be grinding and I cannot
get my printer reinstalled. The printer is connected to the PC with a USB
connection. When I disconnect and reconnect the PC searches for and finds
the new hardware, then searches for the printer software and then freezes up.
I have tried removing and reinstalling the software without success. I know
the PC, which is 5 yrs old, is probably dying but I'd like to do everything
possible to keep it running for at least a few more months. Any help would
be appreciated.

Fran
"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

mossgiel, our good friend, Mart, is well known to be far more clairvoyant
than this humble servant. In your case, I hope you have recovered your
machine and are happy. Even if so, I'm unclear as to what your situation is
or what you did.

Nevertheless, I concur with Mart that your unsuccessful attempt to use the
machine's first registry backups to restore is a lucky break for you. Had
it succeeded, all the programs installed after the first boot would now be a
mess. If such a registry replacement had been successful, your best option
would have been to attempt to run System Restore to revert to a far more
recent time, replacing this "first boot" registry, and some OS files.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"Mart" wrote in message
...
Probably, the original setup registry could have given you even more
problems - however, as you now imply that you are back in business then
good
luck and come back to visit the WinMe groups again.

Mart


"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Mart
Many thanks for your comments on this topic.
I did try to restore the registry on the PC by trying to restore it to
it's
original setup by replacing System.dat and classes.dat with the original
files that were created when Win ME was setup. Using "Attrib" and the
"REN"
commands appeared to work fine, but had problems copying the old files
into
the registry. I can only assume that I had got the "attrib" keys mixed
up
as
it wouldn't let me copy system.1st to System.dat!!

I have since tried to replicate this fault on one of my othermachines,
(P3
600 Mhz 256Mb of RAM) and surprise surprise the upgrade went without a
hitch
!!!!

Once agin thanks for your useful pointers on this topic, arms me with
the
neccessary information on what to do if this should happen again.

Once again thanks to Jack and Mart for their useful info

"Mart" wrote:

Jack, one other *possible* (final?) option to restore the registry, at
least - before mossgeil goes down the re-install route.

As System Restore isn't working, mossgeil *might* get away with using
the
scanreg /restore ploy, by trying to revert to the last 'good' registry
prior
to the problem happening, to see if that will bring things back again.

Although it is possible do this in Normal and Safe Mode, under the
circumstances, I would suggest he does it in Real Mode DOS, using his
WinMe
Startup (floppy) Disk.

Boot, with your Windows Startup (floppy) Disk and choose option 4)
Minimal
Boot.

At the A:\ prompt, type "scanreg /restore" (no quotes and note the
space
between the g and /) then press Enter.

Follow the screen prompts and when asked, select the LAST 'good' date
BEFORE
THE PROBLEM, continuing with the instructions.

Don't forget to remove the floppy disk BEFORE you tell the machine to
reboot.

Hopefully, that *may* get things working again - if not, then continue
with
Jack's re-install suggestions.

Mart


"Jack E Martinelli" wrote in message
...
Thank you for your prompt followup.

From your report, it appears that scandisk under DOS completed just
fine,
but the attempt to reboot to WinME Normal Mode failed at the early
hangup
you describe.
This suggests some file corruption of some registry or critical OS
files.
The usual fix would be to boot To Safe Mode and run SR to revert to a
known
good time. If Safe Mode will not load properly, then perhaps a use
of
the
command prompt tool might succeed.
MS KB Q279736 - "How to Start the System Restore Tool
From a Command Prompt"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];279736

Failing that, you are probably left only with an "in-place"
reinstallation,
http://winnoel.users.btopenworld.com/reinME.htm

or a "clean" installation,
http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/clean.htm

Or, better yet, the migration to XP SP2, since the hardware supports
it.
I don't doubt that your friend will be very happy.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for your comments.

Scandisk ran fine from the start disk, and revealed no errors in
either
the
file system or the hard drive. Once the scan was complete, the
machine
just
hung again, with only the mouse pointer on the screen, no taskbar,
and
just a
plain grey background as opposed the the WinME theme that had
originally
been
on the computer. Totally baffled by this one.

The XP migration was done from DOS, and already included SP2 on the
disk,
so
that's one less download to worry about :-)

Once again many thanks for the pointers and tips



"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

If the WinME system was still running, I would have you check to
confirm
that Statemgr.exe was checked in msconfig/Startup, to load at
startup,
and
that a process viewer reported that stmgr.exe was executing after
boot.
Statemgr runs at boot to load stmgr, which is needed to run SR and
SFP.

OTH, I am very happy that the migration to XP was succcessful and
so
easy.
Obviously, the hrdware supports XP, with which your friend will be
happy
and
far more secure. Be sure to upgrade to SP2, ASAP. Have the
friend
learn
about the many MS ng's supporting XP, where numerous experts stand
ready
to
aid.

BTW, what ensued during the attempts to run scandisk from a
floppy,
under
DOS? This should have succeeded.

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

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for replying to this issue

Had tried running scandisk from the boot disk to no avail :-(

When trying safe mode I experienced the same problems IE No
taskbar,
and
no
evidence of any programmes running. As regards using system
restore,
tried
to
use that to restore to 3 seperate restore points, and on each
occassion,
Windows told me that the system could not be restored. Totally
baffled
by
this one, it would appear that the download had been corrupted,
but
prior
to
re-booting the system did tell me that the update had been
successful.

On a more happier note, my friend decided to upgrade to
XP.................
and that upgrade has appeared to cure the problem
.................
albeit
a
few hours reinstalling software !!!

Many thanks for your help in this matter.
As always any comments are gratefully received :-)



"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

Begin by restarting with the WinME EBD, aka, boot disk, and
then
run
scandisk on the C: partition.
When it completes, attempt to reboot to Normal Mode.

If you have no boot disk, obtain one using another computer
from

www.bootdisk.com
http://www.startdisk.com/

Be sure to obtain the DL file for Windows Millennium, and run
it
to
create
the bootable floppy.

If this fails, consider booting to Safe Mode and using the
Add-Remove
Programs wizard to uninstall the recent Win Update, if it is
listed
in
the
item list.

You may begin considering the possible use of System Restore
to
revert
to a
prior state.
Be sure to ask more about this before proceeding.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in
message
...
After upgrading a friends PC using Windows Update ( File was
Internet
explorer service pack 1) the PC runs Scandisk and then
hangs.
All
that's
visible on the screen is the mouse arrow.

Holding down Ctrl + Alt + Del, reveals that there are no
programmes
running.

Had ran an AV Scan prior to carrying out the upgrade, using
AVG
antivirus,
and no viruses detected. Spyware scans had identified some

Wow! - Fran, that original thread was about 12 months ago. However, you said
that :-

I was able to restore the system ...
Unfortunately, the restore point was 2 1/2 years ago

Wasn't/isn't there a (much) more recent date in the 'scanreg /restore'
archive?
Were/are you able to find a (much) later date in the System Restore archive?
I will ASS-U-ME not (other than VERY recent stuff - i.e. since the date you
got it going again)

In the mean time, you also mentioned that your "hard drive seems to be
grinding" - do you mean mechanically (noisy)? Try running scandisk -
preferably in Real Mode DOS from your start-up floppy - and see (and listen)
for slow or noisy response. If your hard drive is 'on its last legs' then
your USB printer is the least of your worries at this point in time g
(Hint - why did your computer fail in the first place?)

Boot using your WinMe Startup (floppy) Disk. Select option 2 or 3 and
(eventually) at the A:\ prompt, type:
scandisk c: (Note the syntax - space between k and c followed by a colon)
Then press return.

Warning! If it shows errors, do NOT let it 'fix' them or do a Surface Test
until you have backed up your data - you may need professional assistance if
you're not sure how to copy or recover your data files.

However, if you are prepared to lose data, then let it repair errors and do
the surface scan and hopefully - and with a bit of luck g - it may even
fix the printer problem.

Mart



"Fran" wrote in message
...
I had the very same problem with my PC. I was able to restore the system
to
an earlier resore point through DOS using a Windows ME startup disk.
Unfortunately, the restore point was 2 1/2 years ago--have no idea why.
Windows is now starting up normally. I downloaded all the critical
updates
without problem. But now the hard drive seems to be grinding and I cannot
get my printer reinstalled. The printer is connected to the PC with a USB
connection. When I disconnect and reconnect the PC searches for and finds
the new hardware, then searches for the printer software and then freezes
up.
I have tried removing and reinstalling the software without success. I
know
the PC, which is 5 yrs old, is probably dying but I'd like to do
everything
possible to keep it running for at least a few more months. Any help
would
be appreciated.

Fran
"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

mossgiel, our good friend, Mart, is well known to be far more
clairvoyant
than this humble servant. In your case, I hope you have recovered your
machine and are happy. Even if so, I'm unclear as to what your situation
is
or what you did.

Nevertheless, I concur with Mart that your unsuccessful attempt to use
the
machine's first registry backups to restore is a lucky break for you.
Had
it succeeded, all the programs installed after the first boot would now
be a
mess. If such a registry replacement had been successful, your best
option
would have been to attempt to run System Restore to revert to a far more
recent time, replacing this "first boot" registry, and some OS files.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"Mart" wrote in message
...
Probably, the original setup registry could have given you even more
problems - however, as you now imply that you are back in business then
good
luck and come back to visit the WinMe groups again.

Mart


"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Mart
Many thanks for your comments on this topic.
I did try to restore the registry on the PC by trying to restore it
to
it's
original setup by replacing System.dat and classes.dat with the
original
files that were created when Win ME was setup. Using "Attrib" and the
"REN"
commands appeared to work fine, but had problems copying the old
files
into
the registry. I can only assume that I had got the "attrib" keys
mixed
up
as
it wouldn't let me copy system.1st to System.dat!!

I have since tried to replicate this fault on one of my
othermachines,
(P3
600 Mhz 256Mb of RAM) and surprise surprise the upgrade went without
a
hitch
!!!!

Once agin thanks for your useful pointers on this topic, arms me with
the
neccessary information on what to do if this should happen again.

Once again thanks to Jack and Mart for their useful info

"Mart" wrote:

Jack, one other *possible* (final?) option to restore the registry,
at
least - before mossgeil goes down the re-install route.

As System Restore isn't working, mossgeil *might* get away with
using
the
scanreg /restore ploy, by trying to revert to the last 'good'
registry
prior
to the problem happening, to see if that will bring things back
again.

Although it is possible do this in Normal and Safe Mode, under the
circumstances, I would suggest he does it in Real Mode DOS, using
his
WinMe
Startup (floppy) Disk.

Boot, with your Windows Startup (floppy) Disk and choose option 4)
Minimal
Boot.

At the A:\ prompt, type "scanreg /restore" (no quotes and note the
space
between the g and /) then press Enter.

Follow the screen prompts and when asked, select the LAST 'good'
date
BEFORE
THE PROBLEM, continuing with the instructions.

Don't forget to remove the floppy disk BEFORE you tell the machine
to
reboot.

Hopefully, that *may* get things working again - if not, then
continue
with
Jack's re-install suggestions.

Mart


"Jack E Martinelli" wrote in
message
...
Thank you for your prompt followup.

From your report, it appears that scandisk under DOS completed
just
fine,
but the attempt to reboot to WinME Normal Mode failed at the early
hangup
you describe.
This suggests some file corruption of some registry or critical OS
files.
The usual fix would be to boot To Safe Mode and run SR to revert
to a
known
good time. If Safe Mode will not load properly, then perhaps a
use
of
the
command prompt tool might succeed.
MS KB Q279736 - "How to Start the System Restore Tool
From a Command Prompt"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];279736

Failing that, you are probably left only with an "in-place"
reinstallation,
http://winnoel.users.btopenworld.com/reinME.htm

or a "clean" installation,
http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/clean.htm

Or, better yet, the migration to XP SP2, since the hardware
supports
it.
I don't doubt that your friend will be very happy.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for your comments.

Scandisk ran fine from the start disk, and revealed no errors in
either
the
file system or the hard drive. Once the scan was complete, the
machine
just
hung again, with only the mouse pointer on the screen, no
taskbar,
and
just a
plain grey background as opposed the the WinME theme that had
originally
been
on the computer. Totally baffled by this one.

The XP migration was done from DOS, and already included SP2 on
the
disk,
so
that's one less download to worry about :-)

Once again many thanks for the pointers and tips



"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

If the WinME system was still running, I would have you check
to
confirm
that Statemgr.exe was checked in msconfig/Startup, to load at
startup,
and
that a process viewer reported that stmgr.exe was executing
after
boot.
Statemgr runs at boot to load stmgr, which is needed to run SR
and
SFP.

OTH, I am very happy that the migration to XP was succcessful
and
so
easy.
Obviously, the hrdware supports XP, with which your friend will
be
happy
and
far more secure. Be sure to upgrade to SP2, ASAP. Have the
friend
learn
about the many MS ng's supporting XP, where numerous experts
stand
ready
to
aid.

BTW, what ensued during the attempts to run scandisk from a
floppy,
under
DOS? This should have succeeded.

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

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in
message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for replying to this issue

Had tried running scandisk from the boot disk to no avail :-(

When trying safe mode I experienced the same problems IE No
taskbar,
and
no
evidence of any programmes running. As regards using system
restore,
tried
to
use that to restore to 3 seperate restore points, and on each
occassion,
Windows told me that the system could not be restored.
Totally
baffled
by
this one, it would appear that the download had been
corrupted,
but
prior
to
re-booting the system did tell me that the update had been
successful.

On a more happier note, my friend decided to upgrade to
XP.................
and that upgrade has appeared to cure the problem
.................
albeit
a
few hours reinstalling software !!!

Many thanks for your help in this matter.
As always any comments are gratefully received :-)



"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

Begin by restarting with the WinME EBD, aka, boot disk, and
then
run
scandisk on the C: partition.
When it completes, attempt to reboot to Normal Mode.

If you have no boot disk, obtain one using another computer
from

www.bootdisk.com
http://www.startdisk.com/

Be sure to obtain the DL file for Windows Millennium, and
run
it
to
create
the bootable floppy.

If this fails, consider booting to Safe Mode and using the
Add-Remove
Programs wizard to uninstall the recent Win Update, if it
is
listed
in
the
item list.

You may begin considering the possible use of System
Restore
to
revert
to a
prior state.
Be sure to ask more about this before proceeding.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User /
DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in
message
...
After upgrading a friends PC using Windows Update ( File
was
Internet
explorer service pack 1) the PC runs Scandisk and then
hangs.
All
that's
visible on the screen is the mouse arrow.

Holding down Ctrl + Alt + Del, reveals that there are no
programmes
running.

Had ran an AV Scan prior to carrying out the upgrade,
using
AVG
antivirus,
and no viruses detected. Spyware scans had identified
some

Yes, I realized the original thread was a year old, but I was desperate for
help and looking for answers. Thanks for your reply. From what I can tell,
the system initally crashed while installing an automatic update of my
McAffee virus program. The computer was just frozen up. When I rebooted, all
I got was the blank scree and cursor, just like the original poster.

When I finally accessed system restore through the ME startup disk in DOS,
the latest restore point identified was 10/03. I figured that was better than
nothing. It worked. When windows loaded and I opened the system restore
utility there were later restore points identified but when I tried to
restore to these later points, it wouldn't work.

After many attempts, I was finally able to do a minimum install of the
printer software and eventually the computer recognizes and installed the
hardware and software necessary to reconnect.

As far as the grinding goes, I have tried running scan disk in dos from the
startup disk and from safemode. Still "grinds"-is mechanically noisy. In
anticipation of the inevitable hard drive failure, I purchased an external
portable hard drive and intend to back up my files before I lose them
altogether.

Thanks, Fran.


"Mart" wrote:

Wow! - Fran, that original thread was about 12 months ago. However, you said
that :-

I was able to restore the system ...
Unfortunately, the restore point was 2 1/2 years ago

Wasn't/isn't there a (much) more recent date in the 'scanreg /restore'
archive?
Were/are you able to find a (much) later date in the System Restore archive?
I will ASS-U-ME not (other than VERY recent stuff - i.e. since the date you
got it going again)

In the mean time, you also mentioned that your "hard drive seems to be
grinding" - do you mean mechanically (noisy)? Try running scandisk -
preferably in Real Mode DOS from your start-up floppy - and see (and listen)
for slow or noisy response. If your hard drive is 'on its last legs' then
your USB printer is the least of your worries at this point in time g
(Hint - why did your computer fail in the first place?)

Boot using your WinMe Startup (floppy) Disk. Select option 2 or 3 and
(eventually) at the A:\ prompt, type:
scandisk c: (Note the syntax - space between k and c followed by a colon)
Then press return.

Warning! If it shows errors, do NOT let it 'fix' them or do a Surface Test
until you have backed up your data - you may need professional assistance if
you're not sure how to copy or recover your data files.

However, if you are prepared to lose data, then let it repair errors and do
the surface scan and hopefully - and with a bit of luck g - it may even
fix the printer problem.

Mart



"Fran" wrote in message
...
I had the very same problem with my PC. I was able to restore the system
to
an earlier resore point through DOS using a Windows ME startup disk.
Unfortunately, the restore point was 2 1/2 years ago--have no idea why.
Windows is now starting up normally. I downloaded all the critical
updates
without problem. But now the hard drive seems to be grinding and I cannot
get my printer reinstalled. The printer is connected to the PC with a USB
connection. When I disconnect and reconnect the PC searches for and finds
the new hardware, then searches for the printer software and then freezes
up.
I have tried removing and reinstalling the software without success. I
know
the PC, which is 5 yrs old, is probably dying but I'd like to do
everything
possible to keep it running for at least a few more months. Any help
would
be appreciated.

Fran
"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

mossgiel, our good friend, Mart, is well known to be far more
clairvoyant
than this humble servant. In your case, I hope you have recovered your
machine and are happy. Even if so, I'm unclear as to what your situation
is
or what you did.

Nevertheless, I concur with Mart that your unsuccessful attempt to use
the
machine's first registry backups to restore is a lucky break for you.
Had
it succeeded, all the programs installed after the first boot would now
be a
mess. If such a registry replacement had been successful, your best
option
would have been to attempt to run System Restore to revert to a far more
recent time, replacing this "first boot" registry, and some OS files.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"Mart" wrote in message
...
Probably, the original setup registry could have given you even more
problems - however, as you now imply that you are back in business then
good
luck and come back to visit the WinMe groups again.

Mart


"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Mart
Many thanks for your comments on this topic.
I did try to restore the registry on the PC by trying to restore it
to
it's
original setup by replacing System.dat and classes.dat with the
original
files that were created when Win ME was setup. Using "Attrib" and the
"REN"
commands appeared to work fine, but had problems copying the old
files
into
the registry. I can only assume that I had got the "attrib" keys
mixed
up
as
it wouldn't let me copy system.1st to System.dat!!

I have since tried to replicate this fault on one of my
othermachines,
(P3
600 Mhz 256Mb of RAM) and surprise surprise the upgrade went without
a
hitch
!!!!

Once agin thanks for your useful pointers on this topic, arms me with
the
neccessary information on what to do if this should happen again.

Once again thanks to Jack and Mart for their useful info

"Mart" wrote:

Jack, one other *possible* (final?) option to restore the registry,
at
least - before mossgeil goes down the re-install route.

As System Restore isn't working, mossgeil *might* get away with
using
the
scanreg /restore ploy, by trying to revert to the last 'good'
registry
prior
to the problem happening, to see if that will bring things back
again.

Although it is possible do this in Normal and Safe Mode, under the
circumstances, I would suggest he does it in Real Mode DOS, using
his
WinMe
Startup (floppy) Disk.

Boot, with your Windows Startup (floppy) Disk and choose option 4)
Minimal
Boot.

At the A:\ prompt, type "scanreg /restore" (no quotes and note the
space
between the g and /) then press Enter.

Follow the screen prompts and when asked, select the LAST 'good'
date
BEFORE
THE PROBLEM, continuing with the instructions.

Don't forget to remove the floppy disk BEFORE you tell the machine
to
reboot.

Hopefully, that *may* get things working again - if not, then
continue
with
Jack's re-install suggestions.

Mart


"Jack E Martinelli" wrote in
message
...
Thank you for your prompt followup.

From your report, it appears that scandisk under DOS completed
just
fine,
but the attempt to reboot to WinME Normal Mode failed at the early
hangup
you describe.
This suggests some file corruption of some registry or critical OS
files.
The usual fix would be to boot To Safe Mode and run SR to revert
to a
known
good time. If Safe Mode will not load properly, then perhaps a
use
of
the
command prompt tool might succeed.
MS KB Q279736 - "How to Start the System Restore Tool
From a Command Prompt"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];279736

Failing that, you are probably left only with an "in-place"
reinstallation,
http://winnoel.users.btopenworld.com/reinME.htm

or a "clean" installation,
http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/clean.htm

Or, better yet, the migration to XP SP2, since the hardware
supports
it.
I don't doubt that your friend will be very happy.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for your comments.

Scandisk ran fine from the start disk, and revealed no errors in
either
the
file system or the hard drive. Once the scan was complete, the
machine
just
hung again, with only the mouse pointer on the screen, no
taskbar,
and
just a
plain grey background as opposed the the WinME theme that had
originally
been
on the computer. Totally baffled by this one.

The XP migration was done from DOS, and already included SP2 on
the
disk,
so
that's one less download to worry about :-)

Once again many thanks for the pointers and tips



"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

If the WinME system was still running, I would have you check
to
confirm
that Statemgr.exe was checked in msconfig/Startup, to load at
startup,
and
that a process viewer reported that stmgr.exe was executing
after
boot.
Statemgr runs at boot to load stmgr, which is needed to run SR
and
SFP.

OTH, I am very happy that the migration to XP was succcessful
and
so
easy.
Obviously, the hrdware supports XP, with which your friend will
be
happy
and
far more secure. Be sure to upgrade to SP2, ASAP. Have the
friend
learn
about the many MS ng's supporting XP, where numerous experts
stand
ready
to
aid.

BTW, what ensued during the attempts to run scandisk from a
floppy,
under
DOS? This should have succeeded.

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

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in
message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for replying to this issue

Had tried running scandisk from the boot disk to no avail :-(

Fran, as I understand it, following your problems with McAfee, you have now
got your printer working again (albeit in slightly degraded mode, but at
least functional) and your PC is running sufficiently to get you by - or at
least until you are able to recover your data to your new external HDD in
anticipation of the demise of your 'mechanically noisy' and suspect HDD
(according to the information that you've provided). Hopefully - if nothing
else - that has reduced your desperation g

At this stage, I'm not sure quite what else you want to know - except to
ask/suggest that you initially consider a replacement HDD (although one or
two more tests using your old HDD manufacturers utilities *may* be
worthwhile before you go down that path). However, in view of the age of the
PC and that WinMe will have completed its 'Life Cycle' by July of this year,
you *may* wish to consider throwing money at a brand new PC (with a newer OS
e.g XP), rather than throwing it at maintaining your existing one. (Good
[money] after bad?)

That is of course a personal decision and may depend on exactly what use you
have for your existing PC and your aspirations for a new one. There is no
technical reason why you couldn't get a few more years service from your old
one (and WinMe), financial constraints excepted. Only you can decide the
next step - you've only to look at the activity in the WinMe newsgroups to
see how obsolete WinMe is becoming. In fact most of the respondents to these
groups tend to answer queries using their WinXP machines!

Good luck with your deliberations - but I would urge you to back-up your
important data files sooner rather than later.

Mart


"Fran" wrote in message
...
Yes, I realized the original thread was a year old, but I was desperate
for
help and looking for answers. Thanks for your reply. From what I can
tell,
the system initally crashed while installing an automatic update of my
McAffee virus program. The computer was just frozen up. When I rebooted,
all
I got was the blank scree and cursor, just like the original poster.

When I finally accessed system restore through the ME startup disk in DOS,
the latest restore point identified was 10/03. I figured that was better
than
nothing. It worked. When windows loaded and I opened the system restore
utility there were later restore points identified but when I tried to
restore to these later points, it wouldn't work.

After many attempts, I was finally able to do a minimum install of the
printer software and eventually the computer recognizes and installed the
hardware and software necessary to reconnect.

As far as the grinding goes, I have tried running scan disk in dos from
the
startup disk and from safemode. Still "grinds"-is mechanically noisy. In
anticipation of the inevitable hard drive failure, I purchased an external
portable hard drive and intend to back up my files before I lose them
altogether.

Thanks, Fran.


"Mart" wrote:

Wow! - Fran, that original thread was about 12 months ago. However, you
said
that :-

I was able to restore the system ...
Unfortunately, the restore point was 2 1/2 years ago

Wasn't/isn't there a (much) more recent date in the 'scanreg /restore'
archive?
Were/are you able to find a (much) later date in the System Restore
archive?
I will ASS-U-ME not (other than VERY recent stuff - i.e. since the date
you
got it going again)

In the mean time, you also mentioned that your "hard drive seems to be
grinding" - do you mean mechanically (noisy)? Try running scandisk -
preferably in Real Mode DOS from your start-up floppy - and see (and
listen)
for slow or noisy response. If your hard drive is 'on its last legs' then
your USB printer is the least of your worries at this point in time g
(Hint - why did your computer fail in the first place?)

Boot using your WinMe Startup (floppy) Disk. Select option 2 or 3 and
(eventually) at the A:\ prompt, type:
scandisk c: (Note the syntax - space between k and c followed by a
colon)
Then press return.

Warning! If it shows errors, do NOT let it 'fix' them or do a Surface
Test
until you have backed up your data - you may need professional assistance
if
you're not sure how to copy or recover your data files.

However, if you are prepared to lose data, then let it repair errors and
do
the surface scan and hopefully - and with a bit of luck g - it may even
fix the printer problem.

Mart



"Fran" wrote in message
...
I had the very same problem with my PC. I was able to restore the
system
to
an earlier resore point through DOS using a Windows ME startup disk.
Unfortunately, the restore point was 2 1/2 years ago--have no idea why.
Windows is now starting up normally. I downloaded all the critical
updates
without problem. But now the hard drive seems to be grinding and I
cannot
get my printer reinstalled. The printer is connected to the PC with a
USB
connection. When I disconnect and reconnect the PC searches for and
finds
the new hardware, then searches for the printer software and then
freezes
up.
I have tried removing and reinstalling the software without success. I
know
the PC, which is 5 yrs old, is probably dying but I'd like to do
everything
possible to keep it running for at least a few more months. Any help
would
be appreciated.

Fran
"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

mossgiel, our good friend, Mart, is well known to be far more
clairvoyant
than this humble servant. In your case, I hope you have recovered
your
machine and are happy. Even if so, I'm unclear as to what your
situation
is
or what you did.

Nevertheless, I concur with Mart that your unsuccessful attempt to
use
the
machine's first registry backups to restore is a lucky break for you.
Had
it succeeded, all the programs installed after the first boot would
now
be a
mess. If such a registry replacement had been successful, your best
option
would have been to attempt to run System Restore to revert to a far
more
recent time, replacing this "first boot" registry, and some OS files.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"Mart" wrote in message
...
Probably, the original setup registry could have given you even more
problems - however, as you now imply that you are back in business
then
good
luck and come back to visit the WinMe groups again.

Mart


"mossgiel" wrote in message
...
Hi Mart
Many thanks for your comments on this topic.
I did try to restore the registry on the PC by trying to restore
it
to
it's
original setup by replacing System.dat and classes.dat with the
original
files that were created when Win ME was setup. Using "Attrib" and
the
"REN"
commands appeared to work fine, but had problems copying the old
files
into
the registry. I can only assume that I had got the "attrib" keys
mixed
up
as
it wouldn't let me copy system.1st to System.dat!!

I have since tried to replicate this fault on one of my
othermachines,
(P3
600 Mhz 256Mb of RAM) and surprise surprise the upgrade went
without
a
hitch
!!!!

Once agin thanks for your useful pointers on this topic, arms me
with
the
neccessary information on what to do if this should happen again.

Once again thanks to Jack and Mart for their useful info

"Mart" wrote:

Jack, one other *possible* (final?) option to restore the
registry,
at
least - before mossgeil goes down the re-install route.

As System Restore isn't working, mossgeil *might* get away with
using
the
scanreg /restore ploy, by trying to revert to the last 'good'
registry
prior
to the problem happening, to see if that will bring things back
again.

Although it is possible do this in Normal and Safe Mode, under
the
circumstances, I would suggest he does it in Real Mode DOS, using
his
WinMe
Startup (floppy) Disk.

Boot, with your Windows Startup (floppy) Disk and choose option
4)
Minimal
Boot.

At the A:\ prompt, type "scanreg /restore" (no quotes and note
the
space
between the g and /) then press Enter.

Follow the screen prompts and when asked, select the LAST 'good'
date
BEFORE
THE PROBLEM, continuing with the instructions.

Don't forget to remove the floppy disk BEFORE you tell the
machine
to
reboot.

Hopefully, that *may* get things working again - if not, then
continue
with
Jack's re-install suggestions.

Mart


"Jack E Martinelli" wrote in
message
...
Thank you for your prompt followup.

From your report, it appears that scandisk under DOS completed
just
fine,
but the attempt to reboot to WinME Normal Mode failed at the
early
hangup
you describe.
This suggests some file corruption of some registry or critical
OS
files.
The usual fix would be to boot To Safe Mode and run SR to
revert
to a
known
good time. If Safe Mode will not load properly, then perhaps a
use
of
the
command prompt tool might succeed.
MS KB Q279736 - "How to Start the System Restore Tool
From a Command Prompt"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];279736

Failing that, you are probably left only with an "in-place"
reinstallation,
http://winnoel.users.btopenworld.com/reinME.htm

or a "clean" installation,
http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/clean.htm

Or, better yet, the migration to XP SP2, since the hardware
supports
it.
I don't doubt that your friend will be very happy.
--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in
message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for your comments.

Scandisk ran fine from the start disk, and revealed no errors
in
either
the
file system or the hard drive. Once the scan was complete, the
machine
just
hung again, with only the mouse pointer on the screen, no
taskbar,
and
just a
plain grey background as opposed the the WinME theme that had
originally
been
on the computer. Totally baffled by this one.

The XP migration was done from DOS, and already included SP2
on
the
disk,
so
that's one less download to worry about :-)

Once again many thanks for the pointers and tips



"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:

If the WinME system was still running, I would have you
check
to
confirm
that Statemgr.exe was checked in msconfig/Startup, to load
at
startup,
and
that a process viewer reported that stmgr.exe was executing
after
boot.
Statemgr runs at boot to load stmgr, which is needed to run
SR
and
SFP.

OTH, I am very happy that the migration to XP was
succcessful
and
so
easy.
Obviously, the hrdware supports XP, with which your friend
will
be
happy
and
far more secure. Be sure to upgrade to SP2, ASAP. Have the
friend
learn
about the many MS ng's supporting XP, where numerous experts
stand
ready
to
aid.

BTW, what ensued during the attempts to run scandisk from a
floppy,
under
DOS? This should have succeeded.

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

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"mossgiel" wrote in
message
...
Hi Jack
Many thanks for replying to this issue

Had tried running scandisk from the boot disk to no avail
:-(