Error loading explorer.exe you must reinstall windows

-----Original Message-----
I receive the following error message

"error loading explorer.exe
you must reinstall windows"

I have followed the technical bulletin that specifies
editing system.ini to remove any unknown program name
after the exploere.exe line. I did not have any unknown
program name.

Any suggestions?

I am able to boot my computer with the system startup
disk
for Windows Me. I do not have my recovery CD-ROM with me.


I currently have the same problem. This hasn't worked for
me but it may for you.
starup with cd rom support
type ext
at the next prompt type 'drive':\win9x
next prompt type msvcrt.dll
next prompt type c:\windows\sytem
next prompt type y
then restart and goodluck
more info at article 299296 at microsoft.com

My CD_ROM recovery disk only wants to re-install Windows
Me. It doesn't seem to contain anything related to IE.

Is there somewhere I can get an IE disk?
-----Original Message-----

-----Original Message-----
I receive the following error message

"error loading explorer.exe
you must reinstall windows"

I have followed the technical bulletin that specifies
editing system.ini to remove any unknown program name
after the exploere.exe line. I did not have any unknown
program name.

Any suggestions?

I am able to boot my computer with the system startup
disk
for Windows Me. I do not have my recovery CD-ROM with me.


I currently have the same problem. This hasn't worked
for
me but it may for you.
starup with cd rom support
type ext
at the next prompt type 'drive':\win9x
next prompt type msvcrt.dll
next prompt type c:\windows\sytem
next prompt type y
then restart and goodluck
more info at article 299296 at microsoft.com
.

What does reinstalling IE have to do with your problem? There seems to me to
be little point in doing this, if required, until you have got Win Me working
again.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Felch wrote:

My CD_ROM recovery disk only wants to re-install Windows
Me. It doesn't seem to contain anything related to IE.

Is there somewhere I can get an IE disk?

There are many ISP disks at major retailers with IE at the checkout counter
I have some from Earthlink, MSN, etc

I miss-spoke.
I was ASSUMING that by explorer it meant IE.
I have found some information that certain .dll files are
stored on c: THere was a MS bulletin that required me to
copy a certain .dll file from the CD-ROM to the harddrive.
I am going to try this first.
My only other option seems to be to let the recovery disk
re-install Windows Me. I don't want to go that far yet. I
don't know if everything will be wiped. That isn't the end
of the world, I have backups, but the effort involved is
substaintial.

Felch

-----Original Message-----
What does reinstalling IE have to do with your problem?
There seems to me to
be little point in doing this, if required, until you
have got Win Me working
again.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Felch wrote:

My CD_ROM recovery disk only wants to re-install Windows
Me. It doesn't seem to contain anything related to IE.

Is there somewhere I can get an IE disk?


.

If you do find that you need to reinstall Win Me and don't want to lose all
your currently installed programs and data, that is if your recovery CD has no
option than to return your PC to the state it was in when first shipped you
may want to check the following.

Boot from a floppy and then using the DOS command DIR check out the folder
C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS
If it contains twenty or so CAB files including BASE2.CAB, three DRIVER*.CAB
files, NETWORK*.CAB files and a dozen or so WIN*.CAB files plus setup.exe you
should be able to carry out an in place reinstall by running setup.exe.
However this can cause other problems especially if you had previously
upgraded from IE5.5 to IE6 (See below) and possibly if you had installed an
early (beta) version of Windows Media Player 9 (WMP problems can be avoided by
renaming wmploc.dll to wmploc.old before reinstalling Win Me). You would also
need to reinstall some critical patches even though the Windows Update site
would not show them as being required due to the original "IsInstalled" flag
remaining set in the registry. The Belarc Advisor
(http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html) would help you here in identifying
which patches needed to be reinstalled.

If you have installed IE6 ideally this needs to be uninstalled before
(re-)installing Win Me. If this is the case you might want to have a look at
MS KB 312451 - "How to Remove Internet Explorer 6 by Reinstalling Windows"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=312451) and also KB 293907 - "How to
Uninstall Internet Explorer 6" (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=293907).
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



felch wrote:

I miss-spoke.
I was ASSUMING that by explorer it meant IE.
I have found some information that certain .dll files are
stored on c: THere was a MS bulletin that required me to
copy a certain .dll file from the CD-ROM to the harddrive.
I am going to try this first.
My only other option seems to be to let the recovery disk
re-install Windows Me. I don't want to go that far yet. I
don't know if everything will be wiped. That isn't the end
of the world, I have backups, but the effort involved is
substaintial.

Thanks Mike-
That seem like the most solid advice I have found.

The .dll file that is being requested is "msvcrt.dll" is
there anywhere that I could get a copy of that one file
instead?

Again thanks for the help.

Felch

-----Original Message-----
If you do find that you need to reinstall Win Me and
don't want to lose all
your currently installed programs and data, that is if
your recovery CD has no
option than to return your PC to the state it was in when
first shipped you
may want to check the following.

Boot from a floppy and then using the DOS command DIR
check out the folder
C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS
If it contains twenty or so CAB files including
BASE2.CAB, three DRIVER*.CAB
files, NETWORK*.CAB files and a dozen or so WIN*.CAB
files plus setup.exe you
should be able to carry out an in place reinstall by
running setup.exe.
However this can cause other problems especially if you
had previously
upgraded from IE5.5 to IE6 (See below) and possibly if
you had installed an
early (beta) version of Windows Media Player 9 (WMP
problems can be avoided by
renaming wmploc.dll to wmploc.old before reinstalling Win
Me). You would also
need to reinstall some critical patches even though the
Windows Update site
would not show them as being required due to the
original "IsInstalled" flag
remaining set in the registry. The Belarc Advisor
(http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html) would help you
here in identifying
which patches needed to be reinstalled.

If you have installed IE6 ideally this needs to be
uninstalled before
(re-)installing Win Me. If this is the case you might
want to have a look at
MS KB 312451 - "How to Remove Internet Explorer 6 by
Reinstalling Windows"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=312451) and also KB
293907 - "How to
Uninstall Internet Explorer 6"
(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=293907).
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



felch wrote:

I miss-spoke.
I was ASSUMING that by explorer it meant IE.
I have found some information that certain .dll files
are
stored on c: THere was a MS bulletin that required me to
copy a certain .dll file from the CD-ROM to the
harddrive.
I am going to try this first.
My only other option seems to be to let the recovery
disk
re-install Windows Me. I don't want to go that far yet.
I
don't know if everything will be wiped. That isn't the
end
of the world, I have backups, but the effort involved is
substaintial.


.

Felch,

MSVCRT.DLL is contained in WIN_13.CAB of the Win Me CAB set.

You can extract the file from DOS as follows.
Boot to DOS using a Win Me boot floppy. Do not choose Minimal Boot from the
options as otherwise the EXT command will be unavailable.
Type EXT at the DOS prompt. This should start Extract Command Line Helper.
Enter the path to the Windows CAB files. This should be either
C:\windows\options\cabs (OEM location) or perhaps C:\windows\options\install
(location if installed using Microsoft media).
Enter MSVCRT.DLL when asked for the name of the file to extract
Enter C:\Windows\System when asked for the location to place the extracted
file.
Now click Y.

This should, if all goes according to plan, replace your existing copy of
msvcrt.dll with a new copy. Here's hoping that that is all that is needed to
get you going again but ......
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Felch wrote:

Thanks Mike-
That seem like the most solid advice I have found.

The .dll file that is being requested is "msvcrt.dll" is
there anywhere that I could get a copy of that one file
instead?

Again thanks for the help.

Mike-

I used the setup.exe file sucessfully!
Thank you very much.
I have been struggling with this problem unsucessfully for
a couple of weeks.

Keep up the good work!!!

Thanks again!
Felch
-----Original Message-----
If you do find that you need to reinstall Win Me and
don't want to lose all
your currently installed programs and data, that is if
your recovery CD has no
option than to return your PC to the state it was in when
first shipped you
may want to check the following.

Boot from a floppy and then using the DOS command DIR
check out the folder
C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS
If it contains twenty or so CAB files including
BASE2.CAB, three DRIVER*.CAB
files, NETWORK*.CAB files and a dozen or so WIN*.CAB
files plus setup.exe you
should be able to carry out an in place reinstall by
running setup.exe.
However this can cause other problems especially if you
had previously
upgraded from IE5.5 to IE6 (See below) and possibly if
you had installed an
early (beta) version of Windows Media Player 9 (WMP
problems can be avoided by
renaming wmploc.dll to wmploc.old before reinstalling Win
Me). You would also
need to reinstall some critical patches even though the
Windows Update site
would not show them as being required due to the
original "IsInstalled" flag
remaining set in the registry. The Belarc Advisor
(http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html) would help you
here in identifying
which patches needed to be reinstalled.

If you have installed IE6 ideally this needs to be
uninstalled before
(re-)installing Win Me. If this is the case you might
want to have a look at
MS KB 312451 - "How to Remove Internet Explorer 6 by
Reinstalling Windows"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=312451) and also KB
293907 - "How to
Uninstall Internet Explorer 6"
(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=293907).
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



felch wrote:

I miss-spoke.
I was ASSUMING that by explorer it meant IE.
I have found some information that certain .dll files
are
stored on c: THere was a MS bulletin that required me to
copy a certain .dll file from the CD-ROM to the
harddrive.
I am going to try this first.
My only other option seems to be to let the recovery
disk
re-install Windows Me. I don't want to go that far yet.
I
don't know if everything will be wiped. That isn't the
end
of the world, I have backups, but the effort involved is
substaintial.


.

Felch,

Ah, so you went for a reinstall. I thought that you might have to. Now
please don't forget to use Belarc Adviser to check for any patches that were
previously installed that might now have been broken following the reinstall -
something unfortunately currently beyond the capabilities of the Windows
Update site which can only detect whether the patch has been installed at some
time in the past. You may also have problems with Internet Explorer as
reinstalling Win Me has probably returned you to IE5.5 but that can be
remedied once you've got other things straightened out.

Cheers and thanks for letting us know how you managed to get on.

Oh, FYI, if you have a CD burner you might want to burn a copy of your
windows\options\install folder as insurance "just in case". This would then
mean you aren't totally reliant on the manufacturer's recovery CD.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Felch wrote:

Mike-

I used the setup.exe file sucessfully!
Thank you very much.
I have been struggling with this problem unsucessfully for
a couple of weeks.

Keep up the good work!!!