Windows ME "Recover Install"

Is there a way to do an XP-style recover install on Windows
ME? I have an ME machine with a lot of installed software
and personal files but it's hanging at boot-up due to
virus/spyware damage and a very badly failed F-Secure
uninstall. I really would like to avoid a Windows
re-install if at all possible.

System restore isn't an option because C:\_Restore was full
of viruses so the original one is now gone. Yes, I know, I
should have re-enabled system restore after getting rid of
the viruses.

Yes Win Me can be reinstalled over itself but subject to a couple of
caveats. Namely if you have Internet Explorer 6 installed this must first
be uninstalled and likewise if you have WMP9 installed although in the
latter case renaming/deleting the file wmploc.dll to say wmploc.old is all
that is required.

Incidentally removing C:\_RESTORE or resetting system restore because of a
problem with viruses or the like is rarely necessary and doing so can lead
to problems such as you are now perhaps experiencing. Instead system
restore can still remain a valuable tool allowing the user to restore to a
checkpoint created prior to infection even if the archive contains
infected files as they will not be restored if the checkpoint to which you
are restoring was created prior to the infected files being archived -
often by the use of an antivirus application.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Gorging Jack wrote:

Is there a way to do an XP-style recover install on Windows
ME? I have an ME machine with a lot of installed software
and personal files but it's hanging at boot-up due to
virus/spyware damage and a very badly failed F-Secure
uninstall. I really would like to avoid a Windows
re-install if at all possible.

System restore isn't an option because C:\_Restore was full
of viruses so the original one is now gone. Yes, I know, I
should have re-enabled system restore after getting rid of
the viruses.

Note: By reinstalling Win Me over itself you should retain all your
existing programs and data however DO NOT use an OEM Recovery CD unless
this offers the option of an in place reinstall, many do not and instead
restore an image of the system as it was when first delivered with the
loss of all installed programs and user data.

If you do intend reinstalling Win Me over itself remember that this will
mean that most if not all patches will have to be reinstalled. You can
minimise this problem by instead of reinstalling Win me by running setup
from the Win Me CD you instead run setup from the folder on your hard disk
containing the file BASE2.CAB, usually either windows\options\cabs or
windows\options\install (which depends on the media, OEM or Microsoft,
used for the initial install). Some OEMs however locate the Win Me cab
files in a different place, for example some Compaqs have them located in
a Win9x folder on a second D: partition.

The easiest way to determine which patches need to be reinstalled is to
download and use Belarc Advisor (http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html)
which will help you identify which patches need to be reinstalled.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Mike M wrote:

Yes Win Me can be reinstalled over itself but subject to a couple of
caveats. Namely if you have Internet Explorer 6 installed this must
first be uninstalled and likewise if you have WMP9 installed although
in the latter case renaming/deleting the file wmploc.dll to say
wmploc.old is all that is required.

Incidentally removing C:\_RESTORE or resetting system restore because
of a problem with viruses or the like is rarely necessary and doing
so can lead to problems such as you are now perhaps experiencing.
Instead system restore can still remain a valuable tool allowing the
user to restore to a checkpoint created prior to infection even if
the archive contains infected files as they will not be restored if
the checkpoint to which you are restoring was created prior to the
infected files being archived - often by the use of an antivirus
application.
Is there a way to do an XP-style recover install on Windows
ME? I have an ME machine with a lot of installed software
and personal files but it's hanging at boot-up due to
virus/spyware damage and a very badly failed F-Secure
uninstall. I really would like to avoid a Windows
re-install if at all possible.

System restore isn't an option because C:\_Restore was full
of viruses so the original one is now gone. Yes, I know, I
should have re-enabled system restore after getting rid of
the viruses.

Many thanks for your quick reply, Mike. My dilemma is that the machine
has an OEM license key and the accompanying OEM CD does not appear to
have an in-place install option. I also have what is probably a retail
CD but if I install from that, I'm assuming that my OEM license key will
not work with it. Is this true? It sounds like I've got every CD
except the one that I actually need.

I'm not too worried about Windows patches as they are easily
re-installed. But the machine cannot be booted to uninstall IE6 before
an in-place install. Are there any IE files which can be
deleted/renamed instead?

Ken (AKA Gorging Jack)

Mike M wrote:
Yes Win Me can be reinstalled over itself but subject to a couple of
caveats. Namely if you have Internet Explorer 6 installed this must
first be uninstalled and likewise if you have WMP9 installed although in
the latter case renaming/deleting the file wmploc.dll to say wmploc.old
is all that is required.

Incidentally removing C:\_RESTORE or resetting system restore because of
a problem with viruses or the like is rarely necessary and doing so can
lead to problems such as you are now perhaps experiencing. Instead
system restore can still remain a valuable tool allowing the user to
restore to a checkpoint created prior to infection even if the archive
contains infected files as they will not be restored if the checkpoint
to which you are restoring was created prior to the infected files being
archived - often by the use of an antivirus application.

Ken please read my second posting which covers this problem. That is that
you should reinstall Win Me using the setup.exe file in the folder on your
hard disk that contains BASE2.CAB. It is highly unlikely that your OEM
key will work with a Microsoft Win Me CD although it may work with an OEM
Win Me CD as well as. of course, your OEM Recovery CD.

Removing IE6 before reinstallation. If you are unable to do this you will
end up with a trashed and damaged copy of IE as reinstalling Win Me will
attempt to reinstall IE5.5. There are a number of ways with dealing this,
first by deleting various IE related files before reinstalling Win me and
secondly by reinstalling Win me and then ripping out the damaged and
poorly functioning resulting IE and then reinstalling IE. I don't have
the details to hand of the files that need to be removed for option one
however Noel Paton has posted instruction of the second option which can
be found at http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/ReInIE.htm
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Ken Hamer ken@REMOVETHISstackyardDOTorg wrote:

Many thanks for your quick reply, Mike. My dilemma is that the
machine has an OEM license key and the accompanying OEM CD does not
appear to have an in-place install option. I also have what is
probably a retail CD but if I install from that, I'm assuming that my
OEM license key will not work with it. Is this true? It sounds like
I've got every CD except the one that I actually need.

I'm not too worried about Windows patches as they are easily
re-installed. But the machine cannot be booted to uninstall IE6
before an in-place install. Are there any IE files which can be
deleted/renamed instead?