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I have Windows XP Home Edition on a computer, without the CD (didn't come with one) It relies on Windows System Restore stored on a partition of the harddrive. I made a copy from another XP disk, but when I try to repair it or reinstall it, a blue screen comes up with an error in the registry...There was a problem with hal.dll in the system32 file, but I replaced it. Something is still wrong, and it let me logon to the MiniNT portion of the CD which lets me view the contents of the Harddrive...but I'm at a loss from here. I cannot repair, restore or reinstall windows, I need some SERIOUS help.first you say this>I have Windows XP Home Edition on a computer, without the CD (didn't come with one then you say this >, but I replaced it.....what with? you need the proper cdinstall disk...or do you have  a ebd floppy disk...can you  obtain safe mode....you may have to edit the boot init file..>http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/Q289/0/22.asp&NoWebContent=1I can't get into safemode, it won't even let me log into the Windows on my HD. The drive that I logged onto is the HP_RECOVERY, but I've scanned around on that drive, and can't find how to boot from the drive or how to recover. I don't have a boot floppy either.jake> you will have to excuse the last post..it seems you learn something new every day...hp have a different way to restore their systems>http://www.windowsreinstall.com/install/oem/hppavilion/hp_pavilion_xppc.htm   and good luck...i would make a emergency boot disk and keep it safe you never noOkay, now I'm more confused then before. There is no menu that pops up, I can only access the recovery drive if I go through the WinXP install CD and use the repair option and logon to the recovery drive (it has windows NT) When I do this, though, I can only do a few things as it is not full DOS and will not run applications, only expand and change a few things. I'm fully lost now.Cross that last post, I have good news. I've figured the bad boy out, now maybe I can get it running. Wish me luck...hopefully I won't delete all of the files on it. go for jake what the *censored*...if you have FUN with hal...you can also do this ...if need to edit the boot ini file
attrib-h-r-s-c:\boot ini
del c:\boot ini
bootcfg/rebuild
fixboot


this will FIX hal.....error...info on hal>http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q237556  i bet msoft pinched the name from 2001 space odessy...I tried to edit it, but it wouldn't let me. Anyway, I got the thing up and going again, so all should be good.

I was not sure if I should put this in browsers, but since I'm on an XP thought I would go that route....

Have a Windows desktop XP SP2 that until today had no problems connecting to the net, now no matter what browser I use I get the dreaded 'page cannot be displayed' messsage.

What makes this weird is I also have another desktop XP plugged into my Bell Canada modem and its connecting just fine, so that tells me its not the modem, plus the problem computer also says in the taskbar that the internet is connected.

So I call Bell Canada and spend an hour talking to a tech, and after him trying some things he says it must be my computer, although I could swear I had this issue in the past and they fixed it.

So any suggestions? I have had computers die, and modem issues a few times before, but never where a tech says it must be a computer problem, when EVERYTHING else on the computer is working just fine. What kind of problem would keep any web pages from displaying?

ANY help with this would be great, my wife is going up the wall not being able to use her computer, which will drive me to the breaking point as well...(lol)

Thank you!

P.S. I made sure to turn off the firewall, and also tried a system restore to a few days ago, didn't help, when I tried another restore date though I get this:

'System restore detects the following settings will be changed-
Workgroup current ( the rest is exactly the same info)

Machine group- current: MSHome, after restore :workgroup

Domain- None - After restore: None

Should there not be a domain listed?Please download MiniToolBox to Desktop and run it.



Checkmark the following boxes:

If its a IE problem, why wouldn't other browsers work? Also when I go to update a program, like Malawarebytes, it cannot make a connection?

My computer still continues to studder,  where is freezes in sequences **( freezes every other SECOND, for about a milisecond.. In easier words, if i MOVED MOUSE from one side to the other side of screen it stops around 4 to 5 times)**. Other times it runs completly FINE. I have cleaned the interior of the Cpu BOX, and I have defraged, installed new drivers,  As well as ran spyware programs can anyone help who has had this before?You may be better off formatting to see if the problem persists.

Hi

letely on some programs i unzip then i hit SETUP and i get this funky error..  " C:\windows\system\Autoexe.NT system file is not SUITABLE for running ms-dos and microsoft windows applications..'

im running winXP and these programs are supposed to work...this is a toughy scan for viruses, spyware and trojans

The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications

hi got the answer on a game forum of all places.

moved autoexec.nt from windows\system\repair folder to windows system32..guy told me it took him 4 hours and 9 beers to figure it out.

Tom Cheers for letting us know. Quote

hi got the answer on a game forum of all places.

moved autoexec.nt from windows\system\repair folder to windows system32..guy told me it took him 4 hours and 9 beers to figure it out.

Tom

The time and date clock has been ACTING up LATELY in Windows XP home edition.  It has been speeding up considerably.  It can gain as much as 6 or more hours over the course of a day.  Then it will go back to NORMAL for a while after I reset it, before it takes off again.   Could this be some type of virus or just a low battery on the motherboard?  I am running a current updated Norton Antivirus software.  Is there something I can check for?
thanksYou MAY have to replace your CMOS battery. Does this also affect your BIOS time?

COMPUTER CMOS information

every time i try to START up my windows xp home edition msi it will come up with msi with all of the of the options but i press f3 to run ios recovery nothing happens but f11 and f10 work then i get windows did not start successfully a recent hardware or software change might of caused this.

If your computer stopped responding , restarted unexpectedly, or was automatically SHUT down  to protect your files and folders, chose LAST know good configure to revert to the most recent settings that worked.   then  it will give me  5 options  if i select start windows normally it will gon on the loading screen the when the blue bar meets the grey outline it will go black and a blue screen will come up for halve a second and restart the computer! Can you start the computer in Safe mode?No it will load it then go press enter i do then it will go to the 1 second blue screen now it wont start at all Do you have the OS disk? Got it to work . No its a notebook so it doesn't have a DVD ROM but i have a usb stick maybe if i can DOWNLOAD the disc DATA on my usb it would load it. 



Thank you for your time and patience Dave You're welcome.

Dear CH!

This is an odd one. i've used windows XP for years! And after using my brothers computer which was trashed with errors and what not i plug my 2 flash drives into any XP machine and kill it. And by kill it i mean first i get this window. says Windows no disk and wont go AWAY until i restart. Then i cant download anything. Every download after that flash drive does to 99 percent and sits there. I tried scanning my flash drives with malwarebytes but nothing. On my windows 8 machine it says malware is found on it but all it does it find a F:/ autorun and asks to send away to microsoft. Any ideas? or tips? Flash Disinfector was designed to remove unwanted files including autorun.inf on removable USB drives, flash drives and memory sticks. Use flash disinfector if you cannot access your USB drives, flash drives and memory stick due to modifications done by autorun WORMS.
*******************************************************

Please download Flash_Disinfector from HERE
•First, download it to your desktop.

•Now DOUBLE click it to RUN it and it will tell you what to do when you open it.
•It will temporarily kill explorer.exe and your desktop will go blank.

•Let Flash_Disinfector do it's job and it will restart explorer.exe for you.

•It will MAKE a dummy autorun.inf in the root of every drive.

•You can now delete Flash_Disinfector.exe.

Hello,

I swapped my Asus A8N-SLI Premium mb because only one MEMORY slot was working.  The switch went off without a hitch until I noticed that the TIME of day KEPT going out of sync.  Obviously (to me) the battery needed to be replaced.

After doing that however, I found that when I booted up, the system would give me 4 beeps and stop on a screen that had the Energy logo top right, CPU fan failure center, and F1 and Del on the lower left.  I checked the fan - that was running fine.  I looked up the error code and found it to be a System Timer issue.

  Looking further, it seems as if the problem would be in the mb itself or in the CMOS.  So I cleared the CMOS.  no change.

Frustrated, I hit F1 at the error screen and the system proceeded to boot - except that it said Operating system can not be loaded (or something like that).  Finally I replaced my old C drive with a copy and the system booted - although I still had the 4 beeps and had to hit F1. 

Also now most of my URL destinations are refused by my browser because of certificate issues - probably because of the CMOS clearing.

Q nr. 1:  What's with the 4 beeps?  Why does it give me a CPU fan error when the fan is running?

Q nr. 2: How do I get past the certificate issues on these websites?  I can't even get my email!

Q nr. 3: Obviously my old C drive is dead - but how did that happen???  I never touched it, only replaced the battery.

Windows XP sp3, 2x nVidia 8800GT in SLI, 4 G memory, 2 HDs.  Update:  Later this evening it seems as if the browser problem has fixed itself.  I no longer get certificate issues.

I will test out the booting problem tomorrow to see if anything has changed there.For a replacement MBoard this thing sure has caused a lot of headaches...i count 3 different Topics on it.Yes Patio it has.  Like I've always said, nothing is never easy no matter how much people TELL you it is.

My latest update is that the first C drive now works - it didn't yesterday, but the four beeps and CPU fan error still occur upon startup.

So I guess things are OK...although you have to go through the beeping/F1 procedure each time you start the PC.

Let me tell you something...I grew up a scientist, did cancer research, and then spent 10 years in the computer field (1979-88).  I have always been a hard-headed rational, logical person.  Since I've been in computers however, I've come to believe more and more in magic. Quote

Let me tell you something...I grew up a scientist, did cancer research, and then spent 10 years in the computer field (1979-88).  I have always been a hard-headed rational, logical person.  Since I've been in computers however, I've come to believe more and more in magic.

My sister gave me her Lap top to play around with to see if I can get the sound working again. She is attending UNIVERSITY and requires the audio in order to listen into lectures on-line. The problem is if it's a sound card, driver, etc that is needed. How would I know?

Can anyone help?Start by checking the manual to see how the volume is physically controlled on the LAPTOP & make sure it's not set at minimum. Next, in Windows, check if there is a volume control ICON in the systray, bottom right, - click on this & ensure that nothing's muted. If there's no volume control icon, or if it's set correctly, open Control Panel/Device Manager and see if 1) you have any sound controllers installed & 2) if there is an asterisk against them.  If there is no (1), then you have a HARDWARE problem - either the soundcard is faulty or it needs re-enabling in the BIOS. If (2) is the case, you need to double click on the asterisk to check what the fault is - either hardware or lack of drivers.
Check these first & post back if further help neededtype dxdiag in the run box....this may give you more info on what is going on..

I really don't know what to do here.  Whenever I START up my computer, everything seems to be working except that the taskbar does not show up.  I can press "cntrl alt delete" and the task manager will pop up, and can even "start new task" to bring up command prompt or msconfig, but playing around with it I can't seem to get the taskbar or any icons working.  Basically, the whole desktop is just blank, besides my background and mouse pointer.  Any ideas?  I'm clueless on the subject.  Also, I'm using XP, and I can get into the setup in the beginning but again I don't know what to do with it.  The specs on my computer are as follows:

Dell Dimension 8200
1.5 ghz
128 sd ram
20 gig hd

Uh anything else just post.  I'm not great with computers but I can usually fix problems by myself.  Help please!When did this problem first occur?

See if you can boot into safemode and scan for viruses, spyware and trojans.Right click on the desktop, choose properties and click on customize desktop and tick the boxes for your icons or hit the setup default tab..for you task bar right click on the BOTTOM of the screen...properties tab and untick the taskbar box...and click lock taskbar click it...Raptor - This problem occured very recently, but I have always had problems starting up the laptop, problems usually consisting of the welcome screen just stopping.  I would usually just manually shut it down by the power button and TRY rebooting again.  I can reboot into safe mode, but the same problem occurs.  The desktop is completely blank but only a mouse pointer and the words "Safe Mode" written on each corner of the screen.  

merlin_2 - Although the mouse pointer shows up, it does not allow me to right click on the desktop.  My mouse moves around but the clicks don't work on the desktop.  They work when I bring up task manager however.  

The laptop was working fine before this happened, and I just recently checked for viruses and spyware with no negative results.  I can open up command prompt and basically everything seems to be working fine when I bring up the task manager, it's just a matter of my desktop being completely inactive.  re-boot laptop and hit keep tapping the  f8 and chose last GOOD config....does this happen when the laptop is on for a while?icons restore>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=279769I tried last good configuration but the same thing happened.  I tried getting into safe mode as well but the same thing happens.  Is this a kind of virus or something wrong with the hardware?

One last thing, everytime the computer reboots it says "memory decreasing, hit F1 to continue."  I do this and the laptop usually just boots up again.  Not sure if this has anything to do with the problem, but it's been happening for a while.

Seems there's some problems after sp2 upgrades. Mine is a bit different. I can't read floppies or open gifs jpegs, etc. Get the FOLLOWING message:

16 Bit WINDOWS Subsystem
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\AUTOEXEC.NT. The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and microsoft windows applications.

Should I restore, or is this fixable?
Thanks

CHECK out this link http://www.visualtour.com/downloads/default.asp - second item down is a fix for your problem - worked for me ANYWAY.

I have XP SP3 and my system disk was giving trouble, so I cloned it to a new disk (using Casper) and REPLACED the old disk with the new one.  The computer only has IDE, not SATA; but I didn't anticipate a problem when I bought a SATA disk with an IDE adapter as the new disk — it was advertised as just the thing for replacing a faulty IDE disk in an oldish machine.  But the machine won't boot from the new disk; with only that disk available, it won't boot at all.  When booted from another medium, the new disk is perfectly usable.  But I need to be able to boot from it.  Is there a way to do this?  Thanks for any ideas.  (I've always found clones made with Casper to be bootable; I've made clones to IDE disks before and booted from them.  The difference this time is that it's a SATA disk in an IDE adapter.)Did they tell you the adapter was compatible at the BIOS level?
The batter way to resolve your problem is to get a real IDE drive, o0ne just like k the one you had. Very old machines   do not upgrade very well. There are a number of issues
Windows  XP,  ev en  old versions, can handle a small IDE derive very well.  They are still sold from stock on hand or else reconditioned. About $40. Try Amazon.

NOTE: I think the adapter is not compatible at y the BIOS level.It's not gonna boot to it until it has an OS installed...does it show up properly in the BIOS ? ?
If so boot to the CD of the OS you want on it and run Setup...Hi

Some more information would help please,

What is the motherboard make and model?

The IDE to sata adapter make and model ?

The new Harddrive make and model  ?

What software you used to clone the drives. Some cloning software needs to have the new drive  set to active , bootable before it will boot.
Some motherboards are limited to 169gb hard drives so you would need a PCI sata adapter card instead of the ide to sata adapter.
 Thanks to all for your replies.

Since my original IDE system disk became too small, about 18 months ago, I have been through two successive IDE replacements bought over the internet, so the idea of a brand new WD SATA disk was attractive, now that it seems difficult get get a reliable IDE disk anymore.  Buying another IDE disk may still be the plan of last resort, but I'd like to explore other possibilities first.

I don't understand what "BIOS-compatible" would mean.  My experience with the SATA to IDE adapter is that BIOS detects the disk in the adapter (as the IDE primary master), and so does Windows. I had no trouble cloning the previous system disk to it.  But Windows will not boot from it, when it is the only disk attached.  What actually happens is strange.  With only this new disk attached, Windows begins to load, but on reaching the point when you would expect the invite to login, no such invite appears but the process stops and the machine has to be switched off.

Even stranger: if I ATTACH a bootable IDE clone in the secondary master, besides having the new disk attached, the machine boots.  If the first boot option is HDD0, the new (SATA) disk is D: (system !!), the IDE clone is C:, and the DVD (secondary slave) is E:.  If the first boot option is HDD1, we get the new disk as E:, the IDE clone as C: (system) and the DVD as D:.  In either case removing the IDE clone, as I want to do for safe-keeping, prevents booting.

My plan A is still to seek a way to make it boot.  In reading up, I'm ignoring (for the present) things like installing SATA drivers, since the adapter is supposed to be hiding the fact that it is SATA.  Likewise I think I shouldn't have to upgrade my BIOS, which makes no mention of SATA.  The BIOS is Phoenix Award BIOS v6.00PG and the motherboard is MSI KM4M MS-6734 VER:1, of 2003 vintage.

Plan B could be to fit a PCI SATA card and drivers, and dispense with the IDE adapter, but I might be no better off unless someone can assure me that a SATA disk fitted to such a card should be bootable.  I've seen reviews of particular cards which said they were not bootable, so I'm sceptical here.

Plan C could be to make a bootable DVD to keep the new disk company in the machine, if it would work the same way as the IDE clone is doing at present.  But I don't have installation media for XP, to make such a DVD, and besides it would take the DVD drive out of use, so it doesn't appeal very much.

The adapter comes from a reputable retailer (see http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/oem-500gb-sata-35-inch-hard-drive-with-ide-conversion-kit-a08ky ) but there is no brand name on the box and no instructions at all, not even how to connect it.  On the adapter itself there is JP IDE & SATA BRIDGE and JP103-20330-818-2, if that helps.  The hard drive is Western Digital WD5000AAKX.  My cloning software is Casper 6.0 ( http://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/ ), which has always made bootable clones before this; it has an option to "repair MBR", which tells me that mine is already valid.

Thanks again for your interest. I would really like to get this fixed!One of the possible issues is the 48 BIT LBA thing. This is old stuff, but if you have a very old motherboard, it might be an issue.
SATA  devices do not have the problem. But  an older BIOS  does. t happens when the drive is over 137 GB (Or just above  127 GB.)
But I do not think your mother board is that bold, so ignore that.
It would seem the clone software did not work right.

Let me repeat something I inferred earlier. Using a SATA to IDE adapter is. IMHO, a bad choice. It must only be for an emergency.It is a complex device, not a simple adapter.

Pardon me for trampling. But punting SATA into an old machine is like putting new wine into an old wine bottle.  The bottle  might break.
What I mean is that a new mother board would be a better long term investment and give better results tarn trying to upgrade and older board.

Just saying. Quote from: giomach on February 12, 2014, 08:05:21 AM

What actually happens is strange.  With only this new disk attached, Windows begins to load, but on reaching the point when you would expect the invite to login, no such invite appears but the process stops and the machine has to be switched off.

It was never the adapter...it was the cloning app and restore process...
Very common with any imaging app unfortunately.

It was never the adapter...it was the cloning app and restore process...
Very common with any imaging app unfortunately.

Even Macrium Reflect?

is there a way to find phone numbers DIALED from your modem besides the isp and fax logs.  for instance is there a REGISTER or file that HOLDS this information?ask your phone company for a list of calls...do you suspect ...someone has hi-jacked your modem to dial premier numbers...YEAH run this>http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/   what o/s is this?and contact your phone company and tell them what is happening...SCAN for viruses, trojans and spyware.

Win.XP Home

When I boot my pc I would like it to start without installing common start-up progs like AV, FIREWALL etc then when I connect to Internet (dial-up) automatically start these progs before connecting.

In other words I don't see the NEED for AV, firewall etc when running the pc offline.

Can this be done? - if so how?

Thankstype msconfig in the run box..click startup folder and untick the boxes that relate to the PROGRAMS you wish to disable on start-up and   you may find this site interesting >http://www.blackviper.com/WIN2K/servicecfg.htmThanks merlin_2 - any ideas on how to get the progs to auto start at Internet logon?? The full version of ICQ has a launch facility that will start programmes when it detects an Internet CONNECTION.

Is there a way to CREATE a TEXT file of the accounts on an XP machine? We are doing a hard drive retention for the legal department and ONE of the steps is to PUT the accounts from a hard drive into a spreadsheet. It is one drive to a line, the accounts into one cell in that line, number of accounts can range from 1 to almost 200 depending on the use of the computer. Having to type all of those accounts is REALLY annoying and time consuming, so ANYTHING at all that makes the process easier is very much appreciated.

Thank you,
I found it,

http://www.awdesigns.com/blog/2009/12/how-to-export-filenames-into-a-text-file/

this should save wear and tear on my eyes and fingers.

Thanks for looking.

Using control panel and uninstall programs I see all my programs listed but when I highlight the ONE I want to uninstall there is no uninstall icon to click on. This just started a couple days ago. I tried to run a system restore from a few days ago but it says it can't restore from that date. Any suggestions?What OS are you using XP, Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8?Is it just one program or is it all programs? Are you logged on as administrator?No uninstall button on any of the programs.  I am signed in as administrator and I'm using XP You may have to do this one application at a time. Before modifying the registry, be sure to create a backup the registry using one of these methods:

1) Click on START - RUN and type: Regedit (press ENTER). On the menu bar click on file, then export, choose where you want to save it, then enter a name for it in the box titled: File Name. At bottom put a tick in "All", then click on save. If you ever want to restore the saved version, just IMPORT it.

2) System Restore (it should save a copy daily, but you can always create a restore point manually.

3) The best method, in my opinion, is to DOWNLOAD and run ERUNT. It's the best registry backup utility available - and it's free!!!


Okay, now to FIX the problem:

Start - Run - Regedit

Navigate to:   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE  \SOFTWARE \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Uninstall \
 In the right-pane:   Double-click NoRemove (REG_DWORD) and set it to 0
Backup the Registry with ERUNT

•Download ERUNT
•Click on the erunt-setup.exe
•Follow the prompts to install ERUNT
•Choose language
•A set up WINDOW will pop up. It will ask: Create ERUNT entry in to the Start up folder, answer NO



•Backup your registry to the default location

Note: To restore your registry (if NEEDED), go to the folder and start ERDNT.exe

Thanks for your reply.
I think you are right. My system has Pentium Dual core processor E5200 252GHz.

Looks like a change is due.

Regards

Art

If you want to RUN Windows 8 on your PC, here's what it takes:
    Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
    RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
    Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
    Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Apparently it sometimes exists but has not been enabled and this can be checked by accessing the Security tab in the BIOS.   This was my original query - that no Security tab shows up in the BIOS.

Just curious about the latest thinking. I know some here think XP will be largely unaffected by MS's imminent cessation of support while others predict major security issues. Because I do not have nearly enough knowledge to form an independent conclusion, I took the safe way out and upgraded to Win7. I am so happy I did but still wonder and am very interested to see what, if anything, will happen to those individual XP users who do not buy support from MS. They will just open themselves up to glaring security holes - XP already gets attacked 6 times more than Windows 7 (1), this number will only go up once XP stops getting patched.  Windows Vista, 7 and 8 still share large amounts of code with XP so updates to Windows that patch these old bits of code may expose weakness that lie in XP ready to be EXPLOITED.

If people get exploited when using XP, I have absolutely no sympathy - It's almost 13 years old and they have had plenty warning to move to something newer, it's not like this is some big surprise that Microsoft just sprung up out of the blue!

(1) http://www.pcworld.com/article/2109144/avast-windows-xp-users-already-attacked-6-times-more-often-than-windows-7-users.htmlNow my turn. I continue to use Windows XP only because I am very familiar with it. And it took me awhile to break off from using Windows 2000.
Perhaps it is not generally understood that some old computer equipment is able to keep on working for years and years.  Granted, there are maintenance costs that can be significant.
But why should software systems have to wear out? Windows 2000 was based on Windows NT, a robust and comprehensive operating system deployed on  a large number of commercial installations. The answer is Microsoft decided to retire older software and keep parts of it in a new package.
That  was a business plan that has served MS well. One could resown what is good for MS is good for many users.  Not everybody would agree. Yet it is apparent that Microsoft has succeeded in dominance of the desktop. Even without security issues, MS would use this business model.Retire  software every 12  years, reduce the upgraded path. Otherwise they would have to build an upgrade path from Windows 3.11 to Windows 8.2 for the few users who are sill using Windows for Work groups.
As for the security issue, they is not foreseeable end to  the criminal use of software exploitation. It may come to either get rid of criminals or get rid of software. In tat case, we would all have computers with no software. (1)
As for me. I now have a computer that triple  boots Windows XP,, windows 7 and Windows 8.1 trail version. I have set it to boot XP by default.  So I guess I will skip learning Windows 7 and go for 8 just to keep up. I already had to skip Vista. Too bad about Vista. It had a nice name. A number is not a name. 

(1) http://www.techrepublic.com/forums/discussions/computers-without-software-why-not/#.
 I wouldn't say that MS are retiring XP to sell more software - They are retiring it as it's costing time and money to release updates and patches for an ancient OS.  It's exactly the same as websites dropping support for older browsers, why go out of your way to support something ancient?Exactly.  Having to put resources (people, time, money) into supporting an ancient OS takes away from more profitable ventures.  While many may disagree, IMO, Win 7 & Win 8 are better OSes.  XP had a good run but it's time to move on.   XP is getting hit 6 times more than any other OS. Could this be because more people are using XP than the other OS's? Over the last two years I've been CLEANING computers of infections that are hitting all OS's. The majority of these infections are malware and not viruses and these infections are getting in regardless of how many security patches are installed. They will need to pry XP out of my cold, DEAD hands to quote Charleton Heston.I quit putting much credence into anything PCWorld publishes about the same time i stopped trusting CNet DLoads...both about 16 years ago. Quote from: camerongray on March 21, 2014, 10:48:04 AM

I wouldn't say that MS are retiring XP to sell more software - They are retiring it as it's costing time and money to release updates and patches for an ancient OS.  It's exactly the same as websites dropping support for older browsers, why go out of your way to support something ancient?

Less than 40% of U.S.'s 425,000 ATM systems will have migrated off Windows XP
By Jaikumar Vijayan
March 19, 2014 04:28 PM ET

Computerworld - More than six out of 10 ATM machines in the country will be running on an obsolete operating system when Microsoft pulls the plug on Windows XP support on April 8, raising serious security and compliance issues for the systems' operators.

According to the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), about 38% of the nearly 425,000 ATMs in the U.S. that are powered by Windows XP will have migrated off the OS by next month's deadline.

XP is getting hit 6 times more than any other OS. Could this be because more people are using XP than the other OS's?

these infections are getting in regardless of how many security patches are installed.

camerongray;
Allyou have to do is look up how many XP PC's are still in service...
As far as Win7 goes you can't compare sales #'s to the # of machines running XP...

Everywhere I can find says that Windows 7 significantly more popular than XP.

this will leave open a lot more holes to be exploited.

This will then cause even more security vulnerabilities.

...
Kaspersky Lab security solutions will continue to protect Windows XP systems beyond the Microsoft cut-off date, in accordance with Kaspersky Lab's scheduled product life cycles. During this period of extended support, Kaspersky Lab products installed on Windows XP machines will continue to receive the latest malware signature updates.
...
McAfee says that while its security program "does not inherently stop vulnerabilities, it does make exploitation of those vulnerabilities significantly more difficult, if not impossible." The company is clear that "only a patch could truly fix the code." However it says, "potential breaches can be protected in a way that vastly reduces the risk of an attacker being able to make use of them."
...

I received a suggestion from Symantec that I should RECONFIGURE NETBIOS. ONE of the instructions is to type the IP address of the WINS server. What is WINS server & where can I get the IP address.  Bob from AlbanyWindows internet naming services

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/WindowsServ/2003/enterprise/proddocs/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/WindowsServ/2003/enterprise/proddocs/en-us/sag_wins_ovr_whatis.asp

Inadvertantly, files with no extension are now set to automatically and always open with wmplayer.exe. How can this be reset to automatically go to the "Open With" window of choices? I'm running WindowsME.just reclick the open with box to power dvd  notepad or what program you are trying to use..and it it just wav files..more info...or go to wmp tools/format and untick the boxes you do not want wmp to open.?..Merlin_2...thanks for the response. I can get to the "Open With" window and can select another program without any problem. What I want to do is fix the setting. I can't find it anywhere and thus cannot reset it back to "nothing" instead of wmplayer.exe.you could try this for example in my documents folder/tools/folder options/file types tab...options are available  i think you may find it hard to have nothing...if you right CLICK on the file....open with box appears and choices..if you dont want wmp to do this chose another progam..Yes, that function works fine. Of course, there is no "file type" that = "nothing" to enable a permanent automatic change. I've been into the registry looking for an "OpenWithList" folder for files without an extension but can't find one. I do find a "." file but the programs listed are not wmplayer.exe. Do you have a clue where Windows ME has hidden this link?There's a setting for that in XTeq XSetup (actually a registry setting, XSetup is a handy registry hack tool) to (re)assign 'extensionless' files to 'Open with' dialogue.As Calrissian said "This deal is getting worse all the time." MalikTous - Thanks for the info. So the drill you are suggesting is to go download this "XSetup Pro" and somehow figure out how to get it to find the link between extensionless files and wmplayer.exe in my registry(?)
Also, Merlin_2...thanks for response. wmplayer/tools/format only lists files with extensions. Unable to deselect extensionless files with that feature.
are you having a problem with wmp besides the file extensions...which version is it and you can uninstall it if you wish?No substantive problems with windows media player. I think I have WMP 9. (This is from my memory since I'm not on my home machine. )XSetup is a freeware registry editting interface. The sections are well labelled and there is a specific setting to set file extension response including what is done with files without extensions or with unrecognised extensions.

You could also try to navigate your RegEdit but that is FAR less intuitive.

Other registry edit or 'hack' tools also exist, this one's a good freeware one while SystemToolkit and others are $25 or more...MalikTous...Thanks for the Info. I may try this over the weekend. This inadvertant link was so easy to make and is so not easy to unmake.or you could fiddle with this >http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;191005merlin_2...Thanks for the info. I'll check these settings. I'm curious if folder options/file types/restore would get things back the way they were.Got X Setup. Can't find where extensionless files are ASSIGNED. Lots of unfamiliar jargon. Makes me leery to proceed.cant really see why you are concerned with wmp OPENING files?can you explain more..for example if you download another mvsic player like winamp..all you do is use open with.winamp..and all your audio files will be OPENED by this program

I NEED some help , my computer keeps RESTARTING when I am watching a video on youtube or somethimes when I am going on INTERNET. Download BlueScreenView:
HTTP://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html
unzip downloaded file and double click on BlueScreenView.exe to run the program.
when scanning is done, go to EDIT - Select All
Go to FILE - SAVE Selected ITEMS, and save the report as BSOD.txt
Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all of the content, and paste it into your next reply

I have an ostensibly similar, but not identical problem to that described by boyo.

Not sure if it's a hardware or sofware issue.

If my computer should be turned off or otherwise reset, when I restart, 95% (or some other high proprtion) of the time I get the same symptom: the screen remains black, keyboard (and mouse) inoperative.  There is no display whatsoever on the screen.  The small proportion of times it does boot up, it does so normally (if you don't look inside the case).  Thus it is an intermittent fault - at present.  I am waiting fearfully for the day I can't start it, and have taken to leaving it on.

The main 'other' thing that may or may not be relevant, is that when it fails to start the fan comes on at high speed, and on those rare occasions when it does start the fan is very sluggish or doesn't turn at all.  The fan sounds relatively rough but not that NOISY.  When it does boot up the fan remains inactive until a CPU temperature of 60C is reached, when it cuts in (so MBM5 tells me, and this seems to be in agreement with SiSoft Sandra {free edition}).  After this the PC is fine, although internet connection has become sluggish and when using the internet the processor often runs at 100% utilsation.

Other details:

I have tried checking that the cables to the 80GB HDD are plugged in properly.
When it fails to start, I get power to the fan and the USB, and the voltages on the connectors seem OK.  The orange light signalling HD activity flashes briefly, before the green lights (I forget the order) come on for a number of seconds on the CD, DVD and 3 1/2" floppy drives.  It does not seem to makes any difference if the is MEDIA in these drives, and it won't boot from a 'bootable' floppy.  (I am unsure how to make a bootable CD/DVD and don't know the difference between' burning' to CD and simply writing to it.  I do not know how to use a CD burning program, I downloaded one once but couldn't understand how to operate it.) I don't understand the order it seems to try the drives as in the past I am sure the boot order in the BIOS to try the hard disk last (in case my HD went down).

I have not tried changing the coin cell on the motherboard, that is the next thing, but I'm not hopeful that it make any difference.  I have also removed a lot of dust from the processor/fan by blowing air though it, but I have not removed, cleaned and replaced the CPU heatsink/fan assembly.

I have a set recovery disks (I think they're called) (5 of them) and at present restore to factory set-up is a potential option if the restart problem is software corruption.  The "recovery partition" for returning to factory configuration is not visible to me and this being a computer where the OS was pre-installed, I do not have an XP disk.

Has anyone any ideas as to diagnosis of ths problem ?  Please remember I don't want to switch the machine off for fear that it will not restart !!  I am reluctant to try anything that may result in data being lost, because of the inconvenience FACTOR, but I may have to in future. Because of the value of this PC (scrap value ?) I don't want to spend anything on it ! Also it is the only machine that I can easily access the internet from, so if it goes down I may not be able to access this forum for a while.

Dumb_Question
6.May.2012
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A (Celeron 2.7 GHz) - MSI MS-6577 v2.1 - 1.5GB RAM - Windows XP/SP3I moved your question to your own topic. Please do not start a new question in someone else's thread. Thank you.About a problem with boot-up with this PC.
Things have moved on since I last reported.
The machine does boot after it has been off for a number of hours, but only after a number of hours.  If I try to boot as soon as it has been turned off, 30 minutes after, 1 hour later, the old symptoms of non-booting are always manifest: there is power, fans spin, computer tries (LEDs light) HD briefly and DVD and CD (that's another problem) for various lengths of time (no media), but there's nothing on the monitor (black screen), no beeps, no evidence of POST [on board speaker does work].  I've got to stress that the CPU fan comes on, seemingly at high speed.
Whereas if I leave it off for a number of hours, and try then, it does boot (it will even carry on after entering BIOS setup for a look): then I get a message about CPU fan failure, "F2 to continue booting...etc" which what I usually do [which is fair enough because on power up the CPU fan seems to receive a voltage 'kick' or impulse which starts it turning for a bit, but after the initial impulse there doesn't seem to be any power and the fan slowly stops turning and stops, even though I have a new CPU fan].  After that the PC boots into XP as usual  (when it gets to desktop, I immediately open Speedfan and start the CPU manually, which it does after getting to a reported temp of < 50C - my CPU doesn't have a sensor in the core.  It will run for days now, maybe weeks even though I haven't left it on for that long.
Two things strike me: the length of time I need to leave it before it will boot after being turned off, and the fact that when boot fails, the CPU fan is on, but when it succeeds in booting the CPU fan fails.

I can't remember, but I think the phenomenon extends to to the case where I try to boot from a CD (in the DVD drive).

The computer will 'restart' ok (on most occasions, I think if not all, as when I need a fresh start, after a software update needs it, etc).

Has anyone any ideas about this situation ?

Dumb_Question
9.June.2012
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A
(Celeron 2.7 GHz)
MSI MS6577 v2.1 Xenon4 (not all v2.1's are the same !)
1.5GB RAM
Nvidia GeForce 6200
XP/SP3Wow... someone doesn't get it...

Hello, I'm having a strange problem...  The task bar on my windows keeps going invisible periodically, and there is nothing I can do to get it to it's origional state besides restarting...

This isn't anything like the "auto-hide" FEATURE, it just stays invisible.  If I press the "windows" start button, the start menu will come up, but the task bar is still invisible.  

I think it might be because I downloaded a program the other day that was supposed to do things like MAKE desktop icons invisible, and things like that.  I've SINCE unistalled the program, and run an anti-virus and ad-aware scan.

Any suggestions?Why would you want icons to be 'invisible' ?

Did you go to Start -> Settings -> Taskbar and Menu Start to untag and retag "Hide Taskbar automatically"? I suggest you fiddle around with these options to see if they have any effect.

Cleaning your REGISTRY with a program such as Advanced System Optimizer V2 may remove any faulty registry entries that could be caused by the program.Also, if you're an XP or ME user, try using system restore to revert to a date prior to you installing the software.http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;318027

Problems after system recovery
I made a system recovery on my XP Home and whenI got done I can't find my firewall
in the ctr panel. I need lots of updates and can't get them either.
What do I need to do to get this working ?
 The recovery seemed to work ok with 7 cd discs.
I have ANOTHER computer hooked up using a router that works good.W-7
 Then I need to get wildblue email and antivirus going againLet's try this.

Download then run Farbar Service Scanner and checkmark all boxes. Click Scan and then a Notepad text will open. Copy-Paste the report on your next reply.
Here is the log.My XP was working so bad I emailed this to my W-7 computer
 
 







Farbar Service Scanner Version: 25-02-2014
 Ran by Owner (administrator) on 26-03-2014 at 13:01:39
 Running from "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Local Settings\Temporary
 Internet Files\Content.IE5\YAYZ4BQ9"
 Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 (X86)
 Boot Mode: Normal
 ****************************************************************

 Internet Services:
 ============

 Connection Status:
 ==============
 Localhost is accessible.
 LAN connected.
 Google IP is accessible.
 Google.com is accessible.
 Yahoo.com is accessible.


 Windows Firewall:
 =============
 sharedaccess Service is not running. Checking service configuration:
 The start type of sharedaccess service is set to Demand. The default
 start type is Auto.
 The ImagePath of sharedaccess service is OK.
 The ServiceDll of sharedaccess service is OK.


 Firewall Disabled Policy:
 ==================
 "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile"
 registry key does not exist.


 System Restore:
 ============

 System Restore Disabled Policy:
 ========================


 Security Center:
 ============

 wscsvc Service is not running. Checking service configuration:
 Checking Start type: ATTENTION!=====> Unable to open wscsvc registry
 key. The service key does not exist.
 Checking ImagePath: ATTENTION!=====> Unable to open wscsvc registry
 key. The service key does not exist.
 Checking ServiceDll: ATTENTION!=====> Unable to open wscsvc registry
 key. The service key does not exist.
 Checking LEGACY_wscsvc: ATTENTION!=====> Unable to open
 LEGACY_wscsvc\0000 registry key. The key does not exist.


 Windows Update:
 ============
 wuauserv Service is not running. Checking service configuration:
 The start type of wuauserv service is OK.
 The ImagePath of wuauserv service is OK.
 The ServiceDll of wuauserv: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\wuauserv.dll".
 Checking LEGACY_wuauserv: ATTENTION!=====> Unable to open
 LEGACY_wuauserv\0000 registry key. The key does not exist.


 Windows Autoupdate Disabled Policy:
 ============================


 Other Services:
 ==============


 File Check:
 ========
 C:\WINDOWS\System32\dhcpcsvc.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:05] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0099840 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) AFBBF93EFA9E38A676C6F466EDCF1CF9

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\afd.sys
 [2014-03-25 18:04] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0131968 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 51B1872B62D1C335BAC53313913C8D5B

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\netbt.sys
 [2014-03-25 18:07] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0157056 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) D96F3BC5A6E7452B0E3275B560DC8528

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\tcpip.sys
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0332928 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 244A2F9816BC9B593957281EF577D976

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\ipsec.sys
 [2014-03-25 18:05] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0057984 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 1C4802409CFD4A7051F458B744CFCAA5

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\dnsrslvr.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:05] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0044032 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 56EBC522D52FC5E526E8860A5A810D98

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\ipnathlp.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:05] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0435200 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 7A885D70778358142FC40354E29D51A7

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\netman.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:07] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0154112 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) E7FF9267BBEB1386975278A27378526F

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\wbem\WMIsvc.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0101376 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 659357580135726E46E3F8084512E3FA

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\srsvc.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0158720 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 38E9CFAC7881435764051FD7B1F010FB

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\sr.sys
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0069248 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) CD952661DBDF31C42E325A06BC67FD0E


 ATTENTION!=====> C:\WINDOWS\System32\wscsvc.dll FILE IS MISSING AND
 SHOULD BE RESTORED.

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\wbem\WMIsvc.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0101376 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 659357580135726E46E3F8084512E3FA

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\wuauserv.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0009216 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) B85D727AA4DE3BF6BEBEA364A250FCDA

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\qmgr.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:06] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0221696 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 6A1CF14D0E7D0B2241F552223769C8A7

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\es.dll
 [2014-03-25 18:05] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0225280 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) C9702DDD814C39DC1254CF757C31C6E4

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\cryptsvc.dll
 [2003-03-26 00:40] - [2003-03-26 00:40] - 0053760 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 8B6DA0009AB7B3B8A5E9E28015A32EA7

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0012800 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 0F7D9C87B0CE1FA520473119752C6F79

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\rpcss.dll
 [2003-10-11 05:58] - [2003-08-25 19:53] - 0260608 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) 7A6F20EEAC4B2168451878AF9054396F

 C:\WINDOWS\System32\services.exe
 [2014-03-25 18:08] - [2002-08-29 04:00] - 0101376 ____A (Microsoft
 Corporation) E3DF4A0252D287C44606EE55355E1623


 Extra List:
 =======
 Gpc(6) IPSec(4) NetBT(5) PSched(7) Tcpip(3)
 0x0700000004000000010000000200000003000 000050000000600000007000000
 IpSec Tag value is correct.

My advice:

1) Insert your ORIGINAL XP disk (or other OS media - NOT the disk you used to restore).

2) Open Windows Command Prompt (Start -> Run -> "cmd.exe" -> enter)

3) In Command Prompt type:

            Sfc /scanonce

     ( SFC is System File Checker. Built-in Windows tool to check the Windows file structure)

4) Then restart your machine.

That should handle the missing files. To handle services, the restart could fix it. If not, check msconfig (do the aboce, but rather than "sfc /scannow" just type "msconfig"). They could be altered on the "Services" tab... If that's not the case, then un-install and re-install whatever program is having issues.

There's my advice. I don't have an original cd with the xp, just the recovery I made 9 yrs agoDepends how the recovery disk was made. Maybe usable, maybe not.

You could possibly pick an XP disk up from a local shop. Shouldn't COST much. Otherwise I'd advise doing an upgrade to Win 7 if possible.Yes thanks I'll try to pick up a disc that has sp3 on it.Just download Service Pack 3 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389

i have a t2824 emachine with windows xp home edition. i want to see youtube videos and download songs to my mp3 player but i guess i need flash player? i TRIED downloading flash but it ALWAYS says error downloading and won't do it. what do i do? how do i get this to work? if anyone can help, thank you.That computer may be over ten years old. Do you know what CPU iot has? What is the speed?
Also, how much RAM do you have.

Quote

In order to watch YouTube videos, make sure you have the FOLLOWING:
    Adobe Flash Player
    Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, or Opera
    Internet CONNECTION with 500+ Kbps
    Operating system: Windows 7+, Mac OS X 10.7+, Ubuntu 10+, or LINUX OS

Every few days my PC randomly restarts itself. When I look-up my system errors under Event Viewer, the following error is displayed:

Error code 000000f4, parameter1 00000003, parameter2 895838b8, parameter3 89583a2c, parameter4 805d1142.

0000: 53 79 73 74 65 6d 20 45 System E
0008: 72 72 6f 72 20 20 45 72 rror Er
0010: 72 6f 72 20 63 6f 64 65 ror code
0018: 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 66 000000f
0020: 34 20 20 50 61 72 61 6d 4 Param
0028: 65 74 65 72 73 20 30 30 eters 00
0030: 30 30 30 30 30 33 2c 20 000003,
0038: 38 39 35 38 33 38 62 38 895838b8
0040: 2c 20 38 39 35 38 33 61 , 89583a
0048: 32 63 2c 20 38 30 35 64 2c, 805d
0050: 31 31 34 32 1142

I've tried researching how to resolve this, but have unable to find an example of someone with the exact same issue. I'm not too technically inclined, but I'd really appreciate a response. Welcome  to the CH forum. People here will help you.
Can  you ell more about your computer?
Do you often leave it on for a long time?
Has this happened also many weeks ago, or is this something that began in just a few days?  If so, it might mean a fan is not spinning fast enough. Sometimes the fan gets full of dust and slows down or even stops.


This first occurred a couple of months ago. It happened once, but then not again for over a week. Then it happened again, and has been getting more frequent. At the moment, it only happens every 3-5 days or so. It always happens within 5-10 minutes after booting into Windows. If the PC hasn't' restarted after 10 minutes, then it gives me no problems. The other day I went into "Startup & Recovery", under System Properties. I set it so that it won't restart if system failure occurs. Two days later, after being on the PC for about 5 minutes, a blue screen popped up. See the attachment which has a picture of that sign. I took a picture of it with my phone.

[recovering disk space, attachment deleted by admin]Here is some info on the error code. However since this is happening early on in the systems operation vs after hours of use, I am wondering if you have a weak power supply that acts up when it hasn't fully warmed up yet. Do you have a SPARE power supply to swap with this system to see if the problem goes away?

If it happened at a more random interval I'd be suggesting other areas to check out, but due to the fact that its always within the first 10 or 15 minutes, this to me is pointing towards checking the PSU for issues. Easiest way to find if this is the cause is to swap it if you have another good PSU tp put into it and test with.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/stop0x0000004F.htmHmmmm ? I got a new Power Supply in November of last year, as the previous one was giving me problems. So its definitely not old.No spare PSU?
OK, her are  the other choices.
Reduce the power load by removing things you do not have to have to just make the computer work for simple net surfing.
 - Remover second hard drive, if there is one.
 - Remove the graphics card completely .Use the built-tin, which takes less power.
-  Remove about half of the RAM if you can.
 - Remove the DVD drive,  or just remove power and data cables
 -  Remove any USB things that TAKE power. .
 - Unplug the floppy drive, if there is one.
That above could reduce PSU load load by almost 80 watts.
Also, have you checked  temperatures? Sped fan is a  utility that will report internal temperate probes in  the system.  A OVERHEATED Hard Drive is a symptom of a drive drive that is either failing or  using too much power.


Download BlueScreenView:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html
unzip downloaded file and double click on BlueScreenView.exe to run the program.
when scanning is done, go to EDIT - Select All
Go to FILE - SAVE Selected Items, and save the report as BSOD.txt
Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all of the content, and paste it into your next replyYou can try also this F4 code error solution while PSU is not available and post the bluescreen report as suggested.

This is for 2 computers, one of which is Windows XP Home SP3 32-bit and the other is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit for a small office with multiple users. Prior to me digging into this mess there were 2 computers that were treated as home computers, and there would be multiple users all using the same logon and some people installing junk that others didnt want and both systems were always run as admin. This made for major problems with no accountability as to who deleted someones files or installed something that was not something that should be on business computers!!!

I came along and gave myself an admin account for admin duties only, a user account for myself, and lowered the privileges of the main account that all had been using prior to user level. The Windows XP Home SP3 system had not been rebuilt since it was PUT into operation in 2006 and had been infected/unifected multiple times in the past. I donated a 80GB HDD to them and installed Windows XP Home SP3 clean to this system and SET up admin account with just me with password and user accounts for myself and all other users.

On the Windows 7 system it was fairly new and I was amazed it didnt get hit with malware or a virus yet, so I immediately changed the account they had been using to user level privileges after first creating an admin account for myself. I then created the same user names on this system that are also on the XP computer.

Both computers are connected to a 500GB NAS and there are folders mapped as drive letters for the users of U: for user date ( private ) and Z: for shared data among all users.

Right now I am trying to come up with a way to back up the user profiles so that if one of these systems died, I would be able to rebuild the system and copy the profiles back without having to spend most of a day creating all the profiles all over again from scratch as well as most importantly, people who save bookmarks or favorites depending on browser they are using would then be backed up and so the bookmarks and favorites would not be lost.

On the Windows XP system, I believe that if I RAN a script that rebooted the system and then logged onto an admin level account that I would then be able to copy the user profiles over to the NAS. Windows XP I know Caches profiles so if you log off of a profile and then go into an admin account, it will not allow you to copy the user account profile because it will give you file in use errors, so a reboot dumps the cached profiles.

I haven't attempted this yet on the Windows 7 system, but I assume that the profiles are cached if they were accessed since start up of the computer, so I would have to do the same?

Figured I'd post this here in case there is a better method of safe keep of user profiles without implementing a costly Windows Server and upgrading these 2 systems from HOME OS to PRO versions. If there was a Free Linux method to implement, I do have a computer that I can donate to them to act as a server, but I have never heard of any Linux based servers that can manage Windows User Accounts etc. I have a feeling that I am stuck with backing up the profiles through a batch script to the NAS from each of the computers.

Also its too bad that one computer can not be set to allow profiles to roam to the other, because then I'd have 1 profile for each user vs 1 profile for each computer for each user making 2x as many profiles.

Also we have an issue where the 28 people all have their own browser preferences in which some like IE and wont use others, and some use only Chrome, and some use only Firefox like myself, and a few wanted Opra. And the boss is allowing all these browsers to be installed on both systems so that the users can select the browser of choice.

Interested in Suggestions and/or Better Solutions to this...  Short answer. No, you can't do that.
The user profile can be save, but it does not have all stuff needed to created the profile again.
If a user profile gets messed up and you want to recover just that one profile from a file set, you don't have enough stuff to automatically recover the user profile fully. Or, in other words, some stuff is not saved in a file set associated with the user. The procedure is like this:
A. create a brand  new virgin user accountant.
B. copy the files of the dead user to the new living user.
This is documented in the MS knowledge base :"Repair corrupted user profile."
It would also apply to restoring a user from the earlier file set.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-corrupted-user-profile#1TC=windows-7
Windows XP is similar to that. But different.

I THINK this is a leftover from my messing around from years gone by. How do I remove ?? Thanks in advance.JS.More info is needed. I'm ASSUMING it's not just a BEEP or something, but rather an actual audio track (song or sound bite of some sort)... Is that CORRECT?Control Panel/Sounds
There is a DROP down box that shows all system sounds(Windows) events...

Scroll until you find Windows startup and remove the existing sound.

So,

I just did an upgrade on and XP Pro machine from SP2 to SP3. During the upgrade process I ran into the most annoying issue. Somewhere along the upgrade the USB drivers are UNINSTALLED and then the Windows setup prompts me to install non-WHQL drivers. Since this optiplex gx 520 is USB only, I have no way to interact with the prompt. I then switched to an un-attended install disk I have and booted from the disk. After telling it to "restart the upgrade" everything went smoothly and installed.

Not I'm trying to get .NET 1.1, 2.0 (sp1), 3.5 (sp1) and 4.0 (sp1) installed. 1.1 fails with an error (* see bottom), 2.0 seems to install fine, 3.5 fails with "XPSEPSC RETURNED an unexpected value" and "depcheck revealed that XPSEPSC is not installed" or something and 4.0 seems to work fine.

Once I got the error I tried:

Uninstalling .NET 2.0 before installing
Logging on as local admin before installing
Disabling norton real-time protection before installing
Stopping norton/symantec services (via msconfig) before rebooting and installing
Removing norton and rebooting before installing
Installing XPSEPSC.EXE (downloaded from MS website) rebooting and installing
Switching msconfig back to normal mode and rebooting and reinstalling
Running sfc (scannow and scanonce with reboot) before installing
Installing 1.1 from XP OEM disk before installing (failed)
Installing 4.0 before installing
Installing OFFICE 2010 (in hopes it would install something if needed (failed)
Running the INSTALLER from local drive and from network drive
And I'm just finished with a chkdsk from recovery console (errors found and fixed)

Don't know if this is enought to jostle your memory on a similar incident, but any advice is appreciated.

- kyle_engineer

.NET 1.1 errors:
Vs70uimgr: isetupmanager::GetGlobalCustomProperty() failed to find global prop in CUIMgr::GetGlobalProperty()
XPSUI: isetupmanager (same as above) [says this 4 times throughout the log]
Setup failed on component MICROSOFT .NET Framework 1.1
Microsoft .net framework 1.1: isetupmanager:: (same as first) [says thos 3 times]

These are the only errors listed for .NET 1.1

.NET 3.5 errors:
XPSEPSC Installer: [2] component XPSEPSC Installer returned an unexpected value.
WapUI: [2] DepCheck indicates XPSEPSC Installer is not installed.

Those are the only 2 .NET 3.5 errors (repeated each time the installer has been run.Well I just said forget it and upgraded to win 7... 'Bout time anyway.

Thanks all that read this.

Patio or any other mod can feel free to close this now.

- kyle_engineer

Dear All.

my pc (XP sp-3) is not working properly.

after start up the XP welcome SCREEN appears and then the it goes to blank (no display). I can reach to the log in window.

please help me to findout a quick solution.

RAJESH KUMAR1) Can you boot to SAFE mode?

2) What is new or different since the last time everything worked properly (ie, new HW, new sw, virus, error, etc)?Dear Sir

I tried all FOUR safe mode options.. but no CHANGE.. no display after the windows xp logo screen.. only cursor point is showing in the blank screen

please help me.

Rajesh Kumar
Again, What is new or different since the last time everything worked properly (ie, new hw, new sw, virus, error, etc)?

I cannot run MANY programs, including team-viewer or Trojan killer or word or excel, etc....When I try, I get the following 2 messages...:::::::::

Under heading "Microsoft Works"  message reads (Cannot change the DOCUMENT C:/Program...\trojankiller.exe.  The document is read-only or is open by  another user or application.  To change this file, save it with a different filename.)

I then hit OK and another box pops up under the heading of Microsoft works spreadsheet....
(Works cannot open the file you selected.  The file may be corrupted or it may be a file type that the spreadsheet cannot open.  Check that the file type appears in the DROP down LIST in the file open dialog.)

Sometimes I can get a program to work by right clicking the icon and opening another way. many times I just can't get the program to work....no big deal as I have a new laptop and will be giving my old one away.....but it would be nice if I gave it away working......

I can also get IE or Firefox to work....
Running on 9 year old emachine desktop pc... "xp" 
I have tried rebooting, samething....also, tried to restore but can't get the restore program to run, same message as above...Last resort, I may take original disk from when I bought it and see what it may do?

Any Ideas???   
HipDo you have an XP CD?

If so, place it in your CD ROM drive and follow the instructions below:
•Click on Start > Run and type sfc /scannow then press Enter (note the space between scf and /scannow)
*Let this run undisturbed until the window with the blue  progress bar goes away
SFC - Which stands for System File Checker, retrieves the correct version of the file from %Systemroot%\System32\Dllcache or the Windows installation source files, and then replaces the incorrect file.Thanks for the response...  I loaded the original restore cd and types what you described.....  It does the same thing as I described above.....  It won't run the scan....

also tried GHO fix programs and same thing, download them but they won't run.....
??     HipCan you boot the computer in Safe Mode?Sounds like the ".exe" file extension has been WRONGLY associated to Microsoft Works.

Try uninstalling Work (or office) and then re-installing.

I'd say it's worth a shot.

My my documents folder now opens my control panel.  The folder type is control panel.  I know my files are still there.  Is there any way to change the folder type back to normal.  I have Windows 98se.  Please Help.

Thanks.
I think you have to reset the link in the shortcut to "my documents."

If the icon on your desktop is just a link you may click on it with the right mouse button. Next, you CHOOSE properties and in the first folder (called "destiny" or so in english (I'm working here with another language so I have to guess a bit)) you'll find the path to the folder that's being opened by this link.

Just change this path to the one where your documents are placed (Possibly something like "c:/DocumentsandSetings/MyName/....  ...etc.")

If you don't know where your documents are to be found, use the search function in windows, looking for *.doc or so, this will show you the path

I hope I understood you question :-|Uh, Batch_Lamer, those PATHS are XP/NT. In Win98 it is C:\My Documents. You could either delete or 'stash' the desktop link and MAKE a SIMPLE desktop shortcut to C:\My Documents (or wherever you have moved My Documents to if you use custom PARTITIONING), or you can use a tool like Xteq XSetup to reset the default icon link on the desktop.tools /folder options/view   restore defaults   and scan for bugs...

Running xp pro and was infected with bagle virus.

System crashed and reboots gets to the welcome screen then reboots over and over, during the system scan there is TWO messages that say; windows\system32\config\system.log\invalid

windows\system32\config\system.soft.log\invalid

I have MANY files and dont want to format.

Any HELP or susjestions would be great.keeping tapping  the f8 key on boot and CHOSE the LAST good config or try this >http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

When I connect a second HDD, and reset the BIOS to boot from the SATA socket to which THAT HDD is connected which I want to boot from, BOOTING MAY still happen from the other socket/HDD. How can the BIOS setting be enforced ?You SELECT the HDD you want to boot 1st...MOVE it up to the top of the boot PRIORITY list using the up /down arrows...when set to your liking Press F 10 to "Save settings and Exit"...
The PC will re-boot with the new settings.

Hi ,

can i how how to check the compiler by seeing the ASSEMBLY code of the file ?
i.e. whether the file is compiled by Visual c++ , Visual Basic or Borland Delphi ?

Thanks..

Regards,
Manikandan AUnless the compiler puts any extra metadata into the binary that it produces (which I'm not aware of any doing) I can't really think of any way to see the original language that was used from the binary file.  Besides, knowing the language something was originally WRITTEN in when all you have is a compiled binary isn't particularly useful.Some compilers insert strings in the binary file, some do not. You can use a WINDOWS port of the Unix strings utility to see what (if any) identifying text is contained.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897439.aspx

It HELPS if you know, even vaguely, what to look for:

example:

Code: [Select]C:\FFmpeg\ffmpeg-git-1eabd71-win64-static\bin>strings ffmpeg.exe | find /i "gcc"
gcc
--prefix=/home/kyle/software/ffmpeg/packages/libvpx/libvpx-v0.9.7-p1-win64 --target=x86_64-win64-gcc
90%%  LAME compiled with buggy VERSION of gcc using advanced optimizations
Code: [Select]C:\avisub>strings AviSub.exe | find /i "delphi"
\Delphi\RTL

This is on a Toshiba Satellite M60 laptop os Xp Pro.
I made up a wav file (about 12 sec long). It plays fine in manual mode.  I set the wav file in the sound properties to the start windows event, test it again on the test button it tests ok (plays the hole thing). but  when windows starts up, the same wav file only plays 6 seconds (out of the 12 sec's total) and stops playing and Xp goes on and COMPLETES the start up and desktop comes up and so on.  I have seen (they work fine) other wav files that are LONGER then 12 sec that work fine in the start windows event.  I can't figure out why the wav file I made won't play RIGHT on startup.  This is part of the hole project to get the LCARS Windows shell GOING.  Everything else in the project is done and working.  The hangup with the start windows event sound is the only thing that is holding me up from completing this project.  I also tried a simple bat file (see it below) to start the same wav file from the startup menu.   The bat file worked but didn't play the file until the desktop was up and running. Anyone have any ideas?

echo
cd /d c:\download"
start tstart.wav
end

Steve The windows Startup sound has a size limitation, I believe. You can try reducing the bitrate or sample size of the audio file.Bingo BC_Programmer   you were right on the bullseye.  It had nothing to do with recording file length.  All the other wav files were set to 11025hz sample rate (even wav files that were a lot more the 12 sec long).  When I modified the the recording and save it with Audacity,   Audacity as a default sets the sample rate at 44100hz.  That's what XP was squawking at,  it didn't like the sample rate.  Thanks you got me on the right path of investigation.

Now all I have to figure out is how to make the file play when the logon box is on the screen.  Right now with the file set in the start windows event the file doesn't play until the desktop is finished setting up and running.

Quote from: BC_Programmer on April 17, 2014, 04:46:57 AM

The windows Startup sound has a size limitation, I believe. You can try reducing the bitrate or sample size of the audio file.

I have outlook 2007. I decided to download the outlook personal folders back up tool. When I backed up the FILES to my desktop the folder appears orphaned. I wonder if there is some problem with my outlook program?I have windows xp and recently installed a new hard DRIVE and rstored my outlook mails from the CRASHED hard drive to the new one.

[recovering disk space, ATTACHMENT deleted by admin]No third party tool is needed. Just copy the outlook.pst file yourself.This is not a 3rd party tool. I am using the inbuilt microsoft outlook back up tool.was it this?. If so that simply makes backups.

I cannot determine what you mean when you say they look orphaned in the SCREENSHOT.

I have been using a memory STICK for a while to COPY files for offsite storage. Yesterday for whatever reason the stick became write protected which took me by surprise to say the least....I can't seem to locate a procedure to change it back to allowing writes to it. I am logging as a member of
the admin. group. This is on a laptop with  Win. XP 7 Pro.

Currently I can't even format the stick....

Anyone have any ideas ?
thanksIf this is a stick that has the write-lock switch to it, check to make sure the write-switch is disabled.

Also this is more common with people trying to repurpose thumb drives that they get at shows and from computer OEM to be used as a normal thumb drive and they are a write-once drive. So if its one of these, there is no easy way to unlock them.

The good thing is that you can still read the data off of this thumb drive and so you may just need to read the data and copy it to a new thumb drive if the drive has failed internally. I'd back up the data off of this thumb drive sooner than later if this is your only copy of the data.If you need the data why would you even consider a format ? ?I have this problem with USB stick. I don't think there is any way to get access to it. I can read what is on it but cant add to the stick or erase anything. I cant find any locking device on it.

I think it is a common problem.
 also you cant reformat as the device is locked.
There is no lock switch, its just a very SIMPLE thumb type stick. I've been using it as a backup for specific files over a period of a couple of
years, adding, deleting and updating files as REQUIRED. My question here is related to why the permissions on the stick (its just a portable device
to Windows) would change, what caused Windows to change the permissions. I have not located any procedure to change the permissions at the portable disk level.  The disk is formatted as fat32Windows wont just do that on it's own...who else had access to it ? ?No one has access to my laptop. I wasn't implying Windows magically decided to change permissions... I have been copying data to the stick for sometime and I'm guessing during a long running copy something occurred which caused Windows to change the permissions.... What, I have no idea... I've not seen this before... Nor have I...

1. Right click folder, choose properties.
2. Click security tab.
3. Click advanced button.
4. Click owner tab.
5. Click Edit button.
6. Choose the user to change ownership to - and place check mark in check box "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects, then click ok.
7. Click OK.
8. Click OK.
Quote from: patio on April 21, 2014, 06:55:37 PM

Windows wont just do that on it's own...who else had access to it ? ?

Hi is there a way a can create boot usb STICK for note book without a disc as already preinstalled as it will not boot up and ASKS for a repair with the original disc, which i have never had,
Cheers
You will need the Disc to do ANYTHING. Either borrow one or buy one.

Then if you have the disc you can install Windows and activate against your key that is (hopefully) affixed to the computer.

Other option is contact the manufacturer of the computer and order a system recovery set for around $35 if outside of the warranty terms.Nice User name...i'll PROBABLY see that somewhere.You can create bootable USB DISK. If you have some friends who have a Windows XP disk, you can borrow it and create one. Then download some software such as Wintoflash for creating a bootable USB drive. For instructions, refer to:

http://www.techyv.com/questions/how-create-bootable-usb-drive-install-windows-xp-or-7

I'm trying to fix a Lenovo 3000 N200 Model 0769 with a pentium dual core processor, a WD 160Gb #WD1600BEVS-08RS hard drive, and 2Gb RAM RUNNING Windows XP sp3 Home.  Could not find the restore CD, but have a copy of the OS on CD.

A few months ago, the system crashed while I was using the computer and would begin this endless loop of trying to restart windows and then failing.  I suspected a failing HD, so I tried to put the drive into an external enclosure and plug it into my desktop PC.  It was not seeing the drive, so I bought a tested one (same model) from the internet.  Later, I was SUCCESSFUL in bringing the OS back up again and immediately began copying files to a backup drive.  Every so often, while copying image and video files, the OS would crash again and I'd restart successfully. I suspected corrupt files or bad HD sectors.  EVENTUALLY, it quit loading Windows altogether.  I received the purchased replacement drive, however, when I plugged it into the laptop, it didn't seem to find it and I guessed that it had not been formatted yet.

I took it into work where we publish a software database and plugged it into the Windows 7's mother board SATA plug and successfully detected and formatted the new drive.  I also plugged in the "failing" drive, which it detected  and ran a scan on it, AUTOMATICALLY detecting and fixing any bad sectors.  It seemed to complete successfully and when I plugged the drive back into it's laptop bay, the OS loaded fine.  I resumed backing up the rest of my files and continued using the computer for about another month.  The problem has since reoccurred.  It would simply crash.  Upon restart, I get the following blue screen error MESSAGE:
A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer
UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

This message flashed so fast, I had to take a video and stop it at the exact moment to read it.

And after a few attempts to reload windows in the last known good config I got this one:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer
A process or thread crucial to system operation has unexpectedly exited or been terminated
...

Technical information:
*** STOP: 0x000000F4 (0x00000003, 0x8933F020, 0x8933F194, 0x0805237A8)

I've not recently installed any new programs.  I was running Avast and have had no recent virus activity that I was aware of.  The only new hardware I added was several months ago when I spilled a bit of beer on the keys and had to buy a new keyboard for it, however, while the keyboard wasn't functional I simply plugged in an external one and everything was fine until this recent crashing issue.

I've tried starting the OS normally, in all of the safe modes, and with the last known good config and none worked.  Then I tried to install the new hard drive and install Windows fresh onto it, but I get a message saying that no hard disk drive was detected.  I returned the old drive and was successful at getting a Reatogo boot CD to run its CD-based OS and was able to start a new task through the Task Manager and ran a command prompt window.  I was able to read the old drive's directory via DOS.  I couldn't seem to get chkdsk /r to do anything...I'd type it, hit enter, and it just entered to the next line and sat there doing nothing.  I also tried fixboot, again with the same result.

Any help I can get would be very much appreciated.Sometimes the Win error messages loop a few times.
Put the new HDD in and do a few cold boots...then change the boot order to CD 1st...put the Win OS CD in and re-boot.Put in new drive, and turned power on.  Power light comes on, fan cycles up, hard disk light comes on for a few seconds then goes off and nothing else happens.  Power light stays on though.Then you're 1/2 way there...
Now put the Win CD in...set the BIOS to boot to CD 1st and re-boot.Thanks patio.  The reason my laptop couldn't find my hard drive was simply that the new hard drive wasn't set as IDE!  Case closed...windows installed!     Cool Beans...
Good sticktoitiveness on your part.

Os is Xp Pro 32bit.   What I would like to do is set the wav file in the start windows event box to start playing when the login box 1st pops up on the SCREEN and complete playing before the desktop starts loading.  Right now the start windows event starts playing after the desktop is open.

SteveSteve, you POSTED this in the Windows 7 part of CH.
Did you intend to put this in the XP forum?

You can change the strut up music for Windows XP.
However, timing it to finish W with  start up events is not easy.strut up music ? ? Quote from: patio on April 19, 2014, 06:26:02 PM

strut up music ? ?

Steve, you posted this in the Windows 7 part of CH.
Did you intend to put this in the XP forum?

You can change the strut up music for Windows XP.
However, timing it to finish w with  start up events is not easy.

OK. Time for another You Tube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_B5fCqxzYA
Note: he makes a point. You change  any set of sounds an d you can save it as your personal set.

Hey everyone,, i came across a problem i have never seen before,, hopefully you can help.

I am building a new system, P4 , 3.0  Asus MoBo. 512 ram,, ATI  new video card. Blaster sound card,, Seagate 160 gig hard drive,

I load XP and get to the point where it formats the Hard drive and then restarts the computer,,,  ya know ,, the screen right before it loads the OS ?  It does a quick format then it say the system will reboot in 15 seconds,, or you can reboot now, press enter.

So i press enter and then the screen turns blue and i see the mouse . Then,, thats it,, nothing else,, it is hanging on something,, and i am not sure where to GO,,the boot sequence is set up so it boots to the cd rom drive which has XP then onto the Hard drive,,

Any ideas ?

RickFormat and try again?Use fdisk to del partiontion and then recreate it and format from dos not from windows xp? Quote

Use fdisk to del partiontion and then recreate it and format from dos not from windows xp?

With WINDOWS XP how do you set the booting from a cd?
I was in msconfig but didn't know where you could do that.To 'boot' from a CD MEANS to start an stand-alone system from the CD.
In most cases this can only be done from the BIOS SETTINGS.  However, a few PCs let you use the F12 KEY before Windows starts.
Here is a list of articles about 'boot order' from CH archives or Google.
change boot order
Maybe that will help.

Anyone hear any reports about bad things happening with XP? I am glad I invested in my Win 7 upgrade, but clearly I was unduly concerned about XP security problems, especially those that would happen soon after 4/8. Quote from: artbuc on May 04, 2014, 02:02:30 AM

Anyone hear any reports about bad things happening with XP? I am glad I invested in my Win 7 upgrade, but clearly I was unduly concerned about XP security problems, especially those that would happen soon after 4/8.

I'm having an immense amount of difficulty moving from WinXP to Win7.  I keep hitting roadblocks.  Right now I can't GET the Service Pack 3 self-extracting update to finish installing.  I think the file is corrupt.  Can someone point me to a source for a self-installing Service Pack 3, other than www.microsoft.com (which always causes problems when i try to download anything from them)?

Thank youThere is no SP3 for Win7.To migrate to Windows 7, you should be able to insert the Windows 7 disc. BOOT the system off of that disc and it will give an option for a upgrade install to keep all your data or perform a new CLEAN INSTALLATION which formats the hard drive and installs Windows 7 clean.

Prior to doing this I would run the Windows 7 compatibility utility to make sure the system meets the requirements etc.

What are the system specs of the system you are upgrading to Windows 7?

If its Windows 7 32-bit I SUGGEST a minimum of 2GB RAM, and if its Windows 7 64-bit I suggest 4GB for best performance.

Windows 7 32-bit can run on 1GB of RAM, but it would be laggy with all the paging to operate with the HDD. Windows 7 64-bit on 2GB of RAM has been laggy.

I just about have my PROJECT done. All I need to do is change the look of only the log off background screen. Everything else is done. Boot and log on screen are set and running fine. I have been hunting on the internet for instructions for changing only the log off background screen and so far I have found many instructions for changing boot and log on screens with only a vague reference to changing the log off background screen. But no hard and fast instructions. It would be much appreciated if someone could point me to a set of instructions for Xp. 98SE was easy to change the log off screen without effecting the log on screen.

A ps, I saw online tonight of a way to delay the AMOUNT of time the log on box stays up after the password is entered. (now I can't find it again). I am trying to SYNC a wav file saved in the start win event box so the wav file will complete playing before the DESKTOP loads.


Steve I played with this like 11 years ago through registry changes. I'll see if I can find the registry keys to change and post here. A friend of mine took this challenge on in our college course for extra credit since he forgot to get an assignment in on time. He shared with me how to do it and I played around with it myself. I think the image had to be bit map only and had to be of specific dimensions to work. But 11 years of not doing that, I forgot the exact registry keys.

edit: Finding lots of info on everything but the logoff http://www.virtualplastic.net/html/logo_scr.html

I found this in there that I found interesting:

Quote

If you just want to get rid of it and see what's going on behind it, this time add a "/sos" switch to the applicable line in boot.ini.

I just about have my project done. All I need to do is change the look of only the log off background screen. Everything else is done. Boot and log on screen are set and running fine.

This is hard to understand. What kind of project? What is the log off background supposed to be?  How is it part of the project?
Anyway, changeling g the registry should not be ever a part of a regular program that does something useful. Unless changing the registry was the objective.

Where did he mention "kiosk" ? ?

An interactive kiosk is a computer terminal featuring specialized hardware and software designed within a public exhibit that provides access to information and applications for communication, commerce, entertainment, and education.
Early interactive kiosks sometimes resembled telephone booths, but can also be used while sitting on a bench or chair. Interactive kiosks are typically placed in high foot traffic settings such as hotel lobbies or airports.

OP, please look at this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_kiosk
Is this the kind of thing the project will do?

Did you try wizmo?
https://www.grc.com/wizmo/wizmo.htm

BC_Programmer,
What is he trying to do? Do have the answer?

Hi
I have a emachines net book which will not boot up ,just gets an error missing file message, so have GOT an external drive and tried with xp disc BOOTS to a point then i get the blue screen with the error codes 0X0000007B (0xf7a9263c,0x0000034,0x00000000,0x00000000
Tried looking for solution EVERYWHERE not no luck
Anybody help please.Crazy screen name! Not one that will endear you to many people here. You could have hardware troubles for example a failed hard drive. Quote

0x0000007b (0xf7a9263c,0x0000034,0x00000000,0x00000000

Here's what that error means. Did you do something to it before it stopped booting?
The filename, directory name,or volume label syntax is incorrect