Shark007

no matter what the solution was that got the computer back up and running ... the most common cause of the downtime was: The 'short' between the seat and the keyboard ! Shark007

Items pinned to the start menu are saved in the file within the current logged in user profile \NTUSER.DAT Shark007

Try this thread.. this is what i use... Codecs Shark007

Here is a link to microsoft with descriptions for each Command Prompt Variables Shark007

I may be wrong, i haven't researched this but i think you need to include a 'time period' shutdown.exe -r -f -t 30 where the '30' represents 30 seconds. Shark007

Be sure your copy/paste is a single long line. using your RIGHT mouse button, click on the shortcut to explorer.exe and choose 'properties' you should see the image i've included copy the following line to your clipboard and paste it into the 'Target:' box %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} The above will open explorer.exe on My Computer with folder view (expanded) It is also possible to have it open on the 'C' drive but i've forgetten how. Hopefully someone else will have that info. Shark007

right click the 'Explorer' icon and choose properties. replace the Target: location with the following... %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} This will open it on My Computer. Shark007

IDE [P]ATA harddrive's are at fault for this. SCSI or ATA will set you free. P = Parallel interface S = Serial interface (floppy disk access will also cause this) Shark007

SlimShady had the answer to my query here: Slims post

Thanks SlimShady This is exactly what i was looking for. Shark007

I know i've seen a registry tweak here on the MSFN forums somewhere concerning changing the default colour of the TEXT that appears in a dos prompt window. (I've attempted several searches already) The example colour along with the reg. tweak was green, which IS the color i wish to change it to. If anyone can direct me to the post, or assist me with the registry tweak, I'd be grateful Shark007

Seeing this thread has over 1800+ views as of this post, i'm certainly far from the only one waiting on this release. Thanks jdeboeck for your time and effort. It is appreciated. Shark007

nice find hajj_3. thanks. I didnt know this had a cmdline version till i visitted your link. this is excellent for adding to an unattended installation. of course, to get all the cmdline options use the /? switch as usual. Shark007

thanks for the reply Justice. your method works fine, post installation. I was specifically looking for the 'Registry' entry because i want to add it to my unattended installation. Shark007

I know i've seen a registry tweak here on the MSFN forums somewhere concerning changing the default colour of the TEXT that appears in a dos prompt window. (I've attempted several searches already) The example colour along with the reg. tweak was green, which IS the color i wish to changer it to. If anyone can direct me to the post, or assist me with the registry tweak, I'd be grateful Shark007

Here's a link to tech-hints.com with a GUI of cdimage.exe Gaphical User Interface I use this with perfect results every time. Shark007

I know more today than i did yesterday. because I asked questions. There was also a time that i did not know how to burn a bootable CD. ( i owned a 1x burner , lol ) Thanks to Exodia, this person was sent in the correct direction. Shark007

Here is a modified uxtheme file for SP2 RC1 build 2096. Just replace the existing in i386 and you're good to go. file source = vorte[x] Shark007

Thank Exodias - works for me also. now that the solution is at hand . . . would you happen to know the corresponding registry key ? Shark007

*bumped* ... up cause i'm still hoping someone has the answer to this one ... Shark007

I'm currently using a clean install of WindowsXP SP2 RC1 build 2096. I followed your key path .. i have this: %1;explorer.exe;dvdplay.exe;mplay32.exe;msohtmed.exe;quikview.exe;rundll.exe;rundll32.exe;taskman.exe ;bck32api.dll; and there is no virus on this comp. Shark007

When using a Microsoft Boot Sector (bootable CD) the demand: "Press any key to boot from cd..." is displayed ONLY if the harddrive is previously set to 'Active' during a partitioning process. a harddrive is usually set Active initially either by using the MSDOS program fdisk.exe or by allowing WindowsXP to partition and format the drive. If the drive is unpartitioned ( eg. a new harddrive or a new setup within a virtual PC) the demand is not offerred, because it already detected no other boot device present therefore requiring a CD boot. Shark007

I ran modifype followed by makecab on the two 5.2 files. Then i dropped both into into the i386 dir replacing the existing files. Installs perfectly, works perfectly. [all this on the RC1 of SP2 - build 2096] Shark007

Exodia ... thanks for the scripting hints, it does help to make it easier to get the IE window back to where it originated. I wouldnt really mind the resizing if it would maximize it, cause then you can just click the 'max' box to get back to where you were ( size/position ) but it just resizes to full viewing area, which means it takes over the settings of size and position. I was hoping there was a 'check' box somewhere that i hadnt noticed which would just disable this from happening altogether. Thanks again for your input ... Shark007

It just plain annoys me when i'm browsing the net and certain pages cause IE to resize to fill the viewable area. I set it to a size and placement i prefer, and i expect it to stay that size. I multitask alot, and want to constantly view tasks in the backgraound as i browse the net. Does anyone know a way to force IE to not be resized by web pages? thanks Shark007