CharlotteTheHarlot

You'll have to take a fine-toothed comb to Acrobat Reader now ( and I'm assuming you have Acrord32.exe on 32-bit WinXP ). (1) You say Acrobat Reader never opens from Firefox? Does it open from a shortcut? If it does, check the shortcut properties and note the exact path and exe specified in it. You will need this information. If it is not specified in the shortcut, you will need to use Explorer or another file manager to find the actual file. Now double-click it to make sure it is in fact working. Now you know what it is that you need to search for ( the full path and filename ). (2) Next step is to go into REGEDIT, make sure the highlight is at the top on "My Computer". Press F3 and bring up the Find dialog. Enter Acrord32.exe. Continually pressing F3 again will repeat the search for the next entry. You are looking for registry entries that contain a path such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\Acrord32.exe ( which I have on this computer here ) or any similar entry. Specifically, you are looking for any deviations from the correct path noted in (1). These will need to be corrected. Since you say you installed multiple readers it is likely that a stale entry or two are still existing. ( Note, I am describing the Find command as opposed to searching a registry export on purpose. It is likely that Adobe is using Expand_SZ strings for the command and these will not show up in plain text in an export )

Make some backups of SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT while you still can. I would also grab all SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI files as well. Also, search the HDD for SYSTEM.* and USER.* and WIN.* ( these will catch all the previous mentioned files ) to locate any others that might exist. And save any files named RB*.cab. This is just in case you have crossed into registry size or corruption territory ( see here ). Having a folder full of registry and related files might allow you to determine a setting that has changed or possibly an installed program that increased the size too large.

You didn't mention the web browser you use. What happens in a browser window or tab is ultimately controlled by the browser itself. So even if you add/remove AcroRead a hundred times, the Adobe installer/uninstaller might never edit a particular browser's configuration. This is true especially for Opera, but may be true for all. If any of them are altered by the Adobe installer/uninstaller I would imagine that MSIE would be the likely one. In Opera it is ... Tools > Preferences > Downloads ... select: Application/pdf ... click EDIT. I'll let other members explain the steps for other browsers which I rarely use anymore. The point is, Adobe may have set the PDF web associations in the registry to one thing, but the browser itself is set to another action. They all must be in sync.

Microsoft & others complain to EU about Android bundling practices ( NeoWin 2013-04-09 ) Microsoft, Nokia Accuse Google of Antitrust Violations in European Union ( Thurrott 2013-04-09 ) European Union Receives Antitrust Complaint About Android ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-10 ) Now that's rich. Microsoft sicking the dogs on the competition. This is the pea-shell game again. While they distract everyone they proceed with business as usual, and that business is turning the Windows Operating System into a software, and a gateway to the Microsoft store. They are building the foundation even as we speak. The fact that the desktop still exists is the "bone" left for the shills to cite as disproof. But when it is removed then what is left? The Microsoft Store. Actually, sideloading, which is allowed in Enterprise but not in consumer-land is waiting in the wings as the final safeguard against government action. Mark my words. Anyway, here they are distracting everyone once again, "look over there at Apple and Google". Microsoft hypocrisy at its finest. Chinese state-run media criticizing Surface Pro warranty ( NeoWin 2013-04-09 ) Naturally the fanboys don't like China anymore. They liked them last week when they went after Apple though. Microsoft ends Windows XP support one year from today; is the world ready? ( NeoWin 2013-04-08 ) Windows XP deadline leads to new Windows 8 price cut for businesses ( NeoWin 2013-04-08 ) Dead OS Walking: XP Has One Year of Support Left ( Thurrott 2013-04-09 ) Windows XP support ends a year from … now! ( UK Register 2013-04-08 ) Tick-tock! 40% of PCs start Windows XP malware meltdown countdown ( UK Register 2013-04-08 ) Microsoft: Support Ends For Windows XP in One Year ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-10 ) From The Forums: Our readers look back on Windows XP ( NeoWin 2013-04-10 ) ( mentioned by previous posters ) Fine examples in the comments of the insane hatred that MicroZealots have for Windows XP. It also reinforces my theory that this whole thing started during the Vista apocalypse when Microsoft incredibly declared war on its previous, highly successful operating system. The fanboys took note of this and followed their leader and continue to do so to this very day. At this point in its life, after many years of tweaks and debugged idiosyncrasies, Windows XP just works. So what is there to hate about it? It's ridiculous. "Just working" is the job of the operating system. Of course the fanboys quickly say "but try it on new hardware", "new" being the operative word. This is where the MicroZealot mentality falls apart because they cannot process the next logical thought - Why wouldn't it work in future hardware? The answer is that Microsoft breaks the older drivers which is unforgivable and also that they pressure OEMs into abandoning older versions of Windows. A smart person would figure this out, the fanboys of course cannot. That's supposed to be an insult? Stupid child. Grandpa knows best. I blame Microsoft for this Idiocracy. Windows was always a platform, a necessary requirement for other software to run on. As long as backward compatibility is carried forth, that is, the API that is used by the software contains the same functions going forward then the version of the platform does not make a difference. This was true until the evil strategy of planned obsolescence reared its ugly head. Now we have MetroTards that welcome it. Microsoft has completely blurred the lines between an operating system and all other software now, and that is entirely purposeful. An OS is needed to allow software to talk to hardware, they successfully inserted "Windows" into this position, then they intentionally modify Windows to break both previous hardware and software in later versions, thus ensuring more purchasing of Windows. Consequently Microsoft now has intellectual property that you REQUIRE to use your computer and they REQUIRE you to update it at regular intervals. This is a public utility trust in every sense of the word. Bust this company up, now. Yeah well I am doing the opposite, so I cancel out your strategy. I am not working on customer Windows 8 systems and will do everything in my power to thwart it's probability of success. I also wish Microsoft would release an update to break existing Windows XP and other versions. This is what it would take to have the company broken into pieces. Please Microsoft, listen to your fanboys! As Formfiller mentioned, this is NeoWin's most infamous Astroturfer who is also their biggest laugingstock. I just had to repeat it again here. What kind of mental illness does one need to have to be used like a puppet like that? Freud lived in the wrong century. BTW. the last part of his quote is what I believe Jaclaz was referring to with his link Get Windows 7. UPDATE: from that last link the astroturfer says this is his former Windows XP desktop: "This was my XP desktop the morning I blew it away for the last time before installing Vista.". I haven't read through that last thread yet but I expect it to be chock full of psychiatric case studies of mental patients as usual. When Vista started getting real bad press and the siege mentality set in, it was obvious that Microsoft went off the rails in a big way. One of those ways was in nurturing a bumper crop of brainless fanboy parrots. I didn't believe it at first, because the common perception was that Apple had this market cornered ( although I never really met anyone like that in the Mac universe, they were all very nice to me ), and later the Linux sycophants displaced them. But there is no doubt in my mind, our modern Windows MicroZealots are the worst of all, nothing else comes close. They are embarrassing and will lead to the utter destruction of Windows if Microsoft continues to listen to their MetroTard insanity. EDIT: added articles(s)

That is one classic astro-turfer right there. Such a blatant obvious case of posting for money or points or whatever arrangement Microsoft has with these people. It is simple math. The little Astroturfer started his account 2011-11-14 a couple of weeks after the DP was released, that is 512 days ago. Astroturfer now has 5,249 posts. That comes out to a minimum posting rate of 10.25 per day if he posts each and every day. Skip some days and the rate increases. I noticed that nearly every single one of those posts were Microsoft propaganda right down to marketing buzz words ( fast and fluid ) and competitor FUD ( attacking Apple, iOs, Google, Android ). There really is no clearer case of fraud that exists. That thread that you pointed to "Just how many people hate Windows 8?" is a fine example of his pathetic work ( as was his "Windows Start Menu Discussion" diatribe that was equally embarrassing ). If he isn't a paid Astroturfer, then he is either the most obsessive-compulsive unpaid fanboy in history, or, he is a sock-puppet for Sinofsky or Jensen Harris or Sam Moreau. No matter what the answer is, it is a stunning example of the state of affairs involving Microsoft. They began this kind of nonsense during the Vista fiasco, and are completely unable to break free from deception and propaganda. Even comparing them to IBM doesn't quite cover it because at least they tried to remain professional.

Exactly why that Thurrott argument is distasteful to me. Last refuge of a scoundrel.

Is there a USB device connected when you shutdown? That was the most common thing I remember preventing Win9x shutdowns.

I've seen some cases where either BIOS are used. I had an i810 or i815 MSI board that had a variety of BIOS ( both companies ) from the community, and successfully flashed and tested each. This happens when modders experiment and create several different releases, naturally they must fit the BIOS size and address all the parts that the other supports. What you want to do is start searching for mods for that exact motherboard model and revision. It is old enough that whatever mods were done are well tested. If the options you see in your existing BIOS are very limited ( pretty unusual for most Gigabyte boards I've seen ) then there is a great chance that some people have already made a replacement BIOS to add back some common functions. Some quick searching ( "BIOS mods GA-7VM400M" ) does NOT look promising however. It could be a very low-budget board aimed at the mass market and might have a small BIOS image as well. You'll need to do some research.

The XboxFiles continue! ... Next Xbox rumored to be 'expensive' at launch ( NeoWin 2013-04-06 ) Microsoft to unveil next Xbox May 21, subsidized version for $300? ( TechSpot 2013-04-08 ) Report: Microsoft's April Xbox Event Pushed to May 21 ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-08 ) Microsoft pushed back next Xbox reveal because it's not afraid of PS4? ( NeoWin 2013-04-08 ) The rumor mill is buzzing once again, and this time it is over the price of the Xbox, supposedly in the $500 range, possibly more expensive than the next Sony. This story originates from Thurrott ( see next ), and was his big scoop until it was interrupted by the Xbox #DealWithIt controversy. UPDATE: note that the story has expanded to cover the changed date of the Xbox reveal. What is funny is the spin that NeoWin and MicroZealots are trying to put on it - that Microsoft changed the date because it looked at the Sony news and decided, "hmmm, no competition, we can take our time". It never occurs to them that Microsoft might actually be backtracking now, halting or postponing the "always-on" requirement. Xbox v.Next and Always On(line) ( Thurrott 2013-04-07 ) Paul is off his biploar meds again. Actually he is just ticked off that his scoop on the price was washed away by that tsunami of controversy around Adam Orth ... Wait, what? Maybe they should have wrote snail-mail letters? Folks who use broadband should shut up? That's one huge Olympic sized long jump he just made there. Gold medal. As opposed to being offline? As opposed to being insensitive? What does this mean? Paul, this is righteous indignation you are seeing, and by now you as a supreme shill for the MicroBorg should be completely used to it. That means you are just making this stuff up as you go along now. Fine, keep enabling Microsoft's public suicide. This one is particularly sickening to me. Cyberbullying, or any bullying has one key component, and that is an innocent victim. Such victims do not deserve the heat the receive. Adam Orth is not innocent, nor a victim. He is a self-identified Softie, and a bigwig too. He is on a huge public forum, Twitter. He is talking to a representative of another company. Thurrott is taking a giant crap on all actual innocent victims everywhere by trying to protect this Softie from any consequences for his arrogance and own big mouth. Pseudo-outrage. That Microsoft patented arrogant insular thinking is really rubbing off onto the fanboys. It's stunning. There is nothing pseudo about this or any of the other outrage, particularly that over Windows 8. They call them Apple trolls, Google, Linux, phonies, and now "pseudo". In short, call them anything except for what they really are, customers. That sound you have been hearing for TWO YEARS now is a bonafide uproar from the Microsoft and Windows loyalists. That's why it is so loud, so persistent, and so righteous. Did he just actually use a cellphone as a comparative example of a device that expects "always-on" to rationalize their crazy Xbox strategy? Man, they must be paying him some serious money to put that sentence together with a straight face. Yeah, that's the ticket. Wait until it is done and released. Wouldn't that be convenient for Microsoft. That's what they're hoping for. That's what they're counting on. And they expect their enablers to aid them by doing exactly what Thurrott is doing here. Up the dosage Paul. The current prescription is not cutting it. See, what actually happened here is that Thurrott got caught flat-footed by this story. He was off doing something else, having already pre-recorded a segment about the Xbox before this story broke. So he had no choice but to cut short his vacation and write something, and this is the result. It is clearly "phoned in". Compounding the problem I believe is that Thurrott probably realizes that criticism of all of Microsoft's crazy strategies are reaching critical mass now, from all segments of customers about all of their key products and he is running out of energy defending them. That's how this post reads to me. The commenters beneath this article are another story altogether. EDIT: added link(s)

Good point, I always forget about those. And if he gets the "real" task manager called ProcExp, he'll have much more to choose from Just don't let the dancing tabs drive you crazy ( just whose idea was that anyway? ).

The latest on the drubbing Microsoft is taking on the Xbox ... UK game retailers are already against an "always on" next Xbox ( NeoWin 2013-04-06 ) Editorial: The Internet in the U.S. isn't built for an "always on" game console ( NeoWin 2013-04-06 ) NeoBytes "My name is Francis. This is my Xbox. And this is my axe." ( NeoWin 2013-04-06 ) Always Online Adam Orth ... QuickMeme! Jeez Louise. There are certain issues that really bring out the kooks, and this Xbox stuff is one of them. They just cannot resist the urge to make complete fools out of themselves. ... To resist the big brother always-on walled-garden is to be a Luddite! And that's just one small example, if you figure out who that poster is check out his trail of stubborn propaganda, at NeoWin and many other sites. I suspect he is a Softie, but if not, he is a certifiable astroturfer. Oh waitaminit, I think I smell a meme ( or he really gets around ). So anyway, these big controversies serve an excellent purpose. They let us see just how far out on a creaking limb some people will crawl to protect their cult. It's absolutely stunning. And from their Skype "service" ... Bitcoin mining malware spreading on Skype ( ComputerWorld 2013-04-05 ) Malware spread on Skype taps victim PCs to mint bitcoins ( Ars Technica 2013-04-05 ) New Bitcoin mining malware spreading on Skype at 2,000 clicks per hour ( NeoWin 2013-04-06 ) Bitcoin-mining trojan spreading through Skype spam, Kaspersky warns ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-08 ) See, I never thought this was a particularly smart buy for Microsoft. Trying to purchase and then monetize a service designed for and used mostly by frugal people trying to cut their phone costs is simply illogical. But more importantly, you buy it, you own as I mentioned earlier. Previously Skype was a hit-or-miss independent operation and you simply expected it to fail every so often. Now it is a Microsoft operation and as usual they are ( pardon the pun ) phoning it in. The problems still remain or may be accelerating, but now they are Microsoft branded problems. Microsoft owns it. Microsoft is spreading malware, turning in activists to the Chinese government and co-operating with the FBI against their "loyal customers". IMHO, no amount of revenue from this "service" is worth the hit to their reputation. But obviously, Ballmer thinks otherwise. Why Windows fragmentation will blow Windows to smithereens (cough) ( ZDNet 2013-04-05 ) This is that author SJVN mentioned in an earlier post by HalloweenDocument12 who I wasn't aware of. He is actually poking fun at the Android hater crowd. But I won't spoil his clever plan. Naturally the MicroZealots are reeled right in. It's like fishing with dynamite in a stocked lake. Alienware’s latest gaming PC has Linux on it, plays “over 25 games” ( Ars Technica 2013-04-05 ) Dell now offering Ubuntu Linux OS as option for Alienware X51 gaming PC ( ZDNet 2013-04-06 ) Dell Now Offering Ubuntu on Alienware X51 Machines ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-10 ) Ruh Roh! Are they worried yet? They better be. And that's not really a bad price today since the Windows 8 tax kicked in during Q4 2012. Last year that would have been an average price for a very nice Windows 7 system. Flashback to October 5, 2012 ... EDIT: added link(s)

After searching through my DOS Batch folder I turned up a couple 3rd party utilities, and amazingly they all still have working links! In the "spoiler" I put a short rip from the diz or readme to give you an idea of their date and status. [George Gesslein II] Unix-Like Utilities for MS-DOS ... page ... file DJGPP Port of GNU Fileutile 4.1, release 7 ... page ... file [Oak Road Systems] [stan Brown] GREP Release 8.0 ... page ... file [intelligence Services] Greppe Text Tools Release 3.0 ... page ... file [Gerald M. Vrooman] [Chenango Shoreware] SGREP DosNix v2.4c ... page ... file [Robert Nordier] FreeDos Xgrep v1.03 ... page .... file1 .... file2

... The XboxFiles just got a whole lot more interesting! ... Microsoft creative director on always-on console: #dealwithit ( TechSpot 2013-04-05 ) Microsoft Studios creative director debates 'always on' game console stance ( NeoWin 2013-04-05 ) Microsoft creative director: 'I don't get the drama' over 'always-on' Xbox rumors ( The Verge 2013-04-05 ) Microsoft Xbox gaffe reveals cloudy arrogance. ( No, we're not all online all the time ) ( UK Register 2013-04-05 ) Microsoft issues statement apologizing for employee's Twitter comments on next-generation Xbox ( The Verge 2013-04-05 ) Snarky Microsoft Director Tweets Support for Always-On Consoles ( Maximum PC 2013-04-05 ) Microsoft employee on rumored Xbox Internet requirement: “#dealwithit” ( Ars Technica 2013-04-05 ) Microsoft apologizes for employee's 'inappropriate' Twitter comments ( NeoWin 2013-04-05 ) Microsoft, BioWare Argue Over 'Always Online' Console ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-07 ) Wow, just wow. That patented Microsoft arrogance with a generous side order of siege mentality. These Softies couldn't be more tone-deaf if they pounded spikes into their ears. After the gaffe by Creative Director "Orthy", he moved into damage control mode, that means lying, and walked it back by trying to tell us he was in a private discussion ... ... Yeah right, a private conversation on Twitter by a person self-identified as a Microsoft employee. Well that wasn't the end of it ... Of course the apology concerns the PC aspect of city vs rural sensibilities, which is one thing, but the larger point of Microsoft arrogance and the destruction of their next relatively successful intellectual property, the Xbox, is still on the front burner. Their path of wanton destruction through their portfolio continues unabated. It's as if Steve Jobs is haunting the halls of Redmond. And the punchline has to be: "his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers.". Customer centric? Pheww. This is like the Keystone cops. Circular firing qquad. The Gang that couldn't shoot straight. The earlier comparison to EA is looking very prescient now. EDIT: added article(s)

Microsoft: Xbox SmartGlass can be used "to spy on your kids" ( NeoWin 2013-03-28 ) Now how about them apples? More rumors pop up on Microsoft's "always on" next Xbox ( NeoWin 2013-04-04 ) Now admittedly this is a rumor. But, aren't they all rumors at first? Are there any rumors about Microsoft that are not coming true now? The only rumors about Microsoft that I would NOT believe these days would be that they are about to so something sensible. The latest roundup of XboxFiles ( The Truth Is Out There ) ... Kinect could police who watches films at home ( EuroGamer 2012-11-06 ) Microsoft Patent Lets Hollywood Watch You with Camera ( Tom's Hardware 2012-11-06 ) In Microsoft patent, Kinect watches you ( NeoWin 2012-11-07 ) Xbox Live service down for Xbox 360, Windows 8 and more [update] ( NeoWin 2013-01-30 ) Rumor: next Xbox to block used games with one-time activation codes ( TechSpot 2013-02-06 ) GameStop: Gamers won't buy next Xbox if it blocks used games ( NeoWin 2013-02-08 ) Xbox co-founder says the last five years have been painful to watch ( TechSpot 2013-02-13 ) Former Microsoft Xbox team member slams current state of Xbox 360 ( NeoWin 2013-02-13 ) EA exec: It's unlikely 'next Xbox' will play Xbox 360 games ( NeoWin 2013-02-13 ) Microsoft claims no involvement in raid of hacker who leaked next-gen Xbox info ( NeoWin 2013-02-23 ) Microsoft axes Xbox Live Gold Family pack, doesn't love your offspring ( NeoWin 2013-03-08 ) Microsoft stops offering Xbox Live Gold Family Packs without warning ( Geek.com 2013-03-08 ) Analyst: PS4 and next-gen Xbox games will cost $70 ( NeoWin 2013-03-11 ) UPDATED: Xbox Entertainment Awards blighted by security breach ( MCV 2013-03-19 ) Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Awards website hit with security breach ( NeoWin 2013-03-19 ) Microsoft confirms 'high-profile' employee Xbox Live accounts hacked ( The Verge 2013-03-19 ) Microsoft team members targeted in Xbox Live account attacks ( NeoWin 2013-03-20 ) Xbox 'Durango' XDK leak "confirms" always-online, mandatory HDD installs, required Kinect 2 ( NeoWin 2013-03-19 ) Xbox 'Durango' leak claims console is 'always connected,' games must be installed to hard disk ( The Verge 2013-03-20 ) FUD alert: "always connected" Xbox 720 rumors are mostly paranoia ( TechSpot 2013-03-20 ) 1600 Microsoft Points offered to UK residents affected by website error ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) Report: Next Xbox Will Be Always-On, Games Run off HDD] ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-24 ) Microsoft: Xbox SmartGlass can be used "to spy on your kids" ( NeoWin 2013-03-28 ) More rumors pop up on Microsoft's "always on" next Xbox ( NeoWin 2013-04-04 ) EDIT: formatting

The strategic errors just pile up ... Microsoft pokes fun at Facebook Home and Mark Zuckerberg ( NeoWin 2013-04-04 ) Microsoft's Frank Shaw joins the Facebook Home bashing crowd ( NeoWin 2013-04-04 ) Microsoft disses Facebook Home as so 'two years ago' ( The Verge 2013-04-05 ) I am dumbfounded by this story on two levels ... One: that Microsoft was caught completely flatfooted here, and if not by surprise, then they were specifically targeted to be NOT invited to this party. This announcement from Facebook is all about Android, in a big way. In fact it is huge to the point that it alone might kill the Microsoft WP effort. I see this as a huge win for Android and for all mid-range to lower-end phones. Facebook just gave the non-premium range of phones a perfectly good reason to be happy with their devices. And even though there is only the one HTC "Facebook phone" thus far, I would expect a bunch more later. If WP has any real chance at all, someone is gonna have to explain it to me. Two: Microsoft not only got left out, but now they decide to use their Scroogle-esque arrogance and get snarky about it. They have some seriously mentally ill people in Redmond. This is not a professional company any longer. And it is not a good idea to antagonize a service that has around a billion users. Oh wait, never mind, they already are doing that with the Windows user base. The comments at the article are sometimes angry and sometimes subdued. They realize this was a huge strategic miss and now a compounded error out of arrogance. I almost feel sorry for them. Almost. The Skype debacle: What's happening to my messages? ( NeoWin 2013-04-04 ) Another detailed fumble of strategic services. This one is about broken messaging, in fact a horrendous delivery record, complete with many examples. Skype was a big bite for Microsoft to take, I think they were trying to grab another Facebook-level premium service, but just buying them isn't enough. They have to follow through and make sure it always works perfectly ( it never did in the past ) or else the next backlash will strike them upside the head instead of the previous independent company. Now they own it. Now the issues are theirs. Sure there are expected problems, that is always the case, but the strategic fumbling is not about that. It is about the reckless nature of Microsoft these days, making incredible decisions quickly rather than careful and thoughtfully. In this case, they killed MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger in favor of a seamless Skype replacement, similarly killing Hotmail for Outlook. These are rash decisions and they only make sense when everything works perfectly. Guess what, they're not perfect. Naturally this follows the incredible craziness in the Windows 8 decsions, like the Start Menu and Aero. Microsoft is not bold, they are simply reckless, like a drunk driver weaving all over the road and hitting every obstacle in its path. Speaking of Skype, these two important stories were already mentioned above, but should be kept fresh in the news. I know I won't be using Skype except for emergencies ... How Microsoft lets the Chinese government spy on its citizens via Skype ( NeoWin 2013-03-08 ) FBI: Monitoring Skype and Gmail are "top priority" in 2013 ( NeoWin 2013-03-27 ) Linux group complains to EU, says Microsoft actions are "absolutely anti-competitive" ( NeoWin 2013-03-26 ) Spanish Linux Group Targets Microsoft in Complaint to EU ( Maximum PC 2013-03-26 ) Microsoft under fire in Europe over Windows 8 UEFI Secure Boot ( TechSpot 2013-03-26 ) ( Forgot to mention these earlier ) And so it begins. The only problem is the focus on the "Secure Boot" feature. This is a Microsoft misdirection. They purposely are using it like the pea-shell game to DISTRACT everyone from the larger problem. That problem is targeting their OEM preinstallation monopoly and the billion users of Windows to be kidnapped into their Windows 8 Metro walled garden. I wish the Linux groups and the EU well on this but I hope that people across the pond will contact their powers-that-be in Brussels ( or wherever ) and get them to look at the Windows monopoly instead. If they must do something, don't fine them again, it is useless and in fact is a sort of payola. Instead, just ban preinstallation of operating systems completely or move to have Microsoft broken up and have the OS division removed from the rest of the company. The collusion between OS div and everyone else is now completely obvious and there isn't much time left to take action. EDIT: added article(s)

You need to supply a bit more info, like ... How much RAM? Is it one or two sticks and are they "matched" and operating in dual-channel mode? What are the swap settings in: Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Advanced > Virtual Memory > Change It may be set for a specific size rather than letting the system manage the size. Are the HDD's working correctly? Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager > IDE ATA /ATAPI Controllers double-click on Primary IDE Channel and then on the Advanced Settings tab and see what the Current Transfer Mode is. Checking the above will help make sure the HDD, RAM and paging are working correctly. However, a lot of people still confuse disk thrashing from normal paging of programs in memory with the completely separate issue of secondary Tasks, Services and Startups which are three different groups of things that might be running additionally to your normal programs. Examples are Antivirus, Windows Update, Disk Indexing, System Restore points, Adobe, Java, Google ( and countless other ) updaters. Any one of them could tie up disk activity, several running simultaneously could create a nightmare. So it is important to first rule them out before making core system adjustments. Since you're using WinXP, you can of course try ProcMon to watch everything that is happening in a single list. You can screen out known things in realtime by right-clicking them as they occur ( registry access etc ) until you whittle down the list to likely suspects. Another way to do it is with ProcExp which is a task manager view of loaded programs, and if you are watching the screen and notice disk thrashing you might spot a task that goes red for some clues. DiskMon specifically monitors HDD usage and does some logging which is listed by sector, so if you kow the physical location of the pagefile is it might be useful. To locate the physical pagefile ( or any other file ) try DiskView. They also have PageDefrag which might tell you the paging file is badly fragmented and you can set it to be defragged on the next boot. Those are System Internals programs and are all included in the Suite. EDIT: typo

Sooooo Windows 8.1 is also Windows 6.3? Time to revisit an older post, #10 in Tihiy's Ex7forW8 thread ... Now with our updated information ... Windows 6.1 ... 6 + 1.0 = 7 Windows 6.2 ... 6 + 2.0 = 8 Windows 6.3 ... 6 + 2.1 = 8.1 ... ( they added Windows 2.1 to Vista! ) Therefore ... Vista + Windows 2.1 = Windows 8 Blew Of course, any sensible person would have pressed for ... Windows 6.2.1 ... or ... 6.21 It's all kind of a moot point since they botched it all up with the "Windows 7" marketing term. I mean, I understand that Vista got a point update to 6.0 from 5.x, but the marketing nonsense of "Windows 7" is ridiculous. I think it demonstrates the siege mentality that Microsoft began not long after Vista and they believed that they could just wish the fail away using marketing nonsense. However, dropping sensible use of numbers by a software company that is supposed to respect numbers is a very bad sign. Any Softies that still care at all about Microsoft should do some research into what happened at that point in time, by those in management that green-lit this break in tradition and common sense. It is clearly when things went right off the rails, apparently forever. EDIT: math error! Used Windows 3.1 instead of 2.1. Doh!

I have yet to use the Windows 8 DaRT or any Windows 8 PE, but USB drivers always worked in all the previous DaRT releases and even on the proto-DaRT ERD Commanders from System Internals. I would find them useless without the ability to save files to and from USB thumbdrives ( well, I guess networking might still be useful, but USB is critical for offline systems ). This project for Win8PE SE appears to have USB successfully working, but again, I have no first-hand knowledge.

A Not-So-Warm Welcome for Windows 8.1 ( Dvorak PC Magazine 2013-04-03 ) John Dvorak nicely caps off a week of Windows 8 and ReTard news. Microsoft is backing up the Titanic preparing to ram the iceberg again. And yeah, they're even going to go off the naming/numbering reservation again ( recall the crazy idea of calling Windows 6.1 by the fake marketing name of Windows 7. Hey, they already had a perfectly fine name for Windows 6.2: ... Windows Blew. And they are dropping prices a little. ~yawn~. Basically the touch keyboard will be free on the ReTard version. ~yawn~. Here's a roundup if you can stand it ... Microsoft is not giving up on Windows RT, despite what the rumors may be saying ( NeoWin 2013-02-29 ) Microsoft Surface head: Surface Pro is a PC, Surface RT is a tablet ( NeoWin 2013-02-29 ) Microsoft May Merge Windows RT into Windows Blue ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-30 ) Microsoft VP: We're Not Giving Up on Windows RT ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-30 ) Windows Blue to be named Windows 8.1 ( NeoWin 2013-04-02 ) Windows RT tablets get price cuts, except for Surface RT ( NeoWin 2013-04-03 ) Microsoft reduces prices on multiple Windows 8 tablets and hybrids ( TechSpot 2013-04-03 ) Windows Blue Leak Confirms 8.x Naming Scheme; Microsoft Slashing RT Fee ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-03 ) Windows Blue to be named Windows 8.1, improves Windows search ( TechSpot 2013-04-03 ) These three are somewhat related but specifically about Dell ... Dell: "Uncertain adoption" of Windows 8 is part of its reason to go private ( NeoWin 2013-03-30 ) Dell Outlines Reasons for Current Mess in Proxy Statement ( Maximum PC 2013-03-31 ) Dell Forecasts Death of PC in Latest SEC Filing ( Tom's Hardware 2013-04-02 ) We'll soon see if this marriage ever goes forward. It's funny how torn the fanboys are commenting on these articles since they were all prepared to love the crap out of Dell for hooking up with Microsoft ( if by "hooking up" you mean selling your sell to the devil ). Anyway, it seems that behind the scenes Windows 8 is at least a small point of contention in Microsoft's iron-fisted OEM monopoly. Maybe we can switch metaphors to dikes springing a leak once HP makes clear what they are going to do. Windows Blue/8.1 build 9369 screenshots appear ( NeoWin 2013-04-03 ) Here is the screenshot posted at the link ... ... Well that just is gross. Horrible. Seriously, people are going to go "night-blind" looking at god-awful bright white and gray all day long. I hope folks don't go driving at night immediately after working on this garbage OS. Oh wait, that's probably covered by the EULA too. Microsoft "designers" and "engineers" ( apologies to real designers and engineers ) are certifiably insane. They would do well to start working up their résumé package sooner rather than later, and leave out the part about working on this dog. P.S. found this graphic by someone else, and it fits here perfectly! ... ( Source ) EDIT: updated image URLs

Your driver page is ... here Dell Vostro Desktop 400 BIOS, 1.0.15 ... webpage here ... direct ... (make sure it is identical to the one you used) That BIOS file is substantially different than the one I used on a Vostro 1500 (laptop), so the options may indeed may be reduced. The 1500 had the whole nine yards of configuration. The specifications for your PC says it is WinXP, is that correct? Seems odd for year 2007. This is supposedly your PDF manual ... here On page 174 it says that F2 is the magic key for BIOS access while rebooting. I glanced through all the options and it appears true that this is one of those barest of bare BIOS images. Well, actually there used to be even worse ones that had all settings on a single page. But still yours is not much better. I'm afraid you have no simple way to display BIOS messages instead of the DELL logo, unless you get adventurous ... Learn how to edit the BIOS image file and then reflash. Naturally this is full of risk, and there is no guarantee that the image still contains the necessary code to re-enable. So it may be impossible. Locate some Vostro enthusiasts that have already done the BIOS modding, but be sure your exact model is what they are talking about. Here is what Google shows. Glancing through the hits I see that some folks over at MDL are/were working on it: Help with Dell splash screen format about 3 years ago. Someone mentions that the logos in the laptops are easily modified but the desktops require a special Dell tool which might be available if you look hard enough. Also be aware that many of the BIOS discussions are about cracking Windows, which is something you obviously should avoid. Read the posts carefully. Again, this is all about BIOS modding, be careful!

Yep. Let's see what the MetroTards are spending their parents' money on, shall we ... Fruit Ninja currently the number one downloaded paid Windows 8 app ( NeoWin 2013-04-03 ) 01. Fruit Ninja ($1.99) 02. Disney Fairies Hidden Treasures ($4.99) 03. Angry Birds Star Wars ($4.99) 04. Rayman Jungle Run ($2.99) 05. Plex ($2.99) 06. Big Buck Hunter ($4.99) 07. Angry Birds Space ($4.99) 08. My Media Center ($4.99) 09. Royal Envoy 2: Special Edition ($3.99) 10. Zoo Train ($1.99) P.S. Formfiller, feel free to post that Zombie image ( or any of them ) in those hostile forums, if they'll let you

The last Vostro laptop I recall seeing was 1500 and it did have a good BIOS. The bootstrap screen was set for traditional BIOS messages. It is hard to believe they regressed it in later models but anything is possible. As Jaclaz said, post the service tag ( don't worry, it is not specific to you ) because it will allow us to zero in on that specific model's driver page. You also need to reboot and see what the exact BIOS revision currently is ( "I think it's A15" won't cut it ).

Yep, we don't call them MicroZombies and MetroTards for nothing. Speaking of Zombies, this stuff just writes itself. I find it hysterical that Microsoft chose to latch onto the Walking Dead TV show. Beginning and end of the campaign ... Windows 8 used by zombie in Walking Dead TV ad ( NeoWin 2012-10-15 ) The Walking Dead Windows 8 TV ad storyline to finally conclude Sunday ( NeoWin 2013-03-28 ) Life imitating Art imitating Life imitating Art ... Source: Microsoft Windows 8 commercials, NOT the TV show!

Bing gets in on the foolery, mocks Google ( NeoWin 2013-04-01) April Fools by Fools. So on April 1st, they set up Bing so that if you type in "Google" into the search field, the Bing page changes into a Google-like display, the Bing logo looks like Google's, and the page has little boxes containing digs at their competition. So I took a look at all the boxes, and sure enough their criticism is much more sensibly applied right back at Microsoft instead. It's bad enough that on a normal day Bing is practically a visual clone of Google anyway, but on this day while trying to poke fun at Google, they may as well be talking about Windows 8 Metro. Here is a self-contained infographic that explains all ... Information density is not really a feature of Metro. I mean, "Hypocrisy" doesn't quite cover it, does it?

EA is actually a good parallel to Microsoft IMHO. They have scarfed up lots of smaller companies and titles and managed to so alienate the actual users that they are almost interchangeable now. It is stunning the hatred that they have cultivated amongst gamers. I had saved this bullet list of only their recent mistakes about the SimCity debacle, and this is as good a place as any to use it. Much of this is self-induced, and like Microsoft there are tons of lies involved, like the "SimCity doesn't work offline" nonsense. The direct comparison is with the coming Xbox fiasco ... I'm done. I want my money back. ( EA Forums 2013-03-06 ) EA refuses to refund user for SimCity, threatens account ban ( GameChip 2013-03-07 ) Column: EA Should Feel Ashamed About SimCity's DRM ( Maximum PC 2013-03-08 ) Maxis address SimCity launch, offer free EA game to get “back in your good graces” ( PC Gamer 2013-03-09 ) EA Patches SimCity and Throws Free Games at Disgruntled Customers ( Maximum PC 2013-03-10 ) EA Not Banning Consumers Wanting Refunds for SimCity ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-10 ) SimCity connection troubles “almost behind us”; offline mode “not possible” ( PC Gamer 2013-03-11 ) SimCity can be played offline indefinitely ( TechSpot 2013-03-14 ) Play SimCity Offline? There's a Mod For That ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-14 ) Maxis Insider Says Taking SimCity Offline Not Too Difficult ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-14 ) Modder hacks SimCity for unlimited offline play ( UK Register 2013-03-14 ) Maxis: SimCity could have had “a subset offline mode” but the idea was rejected ( PC Gamer 2013-03-15 ) Maxis admits SimCity could have had an offline mode ( TechSpot 2013-03-18 ) These are the Free Games EA is Giving Out for SimCity Fiasco ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-18 ) EA "Sincerely" Apologizes for SimCity Fiasco, Offers One of Eight Games for Free ( Maximum PC 2013-03-18 ) EA Boss John Riccitiello Resigns Following SimCity Debacle ( Maximum PC 2013-03-19 ) Origin vulnerability lets attackers hijack gaming machines ( TechSpot 2013-03-19 ) Origin browser protocol exploit shown to execute malicious software with a single click ( PC Gamer 2013-03-19 )