jaclaz

I'll give you some hints: 1) find here different files between Home and PRO: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=104 2) read here how you can use programs such as CdImage and Mkisofs: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=12595 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=49821 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...3209?entry93209 to make an .iso image compacted with the same files only written ONCE on the media 3) how to create a multi-boot CD/DVD with the options: http://flyakite.msfnhosting.com/ You should have a good start now..... jaclaz

So, you want to access (read only) the contents of the .ISO files? For this you need EITHER: a Filesystem driver capable of reading ISO filesystem, such as the one that comes with Winimage: http://www.winimage.com/ or a "Virtual Cd-ROM drive", like this FREEWARE one: http://www.elby.de/fun/software/ of course there are many more programs like the above, freeware or shareware/commercial. The difference between the two above is that the first one opens an .iso file much like say Winzip or 7zip open an archive, whilst the second actually mounts a virtual drive (i.e. a new drive letter is assigned) to which you mount the image, not unlike the linux mount command. jaclaz

Also, just for the record, there is the Upgrade version too: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=101 http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=103 CODE 000 jaclaz

Kartel, you should re-read RULES here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=18408 jaclaz

Well, what you need is a CD bootmanager, i.e. a program that allows you to choose WHICH of the several ISO's you have on your CD you want to boot from. There are several ones, most notably CDSHELL: http://www.cdshell.org/ and BCDW http://bootcd.narod.ru/index_e.htm Also the Grand Unified Boot Loader (GRUB) is capable of doing this. Unfortunately, not ALL iso's (and Operating Systems) boot the same way, so some tweaking will be necessary. Search on this and the 911CD forum for the above terms and for multiboot. jaclaz

Of course not! Where did I say that? Actually FAT16 also has a second partition table. FAT32 has a second (spare) bootsector in sector #6, just like NTFS (depending on which version), has one in the middle (NT4.00) or at the end of the partition (Win2k/XP/2003). What I wrote was that BOTH FAT16 and FAT32 have TWO copies of the FAT. FAT32 has the new feature of a second copy if the bootrsector in sector #6 FAT16 has NO spare copy of the bootsector. The NTFS version called 1.0 or 1.1, i.e. the one used up to Windows NT 4.00, for NT 3.1 and 3.5, has a spare bootsector in the MIDDLE of the partition. The NTFS version called 1.2, 3.0, 3.1, 4.0 or 5.0, i.e the one used by Windos NT 4.00 and later modified in 2000/XP/Server 2003, has a spare bootsector at the END of the partition. Read these: http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/Articl...5515/25515.html http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=153973 http://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/MSWIN41.htm jaclaz

Well, that was for the cheap part of your question, there is FREEWARE too, have a look at these: http://sourceforge.net/projects/nullgroupware http://sourceforge.net/projects/emudis again, no warranties implied.... jaclaz

Actually FAT16 also has a second partition table. FAT32 has a second (spare) bootsector in sector #6, just like NTFS (depending on which version), has one in the middle (NT4.00) or at the end of the partition (Win2k/XP/2003). jaclaz

There is NO one-size-fits-all solution, unfortunately, do browse this entire forum: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=80 mostly it is related to application install switches and silent installs. If you just want to extract files from Setup .exes, these might be of interest: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14906 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=62418 jaclaz

The suggested applications are COMMERCIAL ones. There are some FREEWARE alternatives, see posts here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=67961 also check this Linux based solution: PING http://ping.windowsdream.com/ jaclaz

Yes, just read the thread on the 911cd forum I posted a link to, all related links are there. jaclaz

If needed, also have a look here: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=12326 (more alternate methods, links and ideas) jaclaz

OK, so I didn't skip over your post, what am I winning? If you like Outlook, you can try this: http://www.softalkltd.com/products/workgroupshare/ If you don't, try this other one: http://www.smartcontactmanager.com/scm_competitors.shtml Mind you, just ideas, never used either... jaclaz

Actually it is possible by enclosing the formula in an IF statement, using the ISERR function: This will give 0 if an error is the result: This will give blank if an error is the result: This will prevent ONLY #DIV/0!: I am sure you get the idea... jaclaz

Read here the basics of a comparison: http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm http://www.thundercloud.net/information-av.../ntfs-vs-fat32/ Nothing prevents you from dividing the disk in a number of smaller partitions, FAT32 should be slightly faster on volumes smaller than 8Gib: http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/file/partFAT32-c.html i.e. with a cluster size of 4Kb jaclaz

Yep, the tutorial is nice. The only prob is that Silentz lives two months in the future, from the tutorial: jaclaz

@chee SO you want to try an EXPERIMENTAL OS, not yet RELEASED, in a UNDOCUMENTED way? I am afraid there is no known way at the moment to do so. @RJM The first link in your post refers to BartPE, i.e. Bart's PRE-INSTALLATION ENVIRONMENT, NOT to a Windows OPERATING SYSTEM. The second one is a Microsoft document stating which requirements WILL be needed WHEN they will release a USB bootable operating system. @all Just for the record, it has recently become POSSIBLE to boot a FULL Win2k or XP from USB, thanks to the great work of Dietmar at the 911CD forum, the procedure is still HIGHLY experimental, but it works: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14181&hl= jaclaz

@all Here there is a new member asking for help with an unbootable system, probably UNLIKE you, a normal user has FILES, i.e. IMPORTANT DATA on the PC hard disk and re-formatting is NOT an option. Besides, Operating Systems, EXPECIALLY Microsoft ones, come with a Licence and usually Microsoft likes to be PAYED for them! So please do refrain from suggesting unrelated opinions on how better is windows 98 or 2000 or whatever and about how clever you were to run a Microsoft Operating System on a below-specs computer, this is simply not the right place for this kind of discussions, you can open a new thread for this. @SarahC Yep, what you just succeeded at is booting to the "minimal" DOS prompt, as for the moment you don't need CD-ROM support, select 4) Minimal. Now what you probably have is a PC with Registry and/or some corrupted system files on the hard disk, but the fact that you booted from floppy should mean that there is no hardware defect. Check, by issuing a DIR scan*.* command at the prompt, that you have the files: SCANDISK.INI SCANDISK.EXE SCANREG.EXE on the floppy, if not, sorry, you downloaded the wrong floppy image, and you have to get this one: http://www.allbootdisks.com/index.php?opti...er&filecatid=40 Now issue the command SCANDISK http://www.computerhope.com/software/scandisk.htm to try and fix disk errors Then issue the command SCANREG /FIX http://www.computerhope.com/scanregh.htm to try and fix Registry errors Now try rebooting without the floppy and see what happens. If it does not work, re-boot from floppy and this time try issuing the command SCANREG /RESTORE http://www.helpwithwindows.com/windows98/start-145.html (article is about Win98 but ME is similar) You should be able to select between FIVE backups: Now try rebooting without the floppy and see what happens. If it does not boot normally, next best option is to re-install Windiws ME over itself. You will need the original CD that came with the laptop, or depending on models, you might have the files already on the hard disk, possibly in a \support or \cabs sub-directory in the \Windows or \WinME directory, they are a bunch of .cab files. Post progress results and info about your laptop, if you have the cd, if you found the .cab files...... jaclaz

Sorry, I was editing the post while you replied. So, no prob, just follow the MS tutorial in the link above to retrieve the copy from end of partition. Though the fact that it is seen as "unallocated space" seems more like a MBR problem, usually partitions that have a faulty bootsector but a valid MBR show normally under disk management, then when you click on them in explorer, windows says that partition is not formatted.... jaclaz

Did you delete the MBR of a hard drive or the bootsector of a partition? Test disk should be able to help in both cases. Read here also: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=30378&st=30 To re-create the MBR AFTER Testdisk has recovered the correct geometry. If it is a bootsector of a partition, can you post which filesystem is used on that partition? NTFS stores a "spare" bootsector: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...b;EN-US;q153973 Read these also FAT16/FAT32 only: http://forum.winimage.com/viewtopic.php?t=163 http://forum.winimage.com/viewtopic.php?t=276 http://forum.winimage.com/viewtopic.php?t=278 jaclaz

Sorry Jeremy, I did not want to "duplicate" the things or "spoiling" your good work, I just wanted to add the links to the two programs, and to say that in my experience, whilst UNDOUBTEDLY they are by no means good/complete when used alone, they represent valid "post-processors" for RegSeeker. jaclaz

I usually know what I am saying/writing, thank you. I just like COUM better than CODM, and I also find UNcompress more exact than DEcompress (which has more meanings) and surely better than Extracting, maybe Expanding could be more appropriate, but it still has wider meanings and can easily be confused with the Microsoft EXPAND command. FYI: http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/DECOMPRESS http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/UNCOMPRESS http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/EXTRACT http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/EXPAND jaclaz

Look here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=68677 Comparison of 32 apps by Jeremy. jaclaz

Nice work Jeremy! Your findings are very similar to mine. I would like to add a couple more "specialistic" proggies OLE/ActiveX related (FREEWARE): OLECLEAN http://www.geocities.com/drdole/ScreenShots/OleClean.html Control Registration Utility 2.00 http://www.softcircuits.com/dl/apps/regctrls.zip Using Regseeker, then the two above, and later using ERUNT http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/ that includes NTREGOPT, has made the smallest, cleanest Registry I could expect, much better than many COMMERCIAL apps. jaclaz

For a simple backup I can recommend you: Cobian backup http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm Freebyte backup http://www.freebyte.com/fbbackup/ and the one I use, SAMEDIR http://samedir.sbn.bz/ (all FREEWARE) jaclaz