horsecharles

soldier1st, you've made a key point: so, if i add remove, i need to run SE2ME again.Your method's fine-- don't have any beefs with it at all. I don't have any issues actually-- & still have the ME drivers installed too. My slow icon load totally righted itself after a couple of days... If anything crops up though, i will format os partition & use your method-- along those lines the next project could be to include/ slipstream all other possible updates mentioned at MDGx site, like webfldrs, etc..... some batch file to confirm each/all ME file(s) successfully copied over(& also for confirming at anytime that they haven't been replaced by installing something else-- instead of running sfc) would be real useful.....

RC= Release Candidate... election ain't over yet-- & even when so, there can always be recounts & appeals......

and while you sort that out, here're a couple of alternatives: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=38244

What exact version did you install, and which are you currently running? try running: BigFix 1.7.6.0, see if it catches anything missing and/or just go ahead and install: Autopatcher XP 5

Saraband: See what you find when you open up your computer case & peer inside? I would think about adding an extra fan for it, to quell any overheating problems-- and an electrostatic dust collector-- for the dual purpose of absorbing & keeping any extra-generated dust/lint particles & static charges off the other innards. Kudos on keeping it in such pristine condition! btw Are you still waiting for SP2 kinks to get worked out?

It's useful-- hosting good apps, including the Two Big Ones here--- Smokey, you could add XPSP298 also.....

If your install does not proceed properly on the P1 system, there're one or two command switches than can be used-- mentioned on MDGx site-- but i wouldn't waste your time searching a fix for this unlikely scenario beforehand-- try the install first. It's afterwards that you should change some default & disabled settings on the P4 system-- most documented on MDGx site(hint: if you have Google Toolbar installed, search site option, which you need to enable first in the options, works for me): Warning, do not apply any of these on P1 system, or you will totally trash your install & possibly peripherals too: most of the following you can apply with X-Setup: enable UDMA, 64k max dma buffer, 32 bit disk access, 32-bit file access, asynchronous mode transfer...very important!! all these in conjunction with their counterpart optimized settings in Bios-) I'd suggest the following tweaks, leave MDGx's for last, since it further increases some of the other ones beyond max.): UBD Tweaks 2.6, followed by all possible ones in: Cacheman 5.5 VERY IMPORTANT: if there's any chance whatsoever that you will be adding 2K/XP in the future, inside Cacheman change the cluster size to 4K NOW! I'd also disable this program from auto-running to conserve resources; and now apply MAX CACHE & SPEED reg tweaks: http://www.mdgx.com/newtip16.htm#MCS The following two can be tweaked even beyond Super Duper Max: Icon Cache Size: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer] Value Name: Max Cached Icons Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value) Value Data: 100 - 4096 (default = 500) can be set to 8192 Optimize CD-ROM Performance: Set caches for 32X CDs (Maximum PC October 21, 2001 pg 26) http://www.pa-spaug.org/News02/UnScrewWin98Feb02.html MY COMPUTER - CONTROL PANEL - SYSTEM (displays System Properties) - PERFORMANCE (tab) - FILE SYSTEM ("File System Properties" appears) - CD-ROM (tab) - set "LARGE" and - set "OPTIMIZE" to maximum REGEDIT/HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\CDFS, Increase CacheSize from 619(26B)(hex) to 2476 (9AC), Increase BufferSize (Prefetch) from 228 (E4) to 1792 (700) 1. Right-click / edit OR double click "CacheSize". A "Edit DWORD Value" dialog box appears. In "Value data:" position, type: 9AC (replacing 26B). 2. Right-click / edit OR double click "Prefetch" (BufferSize), "Edit DWORD Value" dialog box appears. In "Value data:" position, type: 700 (replacing E4). good luck...... have a speedy install.......

Thanks for your answer Vectis-- three/four other things i'd try(a lot of this will likely be re-inventing the wheel to you, but just in case): Any manufacturer listed inside the supplied driver files may have updated drivers that you can use: Download all your mobo's usb hub drivers updates-- both 1.1 & 2, edit all their dates to today's, & re-install them. Do the same to the included drivers of your usb peripheral-- these steps may be especially effective in combination with first uninstalling SESP, then subsequently re-installing it. Think also about using ME's native usb drivers by applying 98SE2ME-- this may also help in the rare instances when some makers only provide updates to ME but not 98 drivers(like my mobo maker). there's a tiny chance the Adaptec UDF Reader may be involved--(if you need extra apps for thoroughly removing & backing it up better than with add/remove, they're here:) http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...7815&hl=adaptec I would perform all these tasks with all security apps disabled: any real-time file protection.... spywareblocker/spywareguard too(even though they will ask if you want to keep the just-installed file in question, this may have altered/negatively impacted something in the install process). Good luck..... .

Uh, Oh.... here we go............ 98SE2XP, followed by 98SE2Longhorn......

Interesting point(s) soldier1st: ¿¿¿¿and should we bloat the initial windows98 install with every single windows component/gadget option??? Let all that get updated, then un-bloat Windows as one likes.....Then, in the future, when one wants to re-add those optional components-- they'll already be updated??? ALLSSOOOO,,,,after applying 98lite, SE Sp, SE2ME--- when one adds/removes windows components--- this won't be an issue? Esp. since many ME files carry earlier dates than 98 files.... Don't see a way out other than having an SESP-ME edition-- this also vis-a-vis any future 98/ME patches/updates....... Maybe batch-editing all ME/2K/XP added files' dates to today's would help-- but that still leaves the issue of any future 98 patches... ¿¿¿HHHMMMM??????

Use passive ftp for firewall & dsl modem compatibility.... that's in all ie versions.......

Trayman: Hide & Manage Systray Icons Layout NT follow these instructs: Place Layout.dll in %windir%\System (Win95/98/ME) or %systemroot%\System32 (WinNT/2000/XP) / Merge the file Layout.reg. / Anytime you need, right-click Recycle Bin orMyComputer / select Save or Restore Desktop Icon Layout. I may have misspoken-- don't think restores resolution-- i used it long time ago. and this one i'd never seen before, just ran into it: ResChange License: Freeware This command line application can change your desktop width, height, color depth, and refresh rate temporarily or permanently (via command line switches). You can have ResChange run another application in a specific display resolution and return to the previous resolution when the application finishes. The command lines switches let you alter only certain dimensions and choose the best refresh rate (or a specific one). Running reschange.exe without any switches displays usage information. Author: 12noon| Date: 14-10-2004 | Size: 175 KB And 12Ghosts may just do it w/o running in the background-- scroll down to the shortcut in startup restore command tip: http://www.12ghosts.com/ghosts/sl.htm I used to use it, but don't remember totally-- sorry.

let me understand this, you want a tool that does't run in the background and/or autostart w/ windows(consume resources).... OR it can do those things, but just not have the icon in systray? there's another utility that can just hide some of the icons in systray......only hides, doesn't stop from running....... otherwise, anything that is manual will require action from you to restore-- which's what i thought you wanted to avoid,,,,,,, you can also install one of the nt powertoys, which puts a shortcut in your Recycle Bin context menu: when windows starts, you right-click Recycle Bin & click Restore Desktop.... MDGx gives that tip on his site... there's also a little script one can make, and put its shortcut on deskttop-- double-click it as needed.... let me hunt around for them, i'll be back.....

WinTidy2 can help with that....

further, sometimes i get in, leave, then can't get back in minutes later......

For me thru the years, MS ftp access has always been sporadic...cable, dsl..... i can access other ftp sites now, just not that one....... You got me worried, so just in case i tried again : i've disabled bind-le, firewall, download manager is manual, not integrated... ie hangs a bit but returns the peer reset connection, but with other browsers the refusal is immediate: finger hasn't yet lifted off the enter key..... firefox: document has no data opera: could not connect to server, too many connections netscape4.8: similar to ie.....

remember to select mirror2 Romania... in other words, hit cancel when your download dialog save box comes up-- then you can choose a mirror(default #1 US is glacial)-- better yet: here's direct link-- http://download.softpedia.ro/software/OS%2...E/sesp20rc1.exe

remember to select mirror2 Romania...

regcleaner also contained in jv16...

scroll down to command line reference: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:H8NdD...+shortcut&hl=en and this may help: http://www.petri.co.il/add_command_prompt_...ws_explorer.htm

you've called it exactly like it is, hp38guser...

control panel / internet options / advanced / scroll down to just below Auto Complete settings....

re the cheap no-name: You're likely holding a brand-name component w/o its label: have you googled the fcc id #? or even a serial # alongside the type of product? A lot of brand name manufacturing out there is farmed out / subcontracted, also many brand names own discount brand subsidiaries... in fact, i doubt that anyone would risk mass-producing such a product just to sell it generically. I've done this with webcams & monitors--including this "Proview" monitor i'm currently staring at; didn't even have to use the add hardware wizard: once i downloaded the drivers, installed the .inf file & rebooted, w98 detected it. Betcha........

Fantastic! All the best to you!

Nix the slow icon load at startup-- took a few days on its own, no tweaks/changes on my part-- but now it's instantaneous(& i have a ton of icons). AND..... the title of this thread should additionally contain: "And the ME Shell'", as per Tihiy--- separate and extra from 98SE2ME...