PsycoUnc

lol -yeah, but I cheat: I never use USB, so I disable all usb devices in Device Manager, and it REALLY speeds up boottime, for some reason... probably my cheap mobo... (it also frees up resources, IRQ's, etc)... same thing for serial/parrallel ports, couple unused soundcard devices, disabled 2nd "dual" monitor of vid card, etc... but it's the USB disable that really speeds me up... (ps: I'm currently working on my first "fresh" clean w98se install in over a year, so I'm hoping I'll be able to shave a couple secs off that 42, soon, too... >;] )

-have ya tried the tweaker X-SETUP, for the Enable DOS box/regedit? GREAT prog... but be sure to get the slightly older 6.6 (FREE) version, mdgx has a link for it... maybe it will succeed where your other tweaker didn't... -also, any chance some security software is cranked up a bit too high? Preventing those functions?

-yeah, my total boot time is down to 42 secs! niiiice... (celeron 1.8ghz) -mine was around 1 minute, then I saw/tried that MDGx tip "kill TapeDetect in registry", and that shaved 20 secs off! ALL PRAISE MDGX, AGAIN...

-yes, but why would systray do that? the mouse icon in systray? can't just the icon be disabled? or are there inherent probs w/systray itself?

-about that pIII 1.3ghz: I also heard that particular cpu had stability probs? (otherwise, I wanted to upgrade my nephew's 866 pIII to that cpu...) ? --edit: whoops, that's a slot cpu, maybe I was thinking of similar speed socket-type p3? or maybe w/a cpu adapter? -dunno, was couple yrs ago, memory sux for us Psyco's... >;] ---edit again: ??? -the pic from the mobo link shows a slot-type board, but a pic from tom's hardware showing the tualatin (celeron) pIII 1.3 is definitely socket ??? -and, at tom's, it does mention that I can't use that cpu w/intel 815ep (nephew's mobo), so there goes that issue... "If you own an old board with an Intel 815EP chipset, you can forget using any new CPU with a Tualatin core"

-are ya using the latest VIA "4-in-1" drivers? I vaguely recall issues which the newer via 4-in-1's fix... ?

-MDGx: ? why did u disable systray? -is that a performance/stability issue, or just personal preference?

-true, old regclean doesn't do much... I occasionally have to go in there and yank old stuff out myself... but I'd rather suffer thru that, rather than risk the results of an automated aggressive regcleaner, because once your reg is corrupted (which often isn't obvious; can be very sneaky), your whole install is untrustworthy... and I've had far too much experience w/that scenario ... now, I've used jv16 (free) in the past, and liked it, but is it worth the risk? It can make it seem like new progs are buggy, when in fact it's your "cleaned" reg which is at fault, and I like to test new progs all the time... -then again, I've only tried freeware, maybe the paid stuff is more reliable, but again, is it worth the risk of never being sure if your reg may be corrupted? (I'd rather have old stuff lingering around in there, to be yanked manually by me every now and then...) >;]

-yes, that's what I mean, using some over-zealous registry cleaners caused potential probs in your system, which were made evident when 98se2me was installed... Every registry cleaner I've tried (with the single exception of MS Regclean 4.1a) has caused problems, sometimes delayed or hidden until something "triggers" it later... if you hadn't used the cleaner, this problem wouldn't be here... even tho it took 98se2me to trigger the prob, the potential for the prob was still there, and only because of the registry cleaner... which means, there very well could be (& prob are) more potential probs lurking w/in your registry, because of the cleaner, just waiting for another trigger... not good... and that's why I called it "user specific", cause many reg cleaners are VERY well known to cause just such problems, and should be avoided like the plague, IMHO... >;]

-RJM: I've never seen (or heard) of your Add/Remove problem b4... -it's probably user-specific (nice way of saying it's something you've done to your system, not 98se2me )... -have ya tried doing a "clean" w98se install (no extra frills; just std stuff), and then take it one step at a time, watching Add/Remove? ...and on a different note: -MDGx: thx again for all your excellent, detailed help. -as for option 3, I'm not sure which UI I prefer, and I've been enjoying such wonderful stability w/#3... I'll have to experiment, remove #3, see how that affects stability/UI... >;]

-ok, but does option 3 increase/decrease stability at all? (I perused your readme.1st again, but didn't notice an answer to this question...)

-good question, I was wondering about those versions myself... and decided to let the Masters (mdgx, tihiy, gape) figure it out for me... (...and I thought I was pretty good w/98se... I'm a real noob compared to these guys... I knew nothing! Nothing! [shultz -Hogan's Heros flashback] )

-the Upgrade disc should have all the ME CABS.... so 98se2me should be good 2 go... -now, reinstalling 98se first, that'll take a 98se disc (upgrade or not) -or- the 98se CABS on hard drive, prob at \windows\options\cabs...

-890923, tho a higher number, is actually older than the 883939 (released just a couple days ago)... I ran the newer update yesterday, and it updated the file versions fine... >;]

But, note that RP contains original Windows ME files. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> -ah, I wasn't aware of that (I don't use RP, never cared for XP's look... find it rather annoying, actually... I just tweak out the colors/fonts/etc in win98, looks pretty cool to me...) >;]

-eck: yeah, I'm more of an Old School gamer myself, too... I like em simple, too stressed 'n crusty for most of the "involved" games today... Dinosaur I am, I miss the atari 2600's joystick w/only ONE button! (tho I used to be a Master arcade gamer, way back b4 all the arcade games turned into boring "street fighter" style games ; actually won a 10-speed once, accidentally, didn't even know there was a contest on for that game; almost won 2! And every week I won foot-long coneys (6 of em!) and 4 dozen donuts, at the local strip mall, just playin... ah, fun!) -MAME32's oldieMoldies DOS arcade games work for me, along with "just 20 BOTs w/knives" cstrike1.6... And don't forget VERY simple yet suprisingly addictive Jardinains! (really gets fun, after Round 250... on round 700+ now...) -well, about option 3, looks like I'll be reviewing the notes regarding exactly what improvements are gained, and if stability IS increased, then I'll stick w/it; on my main system here any performance loss is unnoticeable and the stability improvement is VERY noticeable, so we'll see... >;]

-patchworks: 98se2me isn't required for Revolutions (only IE6 is), tho it is recommended...

Yeah, i want XP theme, but not 98SE2ME ! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Revolutions Pack isn't the same as 98se2me... -and, why don't u want 98se2me? It's AWESOME! the stability increase! improved functionality, etc... -don't let the "ME" scare ya, it does NOT bring any of the infamous windows ME bad stuff... it's ALL GOOD STUFF... -fixed/newer/better versions of 700+ system files.

? -option 3 slows down performance? Then it's only there for increased stability? I thought it was there for both... ?

-Eck: radeon 9550? Do ya have it cranked up to 500mhz (main clock, not mem)? I recently bought that card for my nephew (but I chose the Gigabyte version, $70, for the much bigger heat sink, but no fan, then I put a fan on it and doubled the std. 250 clock, no prob)

-MDGx, when you remove files from 98se2me, how do we restore the orig win98se files properly? -just copy them back, or do we need to Register/un-Register? Perhaps, when you do this, you could automate the process for us? Or would that get a little messy...

! NERO is CRAP! (I say as I'm burning a CD w/Nero rite now... ) -Nero's had NASTY lockup bugs thru "Add Files" function for quite some time... I still use Nero 5.5..., thought the lockup bugs would be fixed in your newer Nero, but apparently not! Earlier 2nite, it locked up again when I tried to resize the "Add" window (forgot for a moment that it often locks when ya do that; arg!), and had to re-do a LOOOOONG list of files for a homemade win98se reinstall CD (also forgot to Save every now & then, just in case! arg again!)... -A good FREE replacement is CDBurnerXP Pro (not just for winXP; good for all OS's); it has -plenty- of options, including burning to DVD... >;]

-uh oh, looks like broken link for 98se2me download, MDGx..... -I'll try it on another puter, to make sure, but both browsers here failed...

-please excuse my "Newbie" status, and this Newbie question: -what possible "abuse" or trouble can be caused by editing your own posts? I really don't understand the issue here... ?

You don't need to wait for reguerra to do this.You [or your friend] can always install 98SE2ME on your friend's computer, because it backs up the entire OS into C:\W98SEOLD , where the original OS can be always restored from, just in case. Just allow 98SE2ME to create a new backup when u run option 1 or option 2 [those are the only options that need full backup]. Hope this helps. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> -true; I just thought, if Reguerra is already working this out, why duplicate the effort? Just wait and see what he comes up with, take it from there... But if he takes too long, I will give it a shot, too...