Andromeda43

Fred, I must be having a Sr. Moment because in all the hash, I've lost track of just what it is that you're trying to accomplish with your program? Is it to save a crashed HD? Or just get past minor screw-ups? Because, if I'm not wrong, a system restore only works when it's files are in-tact. When the only HD on the system squeels, grinds and smokes, all bets are off at using any restore info on that HD. At that point, you need a complete backup Image of C:, stored OFF-System in a safe and recoverable format. Is that the direction you're taking? I had considered all sorts of ways to preserve a system in case of WWIII, but then decided it would not be time efficient to try to reinvent the wheel. Some better programmers than me at "Ghostsoft, Inc." already provided the answer. I've been using "Ghost" since I first discovered it in 1996. I still use it (Ghost 2003) from a DOS boot disk to back up my entire system several times a week. With a clean and neat C: partition on my SATA HD, the whole backup takes me only 5 minutes when the Image is saved to a second HD. Ghost will also burn its Image file directly to a bootable DVD, but that does take a little bit longer. So, maybe you could clarify a bit.....what is is that you're trying to accomplish. Thanks, B)

Flame OFF! Does anyone even remember the question of the originator of this thread? (doubtful) Answer to that question: Windows 98/SE is a great upgrade to old tired 98. It should have probably just been called Windows 99, because it's like a whole new version of Windows. It has better USB support and better printer support. And, besides that, many programs just won't load without it. For the person that doesn't have all the driver disks to his/her computer or the ability and expertise to go to all the manufacturers sites and download drivers, the Windows 98/SE Upgrade CD was a Godsend. I have one I purchased, oh, ages ago. (Like who remembers?) I used it to upgrade my own PC at the time, but now it, like all of 98 and ME has been abandoned by MS. Abandonware requires NO license, no fees and no thanks! Where to get it is as varied as ones imagination. Old books stores, a friend, a computer show or HamFest. How about the Salvation Army thrift Store? The list just goes on and on. It's just up to the individual's own sense of justice and/or fair play as to whether they want to use it or not. But since it's no longer available or supported from Microshaft.....who ya gonna call? (to order your duly licensed version?) How are they going to license an OS that they've already abandoned? If you think these questions are insane....the answers are even worse! So, "98 to 98/SE, it's confusing" was the question. So just let me say, "There's nothing confusing about it". Get the upgrade CD, install it and forgetaboutit! Everything already on your computer will remain there. You won't loose anything in the process. Or, if you can get a'hold of a 98/SE OEM CD, that's usable too. Ya jus have to rename win.com to win.old or somesuch so the Setup program in 98/SE OEM can't see it and then boot up with the OEM CD and do the install. The OEM version will overlay the old version just like the Upgrade version would have. I've done it and it works like a champ! The answer to the original question was really a very simple one and didn't require all the arguing and flaming. I hope the original poster hasn't left this forum in disgust. I probably would have, by now.

God, I do love a compact and concise technical evaluation of a product. Well, that settles it. If thunderthud thinks it's crap.....then that's good enough for me. NO I.E.7 here! B) (where's that Smilie for "I'm just foolin' around" ???)

Sunny B, Thanks,,,,,you're a breath of fresh air. God I do love it when someone with some intelligence (and cahones) steps forward and makes themselves known. I'm sure getting tired of the "MS Party Line". I'm sure that people with problems or questions don't come here for that. I've been shutting down those Services on my own PC and the PC's of my hundreds of customers for some time now, with NO problems ever being recorded. There are even a few more that can be shut down, like for Granny Whipple who only plays solitair and eMails her kids. I used to do it all by hand in Services.msc. I found that putting them into a batch file was more time efficient. My success is measured by how happy my customers are with a PC that runs 100% or more better than it did 'out of the box'. Disabling redundant Services is only a small part of the total package, but a significant part none the less. A very Deep Cleaning of the HD followed by a Defrag is another important part of the process. Anyone who says that I need Error Reporting Service, for instance, to report BSOD's, is one pixx poor computer tech. In the several years since I upgraded to XP-Pro, I've not had one BSOD. I wasn't aware that XP could do that. (Can it?). An XP system would have to be in such bad condition to do that......well, I can't even imagine it. If one of my customers ever got a BSOD, you can bet your britches that they'd be on the phone to me in a heartbeat. I've never yet had such a call. Even my 98 and 98/SE customers don't have those kind of problems. My PC's run without BSOD's and lockups. That's the way XP was designed and if run properly, that's the way they will act. BSOD's! Bah,,,,humbug! Error Reporting Service....Bah,,,, humbug! thanks Sunny B., you're a breath of fresh air! Andromeda43

The internet help forums are full of gripes about the false positives generated by WGA. I've had to take several service calls from customers who have legal installs of XP that were getting the nag screen from WGA on every boot-up. I wrote a little batch file to completely remove WGA. Then, in Windows Update you can tell it to NOT download WGA, like, ever again. But for anyone to actually want to put that thing on their PC is bonkers! Or, at the very least, ILL Advised! That's like wanting a big wart on your nose. Cheers Maties! B)

Tarun, You should write "Black Viper" and tell him to stop publishing his list of services to shut down. Tell HIM he's an id***! And, I don't really care if you ARE a mod here.....that's no excuse or license to FLAME me. Your opinion is just that,,,,,'Your Opinion'. I seriously doubt that I'll quit doing what I do to increase PC's performance. Because, my customers compliment me on how much faster their PC's run after I've tuned them up. Shutting down redundant services is only a very small part of the entire process. I suggest that those who are on the fence about shutting down services, just take them one or two at a time and see what results they get. I recently turned task scheduler back on because one of my security programs wanted to use it for its auto updates. Who would'a thunk it? B)

I run my own Computer Business and have for over ten years. My specialty is re-tuning the OS for maximum efficiency. You can't have an efficient OS when it's running a dozen or more totally Redundant Services in the background, all the time. Here's the who and how of getting the crapola services to stop running. *************************************** Here's my short, short list of services to disable for a stand alone PC, not on a network: From the RUN box, type in Services.msc , then maximize the window to full screen size. Then scroll down the list of services to each item on the following list and right click on an item and then click Properties. In the properties box you can Stop a running service and then set the action box to "Disable". Then Apply the change and OK the window to close it. Move down the list to the next item and repeat the process. When done, close the entire window and reboot your PC. Clip book Computer Browser Error Reporting Service Messenger Performance Logs and Alerts Portable Serial Number Remote Registry Remote Desktop Help Session Manager Routing and Remote Access Server (leave this on for a local network) Smart Card Helper System Event Notification Task Scheduler Universal Plug and Play Device Host Upload Manager Web Client Windows time Wireless Zero Configuration (disable if you will never use a wireless network) ******************************* It's easiest if you just print out this list before you start. There are more that you can shut down, like "Themes", which I never use, but this list is a good place to start. Good Luck and Happy Computing, Andromeda43 B)

If you're just a casual user and not a Geek, Computer Nerd or Tech wannabee, leave the registry strictly ALONE. As a tech that knows how to edit the Windows Registry without getting into trouble, that's the best advise I could ever give you. However, to properly answer your question, there are several very good Registry Cleaners out there and yes one was written by Microsoft. It's called "RegClean" and it will find and remove bad lines from your registry and create an UNDO file every time it finds things to remove. It's free. And then there's "Easy Cleaner" written by a guy a whole lot smarter than I and it too is free. Easy Cleaner is one heck of a good Registry Cleaner, but it also has functions in it that can get a person into all sorts of trouble if they don't follow my advise and leave those things Alone. Then after cleaning the registry of all its dead links and just plain garbage, NTREGOPT is a neat little program that can compress the registry to save space in RAM when the registry loads during Boot Up of the system. I use all three of these programs to clean up the registry on a customers' PC when I'm servicing it. Registry cleaners are sort of like Dynamite.....you need to use them with care and only when and where required and with all proper safe guards. I incorporate RegClean into a Weekly (not Weakly) maintenance routine for all my customers. I reserve Easy Cleaner and NTREGOPT for my own use. All three of the FREE programs I've mentioned here in this post are ready for download from my (rented) Download Page. If you decide to 'walk on the wild side' and do your own Registry Maintenance, just go to that site, enter the Computer Tools section and download those three programs and..... Good Luck! Andromeda43

Duh, that's not a user function. That happens when you "Install" a program into windows. Winders handles it! Now MS in it's infinite wisdom did provide a way for you to start a program all by yourself. It's called the "Startup" folder. You'll find it in your "Program" folder. Just make a shortcut to your .exe file and put that shortcut in your "Startup" folder and sure nuff, every time winders starts, your program will start too. I do it all the time. That's the Readers Digest condensed version. If you need step by step assistance, c'mon back. Cheers! Andromeda43

One of the biggest selling points of Windows, years ago, was the Virtual Memory feature, where windows would create virtual RAM out of hard drive space when it was needed. We all thought that was really cool at the time. Many software vendors over the years have taken advantage of that ol' Swapfile to write programs that they knew were bigger than most peoples RAM. That works pretty well till someone who thinks they are smarter than the engineers at MS decides to shut off the Pagefile. Even so, programs run much slower from the HD than they do from real RAM. I'm a darn'd good tech and have been for over 40 years. I've even written a few programs over the years, but, I'm not a windows programmer, so...... I just leave the ol' Swapfile/Pagefile alone and windows handles it perfectly, always giving me all the virtual memory that my programs want. As long as I've got space left on my hard drive, I've got virtual memory left. And, I've got a really big SATA hard drive, so....... Ain't that cool? But, there's always an exception to every rule. Right? When I'm doing a Ghost backup of C:, I do delete the pagefile to save space in my Ghost backup file. Currently, that's running about 1.5gigs.(the size of my pagefile). No big deal though, as soon as I boot up in Windows XP, the OS sees that the pagefile is missing and just creates a new one. NO Foul! And, once again, there's joy in mudville. As old Hannibal Hayes used to say, "I love it when a plan comes together" Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear? Andromeda43

Is that an Iomega Zip drive? An internal or external? If external, does it attach to the printer port? That drive is so old, I'd have to doubt that Iomega ever wrote XP drivers for it. Well, maybe...... Every time I've ever installed an External Iomega drive, I've had to load the "Guest" software from the little floppy that came with the drive. The internal Zip 100 drives require drivers. Take a look at this site for the drivers. http://www.softwarepatch.com/utilities/zip100.html]Iomega Download Site Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)

yea the freakin' FEAD Optimizer setup file refused to extract the Adobe Reader 7.08 setup files onto a Win98/ME machine even with KernelXP update installed on those machines looks like the we'll have to run AdbeRdr708_en_US.exe on a Win2k/XP machine first. running that file will copy the Adobe Reader 7.08 setup files to the "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Setup Files\RdrBig708\ENU" folder. then we can copy the rest of the Acrobat Reader 7.08 files from the W2k/XP computer onto a Win98/ME computer with kernelXP update. I install Acrobat Reader for my customers all the time. Typically, Acrobat reader 6.03 is the last version written for Windows 9x. For those folks using the older OS's, (at least Windows 98/SE) I install AR 6.01 and then the patches for 6.02 and 6.03. For Windows 98 (Basic) AR 5.x is the last version that will work. Version 7.0 and above is designed for Windows XP. Stick to that format and all will be well. Don't tug on Superman's Cape, don't spit into the wind and don't try to load programs designed for XP on PC's running Windows 98. Follow that simple rule and you'll get along just fine. Cheers! Andromeda43 B)

Yeah, and besides that, O.E. will put a paper clip on any HtML eMail. Don't worry about it....OK? It really ain't no big deal. Just one of life's little quirks. Cheers! Andromeda43 B)

WHY? Screensavers are nothing but BLOAT. They do absolutely NOTHING for you and load down and slow down your processor. If you want a clean, mean and FAST computer, leave the screen savers OFF. You can just add more and more crap like that till your computer will run like a 286 and then you'll be in here complaining that your computer runs like crap and asking for help. Leave the crap off your computer to begin with and you won't be having problems with slow performance. I hope you'll take that in the spirit in which I give it. JUST Tryin' to help you, to have a Rockin' PC! Blessings, Andromeda43 B)

Stop installing XP from original CD's and you'll never have any problem with Activation, Registration or any other MS bull SxxT. I do the greatest favor possible for all my customers when installing a new PC for them. I remove all the BS that's put on by the manufacturer, all the trials, demo's and spyware. Then I install all my registry tweaks and de-install all the the Services that just are never needed. Then I install all my cleanup and maintenance programs, anti virus and anti spyware programs. Then the most important step of all.....I make a Ghost Image of the HD and burn it to a DVD. That becomes their permanent backup disk for any problem that may develop on down the road. When I go back for a RE-Tune six months or a year later, I make a new Ghost DVD. Reinstalling windows XP from any other CD/DVD is just NEVER required. Install XP, register it once and NEVER again worry about it. Life don't get any easier than that. Cheers! Andromeda43 B)

The simplest answer to the original question is, Stop using Del. Way back in DOS 5 or 6, MS came out with a much more powerful command, "Deltree.exe". It's what they called an 'External' command. Meaning it's not a part of the command interpreter. It will run on virtually any PC running an MS OS. Again, MS in their infinite wisdom, removed this command from Windows XP. But, you can get it off of any PC running 98, 98/SE or ME. Or from Here. Just put it in your 'C:\windows\system32' folder. I have not used the old "Del" command for many years. Deltree is much more powerful and versatile. I use it in my own "XPCleanup.bat" file to keep my hard drive clean. Here's an example of how it can be used: Rem: The Deltree.exe command must be in your C:\windows\system32 Rem: folder before this program will run. Rem: This command can be found in any system running Windows 98 or ME. I've also Rem: placed this program on my webpage for easy access. Rem: The /y after deltree tells deltree to execute the command without stopping to ask if it's OK. Rem: The lines that do not adhear to the DOS 8+3 filename structure must be in quotes. cls deltree /y C:\temp\*.* deltree /y %systemroot%\temp\*.* deltree /y "%systemroot%\system32\config\systemprofile\cookies\*.*" deltree /y "%systemroot%\SYSTEM32\config\systemprofile\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\*.*" deltree /y "%systemroot%\SYSTEM32\config\systemprofile\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\*.*" deltree /y "%systemroot%\SYSTEM32\config\systemprofile\Local Settings\Temp\*.*" deltree /y "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\*.*" deltree /y "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\*.*" deltree /y "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\Temp\*.*" Get Deltree.exe, use it and you'll love it. Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear? Andromeda43 B)

Opps, sorry about double posting. Will keep that in mind in future. I have tried uninstalling the driver and letting Windows XP reinstall the driver. I have even tried to force the driver install on XP as suggested by "Ringfinger", but as I mentioned earlier, the system reads the USB Floppy Drive, that is to say, the Floppy Drive Icon is displayed, but the drive does not blink or work, whereas on my friend's system that has Windows 98 on it, it runs smoothly. With best regards. Catherine Catherine, Greetings! If you said what kind of computer you're using it would surely help. Those external drives will install as drive A: if there is NO other drive A: set up in your Bios on your motherboard. Also, you need to have all USB functions on the motherboard turned on in your Bios. There are NO XP drivers for those little external FD's. They are just handled by XP as a USB device. I've installed several of those little guys on systems that came new with NO floppy drive installed. I just plug them in and they WORK. That's all there is to it. I have one here and I just looked at the installation instructions.....there is NO instruction for XP, only 98, 2K and ME. Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)

10-4 on the lowest speed......also shut down all other running programs before you ever open Nero. I use "End It All 2" to do this with only a couple of mouse clicks. In Nero 7.x (should be the same for 6.x) in the upper tool bar, click on "Recorder". Then click on "Burn Image" , then browse to the .iso file you want to burn. Follow prompts to finish the burn. I fussed with Nero and .iso files for the longest time before I stumbled on that simple route. Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)

Leaving Linux out of the equasion for a minute.....I'd look at the heat buildup problem on the CPU and ram or RAM failure. When RAM gets dirty, it will short out and cause all sorts of weird problems. You can run a ram test program like Memtest86 or just plain wash your RAM in Alcohol and air dry for a few hours (overnight is best) and try again. It's more or less obvious that your problem is NOT related to the hard drive. Very few lock up problems are related to a hard drive. IMHO. It really shouldn't be that hard to find the culpret. Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)

Duh, why not add to that, "Effective" or "Non Invasive". Neither applies to McAfee.When it comes to Bloatware like McAfee or Norton, I use other terms, like, KILL, DELETE, REMOVE, UN-INSTALL, or DESTROY! (expletives deleted by author) OH, I forgot the most important word of all.......REPLACE! Now, there's a worthwhile thought! Why not go FREE and get a better product in the deal? Take AVG 7.1 FREE, for instance, (that's what I've used for over two years and share with all my hundreds of customers)........ Install it and set the Scheduler for a daily update and scan and sit back and relax knowing you're virus free and most likely will stay that way. If you're a complete AV spaz, then do the manual update three times a day. Chances are you'll get an update every time you check for it. I've had up to four updates in just one day with AVG and even got one on Easter morning. They sell their Retail Product to Business and Industry all over Europe. They have to stay on top of the Virus situation to stay in business. What the heck....it's FREE to home users.....give it a try!!! Andromeda43

Well my calibrated heat sensor (my experienced index finger) says that my drives stay at room temperature even under heavy work loads like doing a Defrag or Ghost backup. The fans run quieter than a mouse blowing bubbles in a feather bed,,,,,and I don't even have the side panels on, and the CPU is sitting here on the table right next to my mouse pad, so if there was excessive noise, I'd sure know about it. With my drive+fan assembly, I can stick the drive anywhere, even in the bottom of the case and I have no worry about the drive getting hot. Don't (anyone) tell me that 7200 rpm drives don't get hot! I burned my hand on one trying to remove it from a case after it had shot craps. It had no cooler. They can get DANG'd HOT! It's rediculous, that one of the greatest heat generating components in a PC is also one that needs the greatest cooling to prevent its demise. Well, y'all do exactly what you want. But, I put the little $10 coolers on all my drives and I don't have to have to ask anyone where to mount my drives. Cheers mates! B)

I'd expect that answer from someone in Lower Slobovia, but not here in the US of A. I can buy a great little Epson Photo R220 at Staples for $99, and it even prints directly on CD/DVD's. I have one, and its big brother the Photo R340. Both can print in Kodak quality and both print on many different media, including CD's. I also have an Epson CX3200 multifunction printer that cost me only $69 (factory refurbished). Check your local office supply stores like Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, or even Wal-Mart, before you give up your search. You can get some fabulous bargains directly from Epson's web site on close outs and factory refurbs. Happy Hunting! Andromeda43 B)

Don't you ever believe it Deltree can be made to remove an entire tree or just a certain file within the tree. That's where it's true power comes in. That's why Microsoft wrote it in the first place. I won't run any PC without it. Getting it is as simple as downloading it from My Webpage. Don't make something difficult out of something so simple. And please, for those who come here for accurate information, don't make false statements on this or any other board. My program is written especially to take advantage of the power of "Deltree.exe". Get it and use it. Cheers Maties! Andromeda43 B)

HI, Tweaks to do what? People want to do the dangdest things with Windows that you could ever imagin. Personally, I'm not interested in making XP into something it was never intended to be. What I do like to do though, is make it run more efficiently, faster, smoother and shut down faster. If that's what you're into......then we can talk. Andromeda43 B) PS: I put my entire list of tweaks, both efficiency and cosmetic, on My Webpage Just download and print them out.

There are boot floppies and then there are GOOD boot floppies. A good boot floppy will allow you to boot into DOS only and maybe even do some fixing and troubleshooting of things on the hard drive. But that's all. It will not run Windows. The best way to fix windows is reload it right over itself. You will need the original Windows disk that came with that PC or an OEM setup disk. In either case, it will refresh itself and accept the old registry and all the Driver files. Sometimes, I've been able to recover windows 98 or ME, by running scanreg.exe /restore from the boot disk, to rewrite the registry back to an earlier time. Unless the hard drive itself is damaged, Windows can be restored. Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)