LLXX

The integrity of your Network connection is most likely at fault. Check any routers and cabling...

Win 1.01 doesn't need to be run in a virtual PC, because it's a DOS program. It'll run under a DOSbox in 98 or XP. Same thing with Win 2.03.

I have a 120Gb hard drive with 8M of cache, and CacheWriteDelay is at 0. I've experienced no problems so far.

Anything running on the CPU will be affected by the microcode updates...

There's a NT/2K forum... Is your primary partition set Active?

You're right I haven't reinstalled in over 5 years so I've forgotten some details...

Does your GPU even support 32-bit color? The visual difference between 32-bit and 24-bit color is indistinguishable.

Have you run MemTest86 and Prime95 to test the reliability of your memory and processor? I've seen many strange reboots and errors being caused by corrupted memory or overheating CPUs.

Instead of underclocking your system to avoid a heat issue, perhaps you should invest in a better heatsink/fan.

Does it have system attribute as well? Is there a desktop.ini in the parent that keeps it hidden? attrib -s -h -r directoryname

You can use the fc command from the console prompt. fc file1.txt file2.txt

Check proxy server settings?

Might be a boot sector virus. Those are difficult to remove. As previous poster mentioned, using programs that completely overwrite the disk will eliminate them. (Corrupt files can also be caused by defective hardware, are you sure that the hard drive is working properly?)

My guess is that SP2 uses a different resolution/video mode for its loading screen than pre-SP2... anyone want to confirm this?

I'd just unpack the installer and rip out all the crap. (Ironic, since Ccleaner stands for Crap Cleaner...)

Correct. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9660 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_image for more info.

Run netstat to get a list of connections and their associated processes. Trojans and keyloggers are known for this type of behavior.

Is your RAM working properly? Use Memtest86 to check it.

That means that you probably don't have the property sheet handler installed for *.

I agree completely, having had many problems and annoyances with a virgin install of XP SP1. Windows 2000 is alright in terms of annoying features, but lacks security since it has all those services running in the background and listening on ports. It's also slightly sluggish. If you have a lot of RAM, having no swapfile is fine. Otherwise, set ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1 in WIN.INI and it'll keep everything in RAM unless it completely runs out, only then will it use the swapfile.

What he has is probably a 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, and 2M of memory (old mobos are known to have many RAM sockets, with 6 - 8 being standard). This machine was probably upgraded many times.As for the VRAM, 4Mb should be enough. Until very recently I was using an unbranded 4M card at 1280x1024x24, it worked perfectly fine for general desktop work.

Don't worry about it if the desktop is displayed fine. It's just that your (LCD) monitor does not support the video mode used during the loading screen.

A file is probably corrupted. Do a Scandisk on all drives to see if any errors are noticed.

For decrypting encrypted NTFS volumes, take a look at http://www.elcomsoft.com/aefsdr.html "Advanced EFZ Data Revocery"

Strange that nobody has said this so I'll say it now.... BACKUP!! To reiterate: Two or more primary partitions are workable but non-standard. You'll need to create that partition structure using an alternative partitioning program, Window's setup won't do it.