woelfman10

You could setup a Class B network for extra host addresses. I'm not sure what hardware or programs exist for that (besides using a linux box), as my experience is limited to Class C networks. There's probably Class B routers somewhere out there, but Class A would work as well.

The CD drive cable and floppy drive cable are similar, but the floppy cable and drive have less pins, thus are incompatible. For an example, go to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.as...oard+%2D+Retail You will see a blue IDE connector at the bottom center of the board, and just below it is a white floppy connector, which is a different width, so they cannot be used interchangeably between a floppy drive and a CD/HDD drive.

I think that system idle is using most of the cpu cycles, but CPU usage should not be very high, which is the problem. You need something to keep the cpu going so it is ready for more input (whenever it may get there), but it does not require the CPU to run at full speed which would simply waste energy create excess heat. Having high CPU usage would prevent the CPU from being throttled when it isn't doing work.

Did you do an upgrade of ME to XP (as opposed to a clean install)? If so, you may want to do a clean install because all of the junk left behind from the previous install can still mess up your system. You can also see a bunch of startup process using Startup Control Panel http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml It's a slick little program that will let you turn off many apps that startup automatically. It takes a little longer for a particual app to initialize, but your bootups will be faster with more memory available to apps that will actually run, instead of what may run. Hope that helps.

I gathered that system idle process is running at 100% from your previous posts, but that's not enough informations to help you. It doesn't just run at 100% out of the blue. It's a background process that works with other processes, which for some reason you're reluctant to post. I've heard accounts of a faulty cd burner to bad drivers to netscape navigator being the culprit, but I can't gather what your system's issue is from "ME is always at 100%".

You should give us a list of running processes and programs you are using to better help diagnose your problem. Coming out of hibernation usually causes me issues, so if you're using that, disable it. Also make sure all your device drivers are up to date, especially chipset and video card drivers.

you're welcome

I think 5eraph was getting at the files with the underscores are still compressed, because the original .exe is like zipping together a bunch of zip files. I'm not sure that you need uncompress it further though. I don't slipstream graphics drivers because there's always a new one next time I reinstall.

On MSFN's homepage you will find a link to your exact topic: http://flyakite.msfn.org/ If you have already read it, read it again. If you run/ran into issues while following the guide, post where you hit a wall and I'm sure people will be able to help you get through it. Good luck.

Microsoft does have a solution for users that reinstall frequetly and don't wish to activate every time: corporate edition. I agree with you that there should be an easy, legit, way for home users to reinstall, but I'm sure jbm is right. It just keeps the honest people honest.

Cute little program, but there's a few small issues: -You should make it have a default save name of OEMINFO.INI, since it probably wouldn't be very useful if named something else -About has "OEMInfo reader" when it's really a writer -Could use some instructions in a help section of how to properly integrate OEMINFO.INI into an unattended installation -Add a blank line between the last line in the general section and [support Information] for readability with another text editor Again, it's a fine program and it does exactly what you said it does. I just thought I'd put my two cents on how I thought it would be a great OEMINFO editor. Keep up the good work.

Open up one of the CDs and go into the i386 folder. Open WINNT.SIF with a text editor. There should be a line that says: ProductKey = "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" So there's one key. Download and run Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder 1.5 Beta 3 from: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2612 It will tell you the key installed on a particular machine. There's your second key, so you can match CDs to each machine.

Daemon tools has an x64 virtual drive that's been available since January: http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/download.p...=Download&id=83 Lack of drivers is what's kicking me in the teeth. I can't run my Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000, HP Scanjet 4570c, and my Logitech MX510 mouse and HP Deskjet 6122 run with only the built in drivers. HP says x64 drivers will eventually be available, and same goes for my logitech webcam, but my logitech mouse looks like it will be unsupported from here on out. Some games actually have 64-bit patches, such as Far Cry and Half-Life 2, so that might be enough to sway you. I would put x64 on if all my hardware were supported, but there isn't enough of a boast in x64 to give up the compatability of 32-Bit XP Pro. If all your hardware is supported by its respective manufactorer with proper drivers, then go for it, otherwise stick with 32-bit XP.

It sounds like you removed 'press key to start from cdrom' in nlite, which does exactly what you're describing. The workaround is to go into the BIOS and change the first boot device to hdd instead of CD.

Only if you have at least 512MB of memory on your laptop should you install XP. 500MHz suggests that it may support up to 256MB, but probably has 128MB. Also, old laptop memory is expensive and it's probably not worth buying an OS upgrade and hardware upgrade for degraded performance. A lack of memory will force your computer to use its harddrive as memory, which very, very slow. You can install Office XP or OpenOffice (which is free) on Windows 98. It's much cheaper that way and I think you'll get more for the money. OpenOffice would cost you the time to download it, so it's quicker than running to the store if you have broadband. If you have your heart set on XP, check out the additional features that Pro has to offer. If you won't use them, then go for home. There's a few networking tools that install with pro automatically, but they're available on the home CD too (you just have to find and install them yourself). Also, XP Pro has dual processor support, but that isn't a usuable feature for you on that machine (making XP Home a more viable solution). If you buy a new copy Windows XP, it should come with SP2 integrated (which is good), which contains loads of security updates.