Plamdi

Well I think we can assume he doesn't want to delete hidden, read only or system files - if he does then that's another matter... there is a reaon for those file attributes, you know!

If you use a pirate copy, WGA prevents you downloading certain updates/features from microsoft. Really you should know better then to tell him to get a VLK - microsoft doesn't just give them out to home users you know.

gdogg, might I suggest you head over to fws and find yourself a free host, rather than use GoDaddy's rather ordinary service? Oh and FYI your "download agreement" is riddled with nonsense: -You agree to never be devolping a project who goals are to make windows more secure by making standalone application as done in microwinX. I agree that I have for years been finding and developing ways to make windows more secure. I guess I can't download MicrowinX then. -You agree that if you breach the rules and use the microwinX code or reverse engineer the microwinX code, to pay $15,000 to the creator of microwinX per installation even when the installation is not on your computer. Reverse engineering is not illegal, and there is nothing you can do about clean-room reverse engineering, as it is both ethical and legal. -You agree not to take offence to rules and others humor. I agree you cannot dictate how I or others think. -You agree to all futre legal mubojumbo This is another illegal request, you cannot legally request someone to agree to that - and if they do so, it does not form a binding legal contract. It is impossible to legally agree to something you do not know about. I'd try writing a real TOS if I were you.

LOL! Poor little bugger!

There's two possible problems I can think of. The first is that you're trying to format the primary partition, and as the primary partition is the partition that boots to WinXP it won't let you do this. The second possible problem is that Windows knows there's an operating system on the secondary partition - though I don't regard this as being highly possible. To rule out the second possibility just edit C:\boot.ini and remove the reference to 2003 server under [operating systems]. Personally, I think what's happened is that 2003 server is on the primary partition. You likely can reformat it from the recovery console... or repartition it using fdisk - however remember to use recovery console to fix the bootsector, and point it to the XP installation (in other words, print out your boot.ini file so you can remake it later).

The correct switch is /p. for more information type DEL/? at command prompt. As explained /s will continue deleting the named file from all subdirectories (and will search for it, taking up time and resources!)

No it isn't, as you won't be able to benefit from WGA.

That was exactly my point, for all I know "shielah" (sheila?) could be trying to burn protected WMV's. It sounds like a problem with the drive, or possibly with the driver... but as to what's really going on is anyone's guess.

And how does that help me?I have no use to find out their master key, when I have a valid product key all of my own. Besides, you must have misunderstood me, I bought an ex-lease desktop for $350 with keyboard monitor mouse and xp, not a laptop. nLite is currently compiling an installation, which hopefully will work.

>>One of Microsoft's support employees lied to me. >Don't fault them for not being told how to correctly install a brand name PC. Two MS employees told me two completetly different things, when asked exactly the same question. And you say don't fault them for not knowing how to install branded PCs? I know they don't know how Acer's recovery discs work, and they don't have to. The point is they don't seem to know how their install CD works. >>Always use the Sticker Key >NEVER use the sticker key. There is a better way. I don't have much of a choice in the matter, as I have no way of knowing Acer's master key.

It's far more important at this stage that you get your spellchecker to work.

Or you could buy the upgrade version, so long as you - or someone you know - has an oem or retail copy of an older windows version (borrow it, use the media to convince XP installation you own older version, then bob's your uncle!)

I was having the same problem. The Acer "recovery CD's" are nothing of the sort, and contacting Acer got me nowhere. So I contacted Microfost, and talked to the department involved in issuing replacement media - the person I talked to explained I would have to pay for a replacement key once I provided evidence of having one and they'd send me a CD, he also told me I could NOT use someone else's OEM disc to install off and that I would have problems with Genuine advantage if I did (which really wouldn't matter, since I don't actually require this PC to connect to the net, adn thus it doesn't need all the latest security fixes and what-not). No thanks, so I talked to the tech department, who informed me I COULD use someone else's OEM CD to install off, and that I wouldn't have problems with WGA if I did. So much for consistency! One of Microsoft's support employees lied to me. It's probably the same reason you can't reinstall, I bought an ex-lease computer and evidently they wiped the HDD clean. Anyhow, I went and downloaded a CD, I haven't installed it yet (as I'm going to slipstream the hotfixes into it first). The CD's are NOT difficult to find for download on torrent sites, and while they'll all contain things like "activation cracks" and a list of serial numbers... you can just delete those and you essentially have a copy of a legitimate disc (don't forget to rebuild a bootable ISO once you've slipstreamed in the updates). Just remember to download an OEM disc for XP Home (or an "all in one), and you'll be set. It won't work if you download a different version XP disc. My uncle actually has an OEM Home disc, and I made a copy of that at one point slipstreamed with SP2 + hotfixes, but I must have deleted it from my HDD. Interestingly enough when I reinstalled using the preactivation key (rather than his real product key) it bypassed activation, and validated through WGA no problems, AND it was a DELL machine!! AND their CD was a real WinCD not some worthless "recovery CD". Anyhow, good luck with it. MS does like to make it difficult! I’ve actually found the image file on my “recovery cd” now, and I’m using VirtualPC to try and extract the damned thing… wish me luck!

If your printer is connected to the parallel port: Echo text to print>LPT1Or: Type textdoc.txt>LPT1

I can't see anything potentially illegal about doing that. You're installing on the same system, so what does it matter if you've got your copy installed once, twice, or several times? It's only ever going to be possible to boot into one at a time...

Assuming you can boot to MS-DOS: Save as BSSAVE.BAT: @echo off md c:\dos echo LCS:100 2 0 1 > c:\boot.tmp echo rcx >> c:\boot.tmp echo 200 >> c:\boot.tmp echo n c:\bootsect.dat >> c:\boot.tmp echo wcs:100 >> c:\boot.tmp echo q >> c:\boot.tmp echo. >> c:\boot.tmp debug < c:\boot.tmp del c:\boot.tmp ECHO HARD DISK BOOTSECTOR STORED AS C:\BOOTSECT.DAT Save as BSWRITE.BAT: @echo off ECHO THIS FILE WILL WRITE A:\BOOTSECT.DAT TO THE PRIMARY HARD DISK BOOTSECTOR! ECHO EXPECT YOUR COMPUTER TO RESTART UPON COMPLEATION. ECHO. ECHO PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE, OR CTRL-C TO QUIT. echo WCS:100 2 0 1 > a:\boot.tmp echo q >> a:\boot.tmp echo. >> a:\boot.tmp debug a:\bootsect.dat < a:\boot.tmp del a:\boot.tmp echo g=ffff:0|debug Note that you may modify them, but from memory you CANNOT run bswrite from C:\. If desired use a ramdrive (eg, boot into DOS from CD and create a ramdrive, copy bootsect.dat to your ramdrive and replace A: with the drive letter of your ramdrive, eg R:). Also note that HDD must be identical (ie same size, same manufacturer, same partition size) to use bswrite - or writing the bootsector WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS. This is dangerous! But, if you know what you're doing - go for it. I used to use if for MANUALLY installing MS-DOS7.1 AFTER WinXP... What I would do is install windows xp on a FAT-32 patition, create a C:\DOS directory and copy all the files I needed, then boot from a bootdisk, run BSSAVE... to back-up the NT (XP's) bootsector, then SYS C:, then run BSSAVE again edit the bootsector (to use IO.DOS and MSDOS.DOS rather than .SYS ... which in turn would use config.dos instead of config.sys) - this would allow me to install Windows 98 later and have them independently boot. And then I would run BS-WRITE to restore the NT-bootsector (the only other way to do this is with recovery console which takes a lot longer if you boot into it then doing it with the batch file). You MUST run it from the floppy (or ramdrive) and not from C:. That is your bootsector and your files .bat and debug.exe - and your boot (io.sys, msdos.sys, autoexec.bat, config.sys, command.com) must all be booted from your floppy (or CD) and NOT from your HDD or there will be problems writing the bootsector (but you can read it booted from the HDD). Oh by the way, I assume you can only use this on drives formatted FAT or FAT32. Use MS-DOS 7.1 if possible. Oh and don't say I didn't warn you...

Here's a little shell-extension I made for IrfanView. What it does is allow you to convert between BMP, PNG, GIF, JPG and ICO simply by right clicking said files in windows. You may run the file from the desktop (or anywhere else) to install, and features include being asked if you want to overwrite an existing file, and the ability to uninstall the extension from "Add or Remove Programs" in Control Panel. Save as I_CONV.VBS ' (c) 2006-2014 aractus.com, this file must not be sold, you may distribute it' freely so long as it remains unmodified with all internal documentation.'' This program is designed for use with IrfanView. It will add or remove' shell extensions for converting between several popular image formats.' If required you could add more to the list.' In no way am I affiliated with IrfanView.'' It should work on any windows system x86/64bit that supports IrfanView. It' Will work with Windows 2000 - Windows 7, I'm unsure about other versions' but it only requires Windows Script Host (WScript) on the system. In theory' it will work on Win9x so long as the Script Host Version supports the script.'' Installation:' 1. Double click on i_conv.vbs to install/uninstall' 2. Run "WScript.exe i_conv.vbs" from a command prompt or the run dialogue.' 3. Run "WScript.exe i_conv.vbs /s" to achieve a silent installation.'' Usage:' Right click a picture with a supported format (by default BMP, PNG, GIF,' JPG and ICO) and click "Convert to XXX" Where XXX is desired type.'' Notes on installation and uninstallation:' i_conv.vbs can be run from anywhere to install so long as IrfanView is' installed. If IrfanView isn't found the script will not install the' extensions, but will uninstall if asked. If IrfanView was not installed' correctly, or if it isn't found automatically with installation simply' copy this file to the IrfanView folder and run from there.'' When this file is run it will automatically place a copy into your' IrfanView folder (where possible), and you can delete any other installation' point as it will not be needed.'' You can uninstall the shell extensions through "Add or Remove Programs" /' "Programs and Features" in Control Panel. Uninstallation will not delete' i_conv.vbs, delete the file manually if required.'' If you prefer you can use /silent instead of /s. Silent installations' suppress error messages if it cannot be installed.'' Other Notes:' This will also write a configuration file for use exclusively with the shell' extensions (JPEG quality, etc). You can modify it at any time. It is put in a' new folder named "i_conv" in the main IrfanView installation folder.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------' Define variables.Option ExplicitOn Error Resume NextDim WshShell,fso,a,f,i,j,o,p,p2,t,u,v,w:w=0Set WshShell=WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")Set fso=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")p=Left(WScript.ScriptFullName,Len(WScript.ScriptFullName)-Len(WScript.ScriptName))If Wscript.Arguments.Count=1 Then If Wscript.Arguments(0)="REM" Then' This is invoked from "Add or Remove Programs". v=MsgBox("Are you sure you want to remove the image-conversion shell extensions?",292,"Remove shell extensions confirmation") If v=7 Then WshShell=Nothing:Wscript.Quit(1) w=7 ElseIf UCase(Wscript.Arguments(0))="/S" Or UCase(Wscript.Arguments(0))="/SILENT" Then' If We are running a silent install preset variables. w=6 Else' We have invalid command parameters. ErrHndlr() End If' This is the part used for conversion, it's extremely simple - it takes two' variables, one is a file name, the other a file extensions - such as BMP and' JPG, and tells IrfanView to convert file name to file format, after checking' if destination file exists, and if necessary asking the user whether to' overwrite or not.ElseIf Wscript.Arguments.Count=2 Then t=Wscript.Arguments(0):u=Wscript.Arguments(1) For i=Len(t) To 2 Step -1 If Mid(t,i,1)="." Then Exit For Next'i If i=1 Then ErrHndlr()' We have invalid command parameters. v=Right(t,Len(t)-i) If v=UCase(v)Then u=UCase(u) u=Left(t,i)&u If fso.fileexists(u) Then v=MsgBox("Destination file exists, ok to overwrite?",292,"Overwrite confirmation") If v=7 Then WshShell=Nothing:Wscript.Quit(1) End If WshShell.Run(""""&p&"i_view32.exe"" """&t&""" /convert="""&u& """ /ini="""&p&"i_conv"""),1 Set WshShell=Nothing Wscript.Quit(1)ElseIf Wscript.Arguments.Count<>0 Then' We have invalid command parameters. ErrHndlr()End If' Everything after this is only run if you open the file directly. This means' you either want to set up the shell extensions, or remove them. We check' first for IrfanView, and if we can't find it then installing the shell' extensions will be disabled.If fso.fileexists(p&"i_view32.exe") Then If UCase(WScript.ScriptFullName)<>UCase(p&"I_CONV.VBS") Then' If IrfanView is found in the folder this file is run from, and i_conv.vbs' is incorrectly named, create a usable copy called i_conv.vbs.' Otherwise we are sweet to go! fso.CopyFile WScript.ScriptFullName,p&"i_conv.vbs" End IfElse' IrfanView wasn't found in the folder that i_conv.vbs was run from, so let's' search for it.. best place to look first is in the registry, IrfanView' doesn't have it's own key under HKLM\SOFTWARE, so we'll see if it's' uninstall entry will point the way. p=WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\IrfanView\UninstallStri​ng") p=Left(p,Len(p)-16) p2=WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\IrfanView\U​ninstallString") p2=Left(p2,Len(p2)-16)' If IrfanView is found then all we need do is put i_conv.vbs into its folder.' We check two locations for 64bit Windows. If fso.fileexists(p&"i_view32.exe") Then fso.CopyFile WScript.ScriptFullName,p&"i_conv.vbs" ElseIf fso.fileexists(p2&"i_view32.exe") Then p=p2 fso.CopyFile WScript.ScriptFullName,p&"i_conv.vbs"' We still haven't found IrfanView... so the other place to look is in the' computer's Program Files folder. We won't find it if the user has installed' to a personalized location.' As above we will need to put i_conv.vbs in the IrfanView folder. ElseIf fso.fileexists(WshShell.Environment("PROCESS")("ProgramFiles")&"\irfanview\i_view32.exe") Then p=WshShell.Environment("PROCESS")("ProgramFiles")&"\IrfanView\" fso.CopyFile WScript.ScriptFullName,p&"i_conv.vbs" ElseIf fso.fileexists(WshShell.Environment("PROCESS")("ProgramFiles(x86)")&"\irfanview\i_view32.exe") Then p=WshShell.Environment("PROCESS")("ProgramFiles(x86)")&"\IrfanView\" fso.CopyFile WScript.ScriptFullName,p&"i_conv.vbs" Else' IrfanView was not found. Ask if user wants to uninstall extensions and exit.' Unless we're meant to be doing a silent install, in which case we'll just' end without alerting the user. If w=6 Then WshShell=Nothing:Wscript.Quit(0) ElseIf w<>7 Then v=MsgBox("IrfanView not found. Would you like to remove the shell extensions?",292,"Remove shell extensions") If v=7 Then WshShell=Nothing:Wscript.Quit(1) End If End IfEnd If' OK we're now ready to add or remove the shell extensions!' Define the image formats we are going to use - I've included 5 as default,' feel free to add more just remember to change the declaration of the "q"' array to the correct size. It is important that if you want to do this to' first remove the shell extensions before modifying the file.Dim q(4):q(0)="bmp":q(1)="gif":q(2)="ico":q(3)="jpg":q(4)="png"' Ask user for input, unless we already know to install/uninstall that is.If w=0 Then w=MsgBox("Do you want the image-conversion shell extensions?",292,"Enable/Disable shell extensions")' Write a custom .ini file for use with conversions, you may customize this' but it's probably easier to edit the .ini once it's installed.If w=6 Then o="[PNG]"&vbCrLf&"CompressionLevel=6"&vbCrLf&"[JPEG]"&vbCrLf&"Save Quality=85"&vbCrLf&"Save Progressive=0"&vbCrLf&_ "Save Grayscale=0"&vbCrLf&"KeepExif=0"&vbCrLf&"KeepCom=0"&vbCrLf&"KeepIptc=0"&vbCrLf&"[MultiGIF]"&vbCrLf&_ "SaveInterlaced=0"&vbCrLf&"SaveTransparent=0"&vbCrLf&"UsePalette=0"&vbCrLf&"Transparency=0" fso.CreateFolder(p&"\i_conv"):fso.DeleteFile(p&"\i_conv\i_view32.ini") Set f=fso.CreateTextFile(p&"\i_conv\i_view32.ini", True):f.Write o:f.CloseElse' Or delete it if we're uninstalling. fso.DeleteFile(p&"\i_conv\i_view32.ini") fso.DeleteFolder(p&"\i_conv")End If' Go through the registry and make the necessary changes...For i=0 To UBound(q) a=WshShell.RegRead("HKCR\."&q(i)&"\") If a<>"" Then a="HKCR\"&a&"\shell\" For j=0 To UBound(q) If i<>j Then t=a&"Convert_to_"&UCase(q(j))&"\" If w=6 Then WshShell.RegWrite t,"Convert to "&UCase(q(j)) WshShell.RegWrite t&"command\","WScript.exe """&p&"i_conv.vbs"" ""%d"" "&q(j) Else WshShell.RegDelete t&"command\":WshShell.RegDelete t End If End If Next'j t=a&"Remove_Image_Conversion_Shell_Extensions\" t="HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\i_conv\" If w=6 Then WshShell.RegWrite t,"" WshShell.RegWrite t&"DisplayName","Image Conversion Shell Extensions (Removal)" WshShell.RegWrite t&"UninstallString","WScript.exe """&p&"i_conv.vbs"" REM" WshShell.RegWrite t&"NoModify",1,"REG_DWORD" WshShell.RegWrite t&"NoRepair",1,"REG_DWORD" Else WshShell.RegDelete t&"NoModify":WshShell.RegDelete t&"NoRepair" WshShell.RegDelete t&"UninstallString":WshShell.RegDelete t&"DisplayName":WshShell.RegDelete t End If End IfNext'iSet WshShell=NothingWscript.Quit(1)sub ErrHndlr() MsgBox "Invalid parameters were given. The only correct user command line is /s or /silent.",16,"i_conv.vbs error" Set WshShell=Nothing Wscript.Quit(0)End Sub

Where is your website? Perhaps if I could have a look at it I could tell you how to easily improve it's presentation... Mine: http://plamdi.com Though I've also been looking into pure CSS webdesign, just because of the beauty (it's easy to apply new themes without modifying any HTML code, presents in IE and Mozilla equally and doesn't use tables)... though I've always found it easier to work with tables... usually nested inside more tables.

Try cracking a pass phrase - which is essentially the same thing as a password only longer...

Good pint, I didn't notice that. All I noticed was that his path C:\xpcd\$OEM$\$1\install\Applications\Office2003\ was certainly wrong......also don't use "C:" use %systemdrive%. Personally I would install all my apps straight off the CD (in which case you can use %~d0 to represent the CD-ROM drive letter (which takes variable "0" of the command line, treating it as a filename it returns the drive letter - so it returns the drive letter that the batch file exists on).

REG ADD %KEY%\005 /V 1 /D "C:\install\Applications\Office2003\setup.exe TRANSFORMS=C:\xpcd\$OEM$\$1\install\Applications\Office2003\unatended.mst /qb- ... REG ADD %KEY%\005 /V 1 /D "%SystemDrive%\install\Applications\Office2003\setup.exe TRANSFORMS=%SystemDrive%\install\Applications\Office2003\unatended.mst /qb-" /F

Yes you can, and if you don't want the batch file shown at all use VBS to launch it - or even better use VBS to perform the tasks of your batch file. Example VBS code to run a custom program hidden: Option Explicit On Error Resume Next If Wscript.Arguments.Count<>1 Then WScript.Quit(0) Dim WshShell,p p=Left(WScript.ScriptFullName,Len(WScript.ScriptFullName)-_ Len(WScript.ScriptName)) Set WshShell=WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") WshShell.Run p&Wscript.Arguments(0),0 Set WshShell=Nothing WScript.Quit(1)Usage: WSCRIPT SCRIPTNAME.VBS BATCHFILE.CMD Requirements: Batch file in same directory as script. But yes, you can use .BAT/.CMD in the same way as .EXE or .COM from RunOnceEx.cmd.

Well, you can certainly install linux. What you'd want to be able to do to use it as a PC is put it in a desktop case, add a DVD burner and install a larger HDD. Fun.

I know that this will be of absolutely no use to you, but for anyone else reading this - if you're going to install windows on the same HDD a 2nd time make sure you put some custom values into winnt.sif (or unattend.txt) before install: [Unattended] TargetPath=CUSTOM_DIR ProgramFilesDir=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\CUSTOM_DIR CommonProgramFilesDir=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\CUSTOM_DIR\Common [GuiUnattended] ProfilesDir=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\CUSTOM_DIRI'd recommend something like this: [Unattended] TargetPath=WINXP ProgramFilesDir=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Programs CommonProgramFilesDir=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Programs\Common [GuiUnattended] ProfilesDir="%SYSTEMROOT%\Users"* This will put the profiles direcotry ("C:\Documents and Settings") inside your actual windows directory ex - C:\WINXP\USERS This way you can safely delete "C:\Program Files", "C:\Windows" and "C:\Documents and Settings" (once you've transferred all files over to your new locations). ... Now on to the really useful info. First all your old files (desktop and my documents) will be found in C:\Documents and Settings. Move them from your old profile into your new profile. Second open a command window and type CD\ <ENTER>. This should put you at the C:\ prompt. Type Attrib boot.ini -s -h -r <ENTER>. Then type Notepad boot.ini <ENTER>. ..or right click my computer, click properties and select the "advanced tab" - under startup and recovery click settings and then click edit. Personally, I prefer the previous method! Your boot configuration will load into a notepad window. Be careful with this, if you completely foul it up you'll need to use recovery console by booting of your windows xp cd to fix it. Your boot.ini might look like this: [Boot Loader] Timeout=30 Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINXP [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINXP="Windows XP" /fastdetect C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Recovery Console" /cmdconsAssuming that your originall installation was installed in C:\WINDOWS, and your newer installation is in C:\WINXP (that's the name I use for my windows dir, you probably don't). Basically if this was the case then it's safe to delete the line: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP" /fastdetect This will mean you can no longer log in to that installation of windows. You may not have recovery console installed on your PC, but if you do - or if you have something else installed then changing Timeout=3 will be handy to reduce the amount of time before automatically proceeding with your boot. Once you've saved your boot.ini restart your computer and ensure it boots the way you expected. If it does then it's now safe to delete C:\WINDOWS (or whatever the name of the original windows installation directory was). You may also open C:\Documents and Settings and remove profile accounts you are sure do not belong to this installation, but be careful if you do. You can also open C:\Program Files and remove any directory that that contains programs you've installed on the old windows but not yet on the new windows - but again exercise extreme care. List the directories by last modified to help you. That's why I recommend for anyone wanting to do this themselves to specify unique profile and program files directories.

Call Microsoft, unfortunatly that's what activation's for.