Windows ME computer gone bye bye

[LadyGrey]

This is a tough one. All the info I have follows:
ETower 667-IR I'll try to look it up on Google.
667 Mhz Intel Celeron?
CD/RW 48X
Windows ME :eek:
RAM- at least 128mb to start with I think and son in law added 128mb, 168 pin is all I have. According to book RAM is maxed at 256.
15GB HDD?
Ok, computer is not working correctly. In fact computer is a mess and will hardly run! Hubby has spent days and days and has spent at least $100.00 in the last three days on programs like SpyFerret, and ComputerFix. Told them to get their money back fast! Different error messages all the time, only one I can pin down is a spool31? error.
I'm going over tomorrow with everything I have. All tools and programs. I don't think I can do much damage if I'm wrong.
I plan to:
1. Take the side off and clean the computer, Paula says it's making noise and cleaning has never been done.
2. If I can get ME to boot, would like to try safemode but have no idea if it will respond as my computer does with the same keys.
3. Would like to try and burn the Documents and Pictures folders. Have told Paula that if she can stand it and it will work to create two new folders on her desktop and go get anything she really wants to save and put it in there. Go through the whole computer and save whatever to those two folders.
4. Format the drive and try to reinstall ME. Where could I get critical updates and such that I can burn to take with me and install?? Or is that even possible?? Hubby says he has a backup disk but unsure if disk is just a burn or an ISO image.
I'm going to take Sylvander's flow charts with me, hope they will help.
Computer will sometimes get online ( which is the least of the worries right now) and sometimes not.
Unknown if running a firewall or what kind of antivirus. Hubby downloaded Spybot and it wouldn't run.
They are running Earthlink software and they don't know how to setup a connection manually. I'll try and show them.
Now, if I can burn their documents and pictures, which is really what they are worried about. I would like to change the OS. Hubby bought XP upgrade which I'm sure won't work. I think from what I've been told that it will run but not well and an upgrade is never as good as a clean full install. How about Windows 2000? Would it run ok?
Paula is a dog breeder and has just all kinds of pictures of her babies and documents she has written over several years. There just has to be a way to save these. Need help here guru's, I would so like to do this for her, she is one of the sweetest people I've ever met and I've been friends with her for over 16 years. She is now so turned off with computers and her hubby is so frustrated that I really think they are going to throw it out the window. Buying or my building a computer for them is just simply not an option at this point in time so we have to try and save this one. I'm gonna take my old laptop tomorrow and have it to use if I need it. Won't be much but I think I'll be able to get online with it.
I know, totally confusing but you all are used to me by now I hope :D
Thanks much!!!
LG ;)

[david eaton]

One possibility that you may have overlooked, is to install a new hard drive, and do a clean install of Windows to that. then install the programs you want to use. Reconnect the old drive as a slave, and browse it to find the pictures/documents needed. From your description, it sounds as if the computer is well messed up, probably with viruses,worms trojans and adware.
This might be easier and cheaper than trying to save things directly from the old OS. It's almost certainly the safest, as each file can be scanned with an anti virus program as you save it to the new drive..

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Ditto Dave's suggestion but run a full set of security scans on the slave prior to even opening the slave drive at all.

LG,
Don't you have either The Bomb or your older pc as a spare? What's the HDD in those? Either one's harddrive could be temporary storage for their documents as their primary HDD gets repaired. Or burn their docs to cd's.

You can doooo it! ;)

[LadyGrey]

Most excellent idea David!! I might be able to use one of my brothers old Maxtor 30 gig hdds to do just that. Oh are you right, messed up doesn't even cover it, (insert words here not fit for the family)!!! Her hubby works for Xerox(28 years) and is a whiz and a half at that kind of thing but I'm afraid that he has just made things worse with all he's been trying to do.
Just not internet savvy, and that's not a fault of his, too busy working to keep up on it! They are so soured on computers now. They just want one that will do what it's supposed to do without having to fuss with it. I want them to use all the programs we all do and I'm pretty sure that most if not all have an auto update function. I'll see what I can do maybe about clearing one of my brothers old hdds. I've transfered everything as it is to my new ones so it won't matter. Thanks much!!
LG ;)

Oh BTW forgot, Paula says she knows someone who is a member of our family, told her to ask if they ever heard of LG before. Would love to know who as they are within range of me :eek: :p :D .

[Bullman]

Hi LG,

I typed out a big response then hit post and got the IE has had and error and will shut down, and lost the whole thing. :rolleyes: Here it goes again. :)

I checked the unit here (http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=eMachines%2B+Deskt ops&mfr=eMachines&cat=RAM&model=eTower+667ir&submit=Go) at Crucials site, and it looks like it will be maxed out at 256mb's.

If you can get a "Jump drive" type removable storage device, you could use USB to transfer it temporarily to your laptop until you get the other PC back up and running. They are getting very affordable, or you may already have one, or know someone that does. I know sometimes when I have had problems with my pc, I have a hard time also getting the burner and its software to work correctly.

I just purchased an eMachines for my son about a month ago, and on this one, the recovery disk is a ghost image file of the original setup. If you can get it maybe zero filled and formatted, then hopefully you can get it back to its original state.

Also, if he can get his money back on that other stuff, the money would be well spent on maxing out the Memory. I am not sure about the update question though.

Good luck!

[Fruss Tray Ted]

LG,
You just hit the nail on the thumb,, OWCCHH! :o

One of those 30 giggers would be an excellent 'In the Field' cargo box. Depending upon the situation, you may want to make the drive primary (with os) and that would involve another candle's worth of wax...

I've got a 6 gig HDD that would serve well as a diagnostic primary and a 200 gig (JB :eek: ) as a warehouse for temp stores...

Currently, neither is being used.

[Paleo Pete]

I like the USB (jump) drive idea, I've used mine for that type of thing a lot, it works great and ME sees and installs it without a wrinkle. Only drawback is it's limited to 256MB storage. 512MB models are available, about $70 in retail stores.

You said that thing has a 667MHz CPU and is maxed out at 256M RAM. That would run XP, but not great on performance. Win2000 on the same machine would perform nicely. (I've run 2000 on a 350MHz P-II w/ 256MB, was pleased with it.)

The XP upgrade should work as a full install, when it squawks about not finding an OS, pop in the ME CD and browse to it. Or drop it in a second CD Drive, if present, before it asks, but after booting to the XP disk.

[FrankSG]

Good luck LG!

[LadyGrey]

Thanks and thanks my friends.
I was up most of last night playing with getting programs to disk, spybot, adaware, spywareblaster, you know.
I think I've got a good idea on how to do this. I'm going to go with using one of my brothers 30gig maxtors as it's right here and I can get my hands on it. I'm going to format it with my computer here and put W2K on it and take it over there and try to hook it up as master and her hdd slave and see it if I can't get her files on to my hdd and then go from there. Gonna try and burn to disk the files too.
I'm off to do the weekly grocery shopping :rolleyes: then on over to Paulas. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Thanks again.
LG ;)

[LadyGrey]

Got problems here folks. I'm over here at Paulas and up until now everything has just been a breeze! We have a major modem problem which I think is tied into the PCI Simple Communictions Contoller not installing. I've tried every which way I know to get this to install but it will not!! I don't think we are going to get any modem recognized without that installed. I've tried having it search itself, the 2k disk, I've tried the uninstall in device manager, and I've done all this in safe mode too, but so far no go!
The restore disk that came with the computer has Modem Drivers on it but when I try that with the wizard it comes up with the error," Run Time Error '76' Path Not Found " What ever in the world that means. All I know about the modem is it's something called an ITU v.90 56k. What is an ITU??
I'm heading home to pull one of my modems as I know what make it is and I have the drivers for it. But I really think this is all tied in with the PC Simple Communication Contoller and it not installing.
Any help will be very much appreciated as we are so close to having a perfect computer up and running.
Thanks and Thanks!
LG ;)

[Fruss Tray Ted]

I don't recall you mentioning the 'mode' of connection with their pc. Chances are I'd have forgotten to tell you that dial-up modems are the most notorious or common piece of hardware to fail as any other anyway... :rolleyes:

Sounds like you're gettin along jus' fine though ;)

[LadyGrey]

whooo baby, I did it!!!!!!!!!
Yep FTT, it's a piece of crap dial-up modem. I came home and took out my v.92 modem that I don't use anymore and I have the drivers for and went back over to Paula's. I took out the old modem first and restarted the computer without any modem at all. Then shut down again and put in my modem. Booted back up and the new hardware wizard came up and I put in the driver disk and told it to search there and off it went! Got their connection setup manually, and dialed right on up! I'm so proud of myself! :D :D I've already put adaware, spywareblaster, spybot and zonealarm on and they are downloading AVG now, so I think we just may be set. I wanted them to get the security stuff in place first before they went for the windows updates. I had SP4 burnt so that's already in, all they need are the patches and such. I'm gonna be up for a couple of hours here so they are going to call me if they run into any snags. Man, what a great feeling, they have their computer back and it's up and running.
I've still got work to do on it so I'll be going over tomorrow to get the rest done, the hard part is over I think. They are already loving W2K!
Look what you all have taught me in less than 3 years!
Thanks,
LG ;)

[Bullman]

Great Job LG!!!! Pretty soon you will be running your own PC repair business. :D Yes, you can learn a great deal here, I still visit here every day and read over the new threads, and I am now my friends and familys' tech support. :eek: Congratulations again, it is a great feeling, isn't it.