Problem identification

[xvd]

I am a newcomer still low on a learning curve; English is not my mother language.Having looked at a number of forum in my learning process, this one is definitly the best I have found in terms of the number of actively contributing friendly experts, and the resulting high quality. Applying a quote I found on another site (close to the best they had, unhappily)," The best knowledge is to know where to find the knowledge", I am coming to you with a (limited) number of questions which I will try to post to the appropriate treads.
I have a Packard Bell iXtreme 8100GF, 256K RAM, 40GB, Win Me, CD-RW + DVD-ROM, cable modem, just in case this could assist in answering my questions.
In November, I ran the Microsoft Windows XP Upgrade Advisor to get a feel as to how my PC in its current software and hardware configuration could be upgraded from Me to XP. The results have raised another question which I will post separately in order not to mix up issues.
Since then, I have downloaded a few programs, including PC Guide, and removed a number of shortcuts. I also ran Disk CleanUp and Scandisk.
A few days ago, running again the XP Upgrade Advisor to check whether there were any improvements in the patches/drivers available from OEM suppliers, I got the message "A REQUIRED RESOURCE APPEARS TO BE CORRUPTED"!
QUESTIONS
1) Is there an "easy" way to get the Microsoft Windows XP Upgrade Advisor" "to share with me the name of the culprit it has detected" in order to allow me to solve the problem without having to resolve to a System Restore (it will bring me to a clean status, I checked) and then,
painstakingly searching, but for what ?. I am a layman and Have not done it, yet.
2) What could be a "required resource"?. It cnnot be one of the many programs and hardware that XP Upgrade Advisor is supposed to investigate, right ?; but then what ?
3) Would there be a point in taking a "picture"/hard copy of 3.1) the "as is" situation and 3.2) AFTER System Restore in order to try to identify the differences ? But then, what should be copied ? .Some differences may/ shall not mean "problems"! What should I be looking for?.

Any advise towards helping me to identify the "culprit" will be appreciated.
A Happy New Year to all.
XVD/Belgium

[iisbob]

Hi, xvd and welcome to the PC Guide forums!! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

I wouldn't put much stock in those advisors; i recently installed XP Pro on a 5 year old Epox Motherboard ( still has some ISA slots :P ), a 375mhz Celeron, a 6 GB HD, 128 MB's of SDRAM running at a whopping 75 MHZ FSB { this gives me the 375 in the celeron-it's actually a native 300 } a 7 year old Yamaha ISA sound card, a 4 year old Lucent Winmodem, a year old 2MB trident PCI video card-and an Intel 440lx/ex chipset.

Nary a problem. Since Windows ME the drivers for all these peripherals have been included in Windows HCL ( hardware compatability list ) , this is why Windows versions keep geting bigger and bigger :P.

MS's upgrade advisor said that it absolutely could not run on this setup-yet it not only runs, it runs half way decently!! Certainly no worse than W2000 i had installed on it.

So i would take these upgrade advisors with a grain of salt. Try it-worse that could happen is you can't get a driver to work. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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iisbob
""I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know."
Mark Twain

[sea69]

hi mijn vriendin vanuit Belguim! Welkomstgroet voor PcGuide!

wees zo goed verzinsel mijn stumperig verzinsel voor spreken Nederlands!

MIJ wil mijn Nederlands watertje zoals zoet zoals uw Engels!

with that out of the way..... http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

The advisor advised that my computers video, sound card, camera app, and several other things were not compatable with winXP_Pro.

Upon actuall installation winxp found and installed everything to work right from the beggining, including my broadband connection.

I had 2 bad installs of this OS prior, and have found that it works perfectly from install as long as I installed it from boot, NOT from within windows!

In other words, do not install it while win9x/ME is running, put the cd in and reboot, choose boot to cd>> the rest almost does itself unattended.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)


[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 12-27-2001).]

[xvd]

Hi iisbob, Hi Sea69
Thank you for your welcome wishes, even in Dutch.(Not my language Sea, but thanks the same!). For those wondering,Belgium, a tiny european country has two national languages, Flemish (to Dutch what UK english is to US english, by a rough approximation), French and one official language, German. Confused ?; Don't worry, belgians are too!. With that out of the way...
I appreciated also your expert views on winXP and advices on XP Upgrade Advisor. As a layman, I will express some views for your consideration under Buying and Upgrading Advice.

The concern I did try to convey through my questions, HOWEVER, was NOT DIRECTLY related to winXP or Upgrade Advisor, as such, but to the message I got in trying to run Upgrade Advisor, i.e : "a required resource appears to be corrupted", preventing me to run it, which it did without problem a few weeks ago!.

Kindly refer to my questions 1,2 & 3.

My concern is that if I don't identify and solve THIS problem now, it could pop up again when I try to download another similar program in the future !.

If you or anyone else had some advices, I would appreciate it.

Happy New Year, and for Sea, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar !.

[sea69]

hi again

Here's the thing, it does not matter if the "Upgrade Advisor" runs or not it is not neccesary to run that in order to install XP.

Make sure to NOT install it (setup) within windows, put in the CD and then quickly re-boot and when it asks if you want to boot to CD press enter, the rest is just following the screen.

As iisbob has pointed out, XP has most of the drivers from previous operating systems from M$, or generic M$ ones that will at least work long enough for you to go and get your updated (XP) drivers for that device.

Run it, take the plunge.

It will either install or not but as long as you are carefull to install to a seperate partition, (and use FAT32 your old version of windows will still be there.

Of course I would be carefull to back up any personal files and have copies of any software that you may want to re-install.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

Pete- please delete the post with the errors in it above this one from me.

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)



[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 12-28-2001).]

[xvd]

Hi sea,
I will bother you this one last time with my problem; Promise !

1) PLEASE FORGET first that I ever used the apparently "dirty" words Windows XP and XP Upgrade Advisor, right ?.

2) Please assume that I just tried to download and run "A" program and that in so doing I got the message : "A required resource appears to be corrupted".
Assume further that I did download that same program earlier, without problem; that I goofed and have to download it again.

QUESTIONs

1) Is there an "easy" way to get "THE" program to "share with me the name of the culprit it has detected" (NB. The corrupted resource)in order to allow me to solve the problem without having to resolve to a System restore (it will bring me to a clean status, I checked) and then paintstakingly searching, but for what ?. I am a layman and have not done it, yet.

2) What could a "required resource" be ?. It cannot be one of the many programs and harware that "THE" program is supposed to investigate, right ; but then what ?.

3) Would there be a point in taking a "picture"/hard copy of 3.1) the "as is" situation and 3.2) AFTER System Restore, in order to try to identify the differences ? But then, what should be copied ?. Some differences may/shall NOT mean "problems". What should I be looking for ?.

As I said in my last message, I would like to solve this problem before it hits me again !.

Thanks for your patience !.

[sea69]

"1) Is there an "easy" way to get "THE" program to "share with me the name of the culprit it has detected" (NB. The corrupted resource)in order to allow me to solve the problem without having to resolve to a System restore (it will bring me to a clean status, I checked) and then paintstakingly searching, but for what ?. I am a layman and have not done it, yet."

>> had you tried system file checker??
start>> programs>> accesories>> system tools>> system information>> tools TAB>> system file checker.

"2) What could a "required resource" be ?. It cannot be one of the many programs and harware that "THE" program is supposed to investigate, right ; but then what ?."

see above>>
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

"3) Would there be a point in taking a "picture"/hard copy of 3.1) the "as is" situation and 3.2) AFTER System Restore, in order to try to identify the differences ? But then, what should be copied ?. Some differences may/shall NOT mean "problems". What should I be looking for ?."

yes take a pic if you like to have for comparison, but after restore the problem should be gone right ??
winME
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif


"As I said in my last message, I would like to solve this problem before it hits me again !."

if you have and install XP you will never miss all the problems you have with winME.


http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

couldn't post for a while here at all.... heh


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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/3.html)


[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 12-28-2001).]

[xvd]

Thanks Sea,
1) NO,I have not tried system file checker. I will do it now;
3) YES, the problem will be gone after system restore, but without having been identified.
My reasoning was that when taking a picture before and after, the problem would be one of the items making the difference between the two. Providing that I would have known how to make a picture, of what, and be able to identify the bad one among the good ones!.
Please consider my problem as solved and thanks again.