Urgent Installation help!!


I need some help badly!

I was trying to sort out installing a codec pack because media player wouldn't play any .wmv files! and the computer broke! Well kind of. At this very moment I'm typing in my fresh reinstallation of AOL 7.0 Broadband and I'm managing with 640x480 with 16 colours, not 16-bit but just 16! I can't change my resolution until I reinstall the graphics card/drivers. My problem IS that after it ''broke'' I was unable to boot up. I received an error message saying an error occurred in EXPLORE.EXE and windows needed reinstalling, I tried this but after 65% of the installation a missing SUWIN caused a General Protection fault in Module VERX.DLL at 0002:24AE and the installation couldn't continue. So let me just refresh you: I couldn't boot up, not even in safe mode, and I couldn't reinstall windows. I successfully created a boot diskette but after reading the help file and trying a few of the applications I still wasn't able to run the installation completely.

At the initial installation screen it asked me if I wanted to use Safe Recovery I didn't choose this as it mentioned that if you decided not to choose it the file copy process would start from the beginning - this is what I thought I wanted to happen - but that didn't work and every try at reinstalling it after that didn't ask me this option again.

So anyway, I had a little idea (and for the moment at least it seems to have worked) I tried an installation into a different directory to the default C:WINDOWS folder. The program did mention that it wouldn't be possible to cut a paste particular .ini files (amongst others) to the new folder and expect the program files to work in the new directory. I don't mind having to reinstall programs (i've got them all on disc or .rar/zipped somewhere).

What I wanted to know is that is it possible, now that windows is operating outside of the old WINDOWS directory, for me to delete the old folder and maybe rename the new one (I realise this bit is optional) so that it takes its place.

This has been the only way for me to get my pc working so keeping the new directory is a must but the old one is now just taking up needless space.

Anyone with ME installation experience please help.


many, many thanx, bravestarr5

Bravestar,

i have had *very* little success in re-installing windows on a sick machine
like this... even putting windows in another folder.
i would recommend booting to dos and copying any documents you need
to keep to floppies...

and the only real fix in my experience is to use fdisk, to make sure
the harddrive is blank and boot from the win98 disc...

though a warning... there is no returning from fdisk... if there is
anything you absolutely need off of the disk and floppies are just
too small you will have to make a backup of your harddrive...
ghost pe 2003 (comes with norton systemworks 2003) supports
writing the backup straight to CD-R discs, this is the easiest way
for individual users...

just go to Pricewatch and do
a software search for systemworks... there were a few for a dollar!

if you have questions about ghost or re-installing windows, i can help!

--rex

I agree that fdisk is the best solution. One tip i've been using for quite some time.
Divide the hard drive into partitions. I use 3
1st part - C/windows ONLY <- i usually limit this to 5 gig
2nd part - D/Program Files <-less clutter on C drive
3rd part - E/ everything else: music,movies,pics,huge games (Enter the Matrix is over 4 gigs)

With this setup you can reformat C and reinstall Windows (not just install over) and still have everything on D&E.
Programs will need to be reinstalled due to registry hooks but all the configurations you've already set will remain because they're saved on D.

And one more tip: Defrag
As soon as Windows is installed,before you add even one program,defrag the C drive.

doh!

raw... i forgot about that... my machine at home is
partitioned like that...
but im at work now and was thinking like my work
machine... i just have seperate drives... heh...

Matrix really is a system hog, is it not??? but i *do* like playing it!

really good point!

--rex