BleepingComputer.com: Insufficient RAM

madinzh - while we are waiting for phawgg's post could you tell us the exact sequence of events during booting your PC to Windows 2000?

We are looking at a fix but need to know the complete error message and any choices or keystrokes you make during booting.

Thanks.

Hi Rimmer
Looks like NTLDR has been found...

For well over a month now, switching on computer generated a "loading "screen with Dell on it , and then an error message:
NTLDR missing
Press any key to continue.
Pressing any key produced only the error message again, and again, and again....
Pressing F2 key should have switched to the start menu but generated only same error message .
Pressing F12 key, whilst Dell was still on screen, switched to the boot menu.
Choosing option, with the down arrow,...boot from Disk C, and enter,...prompted Windows to start up and system ran "normally".

However, in order to check the BIOS, Phwagg suggested pressing DEL during start up .This had the effect of launching Windows instead and the error message no longer appears.

All i have done is to uninstall Photoshop and reformat the Lacie.

Re Icon moving ( or not ) :
Desktop icons just need to be rearranged.
I don't want to want move applications onto the Lacie.
I want to transfer/move/copy 159 files from my D drive onto it.Mainly graphics (2.2MB). Didn't think i had to open each one then save as.


Beginning(?) to feel very incompatible with computers.

Quote

You and me both!
What you must remember is that your computer, driven by windows, is simply failing to make itself accessible to intelligent, creative humans, such as yourself. It is to be pitied and given as much attention as you think worthwhile, but otherwise is not worth a moment of your time.

May we take it now that you can boot "normally", just turn the PC on, no error messages, no F keys?

Quote

Right click on an empty area of the desktop - under "Arrange icons by" do you have 'auto arrange' ticked, if so untick it.

Quote

That should not be a problem. Create a folder for them on the Lacie then use windows explorer to access the files on your D: drive. Highlight the files you want to move. In the left pane of explorer find the Lacie drive and click the '+' sign to view its subfolders. Now drag the files from the right pane to the Lacie folder in the left pane. They should all copy to theLacie drive. If you no longer want them on the D: then delete them. (If you wish to move the files rather than create a copy hold the SHIFT key down before dragging.)

This post has been edited by Rimmer: 16 April 2005 - 09:35 AM

[What you must remember is that your computer, driven by windows, is simply failing to make itself accessible to intelligent, creative humans, such as yourself.]
Well it's very nice of you to write such things, even if you don't really mean them!!!


[May we take it now that you can boot "normally", just turn the PC on, no error messages, no F keys?]
Yep


[Right click on an empty area of the desktop under "Arrange icons by" do you have 'auto arrange' ticked, if so untick it.]
I can get all of my icons to move all of the time by clicking on by Name, by Type, by Size by Date and the auto arrange function in the arrange icon menu...but i can't get any of my icons to move anywhere individually by clicking to highlight and trying to drag ..


[Highlight the files you want to move. ]
No problem


[In the left pane of explorer find the Lacie drive and click the '+' sign to view its subfolders.]
So far so good


[Now drag the files from the right pane to the Lacie folder in the left pane. They should all copy to theLacie drive]
No chance.
They look like they're attached to the cursor, and you can even place them over the appropriate Folder, but nothing really moves. All the time the cursor is a circle with a line through it, which i saw somewhere means function not available.

I mean i shouldn't complain...when i had the active x display warnings ( NOT due to my IE security settings ) just applications would open with a double click, the only thing to respond to a right click was the desktop itself, and folders like My Computer would open through the file menu...but because nothing was displayed in the window, you couldn't see anything to select.....

I think there must be a connection since it all happened about the same time.

Do you think i am in imminent danger of a complete breakdown? As it were.

I don't think you're in imminent danger of computer failure, madinzh.
The danger exists for the problems ... they are in danger of being solved.

Two things come to mind regarding the desktop icon problem(s).
Both are sorta "I wonder ifs" more than "thats probably its".

The desktop program(s) are tied to username, and
one user's desktop will differ from another's.
One user doesn't have all the functionality when viewing
another's. Unless the user is an administrator.

user groups in win2000 article

The same limitation, or lack of it, can apply to desktop functions
due to username privileges. That is how a PC can dis-allow
a user on a public library's PC from removing a program icon or a file.

This question comes to mind,
"Do you experience the same situation when in safe mode?"
because to open in safe mode you would need to be a administrator with
admin privileges by default to do it, making the issue of assigned privileges a moot point.

Quote

Windows 2000 is the precursor to Windows XP,
so the file systems are similar.
I don't have win2000 available to experiment with,
however this is the context
menu for the desktop in winXP:



Is yours the same?
Or is it like (exactly the same) as this?


To be honest with you, I never really fully understood the "active desktop" concept or it's practical execution of functionality ... I went from win98 to winXP personally.

Maybe there exists a change in the context menu presentation
that would give us a clue as to what has changed.

I encountered a problem sorta like yours once.
I loaded a CD I'd made using a different load of the winXP OS,
after I'd wiped a drive clean and re-installed the OS.
Those folders/files wouldn't budge when I wanted to copy them
back to the new drive's OS from the CD.
It was due to an "ownership" of files issue.
I needed to "take ownership" of them before I could work with them.
Why? Because of settings I'd made in each at the time(s), basically.

Another way normal functions can be modified, that I can imagine,
is by the use of "shell extensions" which are attachments to programs.

an article about context menu problems

The article suggests using a small application to view which of the
shell extensions are present on your operating system.
Non-microsoft ones can be disabled one-by-one to see what happens.
It would be something to explore.

Moving right along, from areas I seem to be rather vague about
and am definately failing to come up with any definitive answers in yet ...

... to areas of nearly the same quality of answers in ...

Quote

Yes, it is possible, and about that thought, the following:

Adobe itself has programs of a rather complex nature, made more so by the fact that they have different uses
yet some "connections". I say this because the Adobe Reader program and the Adobe Photoshop programs
differ quite a bit, but both can leave files and/or folders on the PC when uninstalling them.
The effect is not known exactly to me. So, if you had (or have) both, you might want to completely
uninstall ALL Adobe and start fresh with them, Photoshop first, perhaps.

To do this would require first using the Add/Remove programs to uninstall.
Then, check your C:\Program Files for any Adobe folders/files "left-over.
Delete them, if found.

Then, the matter of registry keys with remaining entry modifications comes into the picture.
While I do not recommend searching through your registry manually to find any that might still exist,
several programs are available that specialize in doing that for you.
While some folks are reluctant to have such programs put into action, it has always seemed to me
as a danged if you do, danged if you don't kind of proposition.

So, to hedge my bets, I tend to favor programs that are good at doing that over those that are marginally successful.
I have used this program (among several others):

Reg Supreme

You can try it free, and the price isn't bad if you find you like it.

Basically, by default, it will find old, obsolete entries, broken shortcuts and things of that nature and repair or delete them.
You can preview all before enacting a fix. The program is relatively user friendly.
The help menus are good, and if you simply try a few of the basic registry cleaning procedures I think
you'll gain confidence in it's effectiveness.

At least install it and let us know what you find, if you are concerned about using it.
It really is safe to use.

Because you can reset defaults for the search/scan/repair the potential for harm to your OS does exist,
but just don't reset what it is finding unless you are aware of the consequences.

It also will show you lists of programs installed, those running at the time of it's scan, and any uninstall programs.
The uninstall programs are present with most, if not all, installed programs so when you do choose to
remove them from your PC, they are thorough in doing it. Those are the applications that Add/Remove programs
automatically uses when you request a removal. It is also an indication of the quality of any program, how well it uninstalls
or whether it comes with an uninstallation program attached in the first place.

I mention all of this because you can use those separate tabs (sub-programs of Reg Supreme) to locate the Adobe program(s) folders/files,
either using them in combination or alone.

I'd install Reg Supreme, look it over, read about it and then put some of what I've typed into action.

As with all system modifications, it's good to reboot a time or two after you'd done them.
It need not be done in safe mode, although that never hurts.

System backups with be made, and pay attention to where they by default are placed and/or the procedure to restore
everything to the way it was, if you like. I often do that just to test out what a (any) program will do.

Then, before you reinstall the Adobe programs (and any others you question at this time) be sure to clean out the recycle bin and old temporary files.

From your start button click on Run, the type cleanmgr and folow the prompts and allow the cleanup of your C:\. Also let us know if the system finds and gives you the option of cleaning the Lacie Drive, also.

Then, start-->Run-->type %temp% which will open your system temporay folder. Everything found there can be deleted. If a prompt tells you you can't delete it, go on to the next one, and just leave any that might be in
use by some other program at the time.

Finally, open Internet Explorer and under the Tools" select on the General Tab, to delete temporary Internet Files, including offline content.

So, at last, you know your PC is cleaned out, all unnecessary programs are removed (if only for the time being), their removal was thorough and the registry is also clean of left-over "pointers" to old files/folders that were once on your hard drive.

Keep in mind the day you did that.
That day will be a "special one" in your System Restore.
When considering that program's use in the larger scheme of things,
a restore date to it would always be a good thing to remember can be done.

As always, post any questions.
(I seem to post a mixture of them in with the "answers", don't I?)

Here is what I thought might make the best sense for us in diagnosing your present situation, madinzh
Posting the edited version of the Everest report.
Also, please help us identify the LaCie device exactly, as it would help solve the riddle(s). I think it is not appearing at the website, and probably has a Samsung HD inside of it;
Here is a link to the manufacturer's website--> some LaCie hard drives

Your Dell Optiflex GX-150 (mid-tower chassis)

CPU Type Intel Pentium IIIE
CPU Speed:
CPU Clock 997.71 MHz (original: 1000 MHz)
CPU Multiplier 7.5x
CPU FSB 133.03 MHz (original: 133 MHz)
Memory Bus 133.03 MHz

Physical Memory:
Total 509 MB
Used 279 MB
Free 230 MB
Utilization 55 %

Swap Space:
Total 1246 MB
Used 291 MB
Free 954 MB
Utilization 23 %

Virtual Memory:
Total 1755 MB
Used 571 MB
Free 1184 MB
Utilization 33 %

Storage:
IDE Controller Intel® 82801BA Ultra ATA Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive Maxtor 31024H1 (10 GB, 5400 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Disk Drive SAMSUNG MP0402H USB Device (40 GB, 5400 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive SAMSUNG CD-ROM SC-148C (48x CD-ROM)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 6142 MB (1516 MB free)
D: (FAT) 3380 MB (1668 MB free)
F: (NTFS) 38201 MB (37826 MB free)

[ Drive #1 - Maxtor 31024H1 (9531 MB) ]

Partition Partition Type Drive Start Offset Partition Length
#1 (Active) NTFS C: (System) 0 MB 6142 MB
#2 FAT32/NTFS D: (DATA) 6142 MB 3380 MB

[ Drive #2 - SAMSUNG MP0402H USB Device (37 GB) ]

Partition Partition Type Drive Start Offset Partition Length
#1 NTFS F: (New Volume) 0 MB 38201 MB

Peripherals:
Printer CutePDF Printer
Printer Fax
Printer hp psc 1100 series
USB1 Controller Intel 82801BA(M) ICH2 - USB Controller 1 [B-1]
USB1 Controller Intel 82801BA(M) ICH2 - USB Controller 2 [B-1]
USB Device hp psc 1100 series
USB Device psc 1100 (DOT4USB)
USB Device USB Composite Device
USB Device USB Mass Storage Device
USB Device USB Printing Support

[ Port Connectors / USB1 ]
[ Port Connectors / USB2 ]
[ Port Connectors / USB3 ]
[ Port Connectors / USB4 ]

Desktop Properties:
Device Technology Raster Display
Resolution 1024 x 768
Color Depth 16-bit
Color Planes 1
Font Resolution 96 dpi
Pixel Width / Height 36 / 36
Pixel Diagonal 51
Vertical Refresh Rate 85 Hz

Desktop Effects:
Combo-Box Animation Enabled
Drop Shadow Effect Disabled
Flat Menu Effect Disabled
Font Smoothing Disabled
Full Window Dragging Enabled
Gradient Window Title Bars Enabled
Hide Menu Access Keys Enabled
Hot Tracking Effect Enabled
Icon Title Wrapping Enabled
List-Box Smooth Scrolling Enabled
Menu Animation Enabled
Menu Fade Effect Enabled
Minimize/Restore Animation Enabled
Mouse Cursor Shadow Enabled
Selection Fade Effect Enabled
ShowSounds Accessibility Feature Disabled
ToolTip Animation Enabled
ToolTip Fade Effect Enabled
Windows Plus! Extension Disabled

Problems & Suggestions:
Problem Some applications may run better in 32-bit color mode.

[ Floppy disk drive ]

Device Properties:
Driver Description Floppy disk drive
Driver Date 11/14/1999
Driver Version 5.0.2183.1
Driver Provider Microsoft
INF File flpydisk.inf

[ Maxtor 31024H1 ]

Device Properties:
Driver Description Maxtor 31024H1
Driver Date 11/14/1999
Driver Version 5.0.2183.1
Driver Provider Microsoft
INF File disk.inf

Disk Device Physical Info:
Manufacturer Maxtor
Hard Disk Family DiamondMax VL 40
Form Factor 3.5"
Formatted Capacity 10245 million bytes
Disks 1
Recording Surfaces 1
Physical Dimensions 147 x 101.6 x 26.1 mm
Max. Weight 590 g
Average Rotational Latency 5.55 ms
Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
Max. Internal Data Rate 373.6 Mbit/s
Average Seek 9.5 ms
Track-To-Track Seek 1 ms
Full Seek 20 ms
Interface Ultra-ATA/100
Buffer-to-Host Data Rate 100 MB/s
Buffer Size 2 MB
Spin-Up Time 8.5 sec

Device Manufacturer:
Company Name Maxtor Corporation
Product Information http://www.maxtor.com/en/products/

[ SAMSUNG MP0402H USB Device ]

Device Properties:
Driver Description SAMSUNG MP0402H USB Device
Driver Date 11/14/1999
Driver Version 5.0.2183.1
Driver Provider Microsoft
INF File disk.inf

Disk Device Physical Info:
Manufacturer Samsung
Hard Disk Family SpinPoint M40
Form Factor 2.5"
Formatted Capacity 40 GB
Disks 1
Recording Surfaces 2
Physical Dimensions 100.1 x 69.85 x 9.4 mm
Max. Weight 99 g
Average Rotational Latency 5.6 ms
Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
Max. Internal Data Rate 431 Mbit/s
Average Seek 12 ms
Track-To-Track Seek 2 ms
Full Seek 22 ms
Interface Ultra-ATA/100
Buffer-to-Host Data Rate 100 MB/s
Buffer Size 8 MB
Spin-Up Time 4 sec

Device Manufacturer:
Company Name Samsung
Product Information http://www.samsung.com/Products/HardDiskDrive/index.htm
[note:, I think its likely the one indicated is available to use by other manufacturers to use in their products, too. Perhaps in the owner's guide that came with it?]

[ SAMSUNG CD-ROM SC-148C ]

Device Properties:
Driver Description SAMSUNG CD-ROM SC-148C
Driver Date 11/14/1999
Driver Version 5.0.2183.1
Driver Provider Microsoft
INF File cdrom.inf

Optical Drive Properties:
Manufacturer Samsung
Device Type CD-ROM
Speed 48x

Device Manufacturer:
Company Name Samsung
Product Information whoops, wrong day error [note: they're rebuilding the site at this time, or was when I viewed it]

Printers

[ CutePDF Printer (Default) ]

Printer Properties:
Printer Name CutePDF Printer
Default Printer Yes
Share Point Not shared
Printer Port CUTEPT1:

[ Fax ]

Printer Properties:
Printer Name Fax
Default Printer No
Share Point Not shared
Printer Port MSFAX:


[ hp psc 1100 series ]

Printer Properties:
Printer Name hp psc 1100 series
Default Printer No
Share Point Not shared
Printer Port USB001

Product Information which exact one? [note, click them, and view the menu on the left for more options]

Thats what we are working with.
More or less.
(further details are available from the full report should anyone require them)

The multi-peripheral & it's software might be exercising some odd variables as it is presently installed.

Five USB devices are shown, four USB ports available, the HP shows two printers not one, and the fax and that confuses me. Might be why

Quote

This post has been edited by phawgg: 16 April 2005 - 04:53 PM

Nearly had heart failure when i saw the last two mails!!!

Here goes:
User info, am logged on as administrator anyway, so starting in safe mode should be ok , but haven't tried it yet since my booting issues were resolved.
Nobody else uses my system (?) , and i have not conciously changed any of my desktop settings. Every time i switch on though, i have to restore my active desktop..ie icons always appear on white screen and i have to reselect the background.
Desktop icon arranging info for Windows 2ooo hopefully follows
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/madin...creenshot17.jpg

will check out context menu problems later.

Adobe Reader program and the Adobe Photoshop programs
[So, if you had (or have) both, you might want to completely
uninstall ALL Adobe and start fresh with them, Photoshop first, perhaps.]

I have already uninstalled Photoshop, but still have:
Acrobat Reader 6.0.2 Update
Acrobat Reader 6.0.3 Update
Atmosphere Player for Acrobat and Adobe Reader
Illustrator 10
photoshop Album 2.0 Starter Edition
Reader 6.0.1
SVG Viewer 3
You want me to uninstall all of these?

Reg Supreme
[At least install it and let us know what you find, if you are concerned about using it.]

410 invalid items. 1 of which applies to Adobe ...Reader 5..does not exist . Do i delete this then?
What do i do with the other 409?
The disclaimer that using the registry cleaner might cause me to have to reinstall my operating system made me somewhat hesitant to use this.

Ran cleanmgr. Took an eternity to let me know C was clean already. D and Lacie clean also.
Temporary folders gone, apart from ZLT0754a, still in use.
Temporary internet now gone.

LACIE...Is reformatted and functioning.
Clicking icon on bar at bottom of screen yields Samsung MP0402H USB Device. No mention of Samsung in accompanying literature.

Don't seem to have an option for 32 bit colour mode, but changed it from 16 to 24 bit.
( othwerwise i can choose 256 colours)

hp psc 1100 series .... 1110 All in one. Did have a canon printer before this, but needed to replace printer head. Cheaper to buy new device, and colleague had just got this one....Not good decision. Has never printed well for me and conflicts with my canon flat bed scanner which is presently uninstalled..TWAIN issue i think.
The cute pdf printer is just a programme.

Not sure about the Fax. Have never tried to use it. Think it is also just a programme, do not have a device.

USB ports...At back: 2 , one used by Lacie. Also one larger one for the cable service provider.
At front: 2 , one used by HP 1110 printer.

Will start in safe mode and look more closely at Reg Supreme tomorrow.

Thanks again for your perseverance.

M

Madeline, I'm sorry I have taken so long to reply.

Good Job of dealing with all the questions, thank you.

The Reg Supreme has likely found those 409 problems,
each of which involves old obsolete entries, broken shortcuts, registry keys pointing to
files no longer there since uninstalls, etc. That number of them is not unusual.
Your registry has well over 100,000 entries, no doubt. I tend to trust that particular program when it comes to effective, but not over-zealous, repairs to the registry.
I think you'd be safe to remove all, since you have not changed the default search parameters to be finding registry entries that are marginally safe to remove and/or repair.

I generally read the entry descriptions by scanning the list as I scroll down it, making sure I am viewing the column to the far right, even if I must resize the other columns to do it. The columns are KEY... ENTRY ...PROBLEMS and you can resize each by click/drag at the edge of each column. Or, it's even easier to highlight a line, and the contents are displayed in the tan area just above the results window.

Using the "aggressive" instead of "normal" scan, I get 69 entries myself after just a week or so since running it last.

I generally experience a slightly faster performance after these "cleanings" of the registry. The nature of the registry being what it is, it should come as no surprise that it is not always in perfect shape, after a while simply using the PC. Thats why I do it,
and it would be much slower to inspect and manually adjust things. I feel safer
using it than hazarding a dull & repetitious job doing it manually, one I'd likely fail at
full success do to that if nothing else.

About the desktop.
You have a lot of shortcut icons.

Each and everyone of them should appear in your start menu.
Considering the number of them, and the fact that some remain after uninstallation,
(the photoshop is still there) leads me to the conclusion that the white background
is the Operating System's way of dealing with the large number of them.
At boot, it will load the desktop, which means all the little details of it.
It may experience difficulty in making all the necessary "connections" due to
prior inconsistencies, so it does what it can. You then add the background that it "forgot".

I tend to keep my icons to a bare minimum.
So I can advise using the start menu for selection of programs to start.
I'd click each of them and drag them to the recycle bin, and OK the decision to do it when/if a message box presents itself asking me if I really want to do it.
Removal of shortcuts does not effect the performance of any program in any way, you simply choose it from the start menu to open it.

Regarding the start menu.
Click and drag any entry in it, and you should see a black bar behind the "ghost image" of the words as you move it up or down the column(s).
The black bar will indicate where the new location of that particular entry will
be when you release the mouse button.
In this manner you may re-organize the start menu to suit your ease of operation.
I'd place all the Microsoft Office programs together, for instance.
Perhaps all anti-spyware programs together. You may also use the context menu to
"pin to start menu", so the item is always there, regardless of any MRU (most recently used) modifications (deletions). I may be wrong about these features being available in win2000, but suggest you experiment a bit.

Since desktop icons and their movement has been a question/problem from the start
of your posts, I thought it should be mentioned. Your individual method of organizing
your PC to suit your needs is entirely up to you, and I don't mean to impose my ideas on you.

About Adobe. All of the programs you now have installed can be uninstalled, and
in doing so, you can be more certain that the installation(s) are done correctly given the present state of the software on your PC. It is kind of "standard operating procedure" when troubleshooting and/or optimizing performance.

Those that install from CDs are one thing.
Those that install from online downloads are another.

Basically, when downloading programs online, I suggest you place them in a folder
for "downloads" so you may have the option of doing re-installs without needing
to re-download them. The Adobe Reader 6.0.3, for instance is the newest, and freshly downoloading it after uninstalling the present one(s) will give you just
the 6.0.3 version, and no v6.0.2. A slight gain in reduction of "clutter" in your Program Files folder (where they install to using the installation wizard).
With that example, you can see thatafter a while, your downloads folder might need to have old outdated installation (executable) files deleted, also. When a new release is made available, and after you are certain the newer version performs better, for instance.


The change from 16-24 bit color is good, and you are right, perhaps 32-bit is unavailable considering the video hardware of your "coppermine" pentium III motherboard.

HP Printer. I have a 1315 just bought, in fact I haven't installed it on Mom's win98
(the reason I bought it, not all multi-periperhals can operate properly without winXP or win2000)

Here again, a standard procedure you've done already is uninstalling the software for it, and re-installing. With the variety of circumstance surround the isue, that isn't bad to do, although it can wear on your patience if the same problems persist.

At least you could capture screenshots of the exact error messages when and if you encounter them.

Same goes for the flat bed CANON. I suspect that a driver issue is at fault, and could be remedied by downloading the right software from the website of the manufacturer. We can help with that also, given the facts involved, best viewed as you see them, displayed on your desktop as an error message.

BTW, the photobucket screenshot was done well in your last post, a picture is worth a thousand words, they say. I realize my long posts of a thousand words can cause alarm, too.

So, in closing, I'll look into the HP 1315 (which is remarkably similar to the 1100 series in appearance, at least) and wish you well in your further experiments, and please keep up the good work, and posts will be replied to.

Hi phawgg
Thank you for your post.
I was looking at ShellExView, (mentioned in context menu info you told me to look at) when i noticed it, so have put extension tinkering on hold whilst i reply.
Re RegSupreme, clicked fix, 12 issues were repaired(?) and the rest deleted.
Re desktop, screen shot prompted me to wonder about numbers of icons ..so have started right clicking and deleting since can't drag and drop into recycle bin.
Still can't drag and drop within Windows explorer either.
Can drag and drop within start menu.
Have created download folder for future use. will be using it in a minute when i restart and then download Adobe Reader 6.0.3
Back to ShellExView quickly, all icon and drag and drop handler entries created about the time my problems started, seem to be by Microsoft. Do you think update downloads could be a factor?
Moving swiftly on.
Perhaps it's just time to buy a brand new machine and start corrupting that one!
M
Notice there isn't en emoticon for throwing in the towel.

You're learning so much with this one, you will really know what to do with a new one, but why bother with a new version of windows?
win2000 can be so much fun.


From your PM, this struck me as a very good research result, madinzh
GOOD JOB!

Quote

yes, possibly

Your progress has been swift, and your learning pace is demonstrated
as appropriate in these matters.

Quote

hahaha, well ... with what you are learning, you'd fly with a new PC, but ...
In fact, perhaps a re-format & reloading the win2000 might well be within feasibility to best resolve all problems, but first let's\make sure you can save data to your external drive and continue to tinker with the present installation of the win2000. Towards that end, I post it and perhaps a better answer can be found from someone who is a MVP in this ...

Quote

Can you copy a folder or file from somewhere on your computer onto your desktop ? Let me know if thats works. Dont drag it into lacie...i just want to see if you can copy the files directly onto the desktop.

Thank you for your attention to this, Grinler
In windows explorer, right pane,
can select a file and " send to" Desktop with the file menu ( thus creating a short cut, but not really moving it perhaps)
strangely, can not " send to" My Documents, since " the target can not handle this type of document" regardless of type of file i try to send.
"Copy to folder", and "Move to folder" prompt no further options.
Can also select , then copy and paste into an open word document

Once file is opened, can "save as" and then "save in" Desktop.
Can still select , then copy and paste into an open Word document

Hope this is what you meant.
Madinzh
I couldn't drag into Lacie , even if i wanted to.
Dragging and dropping in Windows explorer looks like it's working .. icons selected and pale version moves with cursor ( circle with bar through it) but won't detach and stay.
D&D on desktop , only selects icon, cursor ( circle with bar) moves alone .
D&D only works for me in Start menu.

So you are saying you can take a file for example in the c:\ folder and then drag and drop it to the desktop, and it works? You can copy, drag, and drop, etc through the rest of your computer?

If that is the case, something tells me that your usb drive is mounted in read only mode for some reason which is stopping you from being able to copy files to it. What is the drive letter of the external drive?

No.
The only dragging and dropping i can do is within the start menu, ie i can move Spybot for instance, and put it under Microsoft Office. Will not go out onto the desktop.

When i go into My Computer, and then C:\drive, i can select a file, but it goes nowhere.
Only the bar and circle cursor will move. Can not rearrange within the window, or drag onto desktop.

Same in Windows Explorer.

When i try to drag a selected file onto the desktop, only the cursor moves as a circle with a bar through it.
If i try to drag the selected file into the left pane of explorer, a faint icon appears which can be moved up and down the directory, but then disappears when i release the mouse button.

I haven't tried to copy any files into the external hard drive yet.It is installed and formatted but has only been used to do a system backup, via Accessories and system tools.
The drive letter is F.

Backing up for a moment, to the ShellExView used to view shell extensions.
I chose the self-installer download and it was quickly installed to the programs files folder. Opened it from the start menu. About one second later I see all of them on the PC, non-microsoft ones highlighted in pink.
13 of those and 193 microsoft ones make up the total.

I don't pretend to know what each is doing, but they do seem to apply to context menu options involving everything I'd do within all the programs.
So, I checked to see if they were all enabled. They were, are yours?

The columns of information presented are:

Extension name
Disabled (yes) (no)
Type
Description
Version
Product name
Company
My Computer (yes) (no)
Desktop (yes) (no)
Control Panel (yes) (no)
Filename
CLSID
File created (time stamp)
CLSID modified (timestamp)
Microsoft (yes) (no)
File extensions

Since it is easier to identify non-microsoft ones, being releatively few, on my PC they are:
(name) (type) (description)

Spybot ... BHO (Browser Helper Object) ... bad download blocker
AcroIEHlpr Obj Class ... BHO ... Acrobat IE Helper v6.0 for ActiveX
Bit Defender Anti-virus v7 ... Context Menu ... Bit Defender Shell Extension
CShellExecuteHookImpl Object ... ShellExecute Hook ... Ewido Security Suite
dBpShell Class ... Column Handler ... dBPower Amp
Desktop Explorer ... Shell Folder ... nVidia v41.04 (video card related)
Desktop Explore Menu ... 'system" ... nVidia v41.04 (video card related)
digestIT ShellClass ... Context Menu ... digestIT Shell Extension Module (for verifying downloaded file integrity)
Display Panning CPL Extension ... "system" ... nVidia v41.04 (video card related)
dMCIShell Class ... Context Menu ... dBPower Amp
iTunes ... "system" ... iTunes Mini Player DLL
IZArc DragDropMenu ... Drag & Drop Handler ... IZArc (a file compression program)
IZArc Shell Context Menu ... Context Menu ... IZArc (a file compression program)
OpenOffice Property Sheet Handler ... "system" ... OpenOffice (docoments program)

It would seem all other Shell Extensions used are authored by Microsoft, including those used by the
multi-peripheral for printing, scanning, fax functions.

While it doesn't appear to indicate, using this little application, if they all are functioning properly if enabled,
it is something to consider. Within the dozen other columns of data per item, some information
can be derived from further inspection, perhaps.

the third button from the left, second row at the top will save a log file to notepad of your results, madinzh
I'd be interested in seeing it, I could at least compare it to the winXP log I have, perhaps get a clue or two ...

You are still experiencing unusual problems, those involving the USB hard drive, your Canon scanner, the HP multi-peripheral,
the context menu functions and the file/folder handling characteristics normally available in win2000.

If I were having the same difficulties, I'd reload the operating system after saving my data, frankly.
Start fresh. I think your PC is fully capable of satisfactory performance from a hardware standpoint.
I'd add an inexpensive CD-RW, but nothing else ... perhaps upgrade to winXP, and expect good results
using the Photoshop and every other program you have, personally.

I'd explore a few more options, first, though.
I'd want my files safe.

We'll continue to help.
Count on it.