Need help crashing a computer

pigpen

pigpen

Tugging my johnson while
To make a long story short, I want get my old computer running for my kids. I'm pretty computer illiterate. It came with windows ME and I took it to work and let the computer guys there put windows 2000 on it. After a while it started to work very badly. Now I want to put the windows ME back on it but when I put the recovery disk in the screen turns red and says contact compaq tech support. I just was wondering if I can dump everything windows 2000 and then reload the recovery disk?
I'd like to fix it not the same way I fixed the VCR!
 
yeah, ummm...dat ain't gonna work. :)
When they loaded 2000, if they a particulate of grey matter, they got rid of ME entirely (ickypoosoftware). This is why your ME recovery disk is confused...you cannot recover what isn't there.
How old is the processor? That could possibly be why the 2000 is crashing, but chances are better there is another problem.
 
I bought it new in 1999. I thought the windows stuff is what came on the CD that you put in when you get the computer? Remember, i'm a dummy with this stuff.
 
You're better off(?) with 2000. Are they 'net connected? Done a spyware/virus scan lately? Kids click everywhere.
 
A recovery disk ought to contain the complete operating system plus whatever 3rd party software came loaded on it. If I had to guess, I'd say the recovery program is balking because it's finding the boot loader for the win 2k installation, and is erroneously thinking someone is trying to use the recovery disk on a different machine than the one it came with. See if there's an option to reformat the hard drive when you try the recovery disk. If so, reformat and then try installing win ME again. If there is no option to reformat the disk, then the first thing I would try if I were you is to take the hard drive out of the machine and have someone vaguely computer literate put it in their machine as a slave drive. Once they do that, they ought to be able to format the drive. If so, then putting the drive back in your machine should allow you to use the recovery disk.


Or, realizing that ME is junk, you could reinstall win 2000 (preferred) or even win XP. I'm guessing the 2000 install got viruses and/or spyware, both of which can slow it to a crawl and cause all sorts of interesting and varied crashes, with or without error messages. Whatever you end up doing, put some good (NOT norton or mcafee) virus protection on there. If you need more advice on what to use, ask in this thread and some of use will no doubt have some suggestions.
 
68R/T said:
AVG...http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=886....free download, won't fugg with windows and it works good.;)
Click to expand...

Agreed.



One of the tricks with Compaq computers and recovery discs is that they used to put all of the files needed for the system on a hidden partition.
If you ever remember adding new hardware to the machine and not having to dig out the Windows CD to finish the installation, then that's what you've got.

If that's the case, the win2k install messed up that partition and the recovery disc is balking at not being able to find it now.

I'm with the re-format and start clean process that v8 outlined.
You should be able to boot from the CD and re-formatting should be one of the options presented when selecting the partition on which to install..

I'd avoid WinME though. I admit that I never had any specific issues with it when I had it, but, boy did my computer ever wake up when I got rid of it.

A clean install of Win2K might avoid the same problem you ran into, but get AVG on there ASAP and keep Win2K up to date with all the latest bugs from Misrosoft - I mean patches from Microsoft. ;)
 
If you do go with XP and use a cracked version, don't register it. Go here for updates. But you didn't hear that from me. :shifty:
 
O.K. Thanks for all the help, I got it working with windows 2000. Next problem is:

When I first start the computer I have a black screen that says
"Do you wish to start up using windows 2000
or
Do you wish to start up using windows 2000"

Is that a partition? if so I get rid of one of the windows2000's?

If you can explain it in laymans terms because I know jack crap about computers. I didn't even make the cut on the computer special olympics.
Thanks




PP
 
Did you install it on two different partitions>? It is assuming you did....
 
Well, that could be two installations in two different folders.
It could be on two partitions too.

It doesn't really matter at this point.

You've got two entries in your boot.ini file. Likely, you have two sets of windows 2000 files.

The quick and dirty way to fix is to look into your boot.ini file and see what's there. You should see two entries called Windows 2000 but each referencing two different folders - C:\Windows and C:\WIN2K for example
You need to read up on editing boot.ini files and clear on of those entries out. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311578
Then delete the folder that it refers to.
 
dustergal said:
thanks guys...we've finally got it all figured out. Now to go upload more porn!!
Click to expand...
Hmm, do we really want to see that???:shifty:
 
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