re: Can't boot to desktop
Sunday, January 9, 2005 at 4:26 am
Windows Me Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Jack Gulley
(5917 messages posted)
"Program Manager"?
Someone has modified the WIN.ini file to start up the Widows 3.1 Program Manager
in order to do basic error recovery? Sounds bad. Without a Startup Diskette or bootable
CD, you really have a problem. The uneraser program has not told you much useful.
You can use Program Manager to edit the WIN.ini file to get rid of Program Manager
(Progman.exe), but then you might not be able to boot the system at all.
First suggestion is to see if you can find a Windows ME system to make a Windows
ME startup diskette on it. Go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Startup Disk
tab. (Never use Windows 98/ME without one somewhere.)
Next on the system, use Program manager to get into EDIT or Notepad or a boot
diskette to get into DOS EDIT and look at the C:\Windows\SYSTEM.DAT file and do a
find on "ProductKey". Following it will the the 25 character product key code for
your copy of Windows ME. You will need this code if you do not have it. Write it
down carefully. zero and "O" look a lot alike. Also check the back of the system
for a Windows sticker with this code on it, there should be one somewhere.
At this point, unless you have someone with a lot of experience at doing this
type of recovery, your only choice is to try a reinstall of Windows ME over the top
of itself and hope that it clears up enough problems that you can boot the system
into Safe Mode.
It would be best if you could start the reinstall after booting from a Startup
diskette, but Program Manager might just work OK.
Go to the C:\Windows\Options\Install folder and locate the SETUP.EXE file.
If not there, check in the C:\Windows\Options\CABS folder. (Don't look in any other
folders for it as it will not be the one you are looking for.) If you can start this
SETUP program, you should be able to reload Windows ME over the top of itself. It
will ask you for the "ProductKey" code information. This may also be on a sticker
on the back of the system, so look there also.
When it asks you what folder to install to, make sure you indicate C:\Windows
and not default to C:\Windows.000. This should install Windows ME and any of its
programs that are missing or corrupted, and get the system booting.
It will not remove any of your programs and data. Nor will it remove any virus
or Spyware/Adware, so you will still have to deal with these. It will also clear
any of the Widows Updates and set IE back to v5.5, so you will have to download and
install all of them again. You will need to do a REPAIR of IE. (see:  page before doing the Windows Updates.
The only thing I don't know about, is if it will remove the change to WIN.INI
that is starting Program Manager. Usually this is done with a RUN=progman.exe
statement in the WIN.ini file. (Just remove it and save. Make sure there is still
a RUN= statement there.) If you can make a Windows ME startup diskette, then
you might be able to use it to remove this first and see how for you can get booting
the system as it is. Then use the startup diskette to run the SETUP.exe program.
- Written in response to:
- Can't boot to desktop (Luthien: Saturday, January 8, 2005 at 3:45 pm)
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