[Tony1966]

This just gets worse and worse - In SAFE mode it won't let me go back to a restore date and time beyond 10.14am this morning - which is probably about the time I did the Windows update -

Oh God !!!!!! next idea ?

[Blue Zee]

Originally Posted by Tony1966

... won't let me go back to a restore date and time beyond 10.14am this morning - which is probably about the time I did the Windows update -...

If that is true use it, hopefully it was created just before the updates.

Go for it, there is very little to lose at this point, and it may be the safe point you needed.

Zee

[Tony1966]

OK - managed to access this in live and currently running - when I got the new laptop last week I went through the process of burning all my important files from desktop before networking so worst case scenario here is a full reinstall of ME - report to follow

[Blue Zee]

Waiting for that report.

Read your post "Yea Thanks Microsoft" at the windowsme.setup NG...

Curious on this: did you reboot the system when you were asked to or did you try to install everything in one go?

Zee

[Tony1966]

B******

It's after Windows Update - call me picky but the thought of creating a restore point before taking something from Microsofts own system never crossed my mind and I've just checked - I have no previous restore points - jeeeeeeeeeez I guess we're onto an OS reinstall as the system is as bad as already described.

I have a recovery disk - I've looked at the ME reinstall thread at the top of the page and I'm slightlly confused as to the exact link I should be using for instructions on a full reinstall (including pre-install preparations and recommendations) any thoughts ?

[Tony1966]

I might try the register merge thing again first just to see how we get on

[Tony1966]

Will be an hour or so before I report back - wife complaining about food - off to take away shortly

[Blue Zee]

Did you reboot when asked to during the updates?

So you have a Recovery CD not a Windows ME CD, correct?

And that Recovery CD is specific to that system, right?

If the above is true you will lose everything in that PC as it will be restored to factory settings.

Just place the Recovery CD in the drive and restart the PC.

It should load to the recovery menu that varies according to supplier/manufacturer but should be self explanatory.

If it doesn't boot from the CD, press DEL at startup to enter Bios setup.

Make sure the boot order is CD-ROM first.

Zee

[Blue Zee]

Originally Posted by Tony1966

Will be an hour or so before I report back - wife complaining about food - off to take away shortly

Bon appétit!

Enjoy your meal and meanwhile forget WinME and MS.

Zee

[Blue Zee]

And one other thing to try from the initial link I posted:

"Sometimes the LNK association will come back when you fix the EXE association but sometimes it does not. If not, open the folder options as before: Open the File Types dialog from any Explorer window -- use My Documents or My Computer (Tools | Folder Options | File Types Tab). Scroll down to where .LNK would be in the alphabetical order and see if it's there (it should not be). As above, make a new association, name it LNK and in the association box select Shortcut. That should fix the LNK association."


You will probably need to try this in Safe Mode too.

Zee

[Tony1966]

Well thats interesting - if I access Folder options in Safe Mode I can add EXE and LNK and associate them as per suggestion but I can't see a restore button, the Apply button is greyed out so if I exit and go back in the changes I have added aren't saved - any bright ideas ?

[Blue Zee]

You didn't answer one question, it's just me trying to understand why this happened: did you reboot when you were asked to during the updates, or just went for them all in one go, and reboot in the end?

I see you are being helped by Mike Maltby at that windowsme.setup NG.

If someone knows WinME inside out and vice-versa you found him.

My next step would be the restore disk, but before that follow-up the NG dialog with Mike.

I'll be reading hidden on the background shadows...


Zee

[Tony1966]

Oh dear - I have mistakenly associated EXE with the wrong thing - ie. in File Types having created the EXE and associated it with application I've clicked the open with button in error (meant to escape) and changed it to something else.

Trouble is I can't open any apps on the machine at all now. as i've changed all the exe associations - so running any command with EXE isn't going to work. What a freaking disaster this is turning into

[Tony1966]

Thanks - I've seen your post in there too - that was borne out of pure frustration but if I've found someone as good as and as patient as you then I'm delighted

[Tony1966]

Would this be any good ? and if so how would I get it to work in the absence of a working browser ?

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm