System Starting in "Boot Screen" & Other Various Problems
Shani S.
Two days ago, my computer began starting up in "boot mode" and of course,
it's driving me crazy.
I run daily AdAware, Spybot Search & Destroy, as well as X-Cleaner for
malaware and spyware; obvioualy, all these precautions don't always keep us
safe.
I've tried the following actions and made the following determinations thus
far:
1. I did a "System Restore," which did not fix the problem.
2. I tried checking my "Startup" list for suspicious items but pretty
certain there are none.
3. I discovered that I am UNABLE to run "ScanDisk;" even though, I SHUTDOWN
Zone Alarm and DISABLE Norton prior to Scanning. Nevertheless, I continue to
receive the error message: "Scan disk has attempted to run 10 times and
cannot......." yada, yada, yada! I also noticed while the ScanDisk is
running, the icons on my Taskbar keep REFRESHING, which I know should not be
happening.
4. I did a Registry Check, which found no errors.
5. Oh, I am also having some problems with IE. From time to time the page(s)
act funky like going forward by themself and the other day the Address Bar
would not let me type a URL address. It just kept flashing dots across the
bar with the word "search displayed.
Basically, I'm at a loss for diagnosing and fixing this problem. Is it a
System Utilty problem? Is it a Virus? What is it?
PLEASE HELP! :(
Mike M
Enough said and therein lies the most likely cause of most if not all of
your problems. Norton, any version, simply isn't compatible with Win Me
and causes 20 times as many problems as any benefits or protection it
might claim to offer. As long as you have Norton installed it is unlikely
that anyone will be able to really help.
--
Mike Maltby
mike....@gmail.com
Mart
OK, one thing at a time! Before you worry too much about scandisk and other
IE problems :-
> Two days ago, my computer began starting up in "boot mode"
Do you mean Safe Mode?
(i.e. the screen is the wrong resolution and colours aren't quite right?)
If so, are you SURE that it is in Safe Mode?
(i.e. the words 'Safe Mode' are displayed in each corner of the screen?)
Just to confirm, try booting into Safe Mode the correct way :-
Boot into Safe Mode by holding down or 'stabbing at' the Ctrl or the F8 keys
as the PC is powering-up. This will give you a Menu option to select Safe
Mode. (You could also try holding the Shift key - as above - which should
take you directly to Safe Mode without the menu.
Come back with the results.
Mart
"Shani S." <Sha...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5A480E54-5F2A-4658...@microsoft.com...
Shani S.
Before I answer your question, first let me say that I cannot read Mike's
post. Only a portion of it is being displayed, unless it's my screen. In
fact, this is what I see posted from Mike:
"and DISABLE Norton
Enough said and therein lies the most likely cause of most if not all of
your problems. Norton, any version, simply isn't compatible with Win Me
and causes 20 times as many problems as any benefits or protection it
might claim to offer. As long as you have Norton installed it is unlikely
that anyone will be able to really help."
--
Mike Maltby
mike....@gmail.com
Okay, so as you can see, I have no idea what Mike advised me to do; however,
I am able to read your post entirely. :) Therefore, the answer to your
question is my computer is NOT starting in "safe mode." It is starting up to
the screen where the user can change the system configurations.
For Example: "1st Boot Device," "2nd Boot Device," etc.
The screen where I can set a "system password" or "user password." The
screen where the user can make "primary & secondary master and slave
configuration" changes.
Now that I'm fairly certain you know what I'm talking about, would you be
kind enough to post for me Mike's original message, as well as any additional
advice you may have since this problem still persists! :)
Thanks for your help,
Shani
Mart
You did in fact see ALL of Mike's post - I won't explain here <g> except to
say that he (and many others on the WinMe News Groups) *regularly* advise
users to disable (or better yet, completely uninstall) Norton products from
their WinMe systems. It can - and often does - cause far more problems than
it allegedly fixes.
OK, back to your issues - from your description, you *appear* to be booting
directly into your BIOS setup page(s).
If it really is your BIOS (or CMOS) setup page(s) then I'm not sure why this
is suddenly happening unless you have a sticking key (usually but not always
the Del key) or perhaps your CMOS battery is dying and needs replacing.
My *guess* is that more likely you have a "GoBack" type of utility which
appears to be offering you the BIOS setting options as you boot your PC. I
don't use these type of utilities myself as they are NOT part of WinMe, nor
can I suggest any further advice except that you look at your User Manual
to see if that sort of utility is included with your particular PC. For all
I know, it might be caused by one of the Norton 'features' included in your
setup.
Maybe someone else recognises these symptoms and can offer further help.
Just a thought, what happens if you boot your PC using the WinMe Startup
(floppy) Disk?
Do you still get the "1st Boot Device," "2nd Boot Device," etc. pages
showing on your screen?
Mart
"Shani S." <Sha...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B29AC66B-7415-4B99...@microsoft.com...
Heather
up WinME computers.....his comments are perfectly clear to any of us
with WinME computers.
So in other words.....Remove Norton!! Get a better antivirus and there
are some free ones such as AVG, etc.
Now Mart can take over.....Heather
"Shani S." <Sha...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B29AC66B-7415-4B99...@microsoft.com...
Mike M
Perhaps you should explain what you do not understand about the statement
"Norton, any version, simply isn't compatible with Win Me"?
However your subsequent post tells us that your problem has little or
nothing to do with Norton and even less to do with Win Me as you appear to
be booting to the bios setup screen for your PC rather than to an
operating system for which Mart has made some suggestions. Can you
confirm that you are pressing no keys when booting your system, for
example the DEL key which is often the key used to enter the bios setup
although other key combinations exist? The system first reads the bios
before attempting to load an operating system and it appears you are not
even getting that far.
What do you have set as First and Second boot device? With First set as
your floppy drive are you able to boot to DOS using a Win Me startup
floppy?
--
Mike Maltby
mike....@gmail.com
Mart
> Now Mart can take over.....Heather
Err.. thanks Heather <bg>
But seriously (What? You were being serious, Heather? <g>) I think Mike (and
I) *may* have hit a possible cause (e.g. sticking key etc.) in appearing to
identify the BIOS screen as Shani's "Boot Screen"
We await Shani's response - and Snani, do please note Mike's point about
setting the Floppy Drive as the First boot device, otherwise you won't be
able to read the WinMe Startup Disk at boot-up.
Mart
"Heather" <fi...@nospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:eENE4NMj...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
Shani S.
Okay, where do I begin? :) I guess I'll start with the following:
Mike, I did not realize that your advice was simpy to "disable Norton." Your
post appeared to me as though part of the 1st sentence was missing. Also,
since I am not a frequent visitor here, I am unfamiliar with the "tech talk"
used; therefore, I apologize to all for any misunderstandings.
Nevertheless, you and Mart are both correct. My computer is indeed booting
to the "bios setup screen." When I start the computer, the first thing I see
is "User Password." I simply hit "enter" because I do not have a PC password
setup since it's not a necessity. Thereafter, the full "setup screen"
appears, so I simply hit "ctrl, alt, delete" to reboot the computer.
Sometimes after pressing "ctrl, alt, delete" the computer restart in
"Windows Mode" and sometimes it does not. If after hitting "ctrl, alt,
delete" several times my computer does not reboot to "windows," I then do a
"manual reboot," which almost always takes me into the regular "windows
startup."
Nevertheless, I am very interested in what you guys said about "sticking
keys" because I recently spilled iced coffee on my wireless keyboard and
there are keys sticking. However, the keys that are sticking are the side
panel number buttons.
Oh my goooooooooood, I just noticed the side right panel "Zero and Period"
keys are stuck in the "down" position. Oh geeeeeeeeeeeeeze, I'm almost
ashamed to say that I think you guys may have solved my problem. Oh lord, let
me unstick these keys and reboot to see what happens.
<Shani walking away with tail between her legs and head hanging to the
floor> :)
I will report back after rebooting!
Thanks
Shani S.
and has been for over a year now. It's a hardware problem. I bought a new
floppy drive last year but cannot get it to fit in the slot because I bent
the metal taking the old one out. (Okay, stop laughing at me, I'm a
SHE...LOL:)
Shani S.
rebooted THREE times consecutively. All three times the computer properly
booted to *WINDOWS*--- YIPPY! :o)
I hope this problem has been resolved, but rest assured that I'll be back if
it reoccurs. <I'm sure you're all blowing your party horns> heheheee :o)
Although, I still do not understand why my *scan disk* was not running
properly since I NEVER had that problem before. I've had Norton installed for
a long time and luckily, it has never caused me any problems. Over the years,
I've had a million other problems with *ME,* but none of them had anything to
do with Norton.......Hummmmmm. I guess I'll have to run *scan disk* later to
see if it's now running properly.
Thank you all very much for the help. I will check back later to read any
replies you may post.
Sincerely,
Shani
Mart
> I hope this problem has been resolved,
Shani, apart from the physical 'goo' or sticky effect of the spilled coffee,
there are likely be electrical consequences (short circuits) happening on
the keyboard's printed circuit and key contacts too.
> but rest assured that I'll be back if it reoccurs.
You'll be back!! Unless or until you replace your keyboard (if only for
elimination purposes), it will always be a 'highly suspect' item in any
future troubleshooting issues.
> I've had Norton installed for
> a long time and luckily, it has never caused me any problems.
Wow!! - What a bold statement. But I'll leave it for others to debate that
point <g>
> Over the years,
> I've had a million other problems with *ME,* but none
> of them had anything to do with Norton.
Jeepers! - Absolutely, No comment. Excuse me whilst I pick myself up from
the floor <vbg>
> Although, I still do not understand why my *scan disk* was
> not running properly since I NEVER had that problem before.
Yet another 'naive' statement! It's now becoming quite obvious that 'you are
not a frequent visitor' to the WinMe news groups - "Scan disk has attempted
to run 10 times and cannot....... yada, yada, yada!" is a regular report
here. For the moment, without going into the many possible reasons why, try
running scandisk in Safe Mode and see if it runs OK.
Dump the keyboard (Oh! and by the way, did anyone mention dumping Norton?)
PDQ and see if there are any improvements. Sticking keys and partial short
circuits could be responsible for many of your 999,999 other *ME* issues.
(Oh! and by the way, did anyone mention dumping Norton?)
BTW - get your A: drive fixed ASAP - you never know just how soon you may
need it. You *may* even need to run scandisk in Real Mode DOS (i.e. from the
WinMe Startup Disk)
Mart
"Shani S." <Sha...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9FCB0195-2A1C-4A2C...@microsoft.com...
Mike M
In my original post the first line "> and DISABLE Norton" was a direct
quote from your own post.
Oh dear, spilt iced coffee and keyboards just don't mix - especially so if
you have a sweet tooth and the iced coffee has sugar in it. Let's hope
you can fix it.
Mike M
> *ME,* but none of them had anything to do with Norton.......
Wanna bet? <vbg> I can promise you that very many of the problems
experiencved by users running Win Me with Norton installed are due to
Norton. The list of problems is almost endless. I have a list of over 20
areas where Norton can and does cause major problems ranging from an
inability to install updates from the Windows Update site to an
inoperative system restore.
Cheers,
Noel Paton
did you forget to mention dumping Norton?
:)
Seriously, Shani, Norton software is the single greatest cause of visits to
these forums for users of ME!!
Your computer will thank you forever when you do get rid of it, and be much
more responsive to your requirements - just make sure that you get rid of
the whole of the beast!
--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)
Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.com/millsrpch.htm
Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's
"Mart" <mart(NoSpam)@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
news:uKtwswQ...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
Mart
> Mart -
> did you forget to mention dumping Norton?
> :)
Sorry if I missed it Noel, but I could have sworn that I mentioned it
somewhere. I guess I got carried away with the spectre of Shani washing the
keyboard down with copious amounts of de-ionised water in one hand and a
hairdryer in the other <g>
http://www.compukiss.com/sandyclassroom/tutorials/article940.htm
Err ... That's a joke Shani - for the cost of a replacement keyboard, your
coffee stained one is always going to remain a liability.
Mart
Noel Paton
"Mart" <mart(NoSpam)@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
I actually had to do that the other day for a client - they'd spilled Orange
Juice over the keyboard of an old (Win98) laptop, and wondered why the keys
weren't working too well.... luckily the OJ didn't get quite as far as the
battery terminals!
A replacement keyboard would probably have cost more than the lappy was
worth!
Shani S.
You guys have me pe*ing in my pants. The back and forth tech talk is too
much for my Sunday afernoon head to handle, not to mention you all are
scaring the heck out of me. <Arghhhhhhhhh>
Anyway, let me give you guys an update....Since I cleaned the *sticky keys,*
the system has been properly starting-up in *Windows Mode.* <clap, clap>
I have not attempted to run *scandisk* again, but I know I have to test it.
<boo, hoo>
My Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mouse are BRAND NEW, and the
thought of having to invest another 40 bucks is making my stomach churn!
<burp, burp>
As far as Norton....Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I only purchased the latest
version 3 months ago and paid for a 2-year subscription to boot. <sobbing,
sobbing>
Don't you guys have any good news for me? <begging on my knees with fingers
clasped> rofl :o)
Shani S.
You guys have me pe*ing in my pants. The back and forth tech talk is too
much for my Sunday afernoon head to handle, not to mention you all are
scaring the heck out of me. <Arghhhhhhhhh>
Anyway, let me give you guys an update....Since I cleaned the *sticky keys,*
the system has been properly starting-up in *Windows Mode.* <clap, clap>
I have not attempted to run *scandisk* again, but I know I have to test it.
<boo, hoo>
My Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mouse are BRAND NEW, and the
thought of having to invest another 40 bucks is making my stomach churn!
<burp, burp>
As far as Norton....Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I only purchased the latest
version 3 months ago and paid for a 2-year subscription to boot. <sobbing,
sobbing>
Don't you guys have any good news for me? <begging on my knees with fingers
> clasped> rofl :o)
Shani
Shani S.
You guys have me pe*ing in my pants. The back and forth tech talk is too
much for my Sunday afernoon head to handle, not to mention you all are
scaring the heck out of me. <Arghhhhhhhhh>
Anyway, let me give you guys an update....Since I cleaned the *sticky keys,*
the system has been properly starting-up in *Windows Mode.* <clap, clap>
I have not attempted to run *scandisk* again, but I know I have to test it.
<boo, hoo>
My Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mouse are BRAND NEW, and the
thought of having to invest another 40 bucks is making my stomach churn!
<burp, burp>
As far as Norton....Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I only purchased the latest
version 3 months ago and paid for a 2-year subscription to boot. <sobbing,
sobbing>
Don't you guys have any good news for me? <begging on my knees with fingers
Shani
NOTE: Message reposted TWICE for editing. <blushing, blushing> :(
Mart
replies?? <g>
> I have not attempted to run *scandisk* again
Well Shani, if you're now happy with an iffy keyboard and are prepared to
live with it a while longer, now's the time to try scandisk in Safe Mode to
confirm that it completes successfully. (Oh! and by the way, did anyone
mention dumping Norton? And to make sure that you get rid of the whole of
the beast!)
Mart
"Shani S." <Sha...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FBEF8468-9A5D-4AAB...@microsoft.com...
Per100...@126.com
Significantly improve working speed by using shortcuts (hot keys).
Avoid Repetitive Strain Injury!
EnergyKey http://www30.webSamba.com/SmartStudio
Mart
> Exchange lots of mouse moves and clicks for a single key press!
> Significantly improve working speed by using shortcuts (hot keys).
> Avoid Repetitive Strain Injury!
>
> <spam snipped>
Err... I think you missed the joke!!
Mart
Noel Paton
The file either does not exist or this member
has violated the Terms of Service and his account has been terminated. "
Oooops!
Noel
"Mart" <mart(NoSpam)@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
news:ekE8VSij...@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
Mart
Thanks for the heads-up, Noel
Mart
"Noel Paton" <noeldps...@crashfixpc.com> wrote in message
news:6C013E51-27AA-4190...@microsoft.com...
inda
since last night my computer is keeping on restarting. thus i can't get
access to the desktop. the only screen i get access to is the setup
management , when windows is starting up. it says press DEL to enter set up
and i don't know what to do next. please help
Justin
helping Mike M!!!!!!!!) insert the startup disk and then type in Scanreg\
Restore or Scanreg/ Restore exactly as i have it typed in
Noel Paton
I rather suspect that the poster has moved on since then - or we may have
heard :)
That said - the advice given to Shani to get rid of Norton was the correct
stuff - Norton has been the cause of more problems in Win ME than almost
anything else (INCLUDING viruses!). They NEVER produced truly ME-compatible
versions of any software, and the versions that were supposed to work with
ME had some rather serious bugs, which created major problems for some users
(which were blamed on ME, rather than Norton - funny that no other AV
supplier had similar problems!)
repairing the registry the way you had to is a band-aid solution - and will
sometimes NOT work. Getting rid of Norton ALWAYS works!
--
Noel Paton
CrashFixPC
Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
www.crashfixpc.co.uk
"Justin" <Jus...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6ED92939-223C-4C0A...@microsoft.com...