Fuck Microsoft - a new thread

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by anthson
If memory serves me right, Windows 98 was released in ... 1998? I can't remember for certain, but I doubt it was released in 1996 or early 1997.

Don't be a jackass.

Originally posted by Rosuav
Do you have a Windows install disc? That should work completely independantly of your current messed-up system. It'd let you format, install, and completely start fresh.

Pop the CD in, reboot the computer, it *should* boot into the Windows installation program. You may, on some older or re-configured PCs, need to go into the system BIOS and edit your startup sequence to boot the CD-ROM first.

[Savaric]

I personally wouldn't mess with BIOS, if you wanna fix it right and for sure, get a legit version of xp and save yourself the hassle. And as far as the fine goes, a lot of those computer geeks are idiots.

[Rosuav]

This isn't fiddling with the BIOS. But if your BIOS is set to try to boot hard disk before it tries the CD, it won't boot the CD. It's usually fairly easy to set the boot order, doesn't require much fiddling. Actually, these days you can't kill things much by randomly fiddling in Setup - setting a password is probably the worst thing you can do. (There was a time when you could do much worse. But not any more.)

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by Rosuav
Actually, these days you can't kill things much by randomly fiddling in Setup - setting a password is probably the worst thing you can do. (There was a time when you could do much worse. But not any more.)

Yeah, I would venture to say that most, if not all, new motherboards are pretty failsafe (e.g. they make you select 3-4 different options before you could change anything that would potentially be damaging), and also have a "Default Settings" option you can select to... well.. go to the default settings.

Anyway, like he said, all it would be doing is changing the boot order, which should be clearly labeled.

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by Savaric
if you wanna fix it right and for sure, get a legit version of xp and save yourself the hassle.

This would bring us back to the initial problem that he's having- he can't run anything within Windows due to his getting .dll errors.

If he's not able to boot into a Win98 installation CD, he won't be able to boot into a WinXP installation CD.

[Rosuav]

Originally posted by Savaric
get a legit version of xp and save yourself the hassle.

He has one. The sticker with the 25-character code is what makes it a legit copy of XP. If you don't have an install CD, it's perfectly OK to borrow one from someone else, or get a copy made.

Originally posted by Leshrak
... motherboards ... have a "Default Settings" option you can select to... well.. go to the default settings.

Well, some do. Some, alas, don't. Or - they do _have_ a way to reset to defaults, but they don't tell you about it. Every brand of computer has its own way to reset to defaults - and some have their own uniquenesses, too. Dells reset the date and time when you pick defaults. *shrug*

Originally posted by Leshrak
This would bring us back to the initial problem that he's having- he can't run anything within Windows due to his getting .dll errors.

If he's not able to boot into a Win98 installation CD, he won't be able to boot into a WinXP installation CD.

Booting CDs is nothing to do with Windows errors. Get the CD booted and all will be wiped clean.

[Grantref]

He has one. The sticker with the 25-character code is what makes it a legit copy of XP. If you don't have an install CD, it's perfectly OK to borrow one from someone else, or get a copy made.

I thought Gromgor's problem is that he didn't get a CoA with his PC?

Problem is that to reinstall he'd have to have a CoA.

Try this, Gromgor: OEM XP Home: $89 at Newegg.com

Would be cheaper than buying 98 now and then the upgrade retail version of XP. The only thing that the OEM version doesn't get you is that 1) you're technically not allowed to transfer it between PCs (although in practice you can) and 2) if you call MS for tech support you have to pay (retail includes free tech support).

[Rosuav]

Originally posted by Grantref
I thought Gromgor's problem is that he didn't get a CoA with his PC?

My bad. I got confused between his problem and Anthson's.

I actually have a few OEM XP-Pro licences sitting around not being used. They're perfectly legit and genuine, came with some computers that either aren't now being used, or aren't using Windows, so the licence stickers are up for grabs. You can have the product key for free, transmitted via TCP/IP, or you can have the sticker itself for postage and packaging cost. If you need a CD as well I can probably snag one from work Ditto cost.

[Gromgor]

Tried changing the sequence to boot the CD-ROM first. It's still not working. I'm beginning to think the psychiatrist I'm going to need is more than the cost to have a tech look at it.

When I changed the boot sequence I set it so the CD-Rom boots first, then the floppy drive then the hard drive. During the reboot it showed that the comp was trying to boot the CD-ROM. It continued to run through the start up process and eventually I got the .dll error message. It never tried to read the disk.

Are there any other settings I might need to change? I don't know if it matters but I'm running a PCIE so there might be default settings that have to be altered.

[Rosuav]

Was the CD in your drive bootable? Try booting that CD in another computer - if it's scratched or damaged, it mightn't boot. Also, have you used the CD drive recently? Does it definitely work?