Guest LilBambi Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 peachy --You are so right ;)There are times when it just doesn't make sense to continue with the ridiculous aggravation ... a new install starts to look really good!The decision to do it is usually the hardest part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 24, 2003 Author Share Posted April 24, 2003 UPDATE! I did a sleleton backup, including my Belarc adviser (to remind me of everything that I have) and boldly reinstalled SP3.The first blush result is that I had forgotten how fast this box could be. So, I guess that, if we are going to give this possible fix credit, I will need to run awhile as is.Scot, I think you might have gotton the blue ribbon on this one. In that case, YOU'RE THE MAN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfProRM Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 jbredmound - good to hear things are working better now... Hopefully it'll stay that way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 24, 2003 Author Share Posted April 24, 2003 I bloopered there and shut myself off, (don't you wish you could do that, too?).Question for Scot; how long should I run this thing as is, so that we can be part of theM$ doesn't get it right the first time...again" documenters.By the way, does anybody have some good recipes for crow, because I think I just had a major problem with an M$ update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 24, 2003 Author Share Posted April 24, 2003 Thanks GP...I'll hold my breath for the next few days, but right now, it's like when I first fired it up.Honey...where are those really thin boxers...let see, if I move the tower right here...ok, the welder's gloves are in the shop...I think I'm all set...SHOWTIME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 jbredmound --Glad to hear things are working better after the reinstall of SP3.Hope it stays good for ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 Wonderful news. It sounds like you've got this beast back under control. UPDATE! I did a sleleton backup, including my Belarc adviser (to remind me of everything that I have) and boldly reinstalled SP3.The first blush result is that I had forgotten how fast this box could be. So, I guess that, if we are going to give this possible fix credit, I will need to run awhile as is.Scot, I think you might have gotton the blue ribbon on this one. In that case, YOU'RE THE MAN! Scot is great guy for letting us have this forum... but at the risk of sounding petty and whining, ur, *cough*, uh I was the one who suggested reinstalling SP3. I'll just stand over here in the corner, ignored as usuall, as once again someone else takes credit for my glorious work. Wow is it getting deep in here... Seriously if it is now working I wouldn't worry with a reinstall. Anit broke don't fix it.Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greengeek Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 Well I'm also glad he's got it working again but I'm disappointed that he won't be learning how to fdisk and format!Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 24, 2003 Author Share Posted April 24, 2003 First, nline, I am sooo sorry. I obviously didn't track the thread well. My very sincere thanks to you.Joy, I am still considering a reformat. Recently, our barn burned down, and I am running around in circles trying to keep everybody coordinated and working the details to get the new barn up. To make things a bit more complicated, I started a new job three weeks ago. So, I really want to go through the process, but I think I'm relieved that I can pick when.I am going to do the backups tomorrow (I don't know if I can finish them). I work this w/e. I don't know...if it ain't broke, don't fix it has been a battle cry of mine, but I still think the day and age call on us to master that little chore and, as you or somebody said, do it in 20 minutes.fdisk and format are my friends? Oh, man... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 Barns burning, windows crashing, it is just all coming down around you isn't it. Your very welcome. I'm glad to be of help. I was laying odds that it WOULDN'T work but you pulled a Ace out of your sleeve and fixed it.It is good prevenative maintance to do a wipe and reinstall. Esp Windows 9x boxes. Win2K is more stable but even it needs a clean out every now and then. When things settle down for you I'd go ahead and do it. But when you have the time and aren't pressured to rush it. Nathan WilliamsN-Line Computers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 25, 2003 Author Share Posted April 25, 2003 nline... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 25, 2003 Author Share Posted April 25, 2003 OK folks, I am finding out how ignorant I am. I started the backup process, and said to myself, "you do not know the right way to do this".Options; I have CD Creator 5.0, and I have the backup utility included with W2K. As I explore around, I find that I am not sure of the best direction, best choice. One thing that comes to mind is, I have to be able to easily reload this stuff.So, lets start with backup. Please don't ask me to spend a lot of money, as I am rebuilding a barn, etc.When I am done, I am going to reformat.Last thought; not everything on this computer needs to be here. Looks to me like a selective backup would be better than backing up "My Computer".How do I do this quickly, and get on with the show? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Well a backup to CD-R or CD-RW is fine but tedious if your just using DirectCD. Microsoft Backup will not write to the CD so your out of luck there. I 'm not familier with any FREE tools that can write to a CD-RW but what I use is pretty cheap. I use Stomp Backup MYPC. Stomp. Inc. Webpage It used to be called Backup Exec. It is made by Veritas the same company that wrote Microsoft backup. Microsoft Backup is a watered down version of this program.You can find it pretty cheap on the internet. I usually can get it from www.buycheapsoftware.com the direct link is here. At about $50 that is a bargain in my book. B)Nathan WilliamsN-Line Computers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greengeek Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 How much stuff do you need to backup? You'll have to install all your programs again anyway so all you really need to backup is documents, email, favourites etc. I've never used anything that I had to pay for to backup stuff. Nero 5 came with one of my burners and works on all computers.Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfProRM Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 You can use EZCD creator just fine... As greengeek said, just backup your documents, other files, driver updates, etc. Email settings are an important one too... don't forget them..You should be able to create a new Data CD and then just drag and drop the files you want to save... Or to make it easier, create a backup folder on your harddrive, and then COPY everything you want to backup to it. You can then just burn everything in the backup folder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Well a backup to CD-R or CD-RW is fine but tedious if your just using DirectCD. Microsoft Backup will not write to the CD so your out of luck there. I 'm not familier with any FREE tools that can write to a CD-RW but what I use is pretty cheap.the internet.I know he's using Windows 2000, but one advantage of Windows XP's Backup program is that it CAN write to CD-R and CD-RW. We determined this at work about three weeks ago!You can use Backup to create a backup file of all the important documents and downloaded stuff you want to keep without having to download them later, preferrably onto another partition, then format C:. Once in the new Windows 2000 install, restore the file back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 I know he's using Windows 2000, but one advantage of Windows XP's Backup program is that it CAN write to CD-R and CD-RW. We determined this at work about three weeks ago!Oh? I've never been able to do that. HOW? That trick I'd like to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 I know he's using Windows 2000, but one advantage of Windows XP's Backup program is that it CAN write to CD-R and CD-RW. We determined this at work about three weeks ago!Oh? I've never been able to do that. HOW? That trick I'd like to see. The blank CD-R/RW media must first be formatted with a packet writing software such as Roxio DirectCD or the equivalent (I think it's called InCD in Nero.) Once that is done, the CD burner behaves like a disk partition within the filesystem. So, from within Windows XP Backup you choose the backup type as File and point to the drive letter of the CD Burner. It also saves to floppy disks! Sure you could just drag and drop files and folders just as easily. But what you gain by using backup is a way to automate backups by saving backup sets and scheduling them. CDs have one drawback: capacity. This form of backup will really on make sense when used with DVD+RW drives and its 4.7GB capacity, or if you just backup to another hard disk partition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 The blank CD-R/RW media must first be formatted with a packet writing software such as Roxio DirectCD or the equivalent (I think it's called InCD in Nero.) Once that is done, the CD burner behaves like a disk partition within the filesystem. So, from within Windows XP Backup you choose the backup type as File and point to the drive letter of the CD Burner. It also saves to floppy disks!I've tried that and never got it to work with XP native or Roxio. Never tried Nero with that. I'll have to dig out my copy and investagate that one.What happens if you fill the disk and still have more data? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 I've tried that and never got it to work with XP native or Roxio. Never tried Nero with that. I'll have to dig out my copy and investagate that one.What happens if you fill the disk and still have more data?It won't work with XP native burning capabilities since that isn't packet writing, but it does work with Roxio DirectCD. Try it again. If you fill the disk before the file finishes you will get a disk full error message I suppose, , but I've never tested it to its capacity. I know that when backing up to file to another disk partition and the partition becomes full, the backup will erase the backup file and quit the operation. What will likely happen is you will get a blank disk that appears completely full! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 27, 2003 Author Share Posted April 27, 2003 I have quite a bit of work to do here. In fact, I started, burned one CD, and then decided to take another look at everything before I went on.One of my challenges is that I have a lot of downloaded software; fortunately, few of the programs are of any size.Ryan, I didn't even think about creating a folder and dumping everything in there! Thanks...that should make everything easier, or at least more manageable.I am going to start over, I think, with a bit more master-planning before I burn.Friday, I was completely engaged in watch the debris removal and site prep work, ala the barn. The old barn was an 80' X 35' galvanized steel building, 24' high. A LOT of junk on that site. I stood amazed, watching the guy with the HUGH backhoe pick this stuff up and put it in the mega-dumpster.To complicate matters, we have a 20' X 80' asparagus bed, which is right next to the barn. This guy tore down what was left standing, gathered up all the junk, leveled and prepped the site, and never ONCE touched the asparagus bed. Anyway, that and working yesterday has set me back; I'm going to have to squeeze some time out somewhere and get this done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 To complicate matters, we have a 20' X 80' asparagus bed, which is right next to the barn. This guy tore down what was left standing, gathered up all the junk, leveled and prepped the site, and never ONCE touched the asparagus bed.    Then you will get a kick out of this:Pretty Big Dig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted April 28, 2003 Author Share Posted April 28, 2003 Art is where we find it, Peachy. You found some good art. Yes, having watched what I did recently, I did get a big kick out of that video.Thank you for sharing. I got a laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 This thread is so cool. Solving problems like this one (and coming up with tips like Peachy's CD-burning backup) are why I got into this business. JBRedmond, I'm so glad you took Nathan's advice and tried SP3 again. I can't tell you how many times I've done similar "last ditch" things before reformatting and had them work.A LOT of people had similar problems with the SP3 installation. I'm really not sure why, but it was a more problematic SP than many others. Of course, I had no problems with it on my two Win2000 PCs.I have to agree with the general consensus that a clean install should be in your future. But so long as your machine is running well, it if ain't broke, don't rush to fix it.Peachy, Nathan ... I'm thinking about running the CD-burning Backup tip in the newsletter. If either of you would like to write up your experiences, or just describe them here, I'd like to print it and give you credit in the newsletter.-- Scot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsden11 Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 An interesting thread... Having gliches coming up, I decided to try to repair W2K, or install over and go get the Service Packs, etc, that I would lose.Well, the puter won't run the W2K disk. I have tried straight, from Safe Mode, from WE, from the Control Panel...nothing's working.Why didn't you try a "repair in place?" Boot from your Win2K CD and select the 2nd Repair Option. That replaces all your current Windows System files but does not touch your Registry hives nor any installed programs. Re-apply SP3 and hit windows update a couple of times and you are good to go. Have you installed "cmdcons?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest genaldar Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Not sure if anyone mentioned this, and I'm sure you thought of it. But is it possible your install cd is just bad? Can your computer read it at all? Or does it read it, it just won't run it? Have you tried it in another drive on another computer? Because if its a bad disc you could track down a copy of it and use that (which is why fair use isn't always just an excuse to pirate). Just adding my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted May 1, 2003 Author Share Posted May 1, 2003 Why didn't you try a "repair in place?" Have you installed "cmdcons?"Oh, I did...the 2K CD wouldn't do it. It just sat there staring at me. What's "cmdcons"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted May 1, 2003 Author Share Posted May 1, 2003 Not sure if anyone mentioned this, and I'm sure you thought of it. But is it possible your install cd is just bad? Can your computer read it at all? Or does it read it, it just won't run it? Have you tried it in another drive on another computer? Because if its a bad disc you could track down a copy of it and use that (which is why fair use isn't always just an excuse to pirate). Just adding my 2 cents.I thought about that early on, and tried both of my drives. I took it to work, and with the permission of IS, tried it there. The disk was fine (later evidenced by the fact that it ran in safe mode on my box). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 So, JBR, a few days later, how's your home machine running now?-- Scot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greengeek Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 I'm waiting for the sequel to this novel "Installing Windows", subtitled "getting it to work".Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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