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Updated  07/31/05

Page III

Welcome to Windows 98,Microsoft Windows ME the third eddition or as Microsoft calls it, Millennium

Page Index
Page 1
Page 2

  1. When you reboot after an installation you get a message that a program has not completed an installation.
  2. Low memory resources
  3. When Windows Update Center, Won't!
  4. Add Favorites to the Quick Launch Bar
  5. What's the ˙ key for?
  6. Get rid of Win Me Network Password Login at restart
  7. Does ME have SFC or equivalent?
    The short answer? No. An equivalent? Yes.
  8. Make Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcut, Do it Your Way
  9. Microphone Problems on Windows

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Microphone Problems on Windows 
Works for Windows versions, 9x/ME/2000

Reader Kei writes: I recently bought a Logitech headset so I could use voice chat features on Skype. Whne I plug the microphone in, I can hear myself through the headset/speakers, but other people can not hear me. My machine is a 2.4GHz P4, with 512 MB RAM, and Windows 2000 Professional Edition. I’ve tried everything – do you know what is wrong?

This is a very common problem on Windows 9x/ME/2000. For some reason, Windows sets the default recording input to something other than the microphone. This is why you can hear yourself, but no one over Skype can hear you. Here is a relatively simple fix for this problem:

  1. Go into the Master Volume Control, either by double clicking on the volume icon in your system tray, or by going to Start | Run and typing “sndvol32” (without the quotes), going to 
  2. Options | Properties, selecting the “Recording” option, and checking the microphone checkbox. 
  3. After hitting OK, you need to slide the volume meter on the microphone up (at least half way). 
  4. You can now switch back to the standard “Playback” options from the Options | Properties menu.

This should fix your most common microphone problems on older Operating Systems. This is not an issue on Windows XP machines.

When you reboot after an installation you get a message that a program has not completed an installation.

Reader Nelson writes:

Question 1: I have two problems maybe you can help.

I am running Windows ME and MSIE 6.0.
Every time I boot up I get a pop-up that IE has not completed it's installation,

Sure Nelson, try this:

  1. Shut down Internet Explorer and Outlook Express.
  2. Now go to Start/Find, and type wininit.ini (I ask that you use find for this operation because so many folks have placed certain files in other locations than their normal defaults. This is fine as this is one of the things we like about Microsoft Products...the value of choice)
  3. When found, highlight the file and hit 'delete'
    Note: If after rebooting the problem still exists, go to your Recycle Bin and choose to restore the file.
    Warning: don't touch Wininit.EXE or win.ini.
  4. Once done, reboot the system
  5. That should take care of your error message.

Question 2:

I am running Windows ME and MSIE 6.0.
 
Every time I boot up I get a pop-up that states:
Windows Update: Internet Explorer and Internet Tools
        Resume Setup
        Setup has detected that a previous download was not completed.
        Do you want to recover and continue Setup?
Selecting Yes resume
I get the following:
Message:
        The most recent versions of all items are already installed.
        It is recommended that you exit Setup without reinstalling.
I select this option and the pop ups go away, but come back the next time
I startup or restart the system.
Any suggestions? 

If this message doesn't go away, try a repair of MSIE. Here is how:

  1. In Control Panel, double click Add or Remove Programs
  2. On the General tab
    1. Highlight any program in the list and press the "M" key on your keyboard. This takes you to all programs that are installed beginning with the letter "M".
    2. From here scroll down until you reach, "Microsoft Internet Explorer and Internet Tools"
    3. Highlight it and click the Add/Remove button
    4. IN the next dialog, click the Repair Explorer radio button.
    5. follow all onscreen prompts if any and then reboot the system when advised to do so
  3. Ignore any popup for this boot up
  4. MSIE will continue the repair install
  5. Once this is completed, reboot once more and see if the popup has gone the way of the Dodo.

Make Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcut, Do it Your Way

I'm all about shortcuts. Okay, your right, I'm just naturally lazy. Its a career choice okay? Make something that I do frequently easier, and you'll find me looking at you all dreamy eyed. How bout those Pats eh fellas?

Question: "I know several ways to create a Desktop shortcut that will open Explorer to the folder I want. What I would like to do is make the Windows Key shortcut (WinKey + E) open up to the folder I want. Would like to see 'Program Files' when I use that keyboard shortcut. Is this possible?" - Rheum

Answer: Sure Rheum, give this a shot: While you can't reassign the Windows hotkey to do that, you can create a shortcut key to a predefined Windows Explorer operation in all versions of Windows. In this example, you can use the function (F1-F12) key for your shortcut.

  1. Start Windows Explorer and go to your Program Files directory.
  2. Drag the folder next to the directory path in your address bar to your Desktop. This will create a shortcut to that directory.
  3. Right-click on the folder on your Desktop and select Properties.
  4. Select Shortcut.
  5. There should be something called 'Shortcut Key' in that area. Click on the text box and define your shortcut key just by clicking on the keys on your keyboard. The F1-F12 keys would be the easiest in my opinion, but it's your computer, so go wild!
  6. Close the windows and test your shortcut key.

Tip: You must leave the folder on your Desktop or somewhere on your computer for the shortcut key to still work. Best advise? Move it to your root folder (%SystemRoot%) so that it is in your system control path.

Does ME have SFC or equivalent?
The short answer? No. An equivalent? Yes.

Does ME have SFC or equivalent?? how does one check for file changes/corruption???????/ - Mike

No, Win Me doesn't have the System File Checker Utility.

Win Me automatically checks for corrupted or changed files. Read on for more info.

System File Checker is not included in Windows Millennium because of Win Me's protected files protocols.  Windows Me uses the System File Protection (SFP) feature whereas Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition use the System File Checker (Sfc.exe) tool.

There is no need for the Sfc.exe tool in Windows Me because SFP is always actively scanning the computer for file changes. Because of this activity, and because the files monitored by Sfc.exe and SFP are similar, the Sfc.exe tool is not necessary in Windows Me, nor does the option to run this tool exist.

In Windows 98 any programs you set up may carry their own versions of important system files. This might have been great for the vendor's programs but it often made some Windows components, required by the Microsoft version of a file, unable to run or cause some other problems with the operating system. Win Me protects these files in a special folder and will not, as long as System File Protection is enabled, allow any version of the files other than Windows versions to overwrite them. This is believed to give Win Me some added stability. the vendors files could be placed on the system but Windows would not recognize them as part of its own operating system.

For a description of the System File Protection Feature  please see this Microsoft Knowledgebase article:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;253571

This being said, the Windows Extract command does work. Please see my article:
How to use the Windows Extract.exe Command at the following location:
http://www.uninets.net/~blaisdel/WindowsExtractCom.htm

Get rid of Win Me Network Password Login at restart

Questions: "When I restart Windows ME, I get 'Enter your network password for Microsoft Networking.' I then hit Esc to exit the dialog box and enter Windows. I don't network my home computer and I am the only user. How do I disable that dialog box?

"I've attempted to disable 'Enter Network Password,' but have failed. I removed the Microsoft Family Logon (under Start | Control Panel | Network). I set the Client for Microsoft Networks to 'Quick Logon' (also under Start | Control Panel | Network). I've disabled NetMeeting (under Start | Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs | Windows Setup | Communications). All of these options have failed to disable the logon."

Answer: Open Network properties. Right under the list of protocols and installed components, you see a drop-down box... set it to read 'Windows login,' and you won't get that network login anymore.

Answer 2 The only other way to do it is with TweakUI, and it's 'Auto login.'

What's the ˙ key for?

The 'Windows' ( ˙ ) key is on most modern keyboards but most people don't make proper use of it - here's how:

Beyond just clicking on it to open the Start menu, it has plenty of other uses:

Minimise all Windows    ˙+ D

A quick way to get rid of the screen clutter and find the desktop icons. 

To show all the windows again: ˙+Shift+M

Jump to Explorer    ˙+ E

To see the Windows Explorer quickly

Cycle across the Taskbar    ˙+ Tab

Though Alt + Tab will do the same thing

Search    ˙+ F

Is it Search or is it Find?  It's called Search on the menu but the shortcut harks back to the days when it was called Find.

Run   ˙+ R

Some people never use the Run command but others do it all the time.  Most commonly to access the registry (rededt32) or a 'DOS' command box (cmd).

System Properties   ˙+ Break

This is the equivalent of clicking the System icon in Control Panel or the Properties option under the My Computer desktop icon.

There may be other key combinations that work on your computer depending on what additional software you have installed.

Add Favorites to the Quick Launch Bar

Question: I'm using Windows ME and Internet Explorer 6, and I would like to know if there is an easy way to add my most used URLs to the Quick Launch toolbar. I would just like a quick way to launch my favorite Web sites. Can you help me?

Answer: I think I can help you, but first I want to make sure all the readers out there understand that "URL" is the technical term for a Web address. There are lots of options you can use in this case. If you only have a couple Web sites you want in your Quick Launch toolbar, then you may just want to navigate to the Web site and then drag the address to the toolbar by clicking and dragging the icon that looks like a piece of paper with the Internet Explorer logo on it in the Address field to the toolbar. If the Web sites you want to add to the Quick Launch toolbar are all in your Internet Explorer Favorites, then you could just add your Favorites folder to the Quick Launch toolbar.  Just drag the appropriate Favorites folder to your Quick Launch bar for quick access to your Internet Explorer Favorites. Keep in mind that you can drag a file or folder into your Quick Launch toolbar.

If you have a lot of favorite programs in the QLB then it might be wiser to simply create a new tool bar just for those favorite sites, like BLCOW. Here is how:

  1. Right click on any empty part of the taskbar
  2. Choose toolbars from the list
  3. Choose New Toolbar
  4. Choose Make New folder Button or open Windows Explorer and create a new folder like, My Favs
  5. Now, back in the New Toolbar Dialog, navigate to that new folder
  6. Click okay and you are done

Now you have a new toolbar just for those favorites you use most often. Yes, you can simply drag and drop as explained above just the same as the Quick Launch Toolbar.

I know what you are thinking: what if I have more than a few URLs and I don't want my Favorites folder added to the Quick Launch bar? Well, just make a folder, copy all the URLs there that you want.

There is a better way. I would go to the Favorites menu and choose Organize Favorites. From here, I would copy the URLs you want quick access to from the main part of the Favorites area into the folder marked Links. I also would make sure to take out any unwanted links from the Links folder. Once you have completed this you need to right- click the taskbar (the area between your Start menu and the system tray - where your clock is) and click "Links" under Toolbars. Now you have your own toolbar just for those important URLs.

Having said all, this I have to ask you... is it really so bad to have to open Internet Explorer, click the Favorites button and then click on the desired URL? I mean, in a way, you are doing the same thing by clicking the link in the toolbar because it will still have to open Internet Explorer. I guess it doesn't matter, though; whatever works and makes you happy is okay with me. Hey, whatever gets you though the night!

When Windows Update Center, Won't!

Tom writes:
First of all I would like to say that this site is great...it helped me solve a few problem with my IE6, however I cannot download from the MS update, I try to download the critical updates and after I accept the download window appears and then nothing...do you have any suggestions....

Sure do Tom, at least a couple of them. Read on.
This fix should work for Windows versions: 9.x, NT, 2000, XP, and XP Pro.

Possible Fix 1
Sometimes the Windows update files can become corrupted or unregistered. There are several things which can be done, but first, try this:

Click Start | Run and type in

regsvr32 wupdinfo.dll

Then click okay or hit enter. Be sure that there is a space between regsvr32 and the file you want to register which is wupdinfo.dll

In most cases this fix is instantaneous, but to be safe, reboot after the registration.

Once the machine restarts, try the Windows Update site again. If this fix worked, go no further we are done. If not, we need to take more drastic steps. In that case read on.

Possible Fix 2
2.  We need to unregistered the update files and then re-register them again. Please read:

1. Unregistered and remove the scripting engine for the Windows Update site as follows:
            a. Click Start, Run and type regsvr32 /u c:\windows\system\wuv3is.dll and then click OK.
            b. Click OK for the "... succeeded" message.
            c. Click Start, Find, Files and Folders.
                For "Named" type wuv3is.dll, make sure "Look In" is set to your C: drive (Or the drive on which you installed Windows if it is not on the default.
            d. Click "Find Now" and when you see the file, right click it
and click "Delete". Say Yes to confirm delete.

2. Now clear the Temporary Internet Files folder and remove site controls from Internet Explorer as follows:
            a. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel and click Internet Options,
            b. click the General tab.
            c. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click
                        1. Settings.
                        2. Click View Files,
                        3. Click Edit - Select All,
                        4. Click File   Delete (If prompted to delete cookies, click Yes).
                        5. Close that window
                        6. Click View Objects.
                        7. Locate the CV3 Classes, Right-click on the file and choose Remove.
                        8. Close the Downloaded Program Files window.
3. Click OK back to the Control Panel.
4. Close the Control Panel.

Next clear critical files from the Windows Update folder as follows:

1. Click Start, Run and type "explorer" (without the quotation marks) in the dialog box and click OK.
2. In the left-hand frame, click the '+' next to the Program Files folder.
3. In the left-hand frame, highlight the WindowsUpdate folder.
4. In the right pane highlight wuhistv3.log
5. Click Edit | Invert Selection.
6. Press Delete key (or right-click and select Delete).
7. Click Yes to confirm.
8. Close all windows and reconnect to the Windows Update Site using Internet Explorer

You might need to clear your Windows Update downloaded programs cache. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open an Explorer window and select your Windows directory. This is usually c:\windows or c:\winnt in Windows 2000..
  2. Go to the Downloaded Program Files directory, right-click on "CV3 class", and select Remove from the menu.
  3. Go to your program files directory (%ProgramFiles%), then into the WindowsUpdate directory, and delete everything there except wuhistv3.log. The wuhistv3.log file has to be there if Windows 98 SE is registered to you and not a pirated version. The file may be hidden so you will have to unhide that file in order to see it. This is a hidden directory; you may need to enable Explorer to show hidden directories by changing the folder options under Tools / Folder Options / View / Show hidden files and folders. Place a check mark in front of the file Show hidden files and folders this will make the file visible.

You can find the Windows update site here http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

If all else fails, you can still get the necessary updates by going to the Windows 98 download site. The address is below:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/corporate.asp

Low memory resources
Q. I have WindowsMe and use Microsoft Word quite a bit. Use Netscape 6.2 and Internet Exployer 5? (newest one-just updated last week) Have a Del P4 8100 Demension, 1.3G Yesterday, I was revising an imported document, saved, printed-no problem. Later in the evening, everytime that I tried to open a MS Word doucment, my computer acted like in was in a frozen state. When I control, alt, delted, I receive a "WARNING, YOU ARE DANGEROUSLY LOW ON RESOURSES!" Looks like its in Dos format. I have to repeat the soft boot serveral times, finally I receive a closing option for WinWord. Then I get explorer stack fault error messages. I've removed most of my doc files from my hard drive. I had quite a few stored on my hard drive and thought that was the problem. Defragged, reboot, same problem. I ran the setup disk, first I just said to repair and fix. Not the solution, then I reinstalled, defragged, shut down. When I turned it back on, Nothing else was opened and I tried to open a MSWord doc -same problem.I should also mention, that when I receive the warning about low on resources, the start key dialog box is even blank and I have to shut it down with the surge protector switch.I'm lost without the Word program. Any suggestions? I installed the updates, last week I have this computer since last August and first time I have a problem. I use it alot.

A. Unfortunately you have run smack dab in the middle of one of Windows Me's biggest annoyances. A memory leak big enough to drive a semi through.

First things first:

You say that you have had your Windows Me system sense last August and this is the first time it has acted this way. Correct?

As you are online, I am assuming that you have one of the virus scanners. The most popular ones are Symantec and McAfee. If you do not have a scanner...GET ONE! A good firewall is also a must have. If you do not have one go to Bohunky0's Freeware From A-Z and learn how to download Zone Alarm from Zone Labs a very popular and easy to use free firewall.

A virus can cause your computer's performance to decrease. If you have a virus scanning utility, make sure that you are running the latest version. For additional information about how a virus can cause your computer to perform poorly, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

Computer Performance Decreases After You Download Programs

Secondly: If you have ruled out a virus as the cause of your problems then we have to assume that a recent downloaded or purchased piece of software may be at fault. Think carefully back to when you first noticed this behavior. Did the problem start after you installed a certain piece of software? It could be that there is a memory leak within the new software.

A memory leak is when a program is loaded into memory (All programs are), when you shut down that program it is supposed to release it's share or block of memory back to the system. If it doesn't, after a time memory usage is depleted and you can receive the error you speak of.

If you have just installed a program and would like to return your computer to the state your computer was in before you installed the program, Windows Me has a feature called System Restore. System Restore allows you to undo (or "roll back") a change that caused instability in your system.

If you do not know how to use this feature of Windows Me and would like to use this feature, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Description of System Restore in Windows Millennium Edition

Try a clean boot:
If you are still experiencing performance issues after you have performed the preceding steps,  perform a "clean-boot".  By running your computer in a clean boot configuration, your system is operating without 3rd-party drivers, anything that loads itself automatically when you restart you computer is disabled, and by starting your computer "clean", you can add back items one by one until your system performance decreases. When that happens, you've found the problem. If you are not familiar with how to perform a clean-boot, use the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows Millennium Edition

Win Me Troubleshooters
Windows Me comes bundled with some great troubleshooters Start | Help | Troubleshooters

These may give you sound advise on finding the problem. Look for the trouble shooter >>

Okay...here is a little known slant on System Restore...is it worth a shot? Why not?

This little known trick might just do the trick for you if you have exhausted all of the steps above without much success:

  1. Place your Windows Me startup disk in your A drive
    • If you haven't got a startup disk create one, here is how:
        • Click Start
        • Select Settings | Control Panel
        • Select and double click on the Add/Remove Software Icon
        • Switch to the Startup Disk tab
        • Place a 3.5" disk in our A drive
        • Click the Create Disk button
  2. Click Start | Shut Down | Restart
  3. The DOS startup disk menu appears
  4. Choose Without CD-ROM support
  5. When you get to the A:\> prompt type:
    C:
    Then hit the enter key
  6. Type the following:
    SCANREG /FIX
    Be sure there is a space between the command (SCANREG) and the switch (/)
  7. The registry scan will examine your systems registry. User.dat will scan quickly. System.dat will take considerably longer. Be patient, there will not be any disk activity and no user input is required until after the scan...go grab a cup of coffee, read the paper, what ever.
  8. Once finished, ScanReg will inform you that our system registry has been repaired. Click okay then press Alt+Ctrl+Del to reboot. If you have a disk in the disk drive (A:\) remove it before rebooting.

Try your applications again. Did this resolve the issue?

If yes, go no further we are done. If the problem persists continue on.

  1. Perform Steps 1- 5 above
  2. Type
    SCANREG /RESTORE
    Be sure that there is a space between the command (SCANREG) and the switch (/)
  3. When the DOS app opens, select a date before you started having this problem.
  4. With the date highlighted press okay
  5. Once finished, ScanReg will inform you that the registry has been restored and shows a button {{{{Reboot}}}}. Go ahead and click it - Be sure to remove the disk in drive A.
  6. Your system will now reboot.
  7. Allow your system to boot normally and then test your apps again.

One last note of importants:

You mention that you have gotten all of the recent updates from the Windows Update Center. It is important that you do install any and all critical updates, fixes and patches for your Windows version. If you haven't done it lately, be sure to return to the site and make certain that there are no new critical updates.

If you have exhausted all of the above without any success, and you are still with me here I applaud you. We can make some attempts to adjust settings in Win Me.

Enhance file loads

Before Win Me we could adjust the amount of memory allocated to files in the Config.sys by typing in a command:
FILES=60

This was to tell the real mode memory drivers to reserve enough memory to in Windows to allow, in this case 60, file segments per memory block. Well, Windows Me doesn't support real mode drivers any longer, which is really strange as Win Me is still DOS based no matter what they tell you. Anyhow, I have discovered a way to wrestle this valuable tool from the scrap heap. We now need to edit the System.ini file to use this command. Here is how:

  1. Click Start
  2. Select Run
  3. Type
    SYSTEM.INI
    Click okay or hit the enter key
  4. A Notepad window will open in System.ini
  5. Locate the header:
    [386Enh]
  6. Somewhere below this header type:
    PerVMFiles=60
  7. Click File | Save
  8. Click File | Exit
  9. Reboot
  10. Try your apps again. Do you still see memory recourse errors?
  11. If so, open System.ini again, navigate to the PerVMFiles=60 and increase this amount by factors of 10, for example:
    PerVMFiles=70
    PerVMFiles=80
  12. It isn't wise to go beyond 120 this isn't your problem
  13. If this did not solve the problem, return to system.ini and remove this line from the file...do not forget to save your changes when you exit.

Good luck, I'm pulling for ya, we're all in this together.

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