Re:

[poast78]

I found the reg key in regedit so no need on that part.

[poast78]

I see that nobody's even read this yet.  Another question is about my DVD drive. It's attached to the computer so I have no drivers or anything for it.  What should I do?

[pat]

Post 78

Here?s a good link for you. PC911

A link to their site is also displayed on the main forum page, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Once you are at their site click on the ?How to?s? link. You will find detailed instructions on how to format and fresh install plus much more.



Hope this helps,

Pat





 

[poast78]

Thanks Patman. I asked over there too, but I'm looking in as many places as I can, so I'd still appreciate any help over here if that's cool.  Thanks again.

[pat]

Post78

Yeah, that?s cool. Feel free to ask as many questions as you have.



I?m not sure if CompuServe is on the Windows CD, but you should be able to download the software and reinstall it, make sure you write down your username and password so you can log back on to the service.

I don?t have a copy of win98se so I can?t tell you if it says?s 98se on the disk or just 98.



As for programs, any programs that are on the computer now will be gone after a reinstall, as well as any data. Backup everything that you don?t want lost.

I would sit down with paper and pencil and go through the computer and make a list of all programs and make sure I had installation disks of everything I wanted to reinstall.



Pat











Edited by - patman on Jun 01 2002  5:45:36 PM

[John]

post78, yes Compuserve will be on the Windows CD of course when you click the folder on the desktop called Online services it should be there as a ICON for Compuserve. Double click it and most likely it will ask you to insert the Windows installation disk. Do that and I believe it will ask you if you already have a contract with compuserve. It will install your email program. The installation disk will have Windows 98se programs associated with the installation disk. It will not have other software such as Works, Word, Money or things like that. Nor will it have programs that are not associated with Microsoft. I hope this helps.



http://www.poasters.com/images/pcguy.gif" border=0>

John

[dcsun]

My Windows 98SE OEM cd says 'SECOND EDITION' on the right-hand side of it, just above the copyright notice.  You can also buy a 'Second Edition Updates' cd that will convert 98 to 98SE.





David



==============================

 David W. Cook

 Chairman & C.E.O.

 DCSun Internet Technologies

 http://www.dcsun.com" target="_blank">http://www.dcsun.com

==============================

[poast78]

Thank you everyone for your help!

quote:I'm going to try this within the next 3-4 hours

I got the stage fright.

Well, I'm gonna do it tonight. I just have one quick question... Will somebody please check out this site for me and confirm that it's all gravey? http://users.cnu.edu/~matusiak/hdd.htm

It's the simplest I could find, which makes me wonder... Anyway, the part about "format c:/u", I got rid of the "/u" (tip from pc911).  Thanks.

[dcsun]

That page looks fine.  The "/u" is for an unconditional format, meaning that it won't save the old FAT (file allocation table).  I use it because there's really no way to recover your data after you start loading new files, so it makes no difference.  You may also want to add "/q" on the end to perform a quick format, instead of a full format.  If not, you'll be waiting some time before the format is finished!



Before you format, make sure you have all the files and drivers you need off of the drive, and that your boot disk is able to access your cd-rom drive.





David



==============================

 David W. Cook

 Chairman & C.E.O.

 DCSun Internet Technologies

 http://www.dcsun.com" target="_blank">http://www.dcsun.com

==============================

[scuzzy]

I agree with dcsun, as I always use the "U" switch when formatting a hard drive. I want to make sure there is no going back when doing a clean installation.



http://www.poasters.com/images/scuzzy.gif" border=0>

Alex Garcia

[John]

post78, I tripple agree with David and Scuzzy. Just take your time.



http://www.poasters.com/images/pcguy.gif" border=0>

John

[pat]

Well shoot, I quadruple dog agree with you guys.



I might also suggest keeping notes while you go along, just for your own reference. Just in case you have a conflit or error message, you won't have to try and remember what it was.

Pat









Edited by - patman on Jun 04 2002  1:35:59 PM

[poast78]

WHOO HOO!!!

I'm up and running again, smoother than ever! I love it.  The solution was so much simpler than I thought.  It turns out that the store didn't give us a disk that we needed.  I had to order (free) an emachines restore cd that had windows and all of the hardware drivers on it.  I just put it in and it did everything.  It was frustrating before I figured that out though.  No sound, hardly any video, no modem.  The people we bought this from were idiots, but then again, so were we I guess. Anyway, I most definately did a much better job setting this up than the store did. It's running great.  Thank you everyone very much for your help. I most certainly needed it!

Now it's time for me to bug you guys with a new question, but that's for a new topic...

[poast78]

I hope this is the right forum to poast this one in.

I have a number of questions regarding a format and fresh install.



#1: I bought this computer out of the box with the OS and other software already installed.  The OS is win98se, but the disk that came with it just says Windows98. It's one of those "For distribution with a new PC only" cds.  Not sure if this makes a difference, but it says "0398 Part No. X03-36182" on it.  Am I going to be stuck with win98 first edition?  Also, for this type of disk, will it ask for a registration key or will it somehow know that it belongs to this computer (or something)?  (No it's not stolen, but it didn't come with a box that has a key.)



#2: The computer I have (Emonster 550) was purchased under a contract with CompuServe, and I still have a year with it.  As I said, it came with software installed, so will CS be on the Windows disk, or do I have to back up something from my HD?  I've looked at the disk, and it has AOL, AT&T, and CSI.  Is CSI CompuServe? (The CSI sub-folder has a file called cs3.something.)



#3: Regarding CS again... Do you know if we will still be able to use our member names and e-mail addresses after this?



#4: Are there other programs that may have been already installed that I might need and aren't included on the disk?  I know that last one is a general question and you probably couldn't tell me, but it's worth a shot.



#5: If you need more info, don't hesitate to ask and please be thorough on what you need. (In case you can't tell, I don't know what I'm doing.)



#7: I don't expect you to go into detail here about how to correctly format and fresh install, but if you could provide me with a very detailed link on the subject, it would be much appreciated. (I know you all know some good ones. )



I appologise for these lame questions, but I'm sharing this computer, and I wan't to get it right.  I'm going to try this within the next 3-4 hours.  Thank you very much!



PS: You can probably expect more questions from me in the next couple of hours.



Thanks again.



Edited by - post78 on Jun 01 2002  02:30:38 AM