Windows will not get past the Windows ME Screen

Hi,
My friend and I were installing AOL 9.0 to her computer and then we were trying to update the Norton Anti Virus files on her computer. When Norton told us to restart the computer, it did and then it said that files were not able to be installed as there was an error.

When the computer was restarted it wouldn't come up past the Windows ME screen for a long, long, time. I brought the computer home with me and I finally waited it out and the Windows came up. I immediately went to windows update and tried to update the ME program from Microsoft as I have cable and it is much faster. When finished it said it had to be restarted and now it took forever to load and right now I have on the screen,
"Windows could not upgrade the file % 1 from % 2%1: %2 "
(It says this same statement at least 9 times.
Then it says:
"Windows could not upgrade one or more system files before starting. Windows may not start or run properly.
If Windows fails to start, run SETUP again.
Press any key to continue. "

I just don't know what to do. Please help.

This computer is a Compaq Presario 5000 running Windows ME. My friend (she is quite elderly) doesn' know where her papers are and thinks the computer is not under warranty.

I'll wait for a reply. Thank you.

Jean

 

Continuing from Previous Message

I just pressed "any key to continue" and now I get this error message from
Windows Update
An error or exception occurred while calling the function "DllInstall" in "~a:Windows/System/inetcpl.cpl "

I said OK and it is trying to continue Updating System Settings in Windows Millennuim Edition Setup.

The computer has finally come up and on the desktop but I am afraid to do anything else.

Jean

 

I didn't follow the links, but look here.

 

Cannot update using Windows Update

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the Links. I did rename the file wininit.ini and at least I am able to boot up the computer though it is still somewhat slow.

I have tried to use the Windows Update to update the computer and it won't scan for updates. Do you have any suggestions to get this to work.

Also how can I find out if this Compaq computer is still under warranty so I can call for support, if possible.

Thanks again for yur help.

Jean

 

Did you try uninstalling then reinstalling AOL? Redo the Norton updates? Both of these programs are deeply embedded in the system and can create havoc when not working properly. Go thru msconfig and uncheck everything related to AOL on the startup tab, as well as anything else not needed. If the NAV updates fail again, I would recommend uninstalling and reinstalling (unless you can be convinced to use something else ) Have you done the routine maintenance; scandisk, defrag, clear temps and TIFs, clean the registry, scan for viri, run Spybot and Ad-aware?
There are many possibilities to the Windows Update not working. See this thread for possible solutions to the problem. If you don't get it working, post back with what you've tried and details.

If she registered with Compaq, you should be able to use the PC's serial # to see about the warranty status on their website.

 

I did uninstall AOL 9.0. I still hae AOL 8.0 on the system and that version is working well. I will try to Install AOL 9.0 later. I also uninstall Norton and haven't loaded that as yet.

I did go through msconfig and unchecked everything that was not necessary to run the Windows Program.

Yes, I have done the scandisk, defrag, cleared temps, cleaned the registry, ran Ad-Aware. I have just downloaded the free version of AVG Virus and have run a scan with this. It showed No Virus found.

I did talk with Compaq about the computer not being able to download Windows Update and they sent me to a site to clean files and check system resourses.

It didn't help me at all.

I still cannot use Windows Update. It says it is looking for available updates and never gets past 0% complete.

Any other suggestions on this problem.

Thanks, Jean

 

From Windows Update troubleshooter;

Problem Description:
The Scan function hangs at 0%

Resolutions:
Suggestion 1:
Install the latest scripting engine 5.6 from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/downloads/list/webdev.asp

Suggestion 2:
Repair Internet Explorer

1. Open up Control Panel.
2. Open Add/remove programs.
3. Select Microsoft Internet Explorer and Internet Tools.
4. Click Add/remove.
5. Click Repair.
6. Follow the steps provided by the Repair Wizard.
7. Click OK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue Applies To:
Windows 2000
Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition
Windows Millennium Edition
Windows XP

And further down;

Problem Description:
After clicking Scan for Updates, you receive this message: "Windows Update is looking for available updates... 0% complete. ". Then the site stops communicating.

Resolutions:
There are several possible solutions to this problem.

Install the latest scripting engine 5.6 from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/downloads/list/webdev.asp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have Netsonic on your computer, uninstall it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have not installed the latest version of Windows Update software, follow the
instructions in the article "Manual installation instructions for Windows Update controls" on this page.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disable the options "Automatically detect settings" and "Use automatic configuration script."
To do this:
1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click "Tools," and then click "Internet Options. "
3. Click "Connections," and then click "LAN Settings. "
4. Make sure the check boxes for "Automatically detect settings" and "Use automatic configuration script" are not selected.

Try to access the Windows Update site again.

Also, verify that you can connect to SSL-enabled Web sites (sites that start with https://).

Most online retailers use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) sites during the checkout/payment process. If you've connected to one of these sites in the past then chances are that SSL is working correctly on your computer. You can also test your ability to connect to SSL sites using a SSL test site like this:

https://www.stanford.edu/group/idg/leland/samples/secure/test.html

If you cannot connect to SSL sites then the Windows Update scan will not work. Make sure that the SSL port (port 443) is open on your network.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue Applies To:
Windows 2000
Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition
Windows Millennium Edition
Windows XP



Also, if you are accessing Windows Update from the AOL browser, don't. Use the default Internet Explorer or access from Start Menu.

 

Did that help ?

You should also look in this folder (which is normaly hidden see below *)

Look in your c:\windows\inf folder and see if you find any files named
oemxx.inf which have a length of 0 (zero) (where x is is a random number)

Let us knw if there are any with a size of 0
please do not do anything with them if found yet.
===== *
Click Start. Win ME
Open My Computer.
Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
Select the View Tab.
Under the Hidden files and folders heading select Show hidden files and folders.
Uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (recommended) option.
Click Yes to confirm.
Click OK.
=====

 

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all the help.


I did so many things but I'm not sure which one corrected the problem but was able to get back and update windows again. Actually the computer seems to be running OK.

I will take it back to her today and set it up for her and see how it works then.

Thank you for all the hard work you did in helping me.

Jean

 

So good to hear. Glad I could help!