ME "Restore",uninstall ME and swap file info

I have Windows ME and plenty of hard disk space. I had problems and
re-started the computer several times without curing it so did a "Restore" to yesterday, when all was fine. At 50% the computer restarted then warned "No change, cannot restore,try another date ". I tried 6 previous dates with the same result. What now, it seems restore doesn't work when you most need it?

6 months ago I re-loaded ME which on reflection was perhaps unnecessary, so still having the Undo file I started to uninstall the present ME but a warning appeared saying, "If Windows ME is uninstalled any programs installed while running ME will have to be re-installed ". In my case would this mean the present ME version? It also said the swap file may need configuring. What is the swap file and how might it need configuring?

Kind regards,
Pat

 

Hello Pat,

Try the following: go into the SR panel - via System > Performance tab > File System from the Control Panel - and move the slider that shows you how much disk space is allowcated to SR and move it down to 6% - defualt is 12% - and reboot, then move the slider back to 12%. This will make room for a restore operation.

"If Windows ME is uninstalled any programs installed while running ME will have to be re-installed ". In my case would this mean the present ME version?

It would mean your application programs and any MS updates applied to the present installation.

The swap file, also called "virtual memory ", is an area of disk allowcated by the OS to temporarily write the
contents of memory to it if there is so much going that physical RAM is not enough. Not sure why you're gettting that message but the system by defualt creates that swap file to be 1.5 times the size of RAM.

Regards - Charles

 

Hi Christer,

Aren't You mixing up XP and ME?

Could be I haven't it in front of me anymore, at least for the time being anyway.

Regards - Charles

 

Sorry for the delay in answering but did as you suggested Charles and SR seems okay now. Funnily enough all the problems I had experienced before going away seemed to have sorted themselves out. So until the next time..........Thankyou Charles.

Kind regards,
Pat

 

Thanks for the feedback Pat, better late than never

Regards - Charles

 

I am continuing this thread for two reasons:

1. Bearing in mind, as you inform me, that I would still have to re-load most of the programs should I ever wish to uninstal the present Windows ME, I have long felt that it might be better to first copy all my own work then do a clean install of ME in preference. This being the case is there any reason why I should not now delete the W9XUNDO.DAT 760MB file through 'Delete the ME uninstall information' in Control Panel?

2. Following my first post on this subject I had noticed a new folder called 'RESTORE'. I have over time glanced at it once or twice but it only has 4 files namely:

DISKCFG.DAT 1KB DAT File 04/07/2004
SRDISKID.DAT 1KB DAT File 04/07/2004
VxDMon.cfg 1KB CFG File 31/01/2005
VxDMon.dat 61KB DAT File 04/07/2004

Although I didn't know what this Folder was, given the low byte count it did not seem like anything to worry about. However I have just, for the very first time, clicked File>Properties and see its size is 2.56GB and size on disk is 2.57GB with 739 files and 5 folders. Its Hidden attribute is ticked. However when I click Tools>Folder Options>View and select 'Show Hidden files' it does not show them! Since the date co-incides with the W9XUNDO.DAT file could this be another reason why it would be best if I
now delete the W9XUNDO.DAT 760MB file through 'Delete the ME uninstall information' in Control Panel?

Kind regards,
Pat

 

If you never plan to uninstall ME, you can delete that file through Control Panel.
The new folder you have discovered is where Windows ME keeps it's Restore Points. You could try unchecking "Hide Protected..." in the Folder Options to see the rest, but the OS guards it well.

 

Thankyou for your reply Mark and the 760MB Undo file has been deleted.

I take it from what you say that the size of the Restore folder at 2.57GB is quite acceptable? Is this size proportionate to the existing Hard disk Used Space?

Kind regards,
Pat

 

The size of the SR folder is proportionate to the size of the drive. By default it is 10%.
To manually adjust the size of the Data Store, follow these steps:
1. In Control Panel, click System.
2. Click the Performance tab.
3. Click the File System button.
4. On the Hard Disk tab, adjust the System Restore disk space use slider to the preferred size.
If you want to clear out the folder, you would disable System Restore, reboot. The enable SR and reboot.
If you feel some of the SR files are corrupt, and want to start it out completely clean, you would boot the computer with a boot floppy, choose without CDROM support, then do this command at the A:\> prompt.
deltree c:\_restore
Type a Y that you want to delete. Take out floppy and reboot. This command deletes the folder, and WinME will recreate it upon startup if SR is enabled.

 

Thankyou Mark for all that important information
Kind regards,
Pat