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Windows ME and Explorer.exe always causing errors and closing

Discussion in 'Legacy Windows' started by kmstrube81, 2013/02/19.

  1. 2013/02/19
    kmstrube81

    kmstrube81 Inactive Thread Starter

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    I have a computer from a customer running Windows ME. Explorer.exe constantly is crashing causing errors in <unknown> or kernel, or some dll.

    I was asked by the customer to install a NIC so she could get on the internet using DSL. I installed it and the computer has internet access but internet explorer (its not IE6, dont know what version it is) crashes before it can load a webpage. Other program such as games don't crash in the same manner but explorer.exe always crashing makes it such an annoyance to use. These errors occurred both before and after installing the NIC

    Does ME even have an event viewer or something to see what is causing the crashes in the first place? Do you guys have any ideas how to fix a problem like this? thanks for your help!
     
    Last edited: 2013/02/19
  2. 2013/02/19
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    The Windows System Event Log can be found through right clicking the My Computer icon and left clicking Manage.

    To me it sounds like maybe some Malware/Spyware on it.
     

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  4. 2013/02/20
    markp62

    markp62 Geek Member Alumni

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    If memory serves me correct, ME is installed with IE6, with the latest version available from Microsoft being IE6 SP1.
    I suspect some sort of malware problems happening. However, I offer you this link as a way to manually replace Explorer.Exe, although ME would immediately replace any version that is not "approved" by Microsoft.

    How to Extract and Replace a Protected File in Windows Me

    If you would like to know if ME has been replacing a corrupt Explorer.Exe automatically, the log file, Sfplog.txt, is in the Windows\System\SFP folder.
     
  5. 2013/02/20
    kmstrube81

    kmstrube81 Inactive Thread Starter

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    The customer had the restore discs and was ok resetting back to factory settings so explorer is just fine. ME ships with IE5.5 and I can't get it to update to IE6 because it gets a "download location information is damaged. Please clear you cache in Internet Explorer and try again" error. I imagine its because it tries to contact microsoft for a download of IE6 and they no longer host it so it returns an error. Why they decided to release an installer that has to download files is annoying. Whoever came up with that idea *****. I hate all the grief i get trying to install programs to offline comptuers only to discover that the installer still has to download the programs.

    Anyways does anyone know if there is a IE6 installer somewhere on the internet that actually contains IE6 and not just a download of it? I can't pull IE6 from windows update either because it just glitches and never loads the page.

    Thanks for your help guys.
     
  6. 2013/02/20
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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  7. 2013/02/20
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    You are trying an OS that entered it's non supported state well over 2,400 days ago! (July 11, 2006). Bad idea trying to use that on the Internet these days. Once you fix it, it probably get's re-infected before you can drink your favorite beverage!
     
    Arie,
    #6
  8. 2013/02/21
    SpywareDr

    SpywareDr SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    And many of us don't really appreciate unprotected devices on the internet that soon will be trying to spread their nasty infectious diseases on to our devices.
     
  9. 2013/03/08
    easeltine

    easeltine Inactive

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    I found that Windows ME runs best on the Internet with the Sea Monkey browser.

    That was after trying Opera, Netscape, Firefox and Explorer, (one other one that I can remember).

    The older version of Firefox for 98SE/ME is pretty good also. Explorer does not work as well. Your client would have a much better experience!

    If this is a home computer you need to get an older anti-virus program, this should never be used on a business computer. I was super lucky in never receiving a virus running this stuff.

    Like Arie said, "Bad idea trying to use that on the Internet these days. "

    I decided to change my laptop that ran this to a non-Internet laptop, converted it to Windows 98SE for more speed, and the ability to partition older operating systems. I mean at 950 Mhz w/ 256 MB RAM w/ 10 GB hard drive the computer now flies!
     
    Last edited: 2013/03/08
  10. 2013/03/16
    ThomasJK

    ThomasJK Well-Known Member

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    I noticed this thread earlier today, while browsing the net with my Windows 95 machine and Internet Exploder 1...
    I have had that machine running for over 3 years after reformat&reinstall, and I have also had quite a many of my favorite beverages during that period of trouble free retro-computing ;-)
     
  11. 2013/03/16
    easeltine

    easeltine Inactive

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  12. 2013/03/17
    easeltine

    easeltine Inactive

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    Hi Arie,

    I have a question for you.

    The newer viruses are being made for NTFS, and modern browsers. Do you think that a FAT32 Operating System can even get any of these viruses? I'm thinking that Thomas and I are not getting viruses because those NTFS viruses these guys are making don't even run on our old machines?
     
  13. 2013/03/21
    markp62

    markp62 Geek Member Alumni

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    My two cents on here.
    Before MS dropped support, they had issued two security updates, one concerning Windows Media Player. These were not updated files. These fully qualify to be called 'patches', as they are inserted into the core of the operating system, started from HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices during system boot up. They alter the path of the vulnerability through themselves.
    MS did further investigation and found other vulnerabilities at the core of the operating system, which they wisely (thankfully) did not disclose to the general public. MS announced that the only effective way to correct these would be to dig out the original source code, make the corrections, recompile the operating system, and then issue new CD's. Not gonna happen.
    That said, I do admit that it may be unlikely someone is targeting these older systems, as they are not the mainstream OS's surfing the net. I would not discount being infected.
    Perhaps the reason you aren't being infected is because you are using Safe Internet Practices?
     
  14. 2013/03/22
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    The file system format has nothing to do with a virus, and viruses hardly ever (if ever) are made to target a specific file system.
     
  15. 2013/03/22
    easeltine

    easeltine Inactive

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    Thank you Arie,

    The reason I was asking is that I received a Virus at work once that nobody could remove. It was all about spending money to Protect my Computer from Viruses, etc. It was an XP computer and I was wondering if this type of "Virus Protection Virus" could run on a FAT32 machine.

    I am not going on the Internet with a System that is not NTFS anymore. They simply run too slowly for my patience on the Internet and just cannot get enough plug-ins etc. to have a good experience running the machine.

    Your advise, of course, was the best one to upgrade the O/S of the client's computer.
    Even Windows 2000 has enough Plug-Ins etc. to still give a nice experience, for example watching something on YouTube. Windows ME/98 SE just can't cut the mustard anymore.

    If the computer has enough resources to run Windows ME, then it probably has enough system resources to run Windows 2000 or Windows XP. If one has a slow processor, then they can always have a cup of coffee waiting for 2000 to come up LOL.
     
  16. 2013/03/22
    easeltine

    easeltine Inactive

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    Mark,

    I put Windows 98SE on my Inspiron 8000 just 2 weeks ago and decided to make it just a word processing computer. I was using Norton Utilities 3.0 and a free Antivirus called Clamshell. I tried numerous Browsers, and Sea Monkey for Windows 98 seemed to work the best for me. It was still too slow an experience.
     
  17. 2013/03/23
    markp62

    markp62 Geek Member Alumni

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    Perhaps you would be interested in KernelEx.
    From the site; KernelEx is an Open Source compatibility layer with an aim to allow running Windows 2000/XP-only applications on Microsoft Windows 98 and Microsoft Windows Millennium operating systems.
    Here is a list of applications that will work with it. Just click on one for further info about highest versions. For example, you could run SeaMonkey 2.0 - 2.0.14 .
     
  18. 2013/03/24
    easeltine

    easeltine Inactive

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    The Sea Monkey seems like that might be pretty good. You caught me checking out these old Hard Drives I have. This particular one is a 80 GB where XP is messed up. I shouldn't say this on a site like this, but I am typing you from the Kubuntu I just installed using the LINUX Firefox version.

    My wife is upstairs...she knows I am crazy!
     

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