another winxp problem or my luck

[kevin_bouchard]

I just installed winxp on my system:) \
but for some reason when i went to shutdown it wouldnt so i pulled the plug, and when i restarted it wouldnt show any of the user icons that you would normally click.
so i am stuck reinstalling:(
has this happened to anyone else?
and does anyone know what causes this?

Thanks:D

[rUfUnKy]

Was your first install a update or full install?sometimes updates will cause odd things to happen.

[kevin_bouchard]

it was a update because when i tried to install it from a win98 boot disk it said that i couldnt install it from dos

Also it was working all of yesterday and most of today, just when i unplugged it did the logon icons disappear.
But that may have caused my computer not to turn off, normally overclockers have problems turning off their computers and now there is a problem turning them off(just seems wierd)

thanks i will try the full install instead of update.

btw why does MS recommend that you update compared to full?

[rUfUnKy]

That is one of xp's claims to fame it is supposed to have less problems with updating then previous released OS's.And it is a lot easier to update which means less support call they have to answer.But it is always better to format and reinstall. If you have a incompatible program (anti virus) it could cause problems if not fully deleted.

[rUfUnKy]

Originally posted by kevin_bouchard
it was a update because when i tried to install it from a win98 boot disk it said that I couldn't install it from dos


You should be able to delete the partition with win 98 floppy and then use your winxp disk to format to ntfs and install..And if you are over clocked that could also cause this problem.even if you had a stable oc on one OS does not mean that you will be stable on all os's. i.e. Win98 is ALOT more oc friendly than win 2000.

[kevin_bouchard]

No that shouldn't be the problem for me
because i am using a multiboot system,and here are the steps i used to install it

create a bootable partition labeled winxp
run boot magic and boot to winxp partition
before computer is finished bios process insert win98 boot disk,support cdrom
format c:\ (labeled winxp)
install win98
once you have aceess to the win98 desktop i put in my winxp cd and run setup(didnt install anything else before)
click yes,enter key,blablabla...
3hours later its installed

know i know now that you can run the install from dos,but this was before i had that information.

Hope this may clear some stuff up


btw games run alot slower on xp,but maybe thats because the default drivers dont support openglide
but either than that i think its a great os, kind of wierd colors though,does anyone know how to change them(or get more skins)?
thanks

[rUfUnKy]

Originally posted by kevin_bouchard
No that shouldn't be the problem for me
because i am using a multiboot system,and here are the steps i used to install it
download winxp build26000 devils own
create a bootable partition labeled winxp
run boot magic and boot to winxp partition
before computer is finished bios process insert win98 boot disk,support cdrom
format c:\ (labeled winxp)
install win98
once you have aceess to the win98 desktop i put in my winxp cd and run setup(didnt install anything else before)
click yes,enter key,blablabla...
3hours later its installed

know i know now that you can run the install from dos,but this was before i had that information.

Hope this may clear some stuff up


btw games run alot slower on xp,but maybe thats because the default drivers dont support openglide
but either than that i think its a great os, kind of wierd colors though,does anyone know how to change them(or get more skins)?
thanks
First off I would edit the downloaded win xp thing,warez is not aloud here.(Don't want ya to get bashed ;) )and you can change the theme by right clicking the desktop and going to properties then themes and you can change the color scheme in apperance (I think this is what you were looking for)

[kevin_bouchard]

thanks rUfUnKy
Ya it was what i wanted(more specific where to download)but i checked it out and i see the option "more options online"
thanks again:)

[rUfUnKy]

N/P :)

[kevin_bouchard]

ok one more thing,
when i checked the themes
they would change the background,sounds,icons,media player but not the start meny style or colors(this is what i am trying to do).
Can anyone help me with this?

[rUfUnKy]

If you are looking to change the style or layout of the start menu to look like win 98 win 2000 go to start go up to the top were your name is right click and select properties then choose clasic.this will also change every thing else to the classic look i.e. desktop ex.If its just the color you want to change,as I mentioned above the color scheme will do that to all opened windows including your start menu...

[bdf24]

If you want to do a full clean install of Win XP. Do not run the setup.exe from a dos prompt. Get to a dos prompt for what ever drive it's in, I'll pretend it's D:. Type:

D:\I386\winnt.exe

You have to use the winnt.exe in the I386 folder to run the install from dos. You may want to put Smartdrv on a floppy and run that while your in dos before you install Winxp though. That will GREATLY improve the file transfers.

This is assuming you have the Full v. and not just the upgrade.

[kevin_bouchard]

thanks guys for all the help!!!

bdf24, thanks but i found that out already, too bad it was after i did the update for the second time(may help another reader though):D

rufunky I just want to change the color/shape of the startup menu, you know how winamp has skins, and so does media player, I want some for my startmenu, but the ones in the theme are lame(that is only my opignion) so i there any place i can download some from or a 3d party program that can change it?
thanks again, you guys have been most helpful:D


oh ya this is alittle bit different than color changing, but here is my 3 questions:

1. Does anyone know how to disable "wait for dial tone" for a dial-up connection in winxp?
2. Is there some way to setup manually your ip address for dial-up account(like you could in win98)
3. I haven't been able to properly setup my network :( (two computers connected with a crossover cable)one of them has winxp and the other win98, it says that its connected but i am not able to transfer files and i cant view shared files off the win98 system(i know the win98 system is setup right), can anyone help me with this?


If you think any of these questions should be moved tell me and i will post it in another category, but they all are winxp related problems.
thanks:D

[rUfUnKy]

You can try windows blinds,I'm not sure if it will work with xp....and you might want to post the later part of the question in Internet and Networking for a quick answer..I have cable modem so I am not familiar with the dial up settings.

[kevin_bouchard]

I will try windows blind if i can find it.
thanks for the help :D

[*JEREMY*]

just as a reference to any one else that wants to clean install just go into the bios and change your boot options so that cdrom is first,you can boot from the winxp cd and then it will let you chhose the partition and whether or not you want to format it,this is for the full edition,not sure if it works for upgrade

[kevin_bouchard]

It doesnt work with the update, but good point for those with the full version, now the question is, is it worth reinstalling it because i updated it? or would that just be a waste of time?