Spaceman

I don't think we disagree, you just explained it better ;-)

We all would all be stuffed without you guys!!!Thanks for all your help!!!

Ditto that!

By the way - my system is only 6 months old. It is a Mesh and the help is minimal on software problems.

Well, Well!

2 hours after saying that Mesh don't help with software I received the following email from them:

"We have seen this fault a number of times as a result of installing Service Pack 2. This is currently being looked into by ourselves and Microsoft. You can uninstall Service Pack 2 from Add/Remove Programs in Safe Mode.
If you wait we may have a fix within a week or so. If you cant wait to install Service Pack 2 you can format the hard disk and reinstall everything so everything is reset back to default. We have found that SP2 will then install OK.
If you wish to reinstall Windows we will need to send you a special SATA Windows CD. If you need this CD please reply confirming your address so we can sent it out to you."

So it isn't just me! Phew! That's a relief. Good of them to tell me eh?

There's no way I'm re-formating if there's achance of a fix in a few weeks, so I guess I'll sit back and wait.

Think I'll send off for this SATA disk though. Might come in handy (he says pretending he knows what it does!).

Thanks again guys.

On behalf of Splat; something has hijacked his PC so that he is unable to log on to windows (XP Pro). We need a way of bypassing the login so that he can at least get access to his data to back it up.


thanks


Neil

robber, do you have any more deatils of what is happeneing on splats machine? does he get a login prompt? does he get any messages? is he using caps lock by mistake? when did it happen, has he any ideas what might have caused the problem etc etc?

robber, try logging in as a different user, perhaps Administrator. ctrl-alt-Del may help to log out.

thanks both of you, got a few ideas to try now. Will get back to you with a progress report.

Can anyone help? This problem happens in an identical manner on each of my three monitor screens and started about an hour ago:-

When I 'maximise' my IE6 browser windows, I can still see about 30mm of Desktop above the maximised window right across the top of the screen.

I can still stretch an 'intermediately' sized window so as to fill the whole screen and also move this latter type of window around.

Does anyone know

a. What has gone wrong or happened?
b. How to fix it so the browser window can be controlled as per the norm?

DP, drag the taskbar to the top of the screen and down again, that should fix it.

Doc

Have you tried a power off re-boot of the computer?

Can anyone point me in the right direction.......
I have a medion comp and the hard disc is split into C: boot, D: backup and E:recover.Ihave all my files and documents on D.
Can I reformat and reload all the programs on C without loosing every thing on D.
If so where can I find out how to do it.....We all have to learn some time (or pay some one else) Thanks Graeme.

Kayak, Optimist

Tried a shutdown and re-boot. -ve

Tried moving the Task Bar to the top of the screen and then maximising the window. This gives me a 'gap' in between the TB and the window. The thickness of the gap is still 30mm, which tells me it has slipped a 'TB thickness' lower down the screen. If I do this on "1" and also on "2", then the one on '2' is actually higher by a 'TB thickness' as expected.

No virus detected.

Programs like Spybot S&D, Word and OE6 work normally and with a typically normal full-sized windows. Tried Spybot S&D. -ve

Graeme

Assuming you are running Windows then you need to boot from your installation CD (do not run it from windows). During the installation you will be asked which disk you want to install on it may give you the option of formating or you may have to delete the partition - make sure you get the right one - and then reinstate it.

Although your data is on drive D your user settings and many of your program settings are stored on drive C. Win XP has an export routine for user settings but you will still have to re-install all your programs.

Why do you need to take such drastic action?

DP, also try F11 in IE and then F11 again

With a browser window open, I pressed 'F11':-

Browser window filled whole of screen. I then re-set Buttons, Address Bar, Links and Google Tool Bar. All now OK.

Very clever, Kayak. :-)

'Thank you very much' to both of you. :-)

Optomist.
Thanks for the reply.The machine is my oldest (about 2 years) with windows xp.
In the past I messed it up by doign several things that I didnt (and still dont ) really understand. Like trying to put a suspect copy of XP Pro on over Xp Home.Not having a fire wall, using Kazza, changing from old copy of Norton system works to dodgy kazza copyies ect ect.....
Now it doesn't have half the software on it came with ( like pre-installed programs ,I keep getting errors and it doesnt boot up correctly and wont let me install Norton Internet security ect because of the mess it is in from installing and not removing programs correctly).
At the moment because of this it is basically being used just for connecting my network and so if the main machine has a problem I will lose everything I want to sort it out so I can back up my main machine to this one and vice / versa.I also now have invested in proper software.
The machine came with 3 main cd's.
Product recovery - this has the windows logo on.
Application and support cd and nero burning rom cd.
I am going to change my internet / cable modem onto the main one on friday night then spend the weekend trying to sort it. I hate doing things like this but if all else fails I can say I tried....then sell some crap shares and buy another new one......Thanks Graeme.

Graeme

I see what you are trying to do.

You may want to consider buying a new hard disk to put your new installation on and mounting your existing one as a secondary drive. For a cost of around 50 you will get a larger and faster disk and still have a backup of everything on your original disk.

If you already have a network why not buy a network cable modem?

Anyone know of any good, free, fax software, just for occasional home usage? Preferably without the couple of annoying features endemic to the W2000 standard software, i.e. not being able to start reception of a fax "now", and not saving the 29 good pages of a fax that has ended in an error on the very last page :-(

Optpmist,
Just to update, managed to sort it out and reformat and installed XP pro,with the help of a freind (lucky he is German as the machine is a Medion and half the instructions werein German). Got all internet back via network, just cant quit manage to get the main machine to see or let the other two see it.But I am working on it and the two others see each other and will share / transfer files between them so I cant be that far away. Really glad I finally got around to having a go and thanks for you advice. Graeme.