i have an hp computer and the operating system (Windows ME) is damaged but the computer did not come with the Windows ME disc so is there any way i could get a hold of the Windows ME files and burn them to a cd so i could fix my computer. i need to do a clean install of windows on the computer.
do not ever use ME again. it's the worst OS ever made, hell windows 98 is better. so, your comp didn't come with the recovery disks? oh well, buy a copy of windows XP. just back up all your important documents, and format the drive when you start the windows xp installation. trust me, you don't want windows me
i dont agree windows me has the plug and play feature which 98 doesnt and with some tweaking with a program like 98lite windows me can be very good after you get rid of the bloat
Go to c:/Windows/options You will see a folder called cabs. Copy this folder to CD-R. Next make a Windows Me Startup disc. This can be done in the add/remove programs screen. After that go to start menu and select run. Type in "regedit" without the quotes. Then go to: HKEY local machine=>Software=>Microsoft=>wondows=>current version Look on the right and find "product key" You will find your 25 character product key. Write this down. Back up anything important as you will lose everything (and I mean everything). You can try the install while in windows by double clicking "setup.exe" in your c:windows/options/cabs folder. If that does not work for some reason, insert your startup disc and your Windows ME file disc and restart your PC (make sure your first boot device is floppy). You PC will boot the startup disc and after a while you will be in DOS. Navigate to your setup.exe file. you can try the one in your c:/windows/options/cabs folder or in your CD-R. For the file on your hard drive type in "c:" w/o quotes press enter and then type cd windows/options/cabs then press enter and type in "setup.exe" and enter. For your cd it will be "e:" enter then cd cabs/ enter then "setup.exe". Windows installation will start unless if your Windows installation files are corrupted. If this fails, you can download an ISO of Windows ME OEM and use your Product Key to activate it. As for the suggestion of Windows XP, I would not agree with that. Even though you get the benefits of compatibility, XP is a resource hog. It is also too automated and made too user friendly, to the point where it is annoying. My favorite Windows is Windows 2000 Pro. It is about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of Windows XP, more reliable, and very low on resources. All of the benefits of XP are also found in Windows 2000. Don't let "advantage of Sevice Pack 2" fool you into thinking you are geting a better Windows. All they did was add features that you do not need and removed features that should not have been there in the first place. If you are thinking of buying Windows XP, you might as well just get a new PC. XP is about $200 and a new PC with Windows XP pre-installed can be found for the same price (I have seen one for $99 instant after rebate and mail in rebate). A decent PC can be about $500.
thanks you guys helped alot but.... where can i download windows me iso and when i get it do i just drag it to a CD is windows 2000 a more recent version of windows compared to windows ME? Thanks again
should i download the file from http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm that says Windows ME OEM (its the 12th one down)
Before looking to to download an ISO, try to make your own install disc with the files I told you to copy to CD-R. The only difference is that the one you make will not auto boot. Also, downloading an ISO may be considered illegal, even though your purpose for doing it if legit. You would have to search torrent sites and p2p. However, if you have to, download it. I have never tried it, but it may be possible to make a bootable OEM Install disc yourself like this: instead of copying the c:/windows/options/cabs folder, make a boot cd using only the files inside the cabs folder. First open notepad and copy & paste this: [autorun] OPEN=AUTORUN\AUTORUN.EXE ICON=AUTORUN\WIN9XCD.ICO Then save as: autorun.inf and move it to the c:windows/options/cabs folder. Next, download a windows ME boot image: http://1gighost.net/ohioman/winmec.zip Next open a burning program like Nero Burning ROM (NOT Nero Express). Under CD mode, find "CD-ROM Boot" After selecting it, the screen will change and you will be in the boot tab. Enable "Image file" then browse and locate your Windows ME boot image (winme.img). You will have to search for "all type of files". Next enable expert settings and under kind of emulation, put "no Emulation" Change the number of loaded sectors to "4". Next go to the ISO tab. Make sure that you are in "Data Mode 1", File system "ISO 9660 + Joliet", File Name length "Level 2", Character Set "ISO 9660", and check all "relaxed settings". Now click "new". Browse the c:/windows/options/cabs and add all of the files to the compilation. Click the "Burn Compilation" button, but do not burn yet. Click on the label tab and change the label to "Windows Me". Now click on the burn tab and burn your disc. I have never tried making a Windows ME boot install cd, but I think this will work. It is also a lot faster than downloading an ISO. Just remember to follow the steps in my previous post to get your Product Key.
And about Windows 2000: It is much better than Windows ME and even Windows 98. I consider it better than Windows XP, but some people will disagree. It can do everything that Windows 98 & Me can do, but also capable of running professional software and supports the NTFS File system like Windows XP. It is also far more stable than Windows ME & Windows 98 (as is Windows XP). Both XP and 2000 are NT based OS, so their roots are very similar. The biggest gripe I have with XP is that it is made too flashy. Running Windows XP SP2 with nothing else installed and running nothing and sitting Idle, will eat up 110MB of RAM. Windows ME is about 50 and Windows 2000 SP4 (really SP5) is about 70. However, when you install software, Windows XP really starts to eat everything up. When I was running SAV10 (this is symantecs coprporate anti-virus) it was using 250MB of RAM alone!!!! I had to switch to the older 9.02 version for XP. On my Windows 2000 partition SAV10 only uses 24MB of RAM and sometimes it is less, but never more. I have also seen a pattern that with most software, windows XP requires at least 2x the RAM. The biggest difference I see between Windows XP and Windows 2000, other than RAM is, that Windows 2000 does not come packed with drivers. This means if you are going to get Windows 2000, make sure you download or have discs for all your hardware, including Video card, Modem/ethernet card, printer/scanner, Motherboard, and anything else you can think of. Your Ethernet/Modem driver is the most important, since you can always use Windows update, or go to a manufacturers website for a driver, but if you have not internet, then you cannot get to those sites. You will still may need motherboard & printer/scanner drivers for XP, but internet is usually fine.
ok i think ill try the first option you told me about with the cabs folder. cause i dont like messen around with p2p networks.
Try to make both the self boot and the one that you have to boot with the floppy. The self boot would be more convenient for future installs if it works.
