I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.

Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
straight to the Windows loading screen.

This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.

Anyone ever come across this problem before?

Merle,

> Anyone ever come across this problem before?

Like this one ?

Brandon
Windows XP Boot Problem - Boot Goes Right To Win Splash Screen
24 May 2021 10:58:41 -0500

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 06:28:10 -0500, merle@invalid.com wrote:

>I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>
>Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>straight to the Windows loading screen.
>
>This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>
>Anyone ever come across this problem before?

Do you have more than video adapter?
I know mine starts with the BIOS screen on one but Windows points to
the other.

merle@invalid.com wrote:
> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>
> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>
> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>
> Anyone ever come across this problem before?

boot.ini is hidden.

cd /d C:\

dir /ah boot.ini

This is the content of boot.ini .

[boot loader]
timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
C:\ = "WINXP New Install"

Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.

Paul

On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:11:15 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
wrote:

>merle@invalid.com wrote:
>> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>>
>> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>>
>> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>>
>> Anyone ever come across this problem before?
>
>boot.ini is hidden.
>
> cd /d C:\
>
> dir /ah boot.ini
>
>This is the content of boot.ini .
>
>[boot loader]
>timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
>[operating systems]
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
>C:\ = "WINXP New Install"
>
>Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.
>
> Paul

Using the command dir /ah boot.ini with CMD line I get a result that
says boot.ini is in in C: and that it is 200 bytes. But I cannot
find it even though I have hidden files showing.

There is a boot.ini.backup is in Windows/pss.

It won't allow a rename to boot.in when I place in the C: root because
it says another boot.ini exists on C:

As I have said, I do have "hidden files" showing in the Explorer Tool
menu, so that's not why I'm not seeing this boot.ini file

the cd /d C: commnand shows me nothing that links to the problem.

The content of the backup file in Win/pss is:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Did I mention that I'm using XP Pro w/sp3?

So...?

On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 06:54:14 -0500, Ted@invalidated.com wrote:

>On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:11:15 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
>wrote:
>
>>merle@invalid.com wrote:
>>> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>>>
>>> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>>> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>>>
>>> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>>> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>>>
>>> Anyone ever come across this problem before?
>>
>>boot.ini is hidden.
>>
>> cd /d C:\
>>
>> dir /ah boot.ini
>>
>>This is the content of boot.ini .
>>
>>[boot loader]
>>timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
>>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
>>[operating systems]
>>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
>>C:\ = "WINXP New Install"
>>
>>Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.
>>
>> Paul
>
>Using the command dir /ah boot.ini with CMD line I get a result that
>says boot.ini is in in C: and that it is 200 bytes. But I cannot
>find it even though I have hidden files showing.
>
>There is a boot.ini.backup is in Windows/pss.
>
>It won't allow a rename to boot.in when I place in the C: root because
>it says another boot.ini exists on C:
>
>As I have said, I do have "hidden files" showing in the Explorer Tool
>menu, so that's not why I'm not seeing this boot.ini file
>
>the cd /d C: commnand shows me nothing that links to the problem.
>
>The content of the backup file in Win/pss is:
>
>[boot loader]
>timeout=30
>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>[operating systems]
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>
>Did I mention that I'm using XP Pro w/sp3?
>
>So...?

Sorry 'bout the nym shift to Ted. I'm back to Merle.

As for that stupid last question regarding XP Pro, I've been up about
36 hours and ain't thinking too clearly. :o(

Merle,

> As for that stupid last question regarding XP Pro, I've been
> up about 36 hours and ain't thinking too clearly. :o(

I take it you figured out that "system" files are hidden too ? (if not,
execute "c:\attrib" from the commandline and see what you get).

And 36 hours up and still coherent and no spelling mistakes that I can spot
? You do much better than I would. :-)

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 06:54:14 -0500, Ted@invalidated.com wrote:

>On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:11:15 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
>wrote:
>
>>merle@invalid.com wrote:
>>> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>>>
>>> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>>> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>>>
>>> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>>> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>>>
>>> Anyone ever come across this problem before?
>>
>>boot.ini is hidden.
>>
>> cd /d C:\
>>
>> dir /ah boot.ini
>>
>>This is the content of boot.ini .
>>
>>[boot loader]
>>timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
>>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
>>[operating systems]
>>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
>>C:\ = "WINXP New Install"
>>
>>Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.
>>
>> Paul
>
>Using the command dir /ah boot.ini with CMD line I get a result that
>says boot.ini is in in C: and that it is 200 bytes. But I cannot
>find it even though I have hidden files showing.
>
>There is a boot.ini.backup is in Windows/pss.
>
>It won't allow a rename to boot.in when I place in the C: root because
>it says another boot.ini exists on C:
>
>As I have said, I do have "hidden files" showing in the Explorer Tool
>menu, so that's not why I'm not seeing this boot.ini file
>
>the cd /d C: commnand shows me nothing that links to the problem.
>
>The content of the backup file in Win/pss is:
>
>[boot loader]
>timeout=30
>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>[operating systems]
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>
>Did I mention that I'm using XP Pro w/sp3?
>
>So...?

If you can't get to BIOS there is no windows setting that is affecting
you. Windows has't read any files yet. The machine doesn't even know
you are running windows.
That is why I suggested you might have another video adapter taking
that BIOS splash. I am having the same problem myself but the holiday
is keeping me too busy to look at it.
If there is another video adapter in there, pull it.
You might try taking out the BIOS battery and jumpering the reset pin
if the default included CD load.

Merle@invalid.com wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 06:54:14 -0500, Ted@invalidated.com wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:11:15 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> merle@invalid.com wrote:
>>>> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>>>>
>>>> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>>>> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>>>>
>>>> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>>>> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>>>>
>>>> Anyone ever come across this problem before?
>>> boot.ini is hidden.
>>>
>>> cd /d C:\
>>>
>>> dir /ah boot.ini
>>>
>>> This is the content of boot.ini .
>>>
>>> [boot loader]
>>> timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
>>> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
>>> [operating systems]
>>> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
>>> C:\ = "WINXP New Install"
>>>
>>> Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.
>>>
>>> Paul
>> Using the command dir /ah boot.ini with CMD line I get a result that
>> says boot.ini is in in C: and that it is 200 bytes. But I cannot
>> find it even though I have hidden files showing.
>>
>> There is a boot.ini.backup is in Windows/pss.
>>
>> It won't allow a rename to boot.in when I place in the C: root because
>> it says another boot.ini exists on C:
>>
>> As I have said, I do have "hidden files" showing in the Explorer Tool
>> menu, so that's not why I'm not seeing this boot.ini file
>>
>> the cd /d C: commnand shows me nothing that links to the problem.
>>
>> The content of the backup file in Win/pss is:
>>
>> [boot loader]
>> timeout=30
>> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>> [operating systems]
>> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>> Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>>
>> Did I mention that I'm using XP Pro w/sp3?
>>
>> So...?
>
> Sorry 'bout the nym shift to Ted. I'm back to Merle.
>
> As for that stupid last question regarding XP Pro, I've been up about
> 36 hours and ain't thinking too clearly. :o(

One command you can use, is "attrib" as Administrator.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/devtest/editing-the-boot-ini-file

That article shows how to get there with your trusty Notepad.

I leave my boot.ini exposed, because I hate having
it hidden like that :-)

The article talks about other ways to edit it, if you wish.

Paul

On Sun, 4 Jul 2021 15:09:29 +0200, "R.Wieser" <address@not.available>
wrote:

>Merle,
>
>> As for that stupid last question regarding XP Pro, I've been
>> up about 36 hours and ain't thinking too clearly. :o(
>
>I take it you figured out that "system" files are hidden too ? (if not,
>execute "c:\attrib" from the commandline and see what you get).

The c:\attrib cmd gives nothing.

I did try "attrib -h" and it told me -
"Not resetting system file - C:\boot.ini

>
>And 36 hours up and still coherent and no spelling mistakes that I can spot
>? You do much better than I would. :-)
>

I cheat.

At age 86 I ALWAYS use a spell checker - unless I forget. :o)

This attribute stuff brings back memories from my DOS years.

I was on DOS for a long time until Windows 3.1 came out. I read
somewhere that one could have three programs running at once on Win
3.1. THAT got me. I got windows and was free forever of DOS
commands, gopher, telnet and whole bunch of p.i.a. stuff. I became the
example of a total "appliance operator" who couldn't care less how
Windows did its thing. I have since remained an "appliance operator"
who has absolutely no shame at bring my boxe(s) into the local repair
shop and plonking down a hundred or two to get it working again.

Oh, well...enuf of the "Sundowning" and drooling over the "good ol'
days".

As to the present problem I'm just curious as to why I can't find nor
replace the dang boot file.

>Regards,
>Rudy Wieser
>

On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 10:12:50 -0400, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:

>On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 06:54:14 -0500, Ted@invalidated.com wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:11:15 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>merle@invalid.com wrote:
>>>> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>>>>
>>>> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>>>> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>>>>
>>>> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>>>> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>>>>
>>>> Anyone ever come across this problem before?
>>>
>>>boot.ini is hidden.
>>>
>>> cd /d C:\
>>>
>>> dir /ah boot.ini
>>>
>>>This is the content of boot.ini .
>>>
>>>[boot loader]
>>>timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
>>>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
>>>[operating systems]
>>>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
>>>C:\ = "WINXP New Install"
>>>
>>>Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>
>>Using the command dir /ah boot.ini with CMD line I get a result that
>>says boot.ini is in in C: and that it is 200 bytes. But I cannot
>>find it even though I have hidden files showing.
>>
>>There is a boot.ini.backup is in Windows/pss.
>>
>>It won't allow a rename to boot.in when I place in the C: root because
>>it says another boot.ini exists on C:
>>
>>As I have said, I do have "hidden files" showing in the Explorer Tool
>>menu, so that's not why I'm not seeing this boot.ini file
>>
>>the cd /d C: commnand shows me nothing that links to the problem.
>>
>>The content of the backup file in Win/pss is:
>>
>>[boot loader]
>>timeout=30
>>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>>[operating systems]
>>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>>Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>>
>>Did I mention that I'm using XP Pro w/sp3?
>>
>>So...?
>
>If you can't get to BIOS there is no windows setting that is affecting
>you. Windows has't read any files yet. The machine doesn't even know
>you are running windows.
>That is why I suggested you might have another video adapter taking
>that BIOS splash. I am having the same problem myself but the holiday
>is keeping me too busy to look at it.
> If there is another video adapter in there, pull it.
>You might try taking out the BIOS battery and jumpering the reset pin
>if the default included CD load.
>

I have only what came with the box. I have no idea about video
adapters. I certainly never acquired one. The box is somewhere about
10 years old. This problem started some months ago. I never add
extra cards or other internal stuff to the machine.

On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 13:29:30 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
wrote:

>Merle@invalid.com wrote:
>> On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 06:54:14 -0500, Ted@invalidated.com wrote:
>>
>>> On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:11:15 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> merle@invalid.com wrote:
>>>>> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>>>>>
>>>>> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>>>>> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>>>>>
>>>>> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>>>>> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>>>>>
>>>>> Anyone ever come across this problem before?
>>>> boot.ini is hidden.
>>>>
>>>> cd /d C:\
>>>>
>>>> dir /ah boot.ini
>>>>
>>>> This is the content of boot.ini .
>>>>
>>>> [boot loader]
>>>> timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
>>>> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
>>>> [operating systems]
>>>> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
>>>> C:\ = "WINXP New Install"
>>>>
>>>> Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.
>>>>
>>>> Paul
>>> Using the command dir /ah boot.ini with CMD line I get a result that
>>> says boot.ini is in in C: and that it is 200 bytes. But I cannot
>>> find it even though I have hidden files showing.
>>>
>>> There is a boot.ini.backup is in Windows/pss.
>>>
>>> It won't allow a rename to boot.in when I place in the C: root because
>>> it says another boot.ini exists on C:
>>>
>>> As I have said, I do have "hidden files" showing in the Explorer Tool
>>> menu, so that's not why I'm not seeing this boot.ini file
>>>
>>> the cd /d C: commnand shows me nothing that links to the problem.
>>>
>>> The content of the backup file in Win/pss is:
>>>
>>> [boot loader]
>>> timeout=30
>>> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>>> [operating systems]
>>> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>>> Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>>>
>>> Did I mention that I'm using XP Pro w/sp3?
>>>
>>> So...?
>>
>> Sorry 'bout the nym shift to Ted. I'm back to Merle.
>>
>> As for that stupid last question regarding XP Pro, I've been up about
>> 36 hours and ain't thinking too clearly. :o(
>
>One command you can use, is "attrib" as Administrator.
>
>https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/devtest/editing-the-boot-ini-file
>
>That article shows how to get there with your trusty Notepad.
>
>I leave my boot.ini exposed, because I hate having
>it hidden like that :-)
>
>The article talks about other ways to edit it, if you wish.
>
> Paul

Well, I found the boot.ini file!

(That MS page is a very handy page.)

The attrib on the above page did it - "attrib -s -h -r Boot.ini"

Here it is. (It might as well be in Greek for all the good it does
me.)

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

And the file does have a MODIFIED DATE of May 24, 2021. As someone
mentioned, I think that was around the time I did ask for the first
time about the problem. Something, Somewhere, went Blooey on that
day, I guess.

As for all the other instructions on the page, I'll take a pass.
Ignorant Me starts screwing around with all that stuff and I'll end up
carrying my box to the local Repair For Dummies Shop

My TrueImage and my AOMEI recovery disks still work fine to boot the
machine in case I need to roll back entirely. So, the boot problem
hasn't affected them.

So, a BIG THANKS to all who patiently put up with me.

Merle@invalid.com wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 13:29:30 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> Merle@invalid.com wrote:
>>> On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 06:54:14 -0500, Ted@invalidated.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:11:15 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> merle@invalid.com wrote:
>>>>>> I can't enter Safe Mode because the boot screen doesn't show.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Pressing the F8 key or any other key doesn't stop XP from going
>>>>>> straight to the Windows loading screen.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This problem also keeps me from the BIOS settings. Luckily, I did
>>>>>> have it set to boot from a CD or DVD before this happened.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Anyone ever come across this problem before?
>>>>> boot.ini is hidden.
>>>>>
>>>>> cd /d C:\
>>>>>
>>>>> dir /ah boot.ini
>>>>>
>>>>> This is the content of boot.ini .
>>>>>
>>>>> [boot loader]
>>>>> timeout=30 <=== timeout leaves boot screen up
>>>>> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS <=== this is the ARC path
>>>>> [operating systems]
>>>>> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /PAE
>>>>> C:\ = "WINXP New Install"
>>>>>
>>>>> Compare to your "C:\boot.ini" contents.
>>>>>
>>>>> Paul
>>>> Using the command dir /ah boot.ini with CMD line I get a result that
>>>> says boot.ini is in in C: and that it is 200 bytes. But I cannot
>>>> find it even though I have hidden files showing.
>>>>
>>>> There is a boot.ini.backup is in Windows/pss.
>>>>
>>>> It won't allow a rename to boot.in when I place in the C: root because
>>>> it says another boot.ini exists on C:
>>>>
>>>> As I have said, I do have "hidden files" showing in the Explorer Tool
>>>> menu, so that's not why I'm not seeing this boot.ini file
>>>>
>>>> the cd /d C: commnand shows me nothing that links to the problem.
>>>>
>>>> The content of the backup file in Win/pss is:
>>>>
>>>> [boot loader]
>>>> timeout=30
>>>> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>>>> [operating systems]
>>>> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>>>> Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>>>>
>>>> Did I mention that I'm using XP Pro w/sp3?
>>>>
>>>> So...?
>>> Sorry 'bout the nym shift to Ted. I'm back to Merle.
>>>
>>> As for that stupid last question regarding XP Pro, I've been up about
>>> 36 hours and ain't thinking too clearly. :o(
>> One command you can use, is "attrib" as Administrator.
>>
>> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/devtest/editing-the-boot-ini-file
>>
>> That article shows how to get there with your trusty Notepad.
>>
>> I leave my boot.ini exposed, because I hate having
>> it hidden like that :-)
>>
>> The article talks about other ways to edit it, if you wish.
>>
>> Paul
>
> Well, I found the boot.ini file!
>
> (That MS page is a very handy page.)
>
> The attrib on the above page did it - "attrib -s -h -r Boot.ini"
>
> Here it is. (It might as well be in Greek for all the good it does
> me.)
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=30
> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
> [operating systems]
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
> Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>
> And the file does have a MODIFIED DATE of May 24, 2021. As someone
> mentioned, I think that was around the time I did ask for the first
> time about the problem. Something, Somewhere, went Blooey on that
> day, I guess.
>
> As for all the other instructions on the page, I'll take a pass.
> Ignorant Me starts screwing around with all that stuff and I'll end up
> carrying my box to the local Repair For Dummies Shop
>
> My TrueImage and my AOMEI recovery disks still work fine to boot the
> machine in case I need to roll back entirely. So, the boot problem
> hasn't affected them.
>
> So, a BIG THANKS to all who patiently put up with me.

Well, unfortunately, I don't immediately see anything
wrong with it.

My Active flag in Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) is
located right on WinXP C: partition. If you have multiple
disks, you might have done something clever, like jump to
the boot.ini on some other disk drive, then the ARC path
makes C: jump back to the original disk.

But that still would not account for the menu disappearing.

Technically speaking, if you have a technology that can
chainload C: , then that will bypass the menu phase. but what
could you have possibly installed to do that. Boot Magic ?
There are a few items that have the power to do it. You
might even be able to do it with GRUB, to screw with
someones head. I even had a setup at one time, GRUB was
only a floppy, and it caused a hard drive partition to be
the OS, then you'd pop out the floppy. Without the floppy,
you couldn't tell what the OS was supposed to be :-)
But I lost the floppy diskette, and that was the
end of that. The Linux partition couldn't boot without
that floppy.

Paul

On Sun, 04 Jul 2021 23:07:46 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
wrote:

<out damn spot>

>>> The article talks about other ways to edit it, if you wish.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>
>> Well, I found the boot.ini file!
>>
>> (That MS page is a very handy page.)
>>
>> The attrib on the above page did it - "attrib -s -h -r Boot.ini"
>>
>> Here it is. (It might as well be in Greek for all the good it does
>> me.)
>>
>> [boot loader]
>> timeout=30
>> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>> [operating systems]
>> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>> Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>>
>> And the file does have a MODIFIED DATE of May 24, 2021. As someone
>> mentioned, I think that was around the time I did ask for the first
>> time about the problem. Something, Somewhere, went Blooey on that
>> day, I guess.
>>
>> As for all the other instructions on the page, I'll take a pass.
>> Ignorant Me starts screwing around with all that stuff and I'll end up
>> carrying my box to the local Repair For Dummies Shop
>>
>> My TrueImage and my AOMEI recovery disks still work fine to boot the
>> machine in case I need to roll back entirely. So, the boot problem
>> hasn't affected them.
>>
>> So, a BIG THANKS to all who patiently put up with me.
>
>Well, unfortunately, I don't immediately see anything
>wrong with it.
>
>My Active flag in Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) is
>located right on WinXP C: partition. If you have multiple
>disks, you might have done something clever, like jump to
>the boot.ini on some other disk drive, then the ARC path
>makes C: jump back to the original disk.

I don't know what they hey you're even talking about much less how to
do it. Clever? Not when it comes to tech stuff.

>But that still would not account for the menu disappearing.
>
>Technically speaking, if you have a technology that can
>chainload C: , then that will bypass the menu phase. but what
>could you have possibly installed to do that. Boot Magic ?
>There are a few items that have the power to do it. You
>might even be able to do it with GRUB, to screw with
>someones head. I even had a setup at one time, GRUB was
>only a floppy, and it caused a hard drive partition to be
>the OS, then you'd pop out the floppy. Without the floppy,
>you couldn't tell what the OS was supposed to be :-)
>But I lost the floppy diskette, and that was the
>end of that. The Linux partition couldn't boot without
>that floppy.
>
> Paul

This box has a floppy drive in it. Don't ask me why, but I still use
some of them. As they say, old habits die hard.

I'm going to make an ignorant guess: My C: disk is failing. It's a
few months shy of being in this box for about six years according to
my Hard Disk Sentinel reading. Even though HDS gives the disk a 94%
rating it says -

"There are 6 bad sectors on the disk surface. The contents of these
sectors were moved to the spare area. It is recommended to examine the
log of the disk regularly. All new problems found will be logged
there."

HDS is giving it an estimated 94 day life span.

I have had some recurring problems over the last number of months.

Things like a number of Redmond Blue Screens of Death, plus a lot of
strange lockups among other things. I think I better start thinking
of these as the C:'s last gasps before bye-bye time. I'll be getting
it into the local Repair Shop For Dummies early this week.

I think all this makes sense to me now - but I've made that mistake
many times before. :o)

Merle,

> The c:\attrib cmd gives nothing.

Ackk ... I ment to run the "attrib" command at the "c:\" prompt. Trying
to run "c:\attrib" will/should tell you that the "c:\" folder does not
contain an "attrib" program.

> I did try "attrib -h" and it told me -
> "Not resetting system file - C:\boot.ini

Try "attrib -s -h boot.ini" (use "attrib /?" to get info about those
arguments)

Also, as Paul mentioned, you might need to log in as Admin first to be able
to work with that "boot.ini" file.

>>And 36 hours up and still coherent and no spelling mistakes that I can
>>spot
>>? You do much better than I would. :-)
>
> I cheat.
>
> At age 86 I ALWAYS use a spell checker - unless I forget. :o)

That explains the spelling, but stil leaves the coherent part ...

> This attribute stuff brings back memories from my DOS years.

Where did you think I got that from ? :-)

> I was on DOS for a long time until Windows 3.1 came out. I read
> somewhere that one could have three programs running at once on \
> Win 3.1. THAT got me.

I was on DOS until I, for some reason I can't even remember, installed W95
on a machine. Being able to have multiple programs and documents open did
the trick for me too. Never dropped DOS / the command-window though.

> I became the example of a total "appliance operator" who couldn't
> care less how Windows did its thing.

I'm still pretty-much a tinkerer, by times diving (sort of) deep into what
causes the OS to work. I'm dreading the days in which I'm forced to use a
'puter as a black-box appliance. That would really suck all the joy outof
it.

> Oh, well...enuf of the "Sundowning" and drooling over the
> "good ol' days".

:-)

> As to the present problem I'm just curious as to why I can't
> find nor replace the dang boot file.

That "Not resetting system file - C:\boot.ini" message shows you already
found it. Now the only problem is how to access it. And again, you might
need to log in as Admin first.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 09:41:27 +0200, "R.Wieser" <address@not.available>
wrote:

>Merle,
>
>> The c:\attrib cmd gives nothing.
>
>Ackk ... I ment to run the "attrib" command at the "c:\" prompt. Trying
>to run "c:\attrib" will/should tell you that the "c:\" folder does not
>contain an "attrib" program.
>
>> I did try "attrib -h" and it told me -
>> "Not resetting system file - C:\boot.ini
>
>Try "attrib -s -h boot.ini" (use "attrib /?" to get info about those
>arguments)
>
>Also, as Paul mentioned, you might need to log in as Admin first to be able
>to work with that "boot.ini" file.
>
>>>And 36 hours up and still coherent and no spelling mistakes that I can
>>>spot
>>>? You do much better than I would. :-)
>>
>> I cheat.
>>
>> At age 86 I ALWAYS use a spell checker - unless I forget. :o)

>
>That explains the spelling, but stil leaves the coherent part ...

I used to be foreman for many decades. For the first eight hours of
every day I spent them solving everybody elese's problems. After
their shift, *my* shift began. That's when I could get *my* work
done. I guess something welded itself into the neuron pathways of my
brain and is still there to some extent.

Matter of fact, one of the great achievements of my life just happened
about a year ago. My Doc ordered a brain scan for me. Guess what?
It enabled me to prove to my wife that I actually do have a brain. And
that after her telling me for over fifty years that I was brainless.

That was the meaning of the term "True Success"!

>
>> This attribute stuff brings back memories from my DOS years.
>
>Where did you think I got that from ? :-)
>
>> I was on DOS for a long time until Windows 3.1 came out. I read
>> somewhere that one could have three programs running at once on \
>> Win 3.1. THAT got me.

>
>I was on DOS until I, for some reason I can't even remember, installed W95
>on a machine. Being able to have multiple programs and documents open did
>the trick for me too. Never dropped DOS / the command-window though.
>

>> I became the example of a total "appliance operator" who couldn't
>> care less how Windows did its thing.

>
>I'm still pretty-much a tinkerer, by times diving (sort of) deep into what
>causes the OS to work. I'm dreading the days in which I'm forced to use a
>'puter as a black-box appliance. That would really suck all the joy outof
>it.
>

>> Oh, well...enuf of the "Sundowning" and drooling over the
>> "good ol' days".

>
>:-)
>

>> As to the present problem I'm just curious as to why I can't
>> find nor replace the dang boot file.

>
>That "Not resetting system file - C:\boot.ini" message shows you already
>found it. Now the only problem is how to access it. And again, you might
>need to log in as Admin first.
>
>Regards,
>Rudy Wieser
>

As I told Paul, my C: drive is over six years old according to Hard
Disk Sentinel. I listed a number of problems I've been having the last
few months. HDS also said I have six bad sectors on it which have
been moved around to keep things working.

I'm sure it's time to junk the C: and get a new one. I don't keep
hardly any data on my C:. I keep that stuff on my external drives. I
have four of those, so I won't have to scramble around trying to save
data to elsewhere.

Matter of a fact, I'm not going to get the new one loaded from the
present one. I don't need any other problems that might be on my
present C:. I'm going to have the shop load Windows anew. I'll
reinstall all my programs myself. That way I'll be more sure of not
bringing any other problems from the old disk to the new one.

Thanks again for all who helped. Although it didn't "solve" the
problem, it allowed me to get a better perspective on the whole. And
that showed me what I think is the best solution: get a new C:.

- Merle -

On Sun, 4 Jul 2021 at 19:05:33, Merle@invalid.com wrote (my responses
usually follow points raised):
[]
>Well, I found the boot.ini file!
>
>(That MS page is a very handy page.)
>
>The attrib on the above page did it - "attrib -s -h -r Boot.ini"

(Turn off the system, hidden, and read-only attriibutes for that file.)
>
>Here it is. (It might as well be in Greek for all the good it does
>me.)

I have a go below (-:
>
>[boot loader]
>timeout=30

When the boot, it shows you a menu, and starts counting down. The above
sets how long it takes to count down.

>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

The above specifies which choice it chooses if you haven't chosen by the
time the countdown reaches 0.

>[operating systems]
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

The above determines what it actually shows that choice as, in the menu.
[]
>So, a BIG THANKS to all who patiently put up with me.
(-:
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Mary Poppins is a junkie" - bumper sticker on Julie Andrews' car in the '60s

On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 18:23:25 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
<G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

>On Sun, 4 Jul 2021 at 19:05:33, Merle@invalid.com wrote (my responses
>usually follow points raised):
>[]
>>Well, I found the boot.ini file!
>>
>>(That MS page is a very handy page.)
>>
>>The attrib on the above page did it - "attrib -s -h -r Boot.ini"
>
>(Turn off the system, hidden, and read-only attriibutes for that file.)
>>
>>Here it is. (It might as well be in Greek for all the good it does
>>me.)
>
>I have a go below (-:
>>
>>[boot loader]
>>timeout=30
>
>When the boot, it shows you a menu, and starts counting down. The above
>sets how long it takes to count down.
>
>>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
>
>The above specifies which choice it chooses if you haven't chosen by the
>time the countdown reaches 0.
>
>>[operating systems]
>>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
>>Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>
>The above determines what it actually shows that choice as, in the menu.
>[]
>>So, a BIG THANKS to all who patiently put up with me.
>(-:

Thanks. I'll store this away for future reference.

- Merle -

On Sun, 4 Jul 2021 at 22:43:52, Merle@invalid.com wrote (my responses
usually follow points raised):
[]
>I'm going to make an ignorant guess: My C: disk is failing. It's a
>few months shy of being in this box for about six years according to
>my Hard Disk Sentinel reading. Even though HDS gives the disk a 94%
>rating it says -
>
>"There are 6 bad sectors on the disk surface. The contents of these
>sectors were moved to the spare area. It is recommended to examine the
>log of the disk regularly. All new problems found will be logged
>there."

6 is not bad - but it's probably what HDS "sees" when it talks to the
HD's electronics; I suspect there are a lot more which have already been
switched about, and it's gone over its own threshold by 6. Is the 6
staying constant on further runs of HDS?
>
>HDS is giving it an estimated 94 day life span.

That's what makes me think it's failing. (Is the 94 going down on
subsequent runs?) I don't know HDS as such, but most utilities that
track SMART data give failure dates by detecting that one of the
parameters is getting worse, and extrapolating from the last two
readings to the failure point.
>
>I have had some recurring problems over the last number of months.
>
>Things like a number of Redmond Blue Screens of Death, plus a lot of
>strange lockups among other things. I think I better start thinking
>of these as the C:'s last gasps before bye-bye time. I'll be getting
>it into the local Repair Shop For Dummies early this week.
>
>I think all this makes sense to me now - but I've made that mistake
>many times before. :o)

Because modern (less than 20-30 years old!) hard drives have electronics
and firmware that do the automatic switching out of bad sectors, it's
hard to tell much about their condition until near the end; the only
real test is speed (the disc takes longer to respond as you pass over a
dud part, as the heads have to physically move to the spare sector[s] it
s using).

Get HDTune from https://www.hdtune.com/download.html (not the top one,
the free one about half way down the page), and run it; it should give a
smooth curve of speed across the disc (going down towards the end; discs
are faster at the start [outside edge]). There will be downward spikes:
don't worry, those are where the OS (even XP) interrupt the testing
process. Click the floppy to save a screenshot, and repeat - and then in
your favourite image viewer, flick back and forth between the two
images. If any of the downward spikes are at the same point on the disc,
or there are any _wide_ low sections, there's a dud section there. Not
_necessarily_ fatal, if it doesn't grow on subsequent runs, but with the
price of HDs so low these days ...
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Mary Poppins is a junkie" - bumper sticker on Julie Andrews' car in the '60s

Merle,

> As I told Paul, my C: drive is over six years old according to
> Hard Disk Sentinel.

I've got one in a 'puter next to me thats now 10 years old (november 2011).
And in all my time with 'puters (a few decades) I've only had one or two
actually "go bad" on me.

> I'm going to make an ignorant guess: My C: disk is failing.

You might have problems with the C: drive, but do not be too quick to think
that its the drive itself thats dying :

[quote=you]
There are 6 bad sectors on the disk surface. The contents of these
sectors were moved to the spare area.
[/quote]

The above tells you that all of those failed sectors /could infact be
swapped/ with some available for that reason in the spare area. IOW : It
*doesn't* say that the spare area is full and it cannot swap those bad
sectors anymore (which would be a bad thing).

As for having 6 bad sectors or the (humongous) total ammount on that drive
is next to nothing, and to be expected - even on a brand-new drive.

So, you /could/ buy yourself a new drive on which you (or the store) install
a fresh copy of the OS and not have any problems with the C: drive anymore,
but as you mentioned yourself the problems may as well be coming from the
software on your supposedly failing drive.

As a tinkerer I would suggest to wipe the C: drive and do that fresh
install. After that there is a good chance that your problems will be gone.

Than again as an "appliance operator" I would probably also just drop it off
at a store and, for the few bucks of a new drive, have it replaced at the
same time.

Good luck with the process of (finding and) re-installing all your favorite
programs again though. :-)

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 18:45:36 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
<G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

>On Sun, 4 Jul 2021 at 22:43:52, Merle@invalid.com wrote (my responses
>usually follow points raised):
>[]

(DEL)

>
>Because modern (less than 20-30 years old!) hard drives have electronics
>and firmware that do the automatic switching out of bad sectors, it's
>hard to tell much about their condition until near the end; the only
>real test is speed (the disc takes longer to respond as you pass over a
>dud part, as the heads have to physically move to the spare sector[s] it
>s using).
>
>Get HDTune from https://www.hdtune.com/download.html (not the top one,
>the free one about half way down the page), and run it; it should give a
>smooth curve of speed across the disc (going down towards the end; discs
>are faster at the start [outside edge]). There will be downward spikes:
>don't worry, those are where the OS (even XP) interrupt the testing
>process. Click the floppy to save a screenshot, and repeat - and then in
>your favourite image viewer, flick back and forth between the two
>images. If any of the downward spikes are at the same point on the disc,
>or there are any _wide_ low sections, there's a dud section there. Not
>_necessarily_ fatal, if it doesn't grow on subsequent runs, but with the
>price of HDs so low these days ...

i got no idea what the hey that thing does nor what the hey the pic I
got from it means. I put the pic in 0.verizion.test. That was the
only dang test group I could find in which you wouldn't have to
download somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 past posts - at least
that's what my long retention provider keeps around on their
server(s).

You really enjoy this "Tech" stuff? I get headaches from it. This
time I'm also starting to get nose bleeds.

- Merle -

On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 22:15:24 +0200, "R.Wieser" <address@not.available>
wrote:

>Merle,
>
>> As I told Paul, my C: drive is over six years old according to
>> Hard Disk Sentinel.
>
>I've got one in a 'puter next to me thats now 10 years old (november 2011).
>And in all my time with 'puters (a few decades) I've only had one or two
>actually "go bad" on me.
>

You're kidding? I've had many go south on me. Years back, I had one
go on a Saturday. No big deal I thought. I had a second one on which
I had the first backed up. I didn't want to go out on a busy weekend
to buy another. I figured Monday would be soon enough. Guess what?
My second went south on Sunday. I was totally SCREWED - BIG time
SCREWED.

That's why I now back up to at least three external drives. The day
that I lose three frick'n drives as I did those two, God is in BIG
trouble when I finally meet him.

{DEL}

>
>As for having 6 bad sectors or the (humongous) total ammount on that drive
>is next to nothing, and to be expected - even on a brand-new drive.
>

Maybe.... (I've learned to not trust "maybes".)

(DEL)

>Than again as an "appliance operator" I would probably also just drop it off
>at a store and, for the few bucks of a new drive, have it replaced at the
>same time.

NOW you're getting it! It's called the Kiss Principle - Keep It
Simple, Stupid.

>Good luck with the process of (finding and) re-installing all your favorite
>programs again though. :-)
>

No problem. I have every single program install file backed up on my
external drives. I probably have another hundred or so there that
I don't have installed on the C:. When one is sticking with XP, one
better scoop up some of those XP proggies/utilities. They might not
be around in the future.

>Regards,
>Rudy Wieser
>
- Merle -

On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 22:15:24 +0200, "R.Wieser" <address@not.available>
wrote:

>Merle,
>
>> As I told Paul, my C: drive is over six years old according to
>> Hard Disk Sentinel.
>
>I've got one in a 'puter next to me thats now 10 years old (november 2011).
>And in all my time with 'puters (a few decades) I've only had one or two
>actually "go bad" on me.
>

A page on hard drive longevity.

https://www.prosofteng.com/blog/how-long-do-hard-drives-last/

Merle@invalid.com wrote:
> On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 22:15:24 +0200, "R.Wieser" <address@not.available>
> wrote:

> >Merle,
> >
> >> As I told Paul, my C: drive is over six years old according to
> >> Hard Disk Sentinel.
> >
> >I've got one in a 'puter next to me thats now 10 years old (november 2011).
> >And in all my time with 'puters (a few decades) I've only had one or two
> >actually "go bad" on me.
> >

> You're kidding? I've had many go south on me. Years back, I had one
> go on a Saturday. No big deal I thought. I had a second one on which
> I had the first backed up. I didn't want to go out on a busy weekend
> to buy another. I figured Monday would be soon enough. Guess what?
> My second went south on Sunday. I was totally SCREWED - BIG time
> SCREWED.

Yeah, I had bad lucks like that before. Argh!!

> That's why I now back up to at least three external drives. The day
> that I lose three frick'n drives as I did those two, God is in BIG
> trouble when I finally meet him.

I hope you do off-site back ups!

> >Good luck with the process of (finding and) re-installing all your favorite
> >programs again though. :-)

> No problem. I have every single program install file backed up on my
> external drives. I probably have another hundred or so there that
> I don't have installed on the C:. When one is sticking with XP, one
> better scoop up some of those XP proggies/utilities. They might not
> be around in the future.

Yep. The worse ones are those online versions. :(
--
It had been a year. Will 2021 repeat 2020? :(
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

On Mon, 05 Jul 2021 22:27:30 -0500, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

>Merle@invalid.com wrote:
>> On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 22:15:24 +0200, "R.Wieser" <address@not.available>
>> wrote:
>
>> >Merle,
>> >
>> >> As I told Paul, my C: drive is over six years old according to
>> >> Hard Disk Sentinel.
>> >
>> >I've got one in a 'puter next to me thats now 10 years old (november 2011).
>> >And in all my time with 'puters (a few decades) I've only had one or two
>> >actually "go bad" on me.
>> >
>
>> You're kidding? I've had many go south on me. Years back, I had one
>> go on a Saturday. No big deal I thought. I had a second one on which
>> I had the first backed up. I didn't want to go out on a busy weekend
>> to buy another. I figured Monday would be soon enough. Guess what?
>> My second went south on Sunday. I was totally SCREWED - BIG time
>> SCREWED.
>
>Yeah, I had bad lucks like that before. Argh!!

To this day I cannot believe that happened. I lost EVERYTHING. Years
of EVERYTHING.

>> That's why I now back up to at least three external drives. The day
>> that I lose three frick'n drives as I did those two, God is in BIG
>> trouble when I finally meet him.

>
>I hope you do off-site back ups!
>

i'm not sure what you mean by off-site. I'm not business, just a
common home user. I would never use that "Cloud" stuff. (What in
the hey is this "Cloud" nonsense anyway? The info is on servers
somewhere just like any other type of off-site backups. Never
understood this "Cloud" nomenclature stuff.)

As I see it, the only way I'm going to lose all my info on my external
drives is if some burglars come in and get them - or a fire destroys
the house. Our Real Life info which is on paper is safely inside a
six foot high 1900 lb. safe. I guess I should also put my music files
in there stored on some detached external hard drive.

I have 251 GB of music mp3 files. Which according to Win's Properties
readout comes to 50,356 mp3s in 1,783 categorized folders.

(Please don't ask about the 1,783 categories I came up with. It's a
long story and it's late and I'm too old to relate how I did it over
at least half of my 86 years. Things usually start hurting enough this
late at night without compounding it by thinking and recalculating.
Matter of fact, thinking hurts enough at this age no matter what time
of the day or night it is.)

Add to that:
294 GB of Video files, ninety-five percent of which I'm sure are
musical files. And that according to Win's Properties search turns out
to be 7,934 mp4s in 517 folders.

(Even though the 517 categories for videos is less than the 1,783
category figure for MP3s, I still ain't going into it. Just typing
these dang ridiculous numbers is beginning to hurt.)

But you do have a point. I literally could not live without my music.

Even if I were only half my age, I doubt if I could find again the
files which were downloaded from the Usenet music groups over the
decades. To buy again all the ones that were purchased is not even
possible with the budget we're on at this time. I don't know if many
of them even could be found again.

I don't even want to think about not having my music playing over the
Hi-Fi or TV speakers during the day. Especially when on the BORING
treadmill each day.

I'm going to get me a few newer external drives and fill them up with
all these MP4s and MP3s. When done, their going in the safe.

Thanks. I never really considered all this before.

>
>> >Good luck with the process of (finding and) re-installing all your favorite
>> >programs again though. :-)
>
>> No problem. I have every single program install file backed up on my
>> external drives. I probably have another hundred or so there that
>> I don't have installed on the C:. When one is sticking with XP, one
>> better scoop up some of those XP proggies/utilities. They might not
>> be around in the future.

>
>Yep. The worse ones are those online versions. :(

I don't use online programs. Nor do I trust those silly online
password creation sites. I cannot believe those spelling and grammer
sites where you place all your writeen thoughts up on them so you
don't mistakenly end a sentence with a preposition.

Wow!

After a while, those Web sites know all about your entire life - and
the sell it to any huckster who pays them a buck or two. And then
there are the hacker bastards who might one day own you, too.

(Did you notice I ended that sentence with "too", not the terrible
preposition "to"? And did it at my age without a Website's help. Neat,
eh?)

- Merel -