This is a combo of replies to a post in another forum on doing a reinstall >
do a nondistuctive windows m.e reinstall with out loseing data goto safe mode and than c:windows\options\cabs\setup.exe
double click setup and windows will start reinstalling on top of its self
To reinstall WinMe goto Start/Run/ then browse to Windows/Options/Cabs/Setup.exe and run
the setup program and sit back for a little while.
It would also be a good idea to scandisk and defrag, before and after. If you do not already have RegClean from MS, go to their website and download it ... very helpful with cleanup after install.
Hope this helps.
Another post 01/02/03
If you want to reinstall windows even though you dont have the CD then do as follows.
C:/WINDOWS/OPTIONS/INSTALL/SETUP.exe
hope it helps
Another way to reinstall me >
Hello! Dan, Yes, I have found a solution! It seems complicated, but if you follow, step-by-step you'll do fine. I have had six responses to my question all saying the same thing, "I have the same problem and I can't find a solution." So, I called Microsoft and here is what we did. Do not type any of the quotation marks!! Watch carefully for spaces!! Watch for the direction of the back and forward slashes!! 1. Start WindowsME to the Emergency Boot Disk or Startup Disk, then click "with cd-rom support". 2. This was a stupid step that is unnecessary, it just confused the issue! 3. Type "C:" to change the drive and press enter. 4.Type "MD oldroot" then press enter. 5.Type"Attrib -r -h -s C:\*.*" then press enter. 6. Type "Attrib -h _restore" then press enter. 7. Type "Move C:\*.* C:\Oldroot" then press enter. 8. Type "Ren _Restore Oldrest" then press enter. 9. Type "Ren progra~1 oldprog" then press enter. 10. Type "Ren windows oldwin" then press enter. 11. Type "C:\oldwin\options\install>setup /ie /is /iv" then press enter. 12. When you are prompted to enter a folder to install windows in, click "Other Directory". 13. Type "C:\windows" for the folder that you want to install windows in. 14. Remove the Emergency Boot Disk from the floppy drive. The files should copy fine now and you haven't lost any of your data, they are in the oldprog or oldwin folders that now exists in your new current C:\ drive! I hope this helps. I was very frustrated with this problem so I hope I can save you some sanity!! Dawn
dawnlynn@digital.net
Navigate to c:\windows\options\install and look for SETUP.EXE and double click on it to run the setup program again.
If you can't actually find that in Windows through Explorer, then boot with your ME startup disk and get to an A:\ > prompt and type:
cd c:\windows\options\install
Hit Enter, now type:
setup or setup.exe and hit enter again.
Seems like I've been cutting and pasting these instructions a lot lately, so I thought I'd post them down here [now I only have to cut & paste the link!]
Sometimes an over-the-top reinstallation of Windows can be a timesaver. On most recent computers the whole procedure can take as little as 30 or 40 minutes. A nice feature of this procedure is that your programs do not have to be reinstalled, and your data is not lost. You likely will need to visit Windows Update when finished, though, to download and reinstall some of the Security Updates.
*Note* - while doing all this, you'll need to temporarily disable the Bios virus protection that is usually running on most modern motherboards. Enter Bios Setup by pressing the key displayed during startup, and somewhere on the first or second menu should be an item to Enable or Disable Bios Virus Protection (might be called BiosShield, or VirusGuard, or whatnot) ---> then, when you're finished with your uninstalls & reinstalls, re-Enable the Bios protection feature.
____________________________
Over The Top ReInstall:
Boot with a bootable floppy or CD - "with CD-rom support", and from DOS rename the win.com file to win.bak. Like this
C:
cd \Windows
rename win.com win.bak
Then switch to the drive letter of your CD drive [often drive D:] -->OR switch to C:\Windows\Options\Cabs (if you're lucky enough to have the cabs copied onto your hard drive there), and start setup (by simply type the command: setup) When Windows asks if you want to use the directory C:\Windows.000, instead choose "Other" and type in C:\Windows [without the .000 following]. You'll need your CD-key handy.
If you've lost your CD-key: before you start the reinstall look for it by starting regedit from the Start/Run box, then navigate to the key (you navigate in regedit like you do in Windows Explorer) HKEY_Local_Machine/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion . . . if you click on "Current Version", you should see a list of keys and values in the box displaying on your right. One of these will read "ProductKey" and will consist of 5 sets of 5 alphanumeric characters = your CD key. Be careful when in regedit just to look at things and not make accidental changes.
_________________
If you forgot to rename the Windows.000 directory, don't worry, Hal has a tip posted in this same Tips & Tricks board that can fix that for you. His thread also explains how to use a procedure very similiar to this 'over-the-top' for upgrading within the Win9x series.
Should I have mistyped anything, or if you find errors or encounter problems with the procedure - post with your experience
Over The Top ReInstall:
Boot with a bootable floppy or CD - "with CD-rom support", and from DOS rename the win.com file to win.bak. Like this
C:
cd \Windows
rename win.com win.bak
Then switch to the drive letter of your CD drive [often drive D:] -->OR switch to C:\Windows\Options\Cabs (if you're lucky enough to have the cabs copied onto your hard drive there), and start setup (by simply type the command: setup) When Windows asks if you want to use the directory C:\Windows.000, instead choose "Other" and type in C:\Windows [without the .000 following]. You'll need your CD-key handy.
If you've lost your CD-key: before you start the reinstall look for it by starting regedit from the Start/Run box, then navigate to the key (you navigate in regedit like you do in Windows Explorer) HKEY_Local_Machine/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion . . . if you click on "Current Version", you should see a list of keys and values in the box displaying on your right. One of these will read "ProductKey" and will consist of 5 sets of 5 alphanumeric characters = your CD key. Be careful when in regedit just to look at things and not make accidental changes.
_________________
If you forgot to rename the Windows.000 directory, don't worry, Hal has a tip posted in this same Tips & Tricks board that can fix that for you. His thread also explains how to use a procedure very similiar to this 'over-the-top' for upgrading within the Win9x series.
Should I have mistyped
How to fix the screwup
If you've ever done a Win98 to Win98SE or Win9x to WinME upgrade, and forgot to change the installation directory back to C:\WINDOWS from C:\WINDOWS.000 and now have what appears to be a clean installation, don't panic, here's how to reverse it. I'll give upgrade instructions at the end of this as well.
First, check, do you have a directory C:\WINDOWS.000, if so, you forgot to rename the installation directory. Here's what you need to do.
1) Boot from the Win98 CD to a command prompt with CD support.
2) Type in the following when you get to a command prompt
C:
PATH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
ATTRIB -H -S -R MSDOS.SYS
EDIT MSDOS.SYS
Anywhere in that file that you see ".000" remove the ".000"
ALT-F X and save the file.
If you renamed the WIN.COM file, the following commands are the best to do;
CD WINDOWS
RENAME WIN.XXX WIN.COM
Where WIN.XXX is whatever you originally renamed the file. If you deleted the WIN.COM file, run the following instead;
CD WINDOWS.000
COPY WIN.COM C:\WINDOWS
Now reboot your computer. It will boot from the original Windows installation. When it is finally done, go into Explorer and delete the C:\WINDOWS.000 directory to clean everything up.
You are now back at your original Windows installation.
If you want to try to do the upgrade again, DO NOT forget to rename the installation directory during the install from C:\WINDOWS.000 to C:\WINDOWS
If everything I typed doesn't apply to you, you're probably stuck formatting and reloading from scratch unless you want to figure out what's causing the instabilities.
How to upgrade your Windows9x to a newer version of Windows9x with the full installation CD
Boot from your Windows98/98SE/ME CD to a command prompt with CD support. Run the following commands assuming your CD-Rom is D:\. If not, sub in the correct drive letter;
C:
CD WINDOWS
RENAME WIN.COM WIN.XXX
D:
SETUP
Now, when you are prompted for an installation directory, it's going to be C:\WINDOWS.000 by default. Select Other Directory and change it back to C:\WINDOWS and continue with the installation. When all is done, your system will be upgraded with all programs, shortcuts, themes, settings, etc, intact.
If you screw up and forget to rename the directory, go to the top of this explanation
Hope one of these ways works for ya !
Good Luck Nick