Entering Safe mode, windows ME

[inflames988]

Any ideas how i can get my disk defragmentor/scandisk to complete on ME? this has always been a problem, but i heard running them in safe mode might work...the computer says to hold CTRL during restart but that isnt working, and i cant find my startup disk and it says im missing a file when i try to make a new one. My "c" is starting to get fragmented and slow...but there are disk errors i need to fix in scandisk but neither will complete.

[edrod13]

Here is mickeysofts help on starting ME in safe mode. There is also a section were it states that a virus can stop the machine from not going into safe mode. I would also reccomend that you run a diagnostic utility for your hard drive just to make sure it is operating normal. These utilities can be found at the manufacturers website and are free downloads.

http://support.microsoft.com/default...en-us%3B273738

Edrod13

[inflames988]

The hard drive is not running normally, it has errors on it which i need to fix through scandisk, which i cant get to complete...

[glc]

Yes, but you need to run manufacturer's diagnostics, if the drive is failing you need to know so you can back up your files immediately.

[GaryRouth]

. . . bootdisk.com has a page of links full of utilities: if you look near the bottom of the page, if has a section called "Hard Drives" with links to diagnostic utilities from most major manufacturers. Here's the page: http://www.bootdisk.com/utility.htm

There are also links to other utilities on that page, too: such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall, memory module testers, etc.

In fact, if you don't know the maker of your hard drive, I believe they might have a link for BelArc Advisor, too (which can list such things)
. . . Gary

[p.s. ...just checked the page, by golly they have everything except BelArc Advisor. Here's the link to that, should you need it: http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html ]

[budbd]

Yeah, I hear ya, I had a chance to try some Windows ME this last couple of days, as my brother got back his daughters old 750mhz AMD Duron Compaq with windows ME.
It really needed scandisk, and bad, cause it was all screwed up. It was like the hard drive would stop, and no go any further, then continue to scandisk in the "thorough" mode. I had to manually start it several times. Everything seemed okay, then we installed AOL 9 and AVG free antivirus protection, AND IT WOULDN'T RESTART AUTOMATICALLY, BUT CAME BACK TO THAT SCANDISK IN THOROUGH MODE.

Like your problem, the scandisk here didn't want to get past a certain point, so I turned off the machine and restarted, and it came up to the scandisk screen automatically again, for "thorough", and I let it continue to scan, and will find out tomorrow that it likely went completely through, since my brother had stopped it once before when he needed to dink around with it, unknowlingly of course.

Likely, this will fix the problem, after hours of scandisking this time. I don't know, maybe a Windows ME quirk?

Anyway, just doing a complete scandisk really seems to help a system that had crashed once and came back up with numberous errors that have been fixed a little at a time.