shrimply

Ubuntu is very well behaved, long as you follow the instructions you won't over write a Windows installation. It allows you the option during the install to resize the Windows partition and create a new one for itself, it also installs grub bootloader to allow you to select between OS on start up.

Well I'm nol linux expert, having never used it as a main OS. In someway though you can't beat Ubuntu in terms of the sheer amount of users and therfore available help that is out there. I've also heard positive things about Zorin and Zorin Lite which are less resource hungry, based on Lubuntu and designed to make an easy transition from Windows to linux.

I've only used windows 8 briefly, but I don't really like it. It just doesn't make sense to me. I mean it might be the best thing ever for touch screens fair enough, and touch screens are great on tablets and phones and have loads of uses but I don't think they are beneficial for home user PCs and laptops. On a regular PC, I'm either going to be constantly leaning across my desk, which can't be good for posture, or sitting right up close to my monitor which can't be good for my eyes. So this is what I don't get, why push a OS designed around touch screens when in reality a touch screen isn't going to be beneficial. I mean yes it would be great to have it as an optional built in feature but controlling it with a mouse and keyboard feels like its not supposed to be and as I've said i just don't think touch screen computers are ever going to be beneficial in the home. Just my opinion, and its not that I'm against change, windows 7 is great, but I just don't get it.

I've had this happen when the flash drive is knackered, if I'd just bought it I'd be telling the seller and asking for a replacement. As a last resort you could maybe try a low level format http://www.ehow.com/how_5930428_fix-flash-drive-low_level-format.html But i believe they can sometimes do more harm than good.

I didn't mean it in a detrimental way.... Its just frustrating that it is not an isolate incident, and I'm not saying I am the person to find a simpler solution. Just that I highly suspect there is one. I imagine if the issue occurred on a computer used by someone who really understood what they were doing then they'd be able to track down a fix. But we both know that the person would have to have the motivation to do so and the problematic machine in front of them, giving advice over the internet is rarely going to result in finding a new fix for an issue like this.

Yeah I'm very pleased the system is working again and relatively simply. I kinda figured reading other peoples comments that the disk would work just didn't expect it to be so good at what it did. I am slightly peeved though that this is another thread that ended in "I did a repair install". With the issue being to relatively minor and so obviously windows based there has to be an easier and less dramatic fix.

Well, it worked, it appears almost too perfectly. Well beyond my expectations. Not only is the issue fixed but the system pretty much identical to how it was, even down to my customized start up background, user account display pictures, wallpapers etc Registry edits I've made to customise the right click menu are still in place too. Only things that have changed are windows language bar thing appeared, and it put on the default quick start items in addition to mine, and the sounds are back to default. Nothing else noticed as yet and hardly major things :D Oh and windows has activated successfully too.

Hey, I kinda jumped the gun a bit and started with the downloaded version, its still running so I'll let you know what happens. If it fails I have a system image I created not long after I set up the system which contains all my main programs and since I backed everything up I'll go down that route :)

Thanks, I think it will work from what I've read. People seem to report that OEM codes will work with a retail disk. Current plan of action is to try repairing using the Digital River Download on a USB stick, removing the ei.cfg file ( I don't think this is totally necessary but may avoid me having to call microsoft to activate) If it fails I can always attempt a different repair install. And if all else fails a complete reinstall I guess

Just to confirm ( cause I'm terrified I use the wrong thing), my windows 7 version is what I think they refer to as Retail OEM i.e. I bought the OEM disk and installed it before SP1 was released I've just downloaded windows 7 with SP1 from digital river, am I right I can use this to do the repair install. The guide I'm reading http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html seems to suggest so but I don't understand how the OEM key will activate a retail copy. I guess the other option is to remove SP1 and use my installation disk. Anyone got any thoughts.

Yeah, I replaced the files with copies from my laptop, but got the same result, so I think I'm gonna have to give up. Got everything backed up today so will do repair install tomorrow and hope it goes smoothly.

Hi KenB I ran the thing you suggested. Windows can't repair two files MMDev.API.dll mscft.dll.mui Googling both didn't get me very much information. Don't know if its worth trying to repair/replace them manually or how I would go about doing so.

Well I've stripped off all the updates installed in the last month with no luck, I think its probably futile to go back further. I guess my only opition is to back up and hope a repair install resolves the issue.

On another note I can almost guarantee it is not hardware causing the problem, as it worked in the past and if I boot to a Ubuntu live CD both the wireless and LAN function properly.

Thanks, I will try uninstalling some recent updates see if I get anywhere. If not I guess I'm gonna have to attempt a repair install ( which I would rather avoid) and if that fails a full re-install. That is unless anyone else has any bright ideas, which would be very very welcome.