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.

My "working" restore point is only 3 days ago, and the only update during that time is a windows defender definition update. My point being the system isn't actually working correctly at this point, the LAN is just working. I can take it back to that point, immediately try to update the driver and still get the code 31 error. But i can try.

I tried that driver, still code 31 :( PC Wizard reports the LAN as RTL8101

Hi, the PC is an own build, so no, nothing to do with hp. The restore point is my own, I created it after I realised what was going to to make sure I was able to keep a internet connection. It back only a couple of days to before I touched the LAN driver in windows. See I've been trying to solve a code 31 error on the wireless card for around a week now. ( The card had been disabled for a long time and wasn't connecting properly when re-enabled so I tried to reinstall the driver leading to the code 31 error), thinking it was an isolated incident. This means lots of uninstalling and reinstalling of drivers which are provided as .exe files. This means lots of recent restore points and no distant ones. During trying to fix the problem, I uninstalled cisco vpn client, which seemed to mess up how my connection was displayed in the task bar ( it showed no connection when there was one) so to solve this is tried to reinstall the driver which resulted in the LAN code 31 and I realised I had a more serious problem. I don't know if Cisco VPN client was ever to blame, but I've tried reinstalling and removing manually all registry and system files related to it which made no difference. What I guess I am trying to say if I have absolutely no idea when the problem actually arose, if I'd not touched any network drivers then I may still not know about the problem even though its there. And I will hold off restoring for just now if that is what you think is best, I will make do with my laptop, but I prefer using the desktop for any real work :)

As I said, I have tried all the available drivers

OK , I won't restore for now but you have to understand that it is my main computer, I can only be without internet on it for so long. The wireless PCI card is a Tenda W322P card which uses a ralink RT3026F chip The motherboard is a ASRock G31M-S Currently windows has tried and failed to install (code 31) the most recent LAN drivers from ASRock, which are needed as windows doesn't natively have drivers for it. This is the driver which works if I restore the computer back. The wireless card currently is not in the PC, but there are no drivers for it on the PC other than windows native ones, although I have previously tried every available driver from both Tenda and Ralink, always getting a code 31 error. I want them both operational in as much as I believe its a windows issue not one related to the devices and in the future I want to be able to uninstall and re-install device drivers without removing my access to the internet. I mainly use the LAN but there are occasions when I'd like a wireless option.

Yup sadly as expected, did as you said, even disabelled onboard LAN in the bios for good measure, made sure there was no network adapters in either normal or safe mode, but on enabling LAN again I got a code 31 error :(. Is it OK to restore the computer back to the point the ethernet is working or is is best to continue as is?

I'll give it a go but I can kinda predict what will happen ( nothing haha). Umm the ethernet is on board so I can't remove that, so when I restart windows it will try and fail to re-install that. I've already enabled hidden devices in the device manager and uninstalled all the network ones so I doubt anything will show up, but all I can do is try.

So now that my ip issues are sorted ( thanks KenB) can anyone assist with the more pressing issue of my majorly messed up networking. Cheers

NO sadly not, but I get up the message before i ever try to log on. If it helps I can PM you the ip address I am using which it is blocking.

OK well first, hey guys its been a while. Secondly, most frustratingly you seem to have banned my ip address. More frustrating is that I emailed the administrator about it nearly 24 hours ago and have heard nothing back. Anyway I have big networking problems. Basically windows is refusing to load drivers for any network device, producing a code 31 error. The situation just now is that I can restore the computer back a couple of days and the ethernet will work fine, but as soon as windows is asked to reinstall the driver it fails with a code 31 error I also have a wireless card doing the same thing, the only difference being I don't have a restore point for when it is working. I have a sneaking suspicion that Cisco VPN client may have caused this but have no real evidence, in any case I have now uninstalled it and the problem still exists. I know this isn't a problem unique to me and I've spent days crawling the internet trying various reg changes and command prompts to reset windows networking. In general the only solution seems to be a repair install, which I would like to avoid if at all possible, would be really grateful is anyone has any new suggestions on how to fix this. Edit - Should probably add the computer is running Windows 7 x64