Saving harddrive data - Windows Explorer won't operate

[Guest LeopardLiz]

I have an old PC with original Windows ME - no patches or upgrades. I want

to save all of my data onto an external hard drive, but my computer won't

even allow me to use Windows Explorer. What should I do?

 

Also, I have my Comcast internet connected to this computer along with a

wireless router, and all my other computers in the house are able to connect

to the internet via the wireless router. However, when I try to access the

internet off this Windows ME computer, it does not allow me access and

freezes up! It was not always this way.

 

I just want to save my data and then do a clean install on this computer

with updated software. Can anyone help me? Thank you.

[Guest Mike M]

Re: Saving harddrive data - Windows Explorer won't operate

 

> - no patches or upgrades.

 

I'm sorry but this says it all. Forget about connecting to the internet

if you can't even run Windows Explorer. Get Windows Explorer working

correctly and then work from there.

 

Can you boot to Safe Mode? What EXACTLY is wrong with Windows Explorer as

saying that your computer will not allow you to use it isn't that

informative.

 

Whilst I appreciate that you cannot currently go on-line but when

approximately did you last scan your PC for malware and the like using

your antivirus program? Which AV application are you using? When did you

last update its reference signatures?

--

Mike Maltby

mike.maltby@gmail.com

 

 

LeopardLiz <LeopardLiz@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I have an old PC with original Windows ME - no patches or upgrades.

> I want to save all of my data onto an external hard drive, but my

> computer won't even allow me to use Windows Explorer. What should I

> do?

>

> Also, I have my Comcast internet connected to this computer along

> with a wireless router, and all my other computers in the house are

> able to connect to the internet via the wireless router. However,

> when I try to access the internet off this Windows ME computer, it

> does not allow me access and freezes up! It was not always this way.

>

> I just want to save my data and then do a clean install on this

> computer with updated software. Can anyone help me? Thank you.

[Guest LeopardLiz]

Re: Saving harddrive data - Windows Explorer won't operate

 

Thank you for your response.

 

To answer your questions, when I attempt to access Windows explorer, my

computer stops responding altogether. I cannot access any other programs and

have to reboot.

 

I've had problems where the computer starts back up in "Safe Mode", and I

end up restarting in "Selective Startup" mode. I am not sure if this is

causing problems in other areas such as limiting my access to programs/system

utilities, etc. I am not a computer "techie", but I am computer savvy.

 

My virus protection is not updated since I cannot connect to the internet

through this machine. I was using Norton Anti-virus, and it has detected

Adware/Spyware when I ran the scans, however, it was unsuccessful in removing

these programs.

 

My goal is to save data to an external hardrive in any way possible. I have

many photos and tax programs/data that I absolutely must save. Any

suggestions? Can I do this via DOS somehow? I have only limited DOS

language knowledge.

 

Can I download the patches to another computer, and then load them onto this

old computer, or is that not an option?

 

Also, what puzzles me is that this computer works to serve the purpose of a

wireless router for my other house computers. How is that possible if I

cannot access the internet on that same machine? It is obviously accessing

the internet somehow.

 

Thanks again...........

 

Liz

 

"Mike M" wrote:

> > - no patches or upgrades.

>

> I'm sorry but this says it all. Forget about connecting to the internet

> if you can't even run Windows Explorer. Get Windows Explorer working

> correctly and then work from there.

>

> Can you boot to Safe Mode? What EXACTLY is wrong with Windows Explorer as

> saying that your computer will not allow you to use it isn't that

> informative.

>

> Whilst I appreciate that you cannot currently go on-line but when

> approximately did you last scan your PC for malware and the like using

> your antivirus program? Which AV application are you using? When did you

> last update its reference signatures?

> --

> Mike Maltby

> mike.maltby@gmail.com

>

>

> LeopardLiz <LeopardLiz@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>

> > I have an old PC with original Windows ME - no patches or upgrades.

> > I want to save all of my data onto an external hard drive, but my

> > computer won't even allow me to use Windows Explorer. What should I

> > do?

> >

> > Also, I have my Comcast internet connected to this computer along

> > with a wireless router, and all my other computers in the house are

> > able to connect to the internet via the wireless router. However,

> > when I try to access the internet off this Windows ME computer, it

> > does not allow me access and freezes up! It was not always this way.

> >

> > I just want to save my data and then do a clean install on this

> > computer with updated software. Can anyone help me? Thank you.

>

>

[Guest Mike M]

Re: Saving harddrive data - Windows Explorer won't operate

 

Liz,

 

The use of Norton AV is incompatible with Win Me and known to cause a

myriad of problems. So many that I'm reluctant to try and help.

Nevertheless when did you last run NAV, were the reference AV signatures

up to date at that time and finally how much has the PC been used since

then and was it connected to the internet?

> I've had problems where the computer starts back up in "Safe Mode",

> and I end up restarting in "Selective Startup" mode.

 

You mention being unable to boot to Safe Mode but instead having to use

selective startup. Which entries do you have to uncheck to get to the

Safe Mode desktop? Knowing this might help narrow down the area where the

problem lies.

> Can I download the patches to another computer, and then load them

> onto this old computer, or is that not an option?

 

No point. You need to get the Win Me PC running first. Patches, of

themselves, aren't going to fix anything.

> Also, what puzzles me is that this computer works to serve the

> purpose of a wireless router for my other house computers

 

Please explain. What hardware are you using. How is your Win Me PC

acting as a wireless router?

> My goal is to save data to an external hardrive in any way possible.

> I have many photos and tax programs/data that I absolutely must save.

> Any suggestions? Can I do this via DOS somehow? I have only limited

> DOS language knowledge.

 

Subject to your problems not being down to file system corruption then

there is no reason why you should not be able to recover all of your data.

Sadly however you cannot use an external usb drive when in Safe Mode nor

can you burn CDs. The easiest way, if you cannot get the present system

running will be to either reinstall Win Me but PLEASE do NOT attempt this

at this stage or to temporarily move the disk to another PC. One way of

doing this is to remove the hard disk and put it in an external usb

enclosure and then plug this in to another PC and copy the files that way.

--

Mike Maltby

mike.maltby@gmail.com

 

 

 

LeopardLiz <LeopardLiz@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Thank you for your response.

>

> To answer your questions, when I attempt to access Windows explorer,

> my computer stops responding altogether. I cannot access any other

> programs and have to reboot.

>

> I've had problems where the computer starts back up in "Safe Mode",

> and I end up restarting in "Selective Startup" mode. I am not sure

> if this is causing problems in other areas such as limiting my access

> to programs/system utilities, etc. I am not a computer "techie", but

> I am computer savvy.

>

> My virus protection is not updated since I cannot connect to the

> internet through this machine. I was using Norton Anti-virus, and it

> has detected Adware/Spyware when I ran the scans, however, it was

> unsuccessful in removing these programs.

>

> My goal is to save data to an external hardrive in any way possible.

> I have many photos and tax programs/data that I absolutely must save.

> Any suggestions? Can I do this via DOS somehow? I have only limited

> DOS language knowledge.

>

> Can I download the patches to another computer, and then load them

> onto this old computer, or is that not an option?

>

> Also, what puzzles me is that this computer works to serve the

> purpose of a wireless router for my other house computers. How is

> that possible if I cannot access the internet on that same machine?

> It is obviously accessing the internet somehow.

>

> Thanks again...........

[Guest LeopardLiz]

Re: Saving harddrive data - Windows Explorer won't operate

 

Thank you for your help. I don't have all of the answers to your questions

at this point. I will take your advice on transferring the files from the

hard drive to another computer via the method you suggested. I will contact

a computer store for assistance prior to doing this to make sure I am doing

it properly.

 

To answer your question about this computer acting as a wireless

router........

I have my Comcast internet cable connected to this PC. I also have a

Linksys wireless router connected to this PC. This enables me to access the

internet from the other computers in my house without any

trouble..........very strange.

 

 

 

"Mike M" wrote:

> Liz,

>

> The use of Norton AV is incompatible with Win Me and known to cause a

> myriad of problems. So many that I'm reluctant to try and help.

> Nevertheless when did you last run NAV, were the reference AV signatures

> up to date at that time and finally how much has the PC been used since

> then and was it connected to the internet?

>

> > I've had problems where the computer starts back up in "Safe Mode",

> > and I end up restarting in "Selective Startup" mode.

>

> You mention being unable to boot to Safe Mode but instead having to use

> selective startup. Which entries do you have to uncheck to get to the

> Safe Mode desktop? Knowing this might help narrow down the area where the

> problem lies.

>

> > Can I download the patches to another computer, and then load them

> > onto this old computer, or is that not an option?

>

> No point. You need to get the Win Me PC running first. Patches, of

> themselves, aren't going to fix anything.

>

> > Also, what puzzles me is that this computer works to serve the

> > purpose of a wireless router for my other house computers

>

> Please explain. What hardware are you using. How is your Win Me PC

> acting as a wireless router?

>

> > My goal is to save data to an external hardrive in any way possible.

> > I have many photos and tax programs/data that I absolutely must save.

> > Any suggestions? Can I do this via DOS somehow? I have only limited

> > DOS language knowledge.

>

> Subject to your problems not being down to file system corruption then

> there is no reason why you should not be able to recover all of your data.

> Sadly however you cannot use an external usb drive when in Safe Mode nor

> can you burn CDs. The easiest way, if you cannot get the present system

> running will be to either reinstall Win Me but PLEASE do NOT attempt this

> at this stage or to temporarily move the disk to another PC. One way of

> doing this is to remove the hard disk and put it in an external usb

> enclosure and then plug this in to another PC and copy the files that way.

> --

> Mike Maltby

> mike.maltby@gmail.com

>

>

>

> LeopardLiz <LeopardLiz@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>

> > Thank you for your response.

> >

> > To answer your questions, when I attempt to access Windows explorer,

> > my computer stops responding altogether. I cannot access any other

> > programs and have to reboot.

> >

> > I've had problems where the computer starts back up in "Safe Mode",

> > and I end up restarting in "Selective Startup" mode. I am not sure

> > if this is causing problems in other areas such as limiting my access

> > to programs/system utilities, etc. I am not a computer "techie", but

> > I am computer savvy.

> >

> > My virus protection is not updated since I cannot connect to the

> > internet through this machine. I was using Norton Anti-virus, and it

> > has detected Adware/Spyware when I ran the scans, however, it was

> > unsuccessful in removing these programs.

> >

> > My goal is to save data to an external hardrive in any way possible.

> > I have many photos and tax programs/data that I absolutely must save.

> > Any suggestions? Can I do this via DOS somehow? I have only limited

> > DOS language knowledge.

> >

> > Can I download the patches to another computer, and then load them

> > onto this old computer, or is that not an option?

> >

> > Also, what puzzles me is that this computer works to serve the

> > purpose of a wireless router for my other house computers. How is

> > that possible if I cannot access the internet on that same machine?

> > It is obviously accessing the internet somehow.

> >

> > Thanks again...........

>

>

[Guest Mike M]

Re: Saving harddrive data - Windows Explorer won't operate

 

LeopardLiz <LeopardLiz@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Thank you for your help. I don't have all of the answers to your

> questions at this point. I will take your advice on transferring the

> files from the hard drive to another computer via the method you

> suggested. I will contact a computer store for assistance prior to

> doing this to make sure I am doing it properly.

>

> To answer your question about this computer acting as a wireless

> router........

> I have my Comcast internet cable connected to this PC. I also have a

> Linksys wireless router connected to this PC. This enables me to

> access the internet from the other computers in my house without any

> trouble..........very strange.

 

Why isn't the cable/adsl modem connected directly to the router which is

the normal way of doing things? Is there a special reason why you have

such an unorthodox setup? I can only assume that you are using ICS

(internet connection sharing) installed on the PC running Win Me. ICS is

normally used to allow a second PC to piggy back on the first and not to

then feed a router as the IP address mapping and allocation gets

unnecessarily complicated and this in itself can cause major problems.

 

A normal setup is as below

 

<--> ADSL or cable modem <--> router <---> wired PCs

|

wireless access point (WAP) ~~~ laptops & other wireless devices

--

Mike Maltby

mike.maltby@gmail.com

[Guest Mart]

Re: Saving harddrive data - Windows Explorer won't operate

 

Lateral Thinking?

 

Just can't get passed the first paragraph Mike, I'm not too sure whether Liz

is really referring to Windows Explorer or rather, Internet Explorer.

 

However, if she does really mean Windows Explorer *and* she can at least

boot into WinMe, then she could try the old Windows File Manager - Winfile -

to attempt to manage her files.

 

Start | Run and enter Winfile.exe in the run box.

 

An old trick - but it might just work! - But doesn't sort out the internet

and server issues though <h>

 

Mart

 

 

 

"Mike M" <No_Spam@Corned_Beef.Only> wrote in message

news:uJVsXYOnIHA.5368@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>> - no patches or upgrades.

>

> I'm sorry but this says it all. Forget about connecting to the internet

> if you can't even run Windows Explorer. Get Windows Explorer working

> correctly and then work from there.

>

> Can you boot to Safe Mode? What EXACTLY is wrong with Windows Explorer as

> saying that your computer will not allow you to use it isn't that

> informative.

>

> Whilst I appreciate that you cannot currently go on-line but when

> approximately did you last scan your PC for malware and the like using

> your antivirus program? Which AV application are you using? When did you

> last update its reference signatures?

> --

> Mike Maltby

> mike.maltby@gmail.com

>

>

> LeopardLiz <LeopardLiz@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>

>> I have an old PC with original Windows ME - no patches or upgrades.

>> I want to save all of my data onto an external hard drive, but my

>> computer won't even allow me to use Windows Explorer. What should I

>> do?

>>

>> Also, I have my Comcast internet connected to this computer along

>> with a wireless router, and all my other computers in the house are

>> able to connect to the internet via the wireless router. However,

>> when I try to access the internet off this Windows ME computer, it

>> does not allow me access and freezes up! It was not always this way.

>>

>> I just want to save my data and then do a clean install on this

>> computer with updated software. Can anyone help me? Thank you.

>