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#21
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JoAnn,
I have now reinstalled XP Home, updated SP2, reinstalled all apps, run Windows Update, Office Update and other updaters so that all possible updated are applied. PC is running slick as sh*t. As always, I will try to avoid the temptation to install programs that are not essential. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... You gotta love the first week or so. Everything is nice and tidy. Almost like having maid service at home. :-) -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... Your point is well taken. I am not complaining. In addition, of course, my system will run very smoothly (at first anyway) with a fresh install. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I worked for a company that supposed backed up the network drive nightly. I had been having some minor computer issues and had copied my files over to my part of the network for several days. (I was doing CAD work at the time, printed circuit board design specifically.) I tidied up my system and moved files back to my hard drive. It was Friday the 13th a little after 1 p.m. (about 13:13 military time) and everything went SEE YA! Gone - as in everything was wiped out. No OS, nothing. Our IT guy said it wasn't a virus but there was too much timing coincidence for me ever to believe him. I thought I was safe - files had been on the network over night and everything was backed up, right? Wrong. The main part of the network was backed up. Our personal share of it was backed up *if* there was space. Apparently because the guys had used the network space for games, there was nothing left over. (This was before we were hooked into the Internet and before MP3's, etc.) I lost months worth of work. I was able to salvage some but most was gone for good. You're only out a day at the most - and have lost no work. You're fortunate. Really. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... JoAnn, You are right. It's just about time, but the last time I did this, it took a good solid day to get back to square one, so it's not insignificant. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... Well, you did say you had everything backed up. That's a very good thing. (I know it's tough to be positive right now but you have backups and that's more than a lot of people have when they need to start from square one. All you've lost is a little time.) -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... I tried to uninstall or repair MS Office. Can't do. I get an error saying installer files are missing. Back to square one = clean install. Ugh. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... Make this your mantra - "I love computers." Repeat it 50 or 60 times a day. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... The plot thickens... I thought to look on the Western Digital support site and found a KB article that addressed the exact System Restore problem I encountered: http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1 That's KB #1231 on wdc.com in case the link doesn't work. The WDC solution to restore System Restore is the same as what MS walked me through. This does not, however, address the problem of my changing icons (which is happening again for Roxio programs only), or my inability to use Office Update. I have posted a question for Western Digital support and will see what they say. In the meantime, I may reinstall the Roxio program and Office (Word and Excel). For now, I'm holding off on a clean install, though that may be the final outcome. Ya gotta love these machines! John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I know a clean install can be a pain in the arse but I've never heard anyone say they had a problem after a fresh start that would have been avoided if they'd (fill in the blank). I'm sorry you're having these problems and I'll keep my fingers crossed that goes well. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... JoAnn and others who might be interested, I spoke on the phone this afternoon with a MS Support person who specializes in XP. After fully explaining my problem, and telling the guy that I'd recently replaced my HDD with a new drive, we concluded that problem is related to unsuccessfully mirroring the old drive onto the new drive. Apparently, the MBR does not get copied bit for bit, and XP has a problem with that and the Registry on the new drive. Furthermore, some hidden XP files don't get copied correctly, or don't get copied at all, leading to further problems. The MS tech was able to walk me through restoring System Restore, but he explained that other apps may still not work and that "only time will tell." My next step is a clean install! Ugh. You live and learn. At least no data has been lost. John "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... JoAnn, For whatever reason, all my icons are back. Your husband was right. Yes, everything is backed up. The plot thickens, however. When I open System Properties and click on the System Restore tab, it freezes and I get an error message about rundll32.exe not running and DrWatson PostMortem Debugger not running. I send both error reports to MS. I got a message back from MS support in response to my "call for help." The suggestion was as follows: As a Customer Service Representative, I can assist you with the support options available with your Microsoft product. However, I have taken the time to look through our self help website and found that the rundll32.exe file is located in the c:\windows\System32 folder. RunDLL32 is used to run DLL s as programs. The following steps may resolve your issue: 1. Search for the file in c:\windows\servicepackfile\i386 folder. 2. Copy to c:\windows\system32 folder. 3. Restart your computer. I followed these instructions, but the problem persists -- clicking the System Restore tab still causes a "crash" -- the rundll32.exe error message. I am really baffled by this whole thing. Since last posting here, I remembered one key thing -- no doubt important. A week ago, I got a new HDD and used the Western Digital utility to transfer my C: drive to the new HD. I've done this in the past with no problem. I am thinking my current problem may be related. I have run ScanDisk and the Western Digital error checking utility and no problems are reported. JoAnn... perhaps your husband will have some ideas. All idea are welcome. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... John - I was talking to my husband about this. He said it happens to him at work often. He said just reboot and everything will be fine. He said it's always the same icons that go first too. Something about something stepping on the part of the RAM where this info is stored. I've learned that he's usually right. And yes, I've told him that I say that. :-) -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... Hi... I'm using Office 2000 -- Word and Excel only. Windows XP Home SP2. All XP and Office updates applied. For some reason, all the icons for Word and Excel changed today from the Office icons to the "standard DOS-style icon" -- little white rectangle with blue bar at the top. When I right click one of these icons and select Properties, the "Change Icon" button is grayed out. Not only did all the Word and Excel icons disappear (change to the DOS-style icon), but the StartAll Programs icons for "New Office Document," and "Open Office Document" changed to that standard DOS-style icon. Also, StartAll ProgramsMicrosoft Office Tools -- all icons are gone, replaced by the generic icon. I am also using FrontPage 2003, and the same thing happened with that icon. I am able to restore the icon by finding the .EXE file for each program and right-dragging it to the desktop (or Start Menu folder) and selecting create shortcut here. Can someone tell me what's going on here? This is very strange behavior and only just happened. Thank you. John |
#22
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I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it?
:-) -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... JoAnn, I have now reinstalled XP Home, updated SP2, reinstalled all apps, run Windows Update, Office Update and other updaters so that all possible updated are applied. PC is running slick as sh*t. As always, I will try to avoid the temptation to install programs that are not essential. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... You gotta love the first week or so. Everything is nice and tidy. Almost like having maid service at home. :-) -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... Your point is well taken. I am not complaining. In addition, of course, my system will run very smoothly (at first anyway) with a fresh install. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I worked for a company that supposed backed up the network drive nightly. I had been having some minor computer issues and had copied my files over to my part of the network for several days. (I was doing CAD work at the time, printed circuit board design specifically.) I tidied up my system and moved files back to my hard drive. It was Friday the 13th a little after 1 p.m. (about 13:13 military time) and everything went SEE YA! Gone - as in everything was wiped out. No OS, nothing. Our IT guy said it wasn't a virus but there was too much timing coincidence for me ever to believe him. I thought I was safe - files had been on the network over night and everything was backed up, right? Wrong. The main part of the network was backed up. Our personal share of it was backed up *if* there was space. Apparently because the guys had used the network space for games, there was nothing left over. (This was before we were hooked into the Internet and before MP3's, etc.) I lost months worth of work. I was able to salvage some but most was gone for good. You're only out a day at the most - and have lost no work. You're fortunate. Really. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... JoAnn, You are right. It's just about time, but the last time I did this, it took a good solid day to get back to square one, so it's not insignificant. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... Well, you did say you had everything backed up. That's a very good thing. (I know it's tough to be positive right now but you have backups and that's more than a lot of people have when they need to start from square one. All you've lost is a little time.) -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... I tried to uninstall or repair MS Office. Can't do. I get an error saying installer files are missing. Back to square one = clean install. Ugh. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... Make this your mantra - "I love computers." Repeat it 50 or 60 times a day. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... The plot thickens... I thought to look on the Western Digital support site and found a KB article that addressed the exact System Restore problem I encountered: http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1 That's KB #1231 on wdc.com in case the link doesn't work. The WDC solution to restore System Restore is the same as what MS walked me through. This does not, however, address the problem of my changing icons (which is happening again for Roxio programs only), or my inability to use Office Update. I have posted a question for Western Digital support and will see what they say. In the meantime, I may reinstall the Roxio program and Office (Word and Excel). For now, I'm holding off on a clean install, though that may be the final outcome. Ya gotta love these machines! John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I know a clean install can be a pain in the arse but I've never heard anyone say they had a problem after a fresh start that would have been avoided if they'd (fill in the blank). I'm sorry you're having these problems and I'll keep my fingers crossed that goes well. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... JoAnn and others who might be interested, I spoke on the phone this afternoon with a MS Support person who specializes in XP. After fully explaining my problem, and telling the guy that I'd recently replaced my HDD with a new drive, we concluded that problem is related to unsuccessfully mirroring the old drive onto the new drive. Apparently, the MBR does not get copied bit for bit, and XP has a problem with that and the Registry on the new drive. Furthermore, some hidden XP files don't get copied correctly, or don't get copied at all, leading to further problems. The MS tech was able to walk me through restoring System Restore, but he explained that other apps may still not work and that "only time will tell." My next step is a clean install! Ugh. You live and learn. At least no data has been lost. John "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... JoAnn, For whatever reason, all my icons are back. Your husband was right. Yes, everything is backed up. The plot thickens, however. When I open System Properties and click on the System Restore tab, it freezes and I get an error message about rundll32.exe not running and DrWatson PostMortem Debugger not running. I send both error reports to MS. I got a message back from MS support in response to my "call for help." The suggestion was as follows: As a Customer Service Representative, I can assist you with the support options available with your Microsoft product. However, I have taken the time to look through our self help website and found that the rundll32.exe file is located in the c:\windows\System32 folder. RunDLL32 is used to run DLL s as programs. The following steps may resolve your issue: 1. Search for the file in c:\windows\servicepackfile\i386 folder. 2. Copy to c:\windows\system32 folder. 3. Restart your computer. I followed these instructions, but the problem persists -- clicking the System Restore tab still causes a "crash" -- the rundll32.exe error message. I am really baffled by this whole thing. Since last posting here, I remembered one key thing -- no doubt important. A week ago, I got a new HDD and used the Western Digital utility to transfer my C: drive to the new HD. I've done this in the past with no problem. I am thinking my current problem may be related. I have run ScanDisk and the Western Digital error checking utility and no problems are reported. JoAnn... perhaps your husband will have some ideas. All idea are welcome. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... John - I was talking to my husband about this. He said it happens to him at work often. He said just reboot and everything will be fine. He said it's always the same icons that go first too. Something about something stepping on the part of the RAM where this info is stored. I've learned that he's usually right. And yes, I've told him that I say that. :-) -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... Hi... I'm using Office 2000 -- Word and Excel only. Windows XP Home SP2. All XP and Office updates applied. For some reason, all the icons for Word and Excel changed today from the Office icons to the "standard DOS-style icon" -- little white rectangle with blue bar at the top. When I right click one of these icons and select Properties, the "Change Icon" button is grayed out. Not only did all the Word and Excel icons disappear (change to the DOS-style icon), but the StartAll Programs icons for "New Office Document," and "Open Office Document" changed to that standard DOS-style icon. Also, StartAll ProgramsMicrosoft Office Tools -- all icons are gone, replaced by the generic icon. I am also using FrontPage 2003, and the same thing happened with that icon. I am able to restore the icon by finding the .EXE file for each program and right-dragging it to the desktop (or Start Menu folder) and selecting create shortcut here. Can someone tell me what's going on here? This is very strange behavior and only just happened. Thank you. John |
#23
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Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they
run well. Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office 2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D: drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete things I don't use or need. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it? :-) |
#24
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I honestly don't know. Try Googling the file name and see what you come up
with. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] "John Blaustein" wrote in message ... Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they run well. Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office 2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D: drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete things I don't use or need. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it? :-) |
#25
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Please read the following, and then make your decision
Local Install Source (Msocache) http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;825933 John Blaustein wrote: Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they run well. Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office 2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D: drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete things I don't use or need. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it? :-) |
#26
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Bob I,
I now realize that in addition to installing Office 2000 (Word and Excel only), I also installed FrontPage 2003. I suspect the MSOCache folder was installed by FrontPage 2003. If that's the case, then the article you linked to would apply. Thank you for your help. John "Bob I" wrote in message ... Please read the following, and then make your decision Local Install Source (Msocache) http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;825933 John Blaustein wrote: Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they run well. Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office 2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D: drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete things I don't use or need. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it? :-) |
#27
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You're welcome, happy it solved the issue.
John Blaustein wrote: Bob I, I now realize that in addition to installing Office 2000 (Word and Excel only), I also installed FrontPage 2003. I suspect the MSOCache folder was installed by FrontPage 2003. If that's the case, then the article you linked to would apply. Thank you for your help. John "Bob I" wrote in message ... Please read the following, and then make your decision Local Install Source (Msocache) http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;825933 John Blaustein wrote: Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they run well. Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office 2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D: drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete things I don't use or need. John "JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message ... I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it? :-) |
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