Desktop won't start up!! (win ME)

I turn on the computer, it loads windows fine, it asks me for the network password (i'm not on a network but i have a network password anyways), I enter the password and the password box disappears but then nothing happens...nothing at all, I just stare at the windows background image. what normally happens after i get past the password box is the desktop appears, all the icons pop up, and the bottom menu bar including the start button appears. well for some reason that doesnt happen anymore. i have left the computer on for a whole hour and nothing happens. Even when i start the computer in safe mode nothing happens. in safe mode it doesnt ask me for a password, which is normal, but it just loads the windows background image and nothing else.

some more information: i am running windows ME and what may have caused this to happen is i was forced to turn off the computer the previous time it was on by turning off the power on my surge protector, instead of properly shutting down. i have had a common problem where internet explorer browser windows freeze up, and although i can just open another IE browser window and keep surfing it is annoying having blank browser windows in the background that i cant get rid of, so i often reboot when this happens, but occasionally it wont let me reboot so i have to turn off and on the power instead.

i am certain that no virus has caused this. and the scandisk program that automatically runs after an improper shutdown did not detect any problems.

some more information...

i have pressed ctrl-alt-dlt during, before, and after the password box appears in order to bring up task manager to see what programs are running and this is what i have found:

before the password box comes up I have seen these tasks appear:
Cmdninst
Rundll32
mstask
Statemgr
Mprexe

and just after i enter the password the task that runs is "Explorer", but this only appears in the task manager for a second or two and then disappears. and then there is no task that appears in task manager from then on.

please help!


also, another question....

when i asked for help with this problem on another forum all the help i got was a suggestion to open up the tower, re-seat the memory and video cards, and clean off all the dust. so even though i didnt think that would help at all i tried it anyways. actually i had someone else open up the tower and remove the card and then i got to work cleaning the dust, and there was a lot of it, but my problem now is that i cant put the memory card back in. it doesnt slide in all the way. there are hooks on either side of the slot but the card doesnt slide in far enough for the hooks to hook on to the card. i have pushed so hard i'm afraid of breaking or damaging the card....how hard is it supposed to be to slide these cards in? and i'm not so stupid as to push the wrong end in.

 

Greetings and Welcome to Majorgeeks. I'm sure we can do better, than what that other forum suggested.

Are ye using DDR or SD(ram)?

DDR typically has one notch in it, SDRAM has two, or are ye using EDO ram?
link

SDRAM on top, DDR (sdram) on bottom.


When the memory is seated, try:

Boot (if possible) to msdos mode, and run:

scanreg /restore (to restore to a previous state).

If this doesn't work, then try:

scanreg /fix

 

how do i boot to msdos mode??? i can't figure out how to actually DO anything, meaning there is virtually no way for me to interface with the computer. this is windows ME so i dont think i can run any programs from task manager. the only interaction of any sort that i know i can still have is entering BIOS as soon as i turn the computer on (doesnt help though) and also getting the safe mode dialog after i turn the computer on. but as i said i get the same problem when selecting safe mode so that doesnt help either.

this is so frustrating because with other problems ive had with the computer i could at least access some part of the computer to try different things, but this time i cant even do anything.


edit: and i guess i'm using DDR ram because it only has 1 notch

 

It has been a loooong time since I used windows ME.

But, when you reboot your computer, you should press F8, right after POST.
You stated on your OP (original post), that you could not start in safe mode. Well, there should be an option to start in dos mode, or command line mode, or msdos.

 

no, there are only 4 options when i go to the safe mode dialog.

the 4 options are 1.normal mode 2. safe mode 3. logged 4. logged with step by step confirmation

with the last option the only thing that's different is you have to press Y or N to all of the tasks that the computer performs prior to launching windows

but there is no option for a command line mode or msdos mode. and neither should there be with windows ME because i dont think it supports msdos. even when things are operating normally there is no option to reboot in msdos.

 

Make sure you have a 3 1/2" floppy drive for this, and a disc.

http://spock.uccs.edu/pub/bootdisks/bootme.exe

This should get you into msdos mode, for windows ME.

BTW, have you tried an "overlay" of windows. As in "repair" install. This may be the easiest method.

But, I personally prefer, the convoluted ways in fixing windows, then the easy way.

 

As for the RAM install issue: if using DDR, the single notch is slightly off center to prevent installing the stick backwards. Be sure the stick is oriented correctly, position the RAM in the slot, gently but firmly push one end of the stick into the slot until the latch clicks; all the while holding the other end down with your other thumb. Once the latch clicks, push the other end into the slot until the latch clicks, again, while holding the other end (already latched) down with your thumb. Sometimes, the latches don't clip into place by themselves and need to be locked manually. No biggie. If the stick is in right, they'll lock in with a gentle (yet firm) push.....

hopperdave2000

 

i got the memory card back in. i didnt realize that the hooks block the card when they are in the open position, and that they will not close by pushing the card down, so i had to push down with one finger and at the same time close the hooks with two other fingers.

i dont know what you mean by windows overlay, or repair install, but i will now try the bootdisk. thanks

 

The boot disk did not work. I got the message "NTLDR is missing. Press any key to restart".

Just to make sure, the only thing I had to do was copy the file bootme.exe from the website you provided to a floppy disk, right? Or were there any other files I had to copy to the disk as well?

 

THE PROBLEM IS FIXED. I was able to make the boot disk and then use scanreg to restore to a previous date.

New question. It restored to a date 2 years ago and so it doesnt know that I have the latest versions of certain software such as java, and i have noticed a few other things so far that need updating to how they were a few days ago. Now right before it said it was restoring my system it said it was backing up my files. So is there any way to pick and choose certain things that it will restore back to the way they were a few days ago?

 

Hi,
I just downloaded that bootme.exe. You have to execute it on a computer with a floppy drive and it will ask you to insert a disk onto which to write the startup files. Then use that disk in your ME computer

********************
It's been a while since I used ME but in your comment listing only 4 choices for startup--is there not a command prompt choice at the very bottom of the screen--below the main frame? Maybe that is ony with the startup disk? Anyway let us know how things go once you get a command prompt. I've had my share of trying to repair ME but usually kept a small Win98 partition on my comp to be able to access the ME partition for the inevitable boot problems.

 

the problem is fixed. i figured out the boot disk and used it to fix the problem. my new question is...since it backed up my files just prior to restoring them to a previous date, how do i pick and choose which settings i want to be restored to how they were a few days ago, as opposed to 2 years ago (the way it is now)?

 

one peice of advise get Windows 2000 or XP