Hi Ted,
This is a post, that I posted this morning in a Windows KB newsgroup,
descibing what I'm trying to do.
Thank You for your sound advice about the registry. I do understand what you
are saying and I appeciate it.
The computer did have problems with errors on start up and the system files
were incorrect in different tabs in the Msconfig. I've read different news
groups for three weeks now and " Google" is sick of me hanging around, with
all my inquiries. ;-)
I've since got the all the errors gone, the start up to a minimun, with only
necessary items in there. I have downloaded Ad-Aware, Spybot and Hi-Jack This.
The one good thing with this computer is it is very clean "in that department"
Well, almost clean. The previous owner, obviously used and had, AOL garbage
for their internet dial-up service.
I think I might put a STOP to my cleaning to this computer. It is starting
up, with no errors, and seems to surf the internet fine.
Thank You For Your Advice
Mikki
Hi Jeff,
I took a look at the links there and they seem like something I would see on
this computer. There are a lot of advanced programs or I should say office
and business programs on this machine. Do you think it would be safe to
delete these items, that are written up under the "deault" and under the line
"default not set " ( In The Registry ) ?
I did a back-up on the registry but still feared removing these, as I've come
this far, fixing up this computer, and it's still running ;-) .....lol
What I'm attempting to do, is fix and clean up an old Windows 98 computer,
that only has a 8 GB hard drive. My friend just wants to be able to get on
the internet, which basically, I told her, thats about all, she's going to be
able to do.
So far, I've removed , and disabled a dial-up modem. Installed a ethernet PCI
card for her DSL service.
I've had to clean up and edit items in the Config.fig, Autoexec.bat ,using
Sysedit. I've learned through these newsgroups, that these are not needed to
actually run Windows 98. She did have a lot of start up items and errors
about the Himen.Sys.
I've had to download drivers for her modem (which I now, have disabled in
Device manager) and physically removed the dial-up connections.
I had to download a sound driver, as there was no sound and the Device
Manager " Was Not Pretty ".
I have tried removing all elements of AOL in the registry. ( What A Nightmare
! )
I'm trying to delete very old programs on this computer, that are dated back
to 2003, and 2005 for example.
I'm suppose to have this done today and return it to her, so my time is very
limited.
My first question is, Would it hurt the computer, if I removed those items in
the registry or should I just leave them alone ?
My second question is, Is it safe to remove old programs ( found in "C" ) ?
Then remove them from the registry ?
These are advanced business programs, from a previous owner, that was a
Insurance Business.
I'm not touching any of Microsoft office items, but I fear deleting these
"OTHER" programs, because I'm nervous that they might have a file in them,
needed by "Windows" to run properly.
I first did it through the Add and Remove list, then learned "here" about
items that couldn't be removed through this process and did some through
editing Msconfig, Sysedit, the Registry, and the Start Up Folders.
Not in that order, but you get the idea.
Right now, I have too many folders, sitting in the recycle bin, that I either
have to delete for good, then do a disk clean, defrag or leave them in there
and tell my friend, to delete them in a week or so, providing everything is
safe and sound.
I'd rather do it this morning, but I don't want to give her back her computer
and "her" having different errors about missing files.
Reality, what this computer needed, was a reinstall of the whole system, but
I didn't have the original CD's or the knowledge to do this. I don't have too
much knowledge about the older systems and DOS. I'm still learning and I
study these newsgroups faithfully, on a regular basis, whether I have a
problem or not.
This is a great resource to learn and help with a problem, as I've had many,
in the past, with my Windows XP.
Thank You For Your Assistance
Mikki
The entries seem to be associated with MSDTC Transaction Internet Protocol.
See, for instance:
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
Ted Zieglar said:
The registry should not be edited unless you have a specific issue to
address and are using a registry edit that specifically addresses the
issue. A hunting expedition is definitely the wrong thing to do,
particularly when you're candid enough to admit that you don't really
understand what you're seeing.
Picking through the registry is not the way to solve computer problems.
A better thing to do is to precisely describe the issue(s) you are
facing in a news post and let us try to help you.
Not all computer issues can be adequately addressed in a news post, but
it's worth a try and it's a much better approach than what you're trying
to do.
