# [SOLVED] Windows Me startup problem



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hi, I have windows Me on my Toshiba satellite laptop. I have dsl at home and needed to install a disk that came with my pc port usb adaptor but I could not find it; so I went to 2wire.com's website and downloaded their pc port's device driver thinking I could save it to a floppy disk and use that in my laptop to install the usb pc port adaptor. I put the floppy disk into my laptop and opened it up and ran the .exe file that was there. Nothing weird happened until I searched for it under "run" in the startup menu using browse and came upon what i thought was the file. Next, the screen turned black with writing and I have not been able to restart windows. Following message occurred once i turn on comp:
MS WINDOWS startup menu
1.NORMAL
2.LOGGED
3.SAFE MODE
4.BOOT... 
(I tried all of these options and still could not start windows, then the following messages occurred):

Cannot find a device file that may be neede to run windows or a windows application.

If you deleted this file on purpose, try uninstalling the associated application using its uninstall or setup program.

If you still want to use the application associated with this device file, try reinstalling that application to replace the missing file.

c:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32\ifsmgr.vxd
press a key to continue (I HIT A KEY)

(SAME message appeared with another c prompt that was a little different)
c:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32\ios.vxd
press a key to continue (I HIT A KEY)

(same message appeared with another c prompt that was a little different in that "ifsmgr.vxd and ios.vxd" extensions were capitalized) I pressed a key and a new message appeared:

Insufficient memory to initialize windows.

Quit one or more memory-resident programs or remove unnecessary utilities from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTO.EXEC.BAT files, and restart your computer.

The following file is missing or corrupted: c:WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32.VXD

Type the name of the windows loader, (e.g., c:WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32.VXD).
........I really wish that I was better with computers and I know a little bit about them..but I can't even get into windows to do anything  I do not have my startup disk that came with my laptop either, it is at school. I really hope there is an easy solution and one that does not require all my files being lost. Please help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.


----------



## fpmm25 (Sep 13, 2002)

I don't know if I can help you but can you type anything at the prompt etc. c:\ and press enter and get a response? 

If you can you should be able to restore the registry from a last known good one and be able to get windows.
If it won't let you type anything sounds like you need your startup disk or someone else's computer to log on the net and download a bootdisk.


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hi, thanks for the reply. When I type anything (ex c:\) at the c prompt i get 
"The following file is missing or corrupted : c:\ (whatever i typed at the prompt).
Type the name of the windows loader (eg., windows\system\vmm32..)."

I tried typing the vmm32 extension but that did not work so basically whatever i type it says the file is corrupt.

Any suggestions, and what do you think is wrong?
Will I lose everything?
Thanks
Happy thanksgiving
compnewb


----------



## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Can you boot with a ME boot disk, choose minimal, and at the a: prompt, type

scanreg /restore
and press enter

Is there a date prior to the problem, but not too far back?


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

I don't have the windows boot disk right now, and i tried typing those commands but it just said each of those files were corrupt or damaged...everything i am typing at the c> does not do anything and it says the same thing.
What should i do now?
Even if i did have the boot disk, how would i use it? Just put it into cd drive and let it start automatically on my laptop? But all i can see ever on the screen is white writing on black, can't get into windows. 
Please help guys. Im scared everything is gone...and even if i end up having to "reformat" my comp...i don't know how to do that.....


----------



## fpmm25 (Sep 13, 2002)

To use the boot disk, before turning on the computer insert the boot disk into the a: drive and then push the power on button to startup the computer and hopefully it will look for the a: drive first, if it doesn't you could try typing a:\ at the command prompt.
If able to access the boot disk, pls type in the scanreg(as the other user said as above)at the command prompt and press enter and this should restore a previous windows without this error. Are you able to do this?


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hi, thanks for the reply help. 
The boot disk that came with my computer was a CD rom i believe and I dont have it with me. Is there anyway to fix the computer without it right now until i get it back?

Also, I did try something else: My friend sent me all the files on his father's FLOPPY boot disc and i copied those onto a FLOPPY on another computer. I then put it in my laptop before I turned it on and when i turned it on it said "nonsystem disk, remove and press a key"- 

Thanks, please don't give up on my guys and gals. I really appreciate this.


----------



## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Download a boot disk from here:

http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml

Save it to your desktop (not a floppy disk) then double click on it and follow instructions to create a boot disk.


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hi, I made the bootdisk, put it in, and did the restore to a previous time thing successfully i guess. I also scanned the drive surface to make sure errors were fixed and stuff and it said it fixed any. Then it went back to the a: as soon as all of that was done. 
Now what do i do from here...i thought this would immediately let me get into windows once i restarted it but it won't do that. If i take the bootdisk out, it still says all of those things from before that i wrote about in the beginning and if i leave the boot disk in and restart it just lets me do the whole scanreg thing again. 
What is the next few steps to get back to windows?
Thanks for the help,...i think I can do this with your continued help! 
Hope to hear from you soon.
jp


----------



## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Sorry for the delay in replying, I'm traveling and downloaded email before I left, and forgot to check on you today........  

Will it allow you to choose normal?

Also, how far back did you go with the restore?


----------



## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

Hi dudeman,

If ive looked up the right one,
that model has:

Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 1.9GHz Processor
512Mb memory
40Gb hard disk drive
Combined CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive (24x CD-ROM, 24x CD-R, 10x CD-RW, 8x DVD-ROM)
Floppy disk drive via external USB port

Sounds very nice.
I doubt if your stuff is lost.

You sure its ME ?
I think that one ships with XP.
If its ME, then the restore wont
work properly without the patch.

If you get back to a C: prompt,
you could re-assure yourself that
your files are still there
by looking them up in dos.

You seem quite worried that you may have lost them.
Maybe you put a lot of work into them.


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hey guys, 
No, my comp is a pent3 650 mghtz, 384 ram. I went back to a register that was from July I believe, but I don't know what to do now...
What do i need to do..use that me startup cd that came with my computer...? What exactly do i need to do?
Thanks guys


----------



## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Ouch, July.........that's a ways back......you didn't have anything more recent?

What happens if you try to start in normal mode now?

What startup cd are you referring to? Is it a restore cd?


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hi,
Nope, when I went to the scanreg thing to restore a previous save, the latest was July for some reason. Is there anyway to undo that? 
Ok, when i take out the boot floppy that you had me make from that site, and when i start the computer.....it will not let me get into windows under either safe or normal; in fact, it says the same thing that it said in my very first post..about a file needed to run windows may be corrupt or damaged and that i may need to reinstall windows.
Whattaya think?
Im back at school now so I do have my microsoft me restore cd rom here but I don't know how to use it...when i stick it in the drive it doesn't do anything...dos is driving me nuts..i dont know any commands or anything so I don't know what to do now. Please tell me you have some magic up your sleeve guys! 
Thanks,
jp


----------



## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

The restore cd will put your computer back how it was when you got it, and all your other files will be lost......is that what you want to do?

If so, you need to start the computer with the restore cd in the drive....and be sure the bios is set to boot from the cdrom first.

It sounds like you've turned off scanreg restore from msconfig.

Start button, run, then type msconfig and hit enter.....go to the startup tab.....scanregistry really should be checked to prevent the same thing from happening in the future.

Have a look here and see if you can fix this without doing a reinstall or restore:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q258471


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hey guys and gals. Thanks so much for the help.
Unfortunately, I just decided to save my old research papers on floppies and reinstalled windows with my restore cd, back to the factory settings...at least now i have my 10 gigs of hard drive space back!
Thanks for bearing with me.
I hope to get better at this stuff.
If any of you have some good computer technician websites that I can look at too, that would be great; I am possibly thinking about getting into the field once I am done getting my bachelors in psychology.
Happy holidays.
jp- compnewb


----------



## JSHARRIS (Jul 26, 2003)

guy excpet mine is on win 98 I dont have a restore cd just iwn 98 and none of my files are corrupted I just have the same two files "missing". 


I already made the boot disk and have the win 98 cd what should I do next?



thanks?


----------



## CompNewb (Nov 28, 2002)

Hello there. Ok, here are some directions I found online for reformatting your hard drive with Windows 98. Hope this helps.
Best of luck.
http://www.pe.net/~eric545/pg22.html


----------

