Several problems have been occurring on this Dell Dimension L800r PC after installing a new video card several weeks ago. After being stymied several days by "Protection Error - System Halted" message, I removed the video card and was able to finally get Windows ME to come up. All icons were accounted for. Now after reselecting what startup programs I thought I had running originally I reboot and only have 8 icons and START button no longer works. When I attempt to access My Computer (one of the 8) I get the message that says "Your current security settings prohibit running ActiveX controls on this page. As a result the page may not display correctly" - and nothing displays. START button DOES NOT work in Safe Mode either - but I am able to open up My Computer. Running ZA 2.6.362 - Norton Systemworks 2003 w/ 10gig HD primary 60gig secondary HD thru a RAID PCI controller 192MB memory.
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Start Button no longer works - Icons missing 3
- Thread starter augisdad
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Did you uninstall all of the software for the video card?
There's a problem with one of you active X files. See if you have a comcat.dll on you system if so delete it. Also do you have Zone game softwware load on you system? If so uninstall it. Check bowser security settings. Look at the ACTIVE X settings.
There's a problem with one of you active X files. See if you have a comcat.dll on you system if so delete it. Also do you have Zone game softwware load on you system? If so uninstall it. Check bowser security settings. Look at the ACTIVE X settings.
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No, was not thinking this needed to be done when I got a clean boot the first time. Probably would have done it eventually, but now I can't get to the Add/Remove programs in order to do this. Can't search for comcat.dll as I have no START button (that works anyway). As far as I know I don't have any Zone game software - not sure what that is. Security settings screen appears different from what I remember it looking like before - there are no "sites" showing up in the window (Internet/Local Intranet/Trusted Sites/Restricted Sites)and the Custom Level button is greyed out so it does not look like you can change any Active X settings. I did find someone else that is experiencing the exact same problem on the Microsoft Windows ME Display Forum. So far he has no answer either. One other thing that happened prior to the Window protection error. I believe it was a LIVEUPDATE message - something about it being corrupted (if I remember correctly).
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Yes there are 8 icons on the desktop (My Documents | My Computer | IE | Norton Protected | 2 games that I'd downloaded several years ago and a Scanner program -Pagis Inbox). Why it would decide on these 8 ICONS is a mystery. The 2 games work, Windows protection error was on a BSD. If I can remember the wording it said Windows Protection error, System Halted. You must restart your computer. C-A-D would not work at this point either.
Does the Windowsbutton work on the keyboard it is in between the CTRL and ALT on the left? If not can you get to your programs using the MY COMPUTER icon. If you can go to C:\Windows\System and run msconfig and uncheck all of the Norton items and all of the items with the video card. Uncheck ZA for now all items.
See if you can start norton system works. If that does work use your boot disk and boot to a C:> prompt. If you can get there run scanreg /restore
See if you can start norton system works. If that does work use your boot disk and boot to a C:> prompt. If you can get there run scanreg /restore
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Windows button did not work either. In Safe Mode I found the msconfig icon in the system folder and unchecked all items. Rebooted - same problem, no Start button and only 8 icons. Rebooted into SafeMode again, found the MS-DOS icon and typed in Scanreg /fix. This worked. All icons are back and start button now works. Also, the LiveUpdate message I was getting was because I had unchecked the Norton programs that apparently need to be running. Thanks for all your suggestions. Hope this helps anybody that may experience this problem in the future.
demunchkin
MIS
This is exactly what happened on my father in law's PC. After I started in safe mode, ran scaneg /fix, and let it reboot everything was fine.
Does anyone know what caused this? The only thing he had done to his PC is install a Windows ME compatible printer. The printer and everything worked until he rebooted. Then the PC displayed the above symptoms.
Thanks so much for this post. It saved me having to slick his machine and then reinstall all his games.....
Does anyone know what caused this? The only thing he had done to his PC is install a Windows ME compatible printer. The printer and everything worked until he rebooted. Then the PC displayed the above symptoms.
Thanks so much for this post. It saved me having to slick his machine and then reinstall all his games.....
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