^%$&$#&$*%$*#@!

[Stephanie]

Kelly, I have a second-hand computer I'll sell for cheap. Actually it'll be third-hand if you take it. Runs good. Ignore that squeek and the dim spot on the monitor. You can put your mail in the slot where the cd player used to be. (does that make it electronic mail?)

Ya got a bridge to sell as well?

Kelly - the thing is dead. If you have the Windows software, I'd try and install it, but in the meantime, I'd price out the Dells. PC's now a days are only good for 3 - 4 years and it's CHEAPER just to buy new.

I have a Compaq Presario S4010CL that I bought from SAM'S WHOLESALE for about $700 in October 2003. It has 2.4 GHz Intel Celeron processor, 256 MB RAM and a 60 GB hard drive with a CDRW/DVD player. It came with Windows XP. I'm very happy with it. I just hope I didn't jinx myself.

[southerngale]

I tried restarting it and it seems like it's starting...I get the Windows 98 logo on the screen, it does the AVG startup Virus Scan (no viruses) and then I get this message again:

VMM32.VXD is required to run Windows. If this file is not in your PATH, you may need to reinstall Windows.

It wants me to enter a command but I have no idea what that command is. The Windows book is useless.

I tried these commands:
start
go
run
start now
What the heck is wrong with you?

None of those worked.

[Stephanie]

It's been so long since I've had to use any type of DOS language, but it almost sounds as if your PC is looking for a command in DOS (or on the hard drive) to run Windows??

I think that "dir" lists what's in the hard drive's directory. That may show you what is on the PC's hard drive such as programs but from there I'm at a loss.

Anybody else?

[coriolis]

Well, the Surface Scan finally finished and the results are gone. Now I've got a message in white on a black screen. It says:

VMM32.VXD is required to run Windows. If this file is not in your PATH, you may need to reinstall Windows.

Gee, thanks. That's a lot of help. Why doesn't it tell me what I should do next because I have no clue? I tried pressing Enter...nothing. I'm still in Safe Mode. I hate to just turn it off and lose whatever it just did.

GRRRR!!

I wouldn't worry about losing what it did. Whatever it did was messed up. The stuff on the computer can be saved. This is a software (windows) problem and not a hardware (computer) problem. It sounds like a vital windows file may be corrupted. The computer can probably be started from a recovery disk or a "boot" disk into DOS. Once it's running in DOS, it is possible to get the files that you really have to have, although they'd have to be copied onto a floppy, which would be a labor intensive. Are you familiar with the folders that had your stuff? That would help someone find them. Depending on how valuable that stuff is, and if you're willing to pay, or if you know someone who can do it, there's always ways to fix it. It would be possible to re-install windows like the message says, but I think that this would wipe out everything that's on the hard drive.

There's other options to get stuff off of the hard drive. Police do it all the time, but it gets more and more expensive.

If you turn the computer off, and then turn it back on, does it start to go through the gobbledegook at the beginning - the memory test, etc? Does anything show on the monitor? does it beep? Does it give a series of beeps? (A series of beeps in various patterns can tell you something) These are all signs of life. On some computers (Dells) all you get is a Dell Logo as it goes through the startup. In any case, as it's starting, keep hitting F5 (F8 on some computers) until it beeps to interrupt the normal startup and go to a startup menu. You may be able to get into DOS that way. If you can get to the startup menu, that's a really good sign.

[coriolis]

I tried restarting it and it seems like it's starting...I get the Windows 98 logo on the screen, it does the AVG startup Virus Scan (no viruses) and then I get this message again:

VMM32.VXD is required to run Windows. If this file is not in your PATH, you may need to reinstall Windows.

It wants me to enter a command but I have no idea what that command is. The Windows book is useless.

I tried these commands:
start
go
run
start now
What the heck is wrong with you?

None of those worked.

Sorry, didn't see this.

Your computer is definitely alive. It's just confused.
I don't think that you're going to get anywhere by letting it try to start in windows.

Did it come with a recovery disk? try inserting that into the CD drive or the floppy drive before you restart it. The computer may be able to pick up off of that, though, I've never done it myself.

[coriolis]

I did a google search on the vmm whatever file. You are not alone with this problem, and there are fixes. Find someone who can edit the registry and do intense computer stuff.

[Derek Ortt]

here is how I get out of safe mode, it is not easy to do and you must be near the comp


hit the off button when windows is starting up. then turn the comp back on. Pay attention to the screen. when it asks you what mode, select normal

[southerngale]

Thanks Ed. I tried the F5 and F8 thing and nothing. I did a search too and found this:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=194679

I tried what they said and it didn't work so I guess that means Windows has to be reinstalled. I assume I lose everything that way. I'm just sick and a complete idiot. I knew I needed to save that stuff put kept putting it off.

I had stuff in various folders and pictures that can't be replaced mixed up in thousands of emails. Not something I could just get someone else to do...it'll be a lengthy task and probably why I kept putting it off. I had so much that was important to me although I guess you wouldn't believe it since I didn't do a good job protecting it.

I don't know how else to start it and it didn't come with a recovery disk. Boy was I an idiot buying from that scumbag. This is very upsetting.


Derek...I don't get to the startup menu so I don't have the option of choosing normal, safe, etc.

[Brent]

You have NOT lost everything. There's got to be some way to fix this. If your computer crashed and was hopeless, it wouldn't be doing what it's doing. There's got to be a way to at least get what you want off your hard drive.

IF you reinstall Windows, you WILL lose everything. It'll have nothing except what came with the computer.