comand lines? and where are Accessories located in My Computer?

Question

I have recently installed Service Pack 2, Norton Internet Security 2006 and a basic Norton System Works 2006 on my Dimension 4600 computer.

The result is that more often than not the computer doesn't shut down completely. It gets to the "Windows is shutting down" message and freezes there. I then manually turn it off from the on off button.

I next downloaded a program called "Show Stopper" from www.karenware.com

It forces the shut down so I avoid that freezup but it offers me the option of set up my own choice of pre shutdown tasks.
Since Norton Internet Security runs continuously my computer has no idle time and Windows System Restore will only set daily restore checkpoints if it finds the computer in idle mode.
So I wanted to set Show Stopper to schedule a daily shutdown task of setting a System Restore restore checkpoint. The problem is, is that to do this I need to write a description of the task and then the hard part ...I know nothing about writing "command lines" or "comand line arguments".

What are they and does anyone know of a web site for command line dummies?

Also, System Restore is located under Accessories" in Programs, but where is that hidden in My Computer? What folder or file has all the Accessories??

Thanks
Stu

RoHe · Answer

Before you get too fancy, try installing User Profile Hive Cleaup Service (uphclean.exe), free from Microsoft to assist with shutdown issues:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1b286e6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&displaylang=en

Lots of things are always running in the background on your system so I find it hard to believe Norton Internet Security is preventing XP from setting a restore point. You sure System Restore is turned on? You sure the Restore database isn't corrupted, in which case you need to delete it by turning System Restore off, rebooting and then turning it back on, followed by manually setting a restore point. Then immedately use that restore point to restore the system so you know it works.

Ron

vmansd · Answer

For some information on working in the command shell, check the four links to DOS Primers in my course website:

http://www.hpcnet.org/dos_primers

(the first two links are for writing programs to access the command line, you can ignore those)

Val

thyde · Answer

I am not sure how you are trying to locate "System Restore" but the sequence I use is as follows:

On your desktop click on "Start", then "All Programs", then "Accessories", then "System Tools" and then "System Restore"

You do not need to search in any folders.

T.Hyde

Dimension 4500, 2.53GHz processor, 512Mb DIMM, Windows XP, 20Gb hard disk, 80Gb hard disk, Roxio CD R/RW, Blueyonder Broadband & LAN, Dell Photo All-in-One printer.

Dimension 4100, 1GHz processor, 256Mb SDRAM, Windows ME, 20Gb hard disk, Adaptec CD R/DW, HP Deskjet 840C, Scanjet 3300c, Blueyonder Broadband & LAN

Inspiron 8600, 1.4 Ghz processor, 512Mb SDRAM, Windows XP Home, 40Gb hard disk, Philips CDRW/DVD disk drive, Blueyonder Broadband & LAN

Netgear RP614 v2 router.

seeyourself · Answer

For some unknown reason System Restore is now setting daily restore points just as it is supose to.
But... Now even the forced shutdown program I downloaded called "Show Stopper" stopped working.

So my problem is that ever since installing three programs: Service Pack 2, Norton Internet Security 2006, and Norton System Works basic; I can only get past the "windows is shutting down" screan by manually turning off the on off power button to my computer.

Any ideas what I should do to get my computer to shut down normally?

BTW I use the FireFox browser on my Windows XP Pro operating system.

Norton system works indicates that Active X id corrupted and then informes me that the problem has been repaired, only to have it show up again the next time I run System Works... but I thought that Active X was only used by the Internet Explorer browser, not FireFox, so I guess that isn't the source of my problem?

Thanks
Stu

RoHe · Answer

Uninstall that show stopper stuff and run windows system file check (sfc /scannow). Reboot and install user profile hive cleanup service as I suggested in previous post. Ron

seeyourself · Answer

Ron, I am not all that computer literate. I have never used DOS except with tech support on the phone giving me direction, and I have no idea what some of the words in your message even mean. Also I have no idea what my admistrator password for my computer is.

Could I run UPHClean with a 99% likelihood of not causing more harm than good?

Thanks
Stu

RoHe · Answer

Download uphclean.exe from Microsoft website to your desktop. Log off the net. Then uninstall that show stopper program. If it has its own uninstaller, use that. Otherwise, open Add/Remove Programs control panel. Find show stopper on the list and click Remove. Reboot to desktop.

Run windows file checker:
click start>run
type in: sfc /scannnow
(space between sfc and /)
click ok
insert XP CD if sfc requests it
reboot when sfc is done.

Double-click uphclean file on your desktop and it automatically install itself into Windows. Reboot. From then on, uphclean will load and run automatically as part of Windows. You don't have to do anything else once it's installed. It runs in the background and does its thing.

I use uphclean on my 8400 with XPpro SP2. It solved the shutdown problems I had.

If you haven't set an administrator password, just press enter when asked for it, though I don't know why you're asking about that.

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 09-24-2006 07:46 PM

Windows General

comand lines? and where are Accessories located in My Computer?

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