American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Looks like it was "registry" related...problem was Norton was missing some critical files and had to be re-installed (THREE TIMES...was the charm)[:)]

If anyone recommends a "registry cleaning program" to you, unless you have complete confidence in whoever does, make sure you read up on the program before using it. [B)] It was after using "Registry First Aid" (even after "undoing the fixes") that I am sure did me in. The machine would boot but Windows would hang, not getting past Norton which apparently could not find files it needed.

Thanks,

There are things youcan do to help the transition to a new computer. XP (I expect VISTA, also) has a built-in method of transferring programs to the new computer.

I have never used it,but it should help.

What I have done, is to load almost all programs on a hard drive other than "C" (or the boot drive). Then, when I change computers I move those drive(s) to the new one as secondary or even third hard drives.

Then use the XP program or commercial programs to do the rest.

There will always be some programs that do not transfer properly and that will need to be reinstalled, but the majority should work fine using this method.

<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands
General, Commanding, Army of Ohio

ACWGC Cabinet member
</b></font id="gold">

Thank you Ernie, as always, very helpful. For now I think it is NOT a hardware program but a software problem. I think I mentioned that I was ill-advised in using a registry clean up program. I never should have done so. I usually subscribed to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" philosophy, but I trusted this guy and Norton hasn't been the same since....the computer boots but sometimes it hangs when Norton tries to run at windows start. I went back to a restore point after I was told that I successfully UNinstalled and RE-Installed Norton AND submitted my registration key. So far it has been starting OK. I am, however, thinking of buying a new computer as this one is almost 4 years old and though it has, and is performing well and still pretty fast...it was cutting edge 4 years ago with a 2.54 Gigahertz processor and 512K memory...but I fear that its days are numbered just on age...and my "boys" who build them for me tell me I have about a year window to get a new one with XP (professional)...so if I buy a new one, this info you have provided is very useful. Thanks again.

As to Norton..what is disconcerting is that if I check their diagnostic website, their "fix-it" tool tells me that there are critical files missing from the registry but when Norton DOES open successfully it tells me that all Norton programs are performing correctly? I THINK Norton is like MS..once it gets into your computer and business you can not completely get rid of some entries in the guts and bowels and in the registry. And I refuse to reformat and completely reinstall the operation system and then re-install everything else just to fix Norton. I may try buying the new Norton 2007 or 2008 on disk instead of as a download from Norton. That will probably want to uninstall the old Norton and the reinstall properly...OR just buy a new computer and keep the old one WITHOUT NORTON as a game machine not connected to the net...at this point in life I have more mone than time and patience.



LtCol.Tom Ciampa

2nd Bgde,1st Cav
XIV Corps, AoC
Games: TS/BG: AN, BR, CH, GB, SH - HPS: GB, SH