View Full Version : 98 to 2000 upgrade Tea Timer nightmare
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Tea Timer was installed on my neighbors computer running 98, they decided to upgrade to win2000. The computer won't boot even in safe mode, repair mode suggests reformatting the hard drive.
The error message is
corrupted file windows\system32\config
They would like to save some of the files they have not backed up, if it would boot just into safe mode all would be well.
Is there a way to disable or uninstall Spybot and Tea Timer through dos or????
Thanks
It is always recommended to deactivate all running programs before installing new software. The registry is already damaged and deactivating the Teatimer.exe won't help anymore. You cannot deactivate the Teatimer in Dos mode apart from deleting the file Teatimer.exe itself.
So please try the command:
scanreg/restore
http://www.helpwithwindows.com/windows98/start-145.html
If if works or not depends on how many files from Windows 98 is left. Problematic was the upgrade from Windows 98 to Windows 2000.
If it don't work you still have the option to install Windows 98/Windows 2000 over the old Windows files. DON'T format the drive during the installation because this will delete the files which they want to keep.
Thanks for responding!
My question, if Tea Timer is able to interfere with the upgrade to 2000 will it interfere with the reinstallation of 98? Of course when 98 is installed Tea Timer will be disabled.
2000 installation crashed after completing "finding and installing devices such as mouse and key board"
The Teatimer needs a running Windows environment. Now there is no operable Windows and so the Teatimer won't run. Apart from that, it needs a system startup entry so that it can automatically run with the reboot. Reinstalling Windows 98 makes default system startup entries and so there won't be a Teatimer entry.
The difference between a new installation and an upgrade is that you are installing Windows 2000 in a running Windows environment during the upgrade. So there are a lot of registry changes which the Teatimer has to managed. A new installation right from the Windows CD does not encounter this problem.
I would still recommend to try "scanreg/restore" first and then manually disable the Teatimer. First change Spybot-S&D to advanced mode if Windows is working again. You should find the Teatimer in "Tools->Resident".
The Teatimer needs a running Windows environment. Now there is no operable Windows and so the Teatimer won't run. Apart from that, it needs a system startup entry so that it can automatically run with the reboot. Reinstalling Windows 98 makes default system startup entries and so there won't be a Teatimer entry.
The difference between a new installation and an upgrade is that you are installing Windows 2000 in a running Windows environment during the upgrade. So there are a lot of registry changes which the Teatimer has to managed. A new installation right from the Windows CD does not encounter this problem.
I would still recommend to try "scanreg/restore" first and then manually disable the Teatimer. First change Spybot-S&D to advanced mode if Windows is working again. You should find the Teatimer in "Tools->Resident".
"scanreg/restore" I am assuming is used in dos, using the win2k disk I have found the console but no dos prompt, using a floppy in the A drive C drive can't be found. Any suggestions would be appreciate,
Thanks!
Do you have seen the link?
http://www.helpwithwindows.com/windows98/start-145.html
There is an instruction for using the command in Windows 98. Again, it will only work if Windows 98 is still on the disk. Here is an excerpt from the link:
"When Windows notices a problem with your registry, it will automatically replace the registry with a backup copy. The good thing about this new feature is that you can easily restore a previous registry "by hand":
1. Start Windows in MS-DOS mode (press the Ctrl key as soon as your PC starts. This will get you the Bootup menu. Once the menu is up, choose Command prompt only)
2. Type Scanreg /restore at the prompt
3. You will get a screen where you can select which registry backup to use
4. Choose your backup and press Restore
5. When ready you'll be prompted to Restart your computer."
I'm sorry but I haven't found any hints that you have followed the suggested steps. If you already have tried it and it didn't work then there is still the possibility to reinstall Windows 98 over the old Windows. The reason why you shouldn't install Windows 2000 first is because they want to backup some data but Windows 2000 use more disk space and so the risk is bigger that they would delete their files as well. This won't happen if they install Windows 98 over their old Windows 98.
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Only for users with some experiences: Of course there are additional ways to save the data. So there is also a fast backup method. Unplug their hard drive and plug it with the second IDE interface of another running system. Make a backup of the desired data and then you can format the drive of them so that they can finally install Windows 2000 on their own computer. Necessary conditions for this method:
1. A second computer or a second empty drive would be possible as well.
2. Some experiences
3. A compatible motherboard because many old drives don't work with the current motherboards.
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Users with a bootable live system like Knoppix or Windows PE could also make a backup. For this scenario you will need a second CD/DVD drive/burner. One for running the live system and one for burning the data. A USB stick should fit for a backup as well in combination with the live system.
I'm sorry if this is too much information. I don't have the time to check this forum every day. So I want to ensure that I have given you all the necessary information for restoring the data.