Need help.I'm relatively inexperienced with computers.All the items in:Control panel;>Add/Remove;>Windows setup will not work.It started with a Msoe.dll error when I click on Outlook Express.Got that fixed.Then it was setupx.dll when I try to access address book.Now address book and OE work but nothing else in widows setup(as per above) works.The initial error comes up as a variety of *.inf,*.ani,*.chm,*.acm,...etc missing files but the details on all the ones I've checked invariably boil down to *.cab files.

who give you seniors

"Need help.I'm relatively inexperienced with computers.All the items in:Control panel;>Add/Remove;>Windows setup will not work."

What do you mean won't work? Are the boxes next to stuff check marked or ticked and still don't work?

"It started with a Msoe.dll error when I click on Outlook Express.Got that fixed.Then it was setupx.dll when I try to access address book.Now address book and OE work"

The easiest thing with OE is to uninstall it / reinstall it via Windows Update.

"but nothing else in widows setup(as per above) works."

As above, are the boxes next to things check marked or ticked?

"The initial error comes up as a variety of *.inf,*.ani,*.chm,*.acm,...etc missing files but the details on all the ones I've checked invariably boil down to *.cab files."

Yep, that's what happens when half the files are missing.

Double check that the boxes in Windows Setup are ticked, if not, do so and reboot (and possibly expect to be asked for the ME disk).

Failing that, just reinstall, save you a lot of tail chasing and dicking around.

Before I even read Viking's response the two things I was gonna suggest was running Windows Update & if that didn't help, reinstalling WinME. If you do the reinstall, you will definitely have to run Windows Update afterwards.

Viking and Jam,

Thanks for your reply. Currently all items are unchecked.When I check them to turn them on is when I get the messages.The only item which does not give me some sort of error message is the address book.
Where do I get a WinME disk?? And what is the process for reinstall??
OE now works from a fix I got from a google search.
Finally, thanks for the quick reply so far.Kind of unexpected but appreciated.

who give you seniors

If it's looking for .cab files it's likely ME is wanting to extract a file from one of the .cab files on the ME cd. Since you don't have the cd it can't go any further.

Often the ME cab files are copied to a folder on the hard drive. You might do a 'find' search looking for *.cab and see if you find a folder containing 15 or 20 cab files (I'm not sure how many ME has). Then when you're looking for a particular file, browse to that folder and see if it's found there.

Otherwise, if the cab files aren't on the drive or you need to do the reinstall anyway, you can probably find an ME disk on ebay.

Thanks to all of you who replied to my post.My problem is solved.I got referred to burzuq.com(not sure of spelling;bookmarked),a very good source for almost all things WinME.The reinstall(which is how the problem got fixed)was a breeze.
Once again,thanks to Viking,Jam,Daveincaps.
I would also like to thank my manager,the producer of my video,my fellow thespians;Jim,Samuel and all the rest.I want to thank God .....etc.

who give you seniors

Strange. SMUOD only has instructions for users who have an MS Windows ME installation disk, I seem to remember.

And on the off chance you did an over the top install using setup.exe, a warning to anyone else.....it can make things even worse and is a very last resort.

Viking.

"Strange. SMUOD only has instructions for users who have an MS Windows ME installation disk, I seem to remember."

I used a floppy from a friend labeled "reboot".All previously missing items now work.
An explanation of "SMUOD" and over the top install would be appreciated.

who give you seniors

You're on an OEM (systemax) machine, I assume all the restore options you access are done through the floppy. Some manufacturers do it that way, some don't. Lucky your friend has the same machine or a floppy for it, eh.

ShutMeUpOrDown is the guy who owns Burzurq.com he's a long time member of computing.net (and this forum). Setup.exe is the 9x/ME setup file in a default ME installation. Run it and it triggers the installation process - but you still need the 25 digit Windows COA number to put in at the end.

Yes,I had the 25 digit number.It,s on a sticker on the back of my tower.I lost my anti virus,anti spyware and a lot of other files I had downloaded from the internet(nothing I couldn't live without).Downloaded Avast,spywareblaster and spy bot search and destroy to replace.Thanks once again for the help and if there is anything you can recommend to prevent this from happening again I would appreciate it.

who give you seniors

Well it depends what happened first time round to cause it. If someone actively deleted a load of system files for whatever reason, then shoot that person - if it was you, then keep your magic disc handy at all times and don't lose it. :p

You will be seeing my obit. in next week's issue of your local paper.Funeral arrangements to follow shortly thereafter.
Magic disc is in safe with all other things magic that I have(Use your imagination but not too much,you might go blind).

who give you seniors

You will be seeing my obit. in next week's issue of your local paper.Funeral arrangements to follow shortly thereafter.
Magic disc is in safe with all other things magic that I have(Use your imagination but not too much,you might go blind).
Thanks to everyone for the follow up.
Thanks to SMUOD for his excellent site(burzuq.com).

who give you seniors