File is missing or corrupt???

[Guest]

I received the following error message on my XP-Home Edition computer: "file
is missing or corrupt: system32\drivers\pci.sys"

The message goes on to say that "you can attempt to fix it" by using the
Windows XP start-up disc, and pressing "r" when you get to the first screen.
I've tried this several times, but to no avail. When it finally finishes, I
end-up with a "c:" dos prompt. The bottom line is, pressing "r" doesn't fix
my problem, and consequently, I cannot start Windows.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can correct this problem? Thanks
in advance for any help.

Dave M.

 

[TaurArian [MS-MVP]]

Windows XP Problems with Damaged or Incompatible Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply. I went to the link you provided and followed the
instructions. I removed all pci devices, except for my monitor and even
alternated taking our my memory. I believe each bank has 256k. All of this
did not solve my problem.

Incidentally, I have not added any hardware at all recently. So, I'm not
sure what caused this sympton to occur.

So anyway, when I choose "r" when booting off of my Windows XP disc it
ultimately takes me to a c:\ dos prompt, as I mentioned in my initial post.
At that window it says something like: " to leave the "help console, type in
exit". If I type in "help" at that screen it lists various commands that
one could execute from that window. I'm at a loss however to know if I'm
suppose to be choosing a command there or not. ???

I'd appreciate any further help you can provide me. Thanks.

Dave M.

Windows XP Problems with Damaged or Incompatible Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

I received the following error message on my XP-Home Edition computer: "file
is missing or corrupt: system32\drivers\pci.sys"

The message goes on to say that "you can attempt to fix it" by using the
Windows XP start-up disc, and pressing "r" when you get to the first screen.
I've tried this several times, but to no avail. When it finally finishes, I
end-up with a "c:" dos prompt. The bottom line is, pressing "r" doesn't fix
my problem, and consequently, I cannot start Windows.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can correct this problem? Thanks
in advance for any help.

Dave M.

 

[Guest]

Can anyone provide further guidance on this? I'd appreciate any help.
Thanks.

Dave M.

 

[TaurArian [MS-MVP]]

Are you attempting a repair install?

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm


--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

Thanks for your reply. I went to the link you provided and followed the
instructions. I removed all pci devices, except for my monitor and even
alternated taking our my memory. I believe each bank has 256k. All of this
did not solve my problem.

Incidentally, I have not added any hardware at all recently. So, I'm not
sure what caused this sympton to occur.

So anyway, when I choose "r" when booting off of my Windows XP disc it
ultimately takes me to a c:\ dos prompt, as I mentioned in my initial post.
At that window it says something like: " to leave the "help console, type in
exit". If I type in "help" at that screen it lists various commands that
one could execute from that window. I'm at a loss however to know if I'm
suppose to be choosing a command there or not. ???

I'd appreciate any further help you can provide me. Thanks.

Dave M.

Windows XP Problems with Damaged or Incompatible Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

I received the following error message on my XP-Home Edition computer: "file
is missing or corrupt: system32\drivers\pci.sys"

The message goes on to say that "you can attempt to fix it" by using the
Windows XP start-up disc, and pressing "r" when you get to the first screen.
I've tried this several times, but to no avail. When it finally finishes, I
end-up with a "c:" dos prompt. The bottom line is, pressing "r" doesn't fix
my problem, and consequently, I cannot start Windows.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can correct this problem? Thanks
in advance for any help.

Dave M.

 

[Guest]

I assume one calls it a "repair/install". What I'm trying to do, of course,
is to restart my Windows XP which formerly worked fine, but now it does not.

The instructions on the screen when I encounter the problem, ie, corrupt or
missing file, are different from the instructions I find on this forum re:
"perform a repair installation". I'm not sure if there's a difference, and
if so, which approach I should be taking. I was under the impression that
they are talking about the same procedure.

When I follow the instructions that come on the screen, I re-boot w/ my
Windows XP start-up disk, and then press "r" at the first screen. As I
mentioned in an earlier post, this merely stops at a dos prompt "c:\" ;
from there nothing seems to happen. As I said before, there's a help screen
there that has commands such as fixboot, etc...

By following the instructions from a link on the link you provided me, it
took me to the instructions for "Performing a Repair Installation". When I
got to the end of that process, a screen displayed "existing partions and
unpartioned space on the computer". It goes on to say to select an item and
then press: "enter to install", "c to create a partition", or "d to delete a
partion". When I select enter, I get some further error message which
cautions me that any formatting will delete any files on that partition.

So, basically I have no clue what to do. It seems as though one should be
able to resolve this kind of situation much easier than I have been able to
so far. If you have any suggestions on how I can get my Windows XP back up
and running, I'd be very grateful. Thanks.

Dave M.

Are you attempting a repair install?

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm


--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

Thanks for your reply. I went to the link you provided and followed the
instructions. I removed all pci devices, except for my monitor and even
alternated taking our my memory. I believe each bank has 256k. All of this
did not solve my problem.

Incidentally, I have not added any hardware at all recently. So, I'm not
sure what caused this sympton to occur.

So anyway, when I choose "r" when booting off of my Windows XP disc it
ultimately takes me to a c:\ dos prompt, as I mentioned in my initial post.
At that window it says something like: " to leave the "help console, type in
exit". If I type in "help" at that screen it lists various commands that
one could execute from that window. I'm at a loss however to know if I'm
suppose to be choosing a command there or not. ???

I'd appreciate any further help you can provide me. Thanks.

Dave M.

Windows XP Problems with Damaged or Incompatible Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527




I received the following error message on my XP-Home Edition computer: "file
is missing or corrupt: system32\drivers\pci.sys"

The message goes on to say that "you can attempt to fix it" by using the
Windows XP start-up disc, and pressing "r" when you get to the first screen.
I've tried this several times, but to no avail. When it finally finishes, I
end-up with a "c:" dos prompt. The bottom line is, pressing "r" doesn't fix
my problem, and consequently, I cannot start Windows.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can correct this problem? Thanks
in advance for any help.

Dave M.

 

[TaurArian [MS-MVP]]

Guess you're not being offered the option of a repair install then unfortunately.
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/rep...s XP by Installing Over top of Existing Setup:



--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

I assume one calls it a "repair/install". What I'm trying to do, of course,
is to restart my Windows XP which formerly worked fine, but now it does not.

The instructions on the screen when I encounter the problem, ie, corrupt or
missing file, are different from the instructions I find on this forum re:
"perform a repair installation". I'm not sure if there's a difference, and
if so, which approach I should be taking. I was under the impression that
they are talking about the same procedure.

When I follow the instructions that come on the screen, I re-boot w/ my
Windows XP start-up disk, and then press "r" at the first screen. As I
mentioned in an earlier post, this merely stops at a dos prompt "c:\" ;
from there nothing seems to happen. As I said before, there's a help screen
there that has commands such as fixboot, etc...

By following the instructions from a link on the link you provided me, it
took me to the instructions for "Performing a Repair Installation". When I
got to the end of that process, a screen displayed "existing partions and
unpartioned space on the computer". It goes on to say to select an item and
then press: "enter to install", "c to create a partition", or "d to delete a
partion". When I select enter, I get some further error message which
cautions me that any formatting will delete any files on that partition.

So, basically I have no clue what to do. It seems as though one should be
able to resolve this kind of situation much easier than I have been able to
so far. If you have any suggestions on how I can get my Windows XP back up
and running, I'd be very grateful. Thanks.

Dave M.

Are you attempting a repair install?

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm


--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

Thanks for your reply. I went to the link you provided and followed the
instructions. I removed all pci devices, except for my monitor and even
alternated taking our my memory. I believe each bank has 256k. All of this
did not solve my problem.

Incidentally, I have not added any hardware at all recently. So, I'm not
sure what caused this sympton to occur.

So anyway, when I choose "r" when booting off of my Windows XP disc it
ultimately takes me to a c:\ dos prompt, as I mentioned in my initial post.
At that window it says something like: " to leave the "help console, type in
exit". If I type in "help" at that screen it lists various commands that
one could execute from that window. I'm at a loss however to know if I'm
suppose to be choosing a command there or not. ???

I'd appreciate any further help you can provide me. Thanks.

Dave M.


:


Windows XP Problems with Damaged or Incompatible Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527




I received the following error message on my XP-Home Edition computer: "file
is missing or corrupt: system32\drivers\pci.sys"

The message goes on to say that "you can attempt to fix it" by using the
Windows XP start-up disc, and pressing "r" when you get to the first screen.
I've tried this several times, but to no avail. When it finally finishes, I
end-up with a "c:" dos prompt. The bottom line is, pressing "r" doesn't fix
my problem, and consequently, I cannot start Windows.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can correct this problem? Thanks
in advance for any help.

Dave M.

 

[Guest]

Do you or anyone know what could have caused this problem? As I mentioned,
no hardware or software was added to my computer. Also, I removed every PCI
device with the exception of the one that my monitor plugs into: Video Card,
per the instructions you provided, but as I said, this did not solve the
problem.

More importantly, does anyone know how I can get my Windows XP-Home working
again without losing data on the harddrive where my Windows program resides?
Thanks.

Dave M.

Guess you're not being offered the option of a repair install then unfortunately.
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/rep...s XP by Installing Over top of Existing Setup:



--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

I assume one calls it a "repair/install". What I'm trying to do, of course,
is to restart my Windows XP which formerly worked fine, but now it does not.

The instructions on the screen when I encounter the problem, ie, corrupt or
missing file, are different from the instructions I find on this forum re:
"perform a repair installation". I'm not sure if there's a difference, and
if so, which approach I should be taking. I was under the impression that
they are talking about the same procedure.

When I follow the instructions that come on the screen, I re-boot w/ my
Windows XP start-up disk, and then press "r" at the first screen. As I
mentioned in an earlier post, this merely stops at a dos prompt "c:\" ;
from there nothing seems to happen. As I said before, there's a help screen
there that has commands such as fixboot, etc...

By following the instructions from a link on the link you provided me, it
took me to the instructions for "Performing a Repair Installation". When I
got to the end of that process, a screen displayed "existing partions and
unpartioned space on the computer". It goes on to say to select an item and
then press: "enter to install", "c to create a partition", or "d to delete a
partion". When I select enter, I get some further error message which
cautions me that any formatting will delete any files on that partition.

So, basically I have no clue what to do. It seems as though one should be
able to resolve this kind of situation much easier than I have been able to
so far. If you have any suggestions on how I can get my Windows XP back up
and running, I'd be very grateful. Thanks.

Dave M.

Are you attempting a repair install?

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm


--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527




Thanks for your reply. I went to the link you provided and followed the
instructions. I removed all pci devices, except for my monitor and even
alternated taking our my memory. I believe each bank has 256k. All of this
did not solve my problem.

Incidentally, I have not added any hardware at all recently. So, I'm not
sure what caused this sympton to occur.

So anyway, when I choose "r" when booting off of my Windows XP disc it
ultimately takes me to a c:\ dos prompt, as I mentioned in my initial post.
At that window it says something like: " to leave the "help console, type in
exit". If I type in "help" at that screen it lists various commands that
one could execute from that window. I'm at a loss however to know if I'm
suppose to be choosing a command there or not. ???

I'd appreciate any further help you can provide me. Thanks.

Dave M.


:


Windows XP Problems with Damaged or Incompatible Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527




I received the following error message on my XP-Home Edition computer: "file
is missing or corrupt: system32\drivers\pci.sys"

The message goes on to say that "you can attempt to fix it" by using the
Windows XP start-up disc, and pressing "r" when you get to the first screen.
I've tried this several times, but to no avail. When it finally finishes, I
end-up with a "c:" dos prompt. The bottom line is, pressing "r" doesn't fix
my problem, and consequently, I cannot start Windows.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can correct this problem? Thanks
in advance for any help.

Dave M.

 

[Guest]

Are there other Microsoft tech people available to answer questions??? I
would just like help trying to get my Windows XP-Home back up and running.
- I was under the impression that tech people who are either from
Microsoft or who are very knowledgeable about Microsfoft field tech questions
here. Thus far, I haven't had much luck. Thanks in advance for any help
you might be able to provide.

Dave M.

 

[TaurArian [MS-MVP]]

We are all volunteers here, if you need Microsoft Tech support -
How to contact MS
http://support.microsoft.com/selectindex/?target=assistance

--
===========================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2006
===========================
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
"Need more help? http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;6527

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Are there other Microsoft tech people available to answer
questions??? I would just like help trying to get my Windows
XP-Home back up and running. - I was under the impression that tech
people who are either from Microsoft or who are very knowledgeable
about Microsfoft field tech questions here. Thus far, I haven't had
much luck. Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to
provide.

This is a peer support newsgroup. We are all just Windows XP users here,
helping each other if and when we can. We are not Microsoft employees (not
even those of us with "Microsoft MVP" behind our names; that's an honorary
title for having provided consistently helpful advice) except for an
occasional employee who posts here unofficially on his own time.

If you don't get an answer, it can be for a variety of reasons: you may have
asked your question poorly and nobody understood, nobody may know the
answer, the person who knows the answer may have missed your question, and
so on.

 

[Guest]

Ken:

Thanks for your reply. In terms of your reasons why no one has been able to
help me so far:

#1)_ "Poorly worded question" - certainly not the case with my question.
It is very clear as to what my problem has been.

#2) "No one knows the answer" - I would have to believe that my situation
has arisen hundreds of times and cannot be that "rare".

#3)"The Person who knows the answer may have missed your question." Bingo!
I believe that's it. In the meantime, the volunteer who has chosen to help
me answers every other day, and then at that doesn't answer the specific
questions I ask.

I have used this forum over the years, and must say I've had much better
luck/help from the volunteers here. And I have had volunteers who have
replied two and three times on a given day and normally at least daily.
Unforturnately, I haven't been so lucky this time.

I understand the way the system works is that once someone attempts to help
a poster, that more often than not, other volunteers do not jump in to
provide further assistance. So, in my case, when I've attracted someone who
either doesn't know the answer or doesn't take the time to answer specific
questions raised in a post, ie, how do you use the "recovery console screen &
its commands" , I'm stuck. There may be a more knowledgeable person who
knows the answer, but doesn't want to step on the toes of another volunteer.

Again, I believe my situation/problem cannot be that uncommon; and I'm sure
one of the many folks here, be they Microsoft employees or folks that ust
know a lot about Microsoft, know an answer.

 

[Mike Williams]

Are there other Microsoft tech people available to answer questions??? I
would just like help trying to get my Windows XP-Home back up and running.
- I was under the impression that tech people who are either from
Microsoft or who are very knowledgeable about Microsfoft field tech questions
here. Thus far, I haven't had much luck. Thanks in advance for any help
you might be able to provide.

I googled the message and got
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/330181/en-us?

Other "pci.sys missing or corrupt" hits may help too. If you Google
"Groups" rather than the "Web" you'll find other tips from forums like this.

 

[Lem]

Ken:

Thanks for your reply. In terms of your reasons why no one has been able to
help me so far:

#1)_ "Poorly worded question" - certainly not the case with my question.
It is very clear as to what my problem has been.

#2) "No one knows the answer" - I would have to believe that my situation
has arisen hundreds of times and cannot be that "rare".

#3)"The Person who knows the answer may have missed your question." Bingo!
I believe that's it. In the meantime, the volunteer who has chosen to help
me answers every other day, and then at that doesn't answer the specific
questions I ask.

I have used this forum over the years, and must say I've had much better
luck/help from the volunteers here. And I have had volunteers who have
replied two and three times on a given day and normally at least daily.
Unforturnately, I haven't been so lucky this time.

I understand the way the system works is that once someone attempts to help
a poster, that more often than not, other volunteers do not jump in to
provide further assistance. So, in my case, when I've attracted someone who
either doesn't know the answer or doesn't take the time to answer specific
questions raised in a post, ie, how do you use the "recovery console screen &
its commands" , I'm stuck. There may be a more knowledgeable person who
knows the answer, but doesn't want to step on the toes of another volunteer.

Again, I believe my situation/problem cannot be that uncommon; and I'm sure
one of the many folks here, be they Microsoft employees or folks that ust
know a lot about Microsoft, know an answer.

Instead of complaining, how about being a little proactive? A Google search on
"system32\drivers\pci.sys" results in about 4000 hits. Certainly, many are
complaints without solutions, but not all. For example see
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;319136 Although that MS
KB article applies directly to Win2000, it should work for WinXP as well, with
appropriate substitutions.
Or learn how to use the MS Knowledge Base (the above article is the very first hit
on a KB search for pci.sys). There are others, including
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330181/en-us which, like some of the Google hits,
suggests bad hardware, e.g., bad RAM, may be the real cause the error message.

I don't know the cause of your problem, but the foregoing ought to give you
something to do instead of complaining that no one is spoon feeding you the
answer.

If all else fails, try a Repair Install:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
and if that doesn't work, a Clean Install:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Although a Repair Install is supposed to preserve your applications and data, the
almost univeral recommendation is to do a backup of your important data first.
And of course, a Clean Install simply wipes everything, so having a backup is
essential.

If you don't have a recent backup of the things you care about, you might want to
take your computer to a knowledgable local repair person, who will be able to take
your hard drive out of your system, copy the data from it to backup media, and
then do a clean install (unless, of course, you are comfortable doing those steps
yourself).

 

[dave xnet]

Can anyone provide further guidance on this? I'd appreciate any help.
Thanks.

Dave M.

Hello -
are you able to get to the safemode command prompt?
This is selectable by pressing F8 during the startup.
If you can get to it successfully, there may be
somethings you can do. PCI.sys may be damaged, or perhaps
a registry error. It's also possible that there is a hardware
problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330181/en-us
If command mode is not accessible you'll need to do an XP repair. This
is acomplished by booting from the XP cd, selecting install,
and then choosing the repair option. You data and programs will
be intact.
Dave

 

[Guest]

Thanks Dave for your reply. I did follow the steps on the link you
provided, but that didn't cure my problem. I don't remember if I tried
hitting the F8 key during boot-up to get to "safe mode". I kind of think I
must have, but I'll try again when I'm in front of that computer. Thanks
very much for your tips.

Dave M.

 

[Guest]

In my first posting I directed you to:
Windows XP Problems with Damaged or Incompatible Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

In my 2nd posting I directed you to a site that shows you how to do a repair
install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

In my 3rd posting, I directed you to a more detailed site on repair install.

Davexnet then posted = Quote (which I note that the question was marked
Answered and which I further note that I had already posted regarding the
link and the repair install).

"Hello -
are you able to get to the safemode command prompt?
This is selectable by pressing F8 during the startup.
If you can get to it successfully, there may be
somethings you can do. PCI.sys may be damaged, or perhaps
a registry error. It's also possible that there is a hardware
problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330181/en-us
If command mode is not accessible you'll need to do an XP repair. This
is acomplished by booting from the XP cd, selecting install,
and then choosing the repair option. You data and programs will
be intact.
Dave"

You asked why did it happen? Who knows?

As for others not answering, if anyone had anything to say on the matter,
they would have posted.

You asked for technical assistance and I posted where you could receive
technical assistance.

You ask about the recovery console - here's the answer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654
How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

As for when I post - I post when time permits, I do have a life and I don't
monitor the Newsgroup 24 hours a day nor do I intend to.

Please feel free to ignore me in the future. Have a nice day and I hope
Davexnet posting is the answer to your question as marked.

Kaylene

 

[Guest]

Instead of complaining, how about being a little proactive? A Google search on
"system32\drivers\pci.sys" results in about 4000 hits. Certainly, many are
complaints without solutions, but not all. For example see
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;319136 Although that MS
KB article applies directly to Win2000, it should work for WinXP as well, with
appropriate substitutions.
Or learn how to use the MS Knowledge Base (the above article is the very first hit
on a KB search for pci.sys). There are others, including
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330181/en-us which, like some of the Google hits,
suggests bad hardware, e.g., bad RAM, may be the real cause the error message.

I don't know the cause of your problem, but the foregoing ought to give you
something to do instead of complaining that no one is spoon feeding you the
answer.

If all else fails, try a Repair Install:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
and if that doesn't work, a Clean Install:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Although a Repair Install is supposed to preserve your applications and data, the
almost univeral recommendation is to do a backup of your important data first.
And of course, a Clean Install simply wipes everything, so having a backup is
essential.

If you don't have a recent backup of the things you care about, you might want to
take your computer to a knowledgable local repair person, who will be able to take
your hard drive out of your system, copy the data from it to backup media, and
then do a clean install (unless, of course, you are comfortable doing those steps
yourself).

Lem-

Thanks for your suggestions. The article that addresses pci.sys problems in
relation to Win2000 looks like it may help solve my problem. I'll try it
when I get home.

And, by the way, I really don't need anyone to "spoonfeed" me anything. I
merely needed someone with a mind about solving these sorts of things, along
with the time to do so , to point me in the right direction. And for doing
that, I thank you.

I participate in numerous web discussions dealing with several topics, and I
know how these forums function. I spend a lot of time helping people with
issues in which I'm knowledgeable. And as I said, I've used this specific
forum on numerous occassions with great results. In addition, after
expressing my frustrations, I was fortunate to have other people such as
Dave xnet & Mike Williams, to try to lend me a hand. If I had just waited
patiently, Lord knows when I would have heard back from the person who
"volunteered" to help me.

Thanks again for the link you referred me to. I'll try it out this evening
& report back with my results.