filth Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 hello all.recently i had internet connection problems and was advised to clear my dnscache. since then (and i have no idea if it's related) i can't locate any accessories (games, calculator etc.) i found some of them in the dllcache, but when i try to install them from the original xp disc, it won't let me because it tries to find a whole host of stuff that doesn't seem to be either on the cd or in my system32 folder or in the dllcache folder. the unlocatable files start with something called: hourglas.an_ and continue through a whole load of files with similar extensions. sometimes, i'll find them manually on the xp cd and it won't copy or instal the files. it's driving me crazy.i tried unistalling explorer. didn't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filth Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 also just tried copying the I386 folder over to the c drive and disabling norton. located each file manually and it still wouldn't copy the files and install them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Use Control PanelAdd or Remove ProgramsSelect - Add/Remove Windows Components (on L/hand side)The "Details" button shows what is/isn't installed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Yes, these extra Windows components are already on your hard disk, so you shouldn't need the installation disk to re-install them. Just follow the instructions on the Add/Remove Windows components menu that Boris mentions and you should be able to find games, calculator, etc and have them working again very quickly. (Lots of other things there also that you probably didn't know about). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tufenuf Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 also just tried copying the I386 folder over to the c drive and disabling norton. located each file manually and it still wouldn't copy the files and install them.filth, Try the Free "AccRestore v2.0" program at the link below.http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Accessories.htmTufenuf This utility restores the missing shortcuts to the Start Menu Accessories group. The Accessories group includes sub-folders namely Accessibility, Communications, System Tools, Entertainment. Boris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filth Posted February 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 'AccRestore v2.0'did it, sorted, exactly what i needed - thx tufenuf, much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tufenuf Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 'AccRestore v2.0'did it, sorted, exactly what i needed - thx tufenuf, much appreciated.filth, Glad to see that the problem is corrected & Thanks for posting back to let us know.Tufenuf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filth Posted February 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 actually tufenuf, there is still a related issue outstanding. the program you pointed me to restored the shortcuts to the windows components, but my games shortcuts are missing still and i'm having the same problem dling them from the disc or the c drive, even when i locate the file for the install program. i know i have the exe files, because i've located them individually in my system32 folder.is there a program like accrestore that can restore the games shortcuts? i can't seem to install any windows components using my xp disc and the add/remove program in the control panel.does all this mean that i have a corrupted windows xp disc? or is there something wrong with the pc?thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 I don't know why you need a third party program if you already have Add/Remove Windows Components, as Boris has posted earlier...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 You should be able to make new shortcuts for your games very easily. Find the game file, right click on it and select Explore, search for the exe icon, right click on it, then select Send to.. desktop. That will put a new shortcut on the desktop for the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filth Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 i can go through everything and right click etc. it's just an absolute pain. i'm curious as to why the files won't load through add windows components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 filfth, I take it you're writing about Windows games, not third party games. I didn't realize that with my earlier reply. Getting to them is normally a 3-4 click process. If you use them freqently they should appear in the Start menu when you press Start. If they're not there perhaps you are not allowing it to list all the items. You can increase the size of the start menu list by rt clicking on Start, select Properties, then select the upper Customize button. There you'll see an option to increase the number of items.When the Start Menu comes up you also have the option to remove items to make the ones you want come to the top of the list. Just rt click on each item you want to remove & select Remove from List.Another option is to use the Classic start menu to build your own Start Menu list. To get to that, rt click on Start, select Options, then select Classic Start Menu. That will take you to another set of screens where you can build your own start menu. I've never done this myself so you'll need to experiment a bit. Make a note of what you are doing so you can undo it if you are not satisfied.Maybe some of these ideas will help cut down the number of clicks you have to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filth Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 filfth, I take it you're writing about Windows games, not third party games.yes i am. well, actually, i'm not just talking about games. i'm talking about all windows components. none of them copy across or install from the original disc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted February 17, 2009 Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 So what happens when you click on Add/Remove Windows Components? Do you get a new window showing these components with little boxes to be ticked or unticked (as shown in the picture posted by Boris)?Use Control PanelAdd or Remove ProgramsSelect - Add/Remove Windows Components (on L/hand side)The "Details" button shows what is/isn't installedIf you get none of these extra Windows components, does that mean you haven't got Internet Explorer, or Outlook Express, for example? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filth Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 i have explorer, outlook express etc. and they appear in the window. i press details to select the components i want and then press ok.i then get a window saying 'cannot find file...' and then a series of files with really strange extenstions like cn_ . there is no indication which program these files belong to.the files seem to be located in my i386 folder which i've copied from the xp cd to the hard drive, but when i manually point the search to those files, it still refuses to copy them across.eventually, it asks me if i want to continue the installation but ignore the copying of that particular file. whenever i ignore it and try to continue i get another strange file with a strange extension popping up until it drives me to distraction and i end up cancelling the installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Yes, then if that doesn't work I suggest you try a Windows Repair. There's a guide how to do it on the forum HERE. Try to follow every step exactly as described.If that doesn't work then I think you have to do a re-install of Windows from the installation disk. Make sure you have back-ups onto external media (CDs/Pen Drives, etc) of all your personal data and purchased software before doing any of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.