quick90

Hi I am having major windows 98 first edition problems.

Here is the story :

I am setting up an older computer for my brother which runs windows 98 F.E. After installing regcleaner, I ran it. After running it, it shows two error messages whenever I try to open a non windows program. After looking in the readme for the program, it says in the same folder as the program there should be a file/installation named oadist.exe. It says to run the installion (no full screen window, just the small little one because oadist is a windows update to the OLE Automation system libraries. Ok so here is the problem. Before I ran regcleaner I saw this file and double clicked on it. During the installation when the little progress bar is going across it asks you "do you want to install **** file yes or no" and it did this 4 or 5 times. Now because I did not know what this is, I clicked no. The read me file says to hit yes on all of them. Now because this isn't a program, I can not just uninstall it and reinstall it hitting yes. So I went and clicked the installation files again but this time no yes or no thing pops up. It just assumes no. So I tried deleting the installation file and redownloading one and doing it over but windows assumes the answer to those files is no.

How can I change the answer to yes on that installation file? Or get it to pop up again or uninstall it somehow (no uninstaller and doesn't appear anywhere since it is an update).

Please help. Thanks, Braden

P.S - This is what the readme says is the problem:



GENERAL ISSUES
--------------

- OLEAUT32.DLL
- DOESN'T SOLVE PROBLEMS/MAKES NEW PROBLEMS
- CAN'T UNDO THE REG FILE

----------------------------------------

FIX: REQUIRES UPDATED OLEAUT32

This error occurred with an earlier version of RegClean. In order for RegClean to work, you must have the updated version of the OLEAUT32.DLL. If your system has Internet Explorer version 2.0 or lower, installing Internet Explorer version 3.0 or higher will update the OLEAUT32.DLL. If you are using Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 with SP 4 or lower, you will need to install SP 5 in order to update the OLEAUT32.DLL. These files are also available for download below. If you experience the below symptoms when using RegClean 4.1a, please follow the resolution instructions.

SYMPTOMS
--------

Two messages boxes appear. One box says:

"REGCLEAN.EXE is linked to missing export OLEAUT32.DLL:421"

while the next message box says:

"A device attached to the system is not correctly functioning"

RESOLUTION
----------

You need to install the update to the OLE Automation system
libraries. These files are contained in the executable
OADIST.EXE, which is included in the download. (NOTE: If you are
using Window NT 3.51, you must use OADIST2Z.EXE instead; read the
KB article shown below.)

Alternately, you can find these files either at:

http://support.microsoft.com/support.../Q164/5/29.asp

-or-

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/oadist.exe
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/oadist2z.exe

You can use most web browsers to download this file from either
location. This file is also on the Microsoft Download Library
BBS.

MORE INFORMATION
----------------

OADIST.EXE is a self-extracting Cabinet that will install the
Automation libraries on your system. You just need to download
the file OADIST.EXE and double-click to run it. It will prompt
you to be sure that you want to proceed. Answering "yes" will
update the Automation libraries on your computer.

This self-extracting Cabinet only works on Windows NT 4.0 and
Windows 95. If you are on Windows NT 3.51, you will need to get
OADIST2Z.EXE instead, which is still being published. Both
contain the same files. However, the OADIST2Z.EXE is a self-
extracting ZIP file with a README.TXT file that contains
installation instructions.

OADIST.EXE is 490096 bytes.

Geekgirl

Try Running the System File Checker

Go to the Run box on the Start Menu and type in:

sfc /scannow ( sfc if not reconized)

This command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem. You will need your Windows cd.

Is the system up-to-date with SP1 and all critical updates?