[AquarianEssence]

We have an HP Pavillion 7845 with Windows ME. We've reformatted the hard drive and reinstalled the OS. When it comes to the license agreement page, the little Window's guy standing in his box on the left of the screen is enlarged and covering up the box where the check mark needs to go to accept the agreement so we can't complete the process. We've retried several times to no avail. Before this started, we got further but got stuck at the product key page. We had the correct product key but it wouldn't except it. I'm beginning to wonder if Microsoft put a bug in it when we last had the machine online so that it could no longer be reinstalled and we'd have to buy a new OS for it. I have software that will not work on our XP or Vista machine and it is important software, too expensive to replace with the new version so I need to figure this out. Thank you in advance.

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Have you changed any hardware in this machine, such as the video card? Doing that might affect the display if the drivers aren't there.

However, there may be a way around the problem. You need to have a win98 or winME boot floppy. You also need to know where the installation files are for the OS. They may be in a folder called install or cabs. It might be windows/options/install or cabs. If you can boot into safe mode, often you can, you may not need the floppy.

In the install folder where you cabinet files are you need to make a file called msbatch.inf, just rename a .txt file to that. It needs to have these entries.

[setup]
ProductKey=""


where the actual product key, including the dashes, is placed between the quotation marks. If there is already an msbatch.inf file there, just add the product key line to the [setup] category. You can use the edit function of the boot floppy to make the file there or to edit the existing file, or you can make it on the boot floppy and copy it to the install folder.

If you have a friend who is well acquainted with win98 you can ask them to help you.

After you've done this and rebooted the Setup should automatically pick up the product key and continue the installation process without prompting.

Edited by Tyger, 01 March 2008 - 09:08 PM.

[Tyger]

Have you changed any hardware in this machine, such as the video card? Doing that might affect the display if the drivers aren't there.

However, there may be a way around the problem. You need to have a win98 or winME boot floppy. You also need to know where the installation files are for the OS. They may be in a folder called install or cabs. It might be windows/options/install or cabs. If you can boot into safe mode, often you can, you may not need the floppy.

In the install folder where you cabinet files are you need to make a file called msbatch.inf, just rename a .txt file to that. It needs to have these entries.

[setup]
ProductKey=""


where the actual product key, including the dashes, is placed between the quotation marks. If there is already an msbatch.inf file there, just add the product key line to the [setup] category. You can use the edit function of the boot floppy to make the file there or to edit the existing file, or you can make it on the boot floppy and copy it to the install folder.

If you have a friend who is well acquainted with win98 you can ask them to help you.

After you've done this and rebooted the Setup should automatically pick up the product key and continue the installation process without prompting.

Edited by Tyger, 01 March 2008 - 09:08 PM.

[AquarianEssence]

Ohhhh, yes. We installed a nvida graphics card. I've done as you said but the same screen came up with the little window's guy blocking my way. I know I still have the original graphics card but can't seem to find it. Maybe there is a way to get the driver into the setup files. I'll see if I can figure it out while I wait for any other suggestion you have. Thank you, Tyger.

[AquarianEssence]

Still can't find the original graphics card. I tried to access the cd drive in safe mode to get the driver install file for the nvida card but can't access it. If someone has the same card, perhaps they could past the contents of the driver file here for me, then I could create the driver file by hand????

The card is nvida model NV19PL REV1.0

[SRX660]

That model Nvidia card is the Geforce MX4000 video card. Have you tried hitting the enter key when you get to where you need put the checkmark in?

SRX660