I built a simple computer to run older 9x applications and for learning Linux on. All components are new, except for the CPU and floppy drive. After fdisk and format, I start the installation of ME. Everything seemed okay until the first reboot. After a brief display of the Windows ME screen, it stops loading. By using the step-by-step bootup method, I see that "msmouse.vxd" is the point at which bootup ends, whether I choose yes or no to it loading.

Since I happen to have an XP upgrade CD (reserved for a newer build) on hand, I wipe the C: drive and attempt to install XP. The install goes smoothly, and completes. I can boot up this computer to an XP install, no problems.

Hardware Details

Foxconn K7S741MG-6L motherboard
AthlonXP 2000+ (socket A)
2 x 1 GB DDR-333 Micron
100GB IDE Seagate hard drive
Logitech Mouse (wired PS/2)

BIOS is Phoenix Award 6.00PG

Onboard video and audio, and no other cards are installed on the mobo for now.

I am not expecting ME to be the problem, since support for this socket A board includes drivers for 98/ME. I obtained a second ME install CD, and got the same result as the first.

Has anyone here fixed anything like a "msmouse.vxd" problem by using a Linux CD to boot from?

try to use seagate disc wizard to format your seagate hard disk drive (available from seagate website)...this will wipe out all your data so backup important files first to another media...

you will be prompted on what to do by the seagate disc wizard GUI...when you choose it, the wizard will re-format the drive, mark all bad sectors, and prime your hard drive for installation of your chosen OS (windows 98/98se/me/2000/xp/vista)...

I don't know what the cause would be, but you might be able to get into Safe Mode if the install has gotten far enough. We can deal with the problem from there.

Tap the F8 key right before the Windows Me logo shows up during boot and choose "Safe mode" from the black & white text menu using the arrow keys and enter. When you get into Windows, Start > Run > regedit.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlset \ Services \ VXD (I think that's right.. It's been awhile) and look for a 'folder' named msmouse.vxd or msmouse. Right click on it and delete it. Restart and you should be OK.

If that works, I'd still be curious as to what the issue is. It might be a sign of some underlying issue, but who knows. As long as it works... :-)

Safe Mode is not reachable. That's where my problem seems to diverge from what I could see in Google searching. It has been suggested that I could try a program like DOS Shell to access the files, although my DOS experience is extremely limited.

Another possibility I'm going to explore is to reload the XP on a temporary basis, and then install Linux on another partition. Once I have some Linux experience, I could then uninstall the XP and reinstall the ME, and keep the ability to boot up in Linux, and have it take the place of Safe Mode.

ME is the worst OS microsoft ever made. Why bother? 98SE would be a better choice.

ME looks nicer than 98se and for some people it is just as stable. I think it also has more user control on some things like write behind caching. System Restore is also available when I don't think it is in 98. I'm sure there are a lot more little things (internet versions of the classic windows games).

So basically, if your hardware and it get along there is no reason to run 98se over ME.