What is the best way of finding out if one's DOS programs are curropt?

I use Windows 2000 and I thnk DOS is still the backbone of my laptop pc. Every now and then I can't help getting this feeling that there is a bug in my pc for example when downloading where my average download speed is 3kb/sec it is now down to average speeds of 1or under kb/sec. Also when I have messages, my mail reader would tell me that I have no messages.
Also, not all my symobls in my tray show sometimes when I boot up requiring me to reboot to get all to show.

Any suggestions please?

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the best thing to do once in a while is reformat the HD.... but of course you must back up all the files you want to keep and back up any product registrations such as flash and dreamweaver... that require a product key to run. I had the same problems after verifying all was fine. I havent used win2000 in a very long time... been using Linux and XP....

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DOS is the backbone of your laptop? Do you mean DOS programs? Windows 2000 contains no DOS but contains a DOS emulator. Windows 2000 is basically Win NT version 5.0 and XP is verision 5.1. Unless you tell them otherwise your DOS programs run under CMD.EXE. If you want to use command.com, the only way to guarantee success then you need to take independent steps.

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In Windows 2K (XP to), there still is a command.com.
But if you have formatted the computer with NTFS it will be a bit harder to run dos commands or programs.
So if you need to run dos programs best thing to do is to run them from command.com
CMD.exe is a different thing.

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I guess Princessangry said it already. With Windows, you need to sometimes back up your files and application licences and reformat and reinstall everything from scratch. I have been doing that for years now, 'cause there are some problems, such as icons not appearing in the system tray, most of the time nothing you do will make them work the way they used to, except reinstalling the OS.

About DOS, I'm not sure I understand what you wanted to say. I love real DOS. So all my Windows PCs have dual boot with DOS 6.22 partition as the System Partition. If you are talking about DOS included in Windows 2000 or XP, it's something else, not the real DOS. So the way we used to fix some problems in Windows 3.1 or 9x by booting into DOS, you can no longer do that much with the DOS in 2000 or XP. This is why once you notice any of this strange behaviors you are describing, know that it is time to do a clean install.

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Man, I'm always a day late and a dollar short when it comes to posting help for others. But I agree with the others, a re-install every now and again is a good idea. I try and do this to all my pc's every 6 - 12 months.

You can also do an install, then image the freshly installed PC. (I have also done that) This way, when it croaks, just restore the image.

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It largely depends what you do with your PC. Most problems can be resolved with a bit of know how and some research. Unless you install every bit of useless shareware you get your hands on,then it's usually easier to maintain the OS rather thn re-install it all the time.

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quote:

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Originally posted by MistyRing
It largely depends what you do with your PC. Most problems can be resolved with a bit of know how and some research. Unless you install every bit of useless shareware you get your hands on,then it's usually easier to maintain the OS rather thn re-install it all the time.

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quote:

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Originally posted by DaDnDe
well win2k doesn't have DOS but it does have cmd which looks very much like DOS and is a command line interface like DOS was.

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quote:

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Originally posted by azimuth40
DOS is the backbone of your laptop? Do you mean DOS programs? Windows 2000 contains no DOS but contains a DOS emulator. Windows 2000 is basically Win NT version 5.0 and XP is verision 5.1. Unless you tell them otherwise your DOS programs run under CMD.EXE. If you want to use command.com, the only way to guarantee success then you need to take independent steps.

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I have command prompt on my pc.
I am not into the detailed aspects of pc's as computers never interested me as a child and still don't very much. The world is just full of them and I need to have a stan-in somewhere.

quote:

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Originally posted by DaDnDe
but bottom line is u r on a dial up and net congestion can get to the point where ive seen as low as 600Bps and there is nothing u can do about it. try checking the speed u log on at. at 3kBps u are logging on at 31,000 or so. check to make sure u are. u might be surprized to see taht sometimes u don't. if the net seems slow, disconnect and reconnect once or twice. modems don't always get a good clean connection.

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Believe it or not, getting myself a newer modem upped my download speed when I downloaded SteveOC's Pest Patrol. Only thing is I got myself a PCMCIA card despite realising that at the time a USB modem would do the same job at a faster rate whch would've suited me fine if it wasn't for the fact that my first pc modems were pc cards.
Turn the page, I am gonna have to get myself one of those USB modems for trial unless anybody else has better ideas. I do use a laptop people.
I feel like sighing at the thought of having to reinstall my operating system as an easy way out of all my pc faults. Would backing up such things as my mail reader onto CD keep all my records and keep my pc free from faults upon fresh re-install? If the answer is yes I shall get onto it right away...
I was also thinking of doing this using Search. Would search be better than actual back-up or would it make no difference?

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If I ask a question, it's because I am in doubt.
If I make fun of you, it's because you are ugly.
If I don't laugh, it's bacause I didn't get the joke.
Reading is only fun when you make it fun.

VincentNL's website is available here

Life is full of expectations, you take your chances but watch your limitations...

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