How to Uninstall Windows Millennium Edition (272159)

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If you cannot start Windows Me either because you are running an expired beta version or because your installation of Windows Me has experienced a catastrophic problem, you may be able to revert to your previous version of Windows.

NOTE: To uninstall Windows Me, you must have chosen to save the uninstall information during Windows Me Setup. Also, if you were using the FAT32 file system on your hard disk before upgrading to Windows Me, you can uninstall Windows Me. If you converted your hard disk to FAT32 by using the FAT32 Converter tool that is included with Windows Me, you cannot uninstall Windows Me and automatically revert to your previous version of Windows.

Note that Windows-based programs that you installed after you installed Windows Me will not function correctly after you uninstall Windows Me. Reinstall these programs to restore their functionality.

WARNING: Do not attempt to uninstall Windows Me if the partition information for your hard disk or disks has changed since you last installed Windows Me successfully. Windows creates a backup copy of your partition information in the Suhdlog.dat file at the end of a successful installation; Uninstal.exe restores the partition information that is listed in the Suhdlog.dat file to your hard disk during the uninstallation process. If the partition information on your hard disk or disks has changed since you last installed Windows Me successfully (specifically, since the Suhdlog.dat file was created), you may experience partial or complete data loss if you attempt to uninstall Windows Me.

Your partition information may be different from the backup copy in the Suhdlog.dat file for any of the following reasons:

• You ran Drive Converter (FAT32) to convert a drive that used the FAT16 file system to FAT32 after you installed Windows Me. Windows Me removes the Control Panel option to uninstall Windows Me when you run Drive Converter (FAT32) to prevent this problem from occurring.
• You ran a third-party partitioning utility, such as PowerQuest Partition Magic, to change your partition structure after you installed Windows Me.
• You copied or restored the Suhdlog.dat file from a different physical hard disk or from the same physical hard disk with different partition information (for example, you ran Fdisk.exe to repartition your drive, then you restored a backup that included the Suhdlog.dat file). The Suhdlog.dat file is a hidden file in the root folder of drive C.
• Your computer is infected with a boot-sector virus. If you suspect that your computer is infected with a boot-sector virus, run an antivirus program with the latest virus signatures and allow the program to remove any viruses that it finds before you attempt to uninstall Windows Me.For additional information about boot-sector viruses, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  129972 Description of Computer Viruses

Uninstalling Windows Me from Within Windows

To uninstall from within Windows, follow the steps that are listed below. You can also use these steps when Windows Me is running in Safe mode.

1. Quit all open or running programs.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. In Control Panel, click Add/Remove Programs.
4. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Uninstall Windows Millennium Edition.
5. Double-click Uninstall Windows Millennium Edition.
6. When you are prompted to continue with the uninstall, click Yes.
7. When you are prompted to have ScanDisk check your drive, click Yes. If you do not allow ScanDisk to check the drive, the uninstallation process does not continue.
8. After ScanDisk is finished, click Yes when you are prompted to continue with the uninstallation process. The computer reboots, and the uninstall process begins.

Uninstalling from a Command Prompt

If you cannot start Windows Me but you can start your computer to a command prompt, use these steps to uninstall Windows Me:

1. Start your computer with the Windows Me Startup disk that you created during Windows Me Setup. If you do not have a Windows Me Startup disk, you can use a Startup disk that was created on any other Windows Me-based computer. To create a Windows Me Startup disk, use any other Windows Me-based computer to follow the instructions in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

   267287 How to Create a Startup Disk in Windows Me

2. At the Microsoft Windows Millennium Startup menu, choose the Minimal Boot option, and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type c: and then press ENTER.
4. Type cd windows\command and then press ENTER.
5. Type uninstal.exe and then press ENTER.
6. You receive several warning or confirmation prompts. For each prompt, press Y, and then press ENTER to continue. This process can take several minutes.

NOTE: Files that are saved in the Windows folder, including files that are saved on the desktop and in your Favorites folder, are not affected by the uninstall process.