OK, I HAD MY DOUBTS about it, but I installed Office 2000 on my Vista laptop. Yay, it worked!
But it messed up some other stuff. I couldn’t get on the Internet. My browser would open (IE7) but wouldn’t fully load, and I’d have a white page that said “done” in the status bar. My email program could access the Internet. My firewall could too. Just not the browser.
I knew it was a long shot, but since Acer’s tech support had been so helpful before, I wrote to them again.
Here’s their response:
I apologize for any inconvenience you may be experiencing. As Acer America does not test third party software we are unable to provide technical support or recommendations regarding this issue and we do not have the information available to answer this question. For assistance with this issue, it will be necessary for you to contact the manufacturer of this device or software. (this is what I expected)
You may want to reset the Internet Explorer settings. For further information regarding this, I would like to direct you to a Gateway support web site provided below.
How-to Reset Internet Explorer Settings
Furthermore, If this is a recent occurrence, then the System Restore may be able to resolve the problem. System Restore rolls the system back to the last known working configuration without erasing data. Click on Start and type into the search box System Restore. You will see it at the top of the list. Click on System Restore. In the next window you will see a couple of options.
Option 1. Recommended Restore – this option chooses a date for you. If you know that the system was working good at that time, choose this option. If not, choose option 2. If you choose option 1, the next step will ask you to confirm that you want to do this, just follow the prompts through to the end. The system will restart and should give you a message stating it was, or was not, successfully restored.
Option 2. Choose a different restore point. If you choose this option the next screen will have a list of all available restore points. Choose one and then follow the prompts.
If the above steps are unsuccessful, try booting into Safe Mode and running the System Restore. To do this:1. Turn the computer on and when you see the Acer Splash screen start tapping F8.
2. Select Safe Mode (not Safe Mode with Networking) and press Enter.
3. Make sure Windows Vista is highlighted and press Enter (this option may not appear).
A lot of text will scroll across the screen and may appear to have stopped, please be patient. It may take several minutes to boot into Safe Mode.
4. Choose to login as the Administrator. When it loads up the desktop will look different than normal and it will say SAFE MODE in each corner.
5. When the system is completely loaded, click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.
Go through the steps for System Restore choosing to return to an earlier time when you know the system was working correctly. This will not erase your data. Some programs may be lost if they were installed after the date you have chosen to go back to. When the system restore is complete see if you can boot into Windows normally.
If these suggestions do not resolve the problem you will need to back up any critical data and use the Acer eRecovery to restore the system back to factory specifications. Here are the steps to do this if you need them:
Your computer has the capability to reinstall the original factory operating system including all drivers and factory installed software without needing to use CD’s, as long as the hidden PQSERVICE partition still exists, and the Master Boot Record has not been damaged.
Please read these direction through completely before beginning
*Please note, this will erase all data on the C partition of your hard drive. Back up all important information prior to following these steps. Regular data backup is the responsibility of the customer. If you can’t backup your data for any reason, please contact a local computer technician for assistance. Backup fees are not covered under warranty.*
Do not allow the system to shut down during this process. Plug in the AC adapter if necessary.
There are 2 ways to access the eRecovery feature:
First Method: If Windows will not startup
Turn the system on
As soon as you release the power button, press ALT on the keyboard and start tapping F10.
The ALT key is located to the left of the space bar and the F10 key is along the top of the keyboard.
Continue holding ALT and tapping F10 as the unit boots up.
It should show a screen stating “Starting Acer eRecovery”, when this screen comes up you can release the keys on the keyboard.
You will also see a screen showing Windows XP, don’t worry, the original operating system that shipped on the computer is what will be installed.
There will be 4 options:
1. Restore system to factory default
2. Restore system from user backup
3. Restore system from CD/DVD
4. Exit
Choose option 1 (if you would like directions for the other options, please let us know)
1. Restore system to factory default
a. Enter the password you created when you first entered eRecovery.
b. Read the on-screen warning and choose Yes or No. If you choose no the recovery will stop.
c. Click Next. The recovery will start.
When recovery is complete the system will startup and you will need to complete the setup of Windows (assigning time zones, user names etc.) When setup is complete Windows will clean up the files needed to perform the recovery. Please be patient as this process can take a while. After installation Windows will startup and it will show the desktop with the icons, you will think that it is complete. It is not, you need to wait. Now is when the installation of all the Acer software begins. It will start and stop several times, so you may think that it is complete when it is not. By interrupting this process, you cause it to not install properly and this message on the screen is the most typical result. I would say if it appears to be completed, wait about 15 more minutes, then restart the
computer.Second Method: If Windows will startup
Move your mouse over the Empowering technology widget and click on the eRecovery Manager icon or you may also press ALT and F10 on the keyboard to start the program.
Please note: The first time you access the eRecovery feature, you are prompted to create a password. If you forget it then you will have to use the recovery discs to reformat the system.
In the next window look at the bottom of the window and choose Restore
Now choose Restore System to Factory Default
Enter the password you assigned the first time you activated the eRecovery feature. If you do not know this password you cannot continue
Read the warning and choose Yes or No. If you choose No, the eRecovery will not continue.
If you choose Yes, click Next. The restoration will begin.
When recovery is complete the system will startup and you will need to complete the setup of Windows (assigning time zones, user names etc.) When setup is complete Windows will clean up the files needed to perform the recovery. Please be patient as this process can take a while. After installation Windows will startup and it will show the desktop with the icons, you will think that it is complete. It is not, you need to wait. Now is when the installation of all the Acer software begins. It will start and stop several times, so you may think that it is complete when it is not. By interrupting this process, you cause it to not install properly and this message on the screen is the most typical result. I would say if it appears to be completed, wait about 15 more minutes, then restart the
computer.If you are unable to start this process or it does not resolve the problem, please contact Acer Technical Support at 1-800-816-2237 Mon-Fri 7am-9pm CST and Sat-Sun 8am-5pm CST excluding holidays.
Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support
OK. So I used a system restore point, and it removed Office 2000. Got my Internet back though. So I downloaded OpenOffice. Have to check it out…
