Can't get Metro to work including store

Thanks, yes they probably do help support their products well.

One other thing that I have not been able to do is to complete 2 of the 3 most recent Windows updates.
Since Metro was not working before I don't expect those will solve my problems though it does concern
me to not be able to install the security updates. After reading that I need to install the 8.1 updates fairly
soon I am getting more concerned. I have tried several internet directions on how to "fix" the issue I am having
but so far none of them have worked for me. I have reasons that I really hope not to have to do a complete
system restore though which would be the easiest thing to do. I would not be able to recover everything.
I am going to check in to how I was able to clone my HDD to SDD and see if perhaps I could do the system restore
and then transfer the rest from my stock HDD back to the new SDD...if it comes down to that.

I need the KB number and then I can see if it matters. If it's some patch to correctly display an umlaut then I'll not fret about it.

KB2871690

KB2802618

KB2871777

There are two optional Bing updates I don't attempt.

When I select to install those it says that two of them did not however if I run Win Update again it shows
all 3 updates as still being needed so the one that it suggests installed did not.
I get code 800703F1 as the reason the installations did not work.

I also have ran the HP assistant that says to do so before updating to 8.1. When it does it's scan it
says that all of the programs will be compatible except for 3. One was a Bluetooth driver with an update available to I just went ahead and did that. The second was Itunes which I currently am not using but am a bit confused by that one. The third which is concerning is something to do with the laptop display. I really do not understand what that means but I certainly would not want my display not to work obviously. I don't know if this matters at all but a couple of weeks ago my laptop's display got stepped on so I replaced it with a new one bought online from laptopscreen.com that has been working just fine.

I feel sort of pathetic about this being so difficult for me to have to deal with and perhaps some sort of free utility that I installed which was the cause of messing up the Metro. It is very difficult to know when it happened since I only used it when I first got this laptop a bit over a year ago and decided to just add the start button and use it like the other versions of Windows I was used to. Perhaps Win 8.1 will have something to offer, it seems like I should do the install now if I am able from what I have read. Although that seems like it might require me to start with a freshly restored OS 8.0 to do so since anything listed on the internet others have posted that are supposed to help have not worked for me.

It was quite easy to use the Samsung data migration software to clone the HDD to the SSD. I am wondering if it would be as easy to do the restore of 8.0 from the SSD and afterward transfer everything else over from the HDD I still have. Or if it would make more sense to try to pick through the large amount of stuff I have on the C drive and only transfer specific files. I am not particularly knowledgeable (as if you couldn't tell) about this sort of thing. At the same time I hate paying someone to help me with this rather than learn how to do it myself.

The one change to a font or Theme change would be by having the Start8 program to install the start button back for me to use the non-Metro style which I also selected the Win7 Theme from the start menu.

I did not attempt the first Net fix because honestly I did not understand it so thought best to leave that alone for now.

I did run the Windows Update Fix It and it said it did not fix the current update issue but said it helped with a couple things at the bottom, sorry not to be more specific as I closed that out before copying it.

When I ran the last CMD suggested it gave me the following which I have no idea what to do with.

2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM PID=6676 TID=3512 Scratch directory set to 'C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\'. - CDISMManager:ut_ScratchDir
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM PID=6676 TID=3512 DismCore.dll version: 6.2.9200.16384 - CDISMManager::FinalConstruct
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM PID=6676 TID=3512 Successfully loaded the ImageSession at "C:\Windows\System32\Dism" - CDISMManager::LoadLocalImageSession
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Found and Initialized the DISM Logger. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_InitializeLogger
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Failed to get and initialize the PE Provider. Continuing by assuming that it is not a WinPE image. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Finished initializing the Provider Map. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Getting Provider DISMLogger - CDISMProviderStore::GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Provider has previously been initialized. Returning the existing instance. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Getting Provider DISMLogger - CDISMProviderStore::GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Provider has previously been initialized. Returning the existing instance. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Manager: PID=6676 TID=3512 Successfully created the local image session and provider store. - CDISMManager::CreateLocalImageSession
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Getting Provider DISMLogger - CDISMProviderStore::GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Provider has previously been initialized. Returning the existing instance. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE:
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: <----- Starting Dism.exe session ----->
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE:
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Host machine information: OS Version=6.2.9200, Running architecture=amd64, Number of processors=4
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Dism.exe version: 6.2.9200.16384
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Executing command line: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Getting Provider FolderManager - CDISMProviderStore::GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Loading Provider from location C:\Windows\System32\Dism\FolderProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Windows\System32\Dism\FolderProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Manager: PID=6676 TID=3512 physical location path: C:\ - CDISMManager::CreateImageSession
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Manager: PID=6676 TID=3512 Copying DISM from "C:\Windows\System32\Dism" - CDISMManager::CreateImageSessionFromLocation
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Manager: PID=6676 TID=3512 Successfully loaded the ImageSession at "C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692" - CDISMManager::LoadRemoteImageSession
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Image Session: PID=2992 TID=6704 Instantiating the Provider Store. - CDISMImageSession::get_ProviderStore
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Initializing a provider store for the IMAGE session type. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\OSProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\OSProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM OS Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 Defaulting SystemPath to C:\ - CDISMOSServiceManager::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM OS Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 Defaulting Windows folder to C:\Windows - CDISMOSServiceManager::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Attempting to initialize the logger from the Image Session. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\LogProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\LogProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Found and Initialized the DISM Logger. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_InitializeLogger
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\PEProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Warning DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed to Load the provider: C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\PEProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider(hr:0x8007007e)
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed to get and initialize the PE Provider. Continuing by assuming that it is not a WinPE image. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Finished initializing the Provider Map. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnConnect
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Getting Provider DISMLogger - CDISMProviderStore::GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has previously been initialized. Returning the existing instance. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Manager: PID=6676 TID=3512 Image session successfully loaded from the temporary location: C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692 - CDISMManager::CreateImageSession
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Getting Provider OSServices - CDISMProviderStore::GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has previously been initialized. Returning the existing instance. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Target image information: OS Version=6.2.9200.16613, Image architecture=amd64
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Getting the collection of providers from an image provider store type. - CDISMProviderStore::GetProviderCollection
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\CbsProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\CbsProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Finished initializing the CbsConUI Handler. - CCbsConUIHandler::Initialize
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 CBS is being initialized for online use. More information about CBS actions can be located at: %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log - CDISMPackageManager::Initialize
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loaded servicing stack for online use only. - CDISMPackageManager::RefreshInstanceAndLock
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\MsiProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\MsiProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\IntlProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\IntlProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\IBSProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\IBSProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\DmiProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\DmiProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM OS Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 Successfully loaded the hive. - CDISMOSServiceManager:etermineBootDrive
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Driver Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Further logs for driver related operations can be found in the target operating system at %WINDIR%\inf\setupapi.offline.log - CDriverManager::Initialize
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\UnattendProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\UnattendProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\Wow64provider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Warning DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed to get the IDismObject Interface - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider(hr:0x80004002)
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Warning DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed to Load the provider: C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\Wow64provider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider(hr:0x80004002)
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\SmiProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\SmiProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\EmbeddedProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Warning DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed to Load the provider: C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\EmbeddedProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider(hr:0x8007007e)
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\AppxProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\AppxProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\AssocProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\AssocProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has not previously been encountered. Attempting to initialize the provider. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Loading Provider from location C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\TransmogProvider.dll - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Connecting to the provider located at C:\Users\Tom\AppData\Local\Temp\5F1DBAD6-4FD1-4359-AF19-2E5CA5670692\TransmogProvider.dll. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Encountered a servicing provider, performing additional servicing initializations. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_LoadProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Transmog Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 Current image session is [ONLINE] - CTransmogManager::GetMode
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Transmog Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 Audit Mode: [No] - CTransmogManager::Initialize
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Transmog Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 GetProductType: ProductType = [WinNT] - CTransmogManager::GetProductType
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Transmog Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 Product Type: [WinNT] - CTransmogManager::Initialize
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Transmog Provider: PID=2992 TID=6704 Product Type ServerNT : [No] - CTransmogManager::Initialize
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Got the collection of providers. Now enumerating them to build the command table.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: DISM Log Provider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: OSServices
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: DISM Package Manager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: DISM Package Manager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: MsiManager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: MsiManager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: IntlManager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: IntlManager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: IBSManager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: DriverManager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: DriverManager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: DISM Unattend Manager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: DISM Unattend Manager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: SmiManager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: AppxManager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: AppxManager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: AssocManager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: AssocManager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Attempting to add the commands from provider: Edition Manager
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Succesfully registered commands for the provider: Edition Manager.
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Getting Provider DISM Package Manager - CDISMProviderStore::GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=6704 Provider has previously been initialized. Returning the existing instance. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_GetProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Processing the top level command token(cleanup-image). - CPackageManagerCLIHandler:rivate_ValidateCmdLine
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Attempting to route to appropriate command handler. - CPackageManagerCLIHandler::ExecuteCmdLine
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Routing the command... - CPackageManagerCLIHandler::ExecuteCmdLine
2014-04-28 21:25:09, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 CBS session options=0x48100! - CDISMPackageManager::Internal_Finalize
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=3812 Error in operation: (null) (CBS HRESULT=0x800703f1) - CCbsConUIHandler::Error
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Error DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed finalizing changes. - CDISMPackageManager::Internal_Finalize(hr:0x800703f1)
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Error DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed processing package changes with session option CbsSessionOptionRepairStoreCorruption - CDISMPackageManager::RestoreHealth(hr:0x800703f1)
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Error DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed to restore the image health. - CPackageManagerCLIHandler:rocessCmdLine_CleanupImage(hr:0x800703f1)
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Error DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Failed while processing command cleanup-image. - CPackageManagerCLIHandler::ExecuteCmdLine(hr:0x800703f1)
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=6704 Further logs for online package and feature related operations can be found at %WINDIR%\logs\CBS\cbs.log - CPackageManagerCLIHandler::ExecuteCmdLine
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Error DISM DISM.EXE: DISM Package Manager processed the command line but failed. HRESULT=800703F1
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Found the OSServices. Waiting to finalize it until all other providers are unloaded. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnDisconnect
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Found the OSServices. Waiting to finalize it until all other providers are unloaded. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnDisconnect
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Found the PE Provider. Waiting to finalize it until all other providers are unloaded. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnDisconnect
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(DISM Package Manager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing CBS core. - CDISMPackageManager::Finalize
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: DISM Package Manager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(MsiManager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: MsiManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(IntlManager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: IntlManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(IBSManager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: IBSManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(DriverManager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: DriverManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(DISM Unattend Manager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: DISM Unattend Manager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(SmiManager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: SmiManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(AppxManager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: AppxManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(AssocManager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: AssocManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Finalizing the servicing provider(Edition Manager) - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: Edition Manager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Releasing the local reference to OSServices. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Disconnecting Provider: OSServices - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=2992 TID=3812 Releasing the local reference to DISMLogger. Stop logging. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM.EXE: Image session has been closed. Reboot required=no.
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM.EXE:
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM.EXE: <----- Ending Dism.exe session ----->
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM.EXE:
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Found the OSServices. Waiting to finalize it until all other providers are unloaded. - CDISMProviderStore::Final_OnDisconnect
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Disconnecting Provider: FolderManager - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider
2014-04-28 21:25:26, Info DISM DISM Provider Store: PID=6676 TID=3512 Releasing the local reference to DISMLogger. Stop logging. - CDISMProviderStore::Internal_DisconnectProvider


I hope this means something to you.

I also ran the Windows Update troubleshooter which is suggested when I enter that error code. What that does is acts like it stops and start services then gives me an all green all OK sort of screen that says 2 updates not needed. Then shows the last update as Never and the updates as Never. So I run Windows Update again and it takes a long time and gives me the same 3 updates and when I attempt to run it again it says that it installed the one update again but really doesn't. This was familiar as I had done it before by entering that error code in to the help database.

I noticed that somehow the system restore was turned off which was not terribly bright however I managed that so I don't have any system restore point at all to even attempt to go back to.

Does any of this give you any clues? I don't know if I am giving you valuable information or pure garbage.

Thanks for sticking with me trying to fix this I am sure I can't communicate at your knowledge level to make this easier for you. BTW do you have any ideas of how I might have got this part of the computers files corrupted and things I should avoid doing in the future so it doesn't happen again? At the very least that would be good not to make the same mistakes twice if that could be avoided.

No I did not do that one. I did not understand it.
This was the statement that scared me off from running it.

" If you run the cleanup tool, you will need to perform a repair/re-install for all other versions of the .NET Framework that are on your computer or they will not work correctly afterwards."

I would have no idea how to repair or re-install anything that might be deleted. See why I was weary to run that? How do I deal with the repair part of it?

I write and maintain .NET apps. If .NET is required, you'll get some error message or it will auto install.

Since .NET is not required for Windows to function, it is something we can clean off.

And no, you would not have to reinstall the App that used .NET. If that was your concern.
Bob

Thanks for the explanation! I won't worry about it then and just try it, will report back.

Ran the .Net clean up tool and it took a bit saying it was cleaning stuff and then I restarted and attempted the windows update and same thing. I have tried all 3 of those suggestions on the link you gave me plus the windows update repair tool that did not work. I realize that that there are corrupted files for sure and probably some missing files from the error messages I am getting. I just don't know what else to do about it. I could uninstall all of the utilities that I have on my computer but am guessing that if any of them did the damage it is already done. I got all of them from Cnet downloads so I assumed they would be OK to try out.

I am still sort of wondering how I got to this ugly state of affairs. Had I been using the Metro part at least sometimes I would have been able to know when it happened and if I had the system restore set up properly perhaps even do something about it. I don't know but wish I did so I won't be destined to make the same mistake.

Have you tried the "old fashioned" Windows Update? It's still there in Win 8 and still works pretty much exactly the same as it has since Vista.

Not sure what the new and old fashioned ways are to be honest.
I have Windows Update set to automatically install updates.
I have gone in to the control panel and to Windows Updates to try to install the manually.
That has not worked with the updates and error messages I mentioned.
I am not familiar with any other way of doing this, it is how I have always done the updates
on this and all previous OS versions.

I have tried several of the suggestions. One was just a link to Registry Fix Pro which I don't think is what I need.
I downloaded

Another was someone that copied files from a section of the OS from a known good operating computer to the old one.
However that was not suggested as a good way to fix it by the person that ran that site.

It did make me wonder if there were a block of files in the copy of the OS in the partition that would still be good that I could replace in to where they go on the C drive OS files. Is that a reasonable option?

When I get a clean OS again I am going to be sure basic things like system restore are on and do backups on a regular basis etc.. This is a HP Pavillion G7 2200 US which does not have a high end processor and only max 6 Gigs RAM which are both often maxed out easily. Swapping to the new SSD helped a bit but I think doing whatever I can do with this laptop to make it run leaner would be helpful. I don't know how much system resources the different OS's take vs one another is another issue. That is one reason I wish I had more RAM.

What is your opinion on Linux that was suggested?

Well one of the links to the various fixes for the error codes I got led me to RegCurePro. I thought it would not be a suspect program since it was available for download and with high ratings here on Cnet. However I think that was a bad mistake even though right after it ran telling me I had a ton of registry errors and I uninstalled it I think it has caused damage. Reading up on people that have had issues removing it I guess it is considered to be a shady program, I certainly think so now.

I have decided that I would almost surely do a full recovery on my laptop to the OEM Win8 copy in teh partition and then go on to updating it to Win8.1 and then attempt to add as many of the programs I want to still have as possible, most of which I think I can just download new installations and will be fine. I am worried about downloading anything that is corrupt again.

BUT now my laptop has started to just turn off. This is the first time it has ever happened during my ownership of it.
It has allowed me to get as far as the login screen and then only about a minute before just going dead. It was also giving me an error that was just a box that said "error" and the only option was to hit "OK" or not. Doing so made no difference. Then if I tried to restart the computer using the "on button" it might only begin to start for a fraction of a second and go off again. Finally today I was able to get the computer to start and keep running for a few hours. I noticed that that error I was getting once logged in was coming from RegCurePro. So I changed my power settings to try to ensure nothing would attempt to shut the computer down and attempted to remove that program. I had done an uninstall on it but that did not really remove the program but just remove it from the programs list.
I tired the online suggestions of manually removing it and eventually was only able to erase certain program files but not all of them. However now when the computer does start I no longer get that error message.
I was also able to run a system restore for a few days before I started having this trouble with the shutdowns.
The system restore told me that it was unable to fully do it's job and gave me an error code of 0x80070005. It told me that programs with updates removed were HP quick launch, Softpaq, and oddly RegCurePro. It also said that the Config database was corrupt.

So except for that one time today I have not been able to even keep the comptuer up and running for more than a minute. The fan was replaced and the computer cleaned out inside so I don't think it is likely there is an issue there. However I don't hear the fan motor going very fast and wonder if the change to the SSD has something to do with that. For example I don't see how the HP cool sense could work with the SSD. It makes me wonder if the fan is not activating when it should. I am trying to ensure that the vents for the inlet and outlet the fan uses are not blocked but wonder if there is truly a proper fan speed control going on with the computer. I don't know how to test that or know if that has anything to do with the new issues. I am going to buy a laptop cooling pad so that I will have a fan cooling it all the time while I am trying to figure this out.

So I think as things are so messed up right now that I should just try to get the computer back to original OS install and go from there. I am just not sure how to do that when it won't stay on. I have thought perhaps that if I intsall the original HDD that might boot properly and allow the computer to stay on while I use the partitioned restore and then do the transition to the SSD afterwards.

If so I am not sure how to wipe the SSD drive clean so that when I clone the HDD to the SSD again it will have a clean slate to do it to.

I would appreciate any suggestions on my decision to go ahead and try the OEM install off the HDD and how to clean the SSD before transferring anything to it.

Thanks Much!

Well if it will do that then no reason. This is my first SSD and I don't know of any possible differences. For example I did not know about TRIM and making sure that was active when I installed the new SSD.
Is there anything else that I should do regarding the installation or maintenance of the SSD that is different from a HDD?

I wish I knew if my computer was just running cooler being clean with a new fan and SSD and operating properly vs something not functioning properly.

I am sure aside from the remaining files for RegCurePro that I don't want there will be others and think that while it might be a chore adding a few of the programs back on I will really be better off in the end by starting fresh like this. Not having the worlds fastest processor or amount of RAM I think the cleaner I keep it the better it will perform so will try to look at it as a positive...as long as it boots up and stays on.

Thanks, T

Thanks,
I am hoping everything will be good after the clean install. I am just not sure if I can get the laptop to stay on long enough to do that. I will put the old HDD back in to try to get it to run with the partitioned restore.
If it works I hope I don't have any errors come up. I will have a lot of updating to do though.

I will look around. There were really no instructions with the SSD. I don't know if there is any more to it than I already know or not. For example defragging and optimizing files on the SSD the same way I did with the HDD.

I am going to try to keep utility programs to a minimum. The ones I have used I think are not always accurate. Certainly that RegCurePro was a horrible program to install. If a program won't allow itself to be uninstalled I think it is shady at best. There are a couple that have never caused me any issues and I will stick to those and mainly just making sure I am protected from bugs creeping in from the internet.

There are only a few pay for programs that I will either try to move or just reinstall on the fresh OS drive which would be better.

I am going to get an enclosure for the OEM 750gig HDD to use via a 3.0 USB port but will pick out the files I want and save those to another drive and then wipe out the C drive only saving the partitioned restore intact in case I need it again.

The Linux programs sound like something worth dabbling in. I am not sure if I will find one I think can be my main OS or not without trying them. For this laptop in particular the OS takes up a LOT of RAM just having the computer on. So something that uses much less RAM might be worth a try. Assuming programs I want to use are compatible and/or find other programs that I like as much or more.
I noticed when I was using my desktop here that runs Vista when I had Chrome open it was not allowing me to log in to Cnet for some reason, still need to figure out why. So I opened up IE and was able to log in with no issues. Though when I went to Gmail part of the screen turned red as if it were warning of a big bad virus. Then suggested I update to a "modern browser like Chrome" stating sercurity risks etc.. It is making me more interested in the other options much more than I would if things like that did not happen.

I am not famililiar with a single one of the Linux programs that have been mentioned in this thread. I will dabble in them on the side though and see how it ends up working for me. As mentioned I may or may not like it on the laptop vs desktop or not at all. I will also be giving Win8.1 trial at the same time. I will attempt to use it as it was meant to be used as much as possible. I have not decided on what OS to use for the desktop I am going to build and I am a bit surprised that it is not very clear to me to just use the newest MS OS there is. Things like the maximum amount of RAM between Win8 and Win7 Pro being so different with Win7 Pro allowing for more than 5 times as much as Win8 seems a bit backwards to me.

I am really looking forward to building the desktop. I have recently started to think about running two 1080P monitors with it. I have a lot of decisions to make inlcuding the OS. I will see how Win8.1 works whenever I can get my laptop to stay on long enough to install it.
But having the ability to decide on the componets I want to use is a big advantage for me.

Unused RAM is wasted RAM so the only OS I know that used less RAM is DOS. Windows, Linux, Apple OS X use all the RAM and dole it out to apps when needed.
Bob

Like the treacherous travels of Ulysses and the labors of Hercules all rolled into one.

"transitioning", or so I've read. Windows is transitioning from the simplicity of a BIOS to the wonderful complexities of "not quite" Unified Extensible Firmware trying to match up to GPT formatting, and bypass motherboard's exceptions and idiosyncrasies. Transitioning from walking to goose stepping, eyes right, salute!, Microsoft gives the hand wave, eyes forward, march, march, march. All dissenters beware the SS.

I was messing around with wife's W7 yesterday and getting frustrated again with it's wireless settings, when used with a router set to a no broadcast SSID. Reboots lose it unless the SSID is broadcasting, so requires "Other Networks" and entering the information on each boot. Hate W7 networking. Don't like the look of it either, but maybe if I set the "Classic" it would look a bit better, but it's not for me, so there. Everything is too pastel, too much blue, too faded to me. I hate to think how I'd react after a day on W8.

and am finally figuring out why I can't find one that fits my entire checklist of needs and wants...and why one edition can find a "package" and another can't. Well, you get to learn about adding repositories to your search. Just how intuitive is that? And why can't there be a single file manager across the board for the varying editions? I get to figure out that the reason I can't browse my Windows network with one edition of Solyd and not the other is that one uses Dolphin and the other uses Thunar. Whose brilliant idea was that? Setting up samba shares is also a joy...NOT!

All in all, however, I do think Linux offers an OK option in some instances. I just need to find the right distro and fill in the missing pieces. Of course, for every machine it may be different. I've got an old laptop that doesn't have a CPU that supports PAE so will be stuck with whatever I can find in the archives. Who was it that said computers would be time savers? He must have worked for the government.

one is the fuller, more robust KDE distro and the other is the lighter, more space saving xfce . The KDE is at least 1GB larger than fxce version. I'm sure if you look at the Mint KDE and xfce versions, you'll find equivelent differences.

Digger

I've not had problems accessing windows shared folders with it. In Linux, file managers are like photo or graphics programs in windows, there's plenty to choose from. You can probably download and maybe have no problems running KDE's dolphin file manager as a standalone separate from KDE, since the repository will include the "dependencies". I'm surprised you've had problems with Mint and Caja file manager. As for a PAE free system, I think Mint 13 can do that and it's supported till 2017, just be sure to not allow any kernel upgrade. It's the kernel itself which makes the difference. The problem is Physical Address Extensions is necessary for larger RAM amounts. I think any computer limited to 4GB is OK for a non-PAE kernel in Linux.

"Linux distributions now commonly use a PAE-enabled kernel as the default, a trend that began in 2009.[20] As of 2012 many, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux / CentOS, Ubuntu (and derivatives like Linux Mint), have stopped distributing non-PAE kernels, thus making PAE hardware mandatory.
Distributions that still provide a non-PAE option, including Debian (and derivatives like LMDE), Slackware, and LXLE typically do so with "i386", "i486" or "retro" labels."

In the notes for Mint 14, there's mention that Mint 13 Maya which is supported till 2017 is a non PAE linux system.

PAE required for 32-bit ISOs
The 32-bit ISOs of Linux Mint 14 use a PAE kernel. If your processor is not compatible with PAE please use Linux Mint 13 Maya LTS instead. Linux Mint 13 is supported until 2017.

It's rather simple: Choice. That's a very fundamental premise with Linux, being able to mix and match just about anything and everything to create your own perfect combo. Problem is it takes a lot of time and effort, which a lot of us just don't have.

But anything based on Debian, like Ubuntu, will tend to be kind of a pain. In the Linux world, Debian is kind of the distribution for puritans and/or fanatics. More power to 'em, but most of us aren't really that concerned that, Firefox for example, is dual licensed under the GPL and MPL, but it was enough for the Debian folks to fork Firefox. I might have this backwards, but Debian was also pretty much the only major distribution using a SysV filesystem layout while everyone else was using a BSD style. So Debian's always kind of off to the side doing its own thing and Ubuntu takes it a step further. Ubuntu is the distribution that decided it has to jump on the smartphone OS bandwagon and while everyone else has settled on Wayland to replace Xorg, Ubuntu decides they're just going to keep plugging away at Mir. Even after Intel refuses to merge upstream patches from Ubuntu, they can't take a hint. Instead of leveraging the work being done by pretty much the entire rest of the open source *nix community on Wayland, they stubbornly go it alone. Oh yeah, and AFAIK, Ubutnu is the first and only distribution to directly attempt to monetize its userbase by inking a marketing deal with Amazon where all search requests show results from Amazon.

If I still had the time to play around with Linux, I'd stick more to the Fedoras or Mandrivas. Sadly, no matter how much I tell people about how cute and loveable I am, they don't seem to want to just give me things so I can spend my time pursuing my own interests. People are stupid.

I've been trying different Linux distro's out for a few years now and felt most comfortable with KDE . Just last year I decided to keep SolydK as my every day work horse . It's a Debian based distro .

I've used a bunch of distros with the KDE environment including Mandriva, Fedora, OpenSuse, Mint, PCLinuxOS, Sabayon(Gentoo) , KaOS (Arch) (Yes,even Arch and Gentoo have distros that work right out of the box now for beginners and everyday users) , and the list goes on.....and once installed I really can't tell the difference between any of them, you don't even need to use the terminal anymore. They all install and update a little differently but they are all KDE. All of them are highly customizable , but you don't need to be a GEEK anymore to use them, really simple to use these days.

Now, I can't say how well these distro's fare in a real office type situation but for everyday stuff, Linux is a hit. I even have a pretty neat music library going with over 200 GB (and growing) . Plays music just fine , and movies too.

I also have a Windows7 and an Window 8.1 computers and in the last several months have only used them to do the Windows updates. Not that Windows isn't working ok or that it doesn't do anything I want and 8.1 is really fast, I just find KDE so easy to use.

If you want a treat, try out Sabayon (Gentoo) or KaOS (Arch),both are bleeding edge Linux still.
I seem to remember you saying that in years past that you used them both. I think your going to be surprised at how much they have changed.

Digger