built new comp, swapped in old HD, trying to get it to load windows...

[camosilver311]

Repair Windows XP - How to Perform a Repair Installation of Windows XP - Part 1 of 2
^^^ Includes screen shots.

Perform a Repair Installation
^^^ The compact version without screen shots.

thanks but that didn't really help me, i already know how to do the repair. the problem is with the vidstub.sys file preventing windows from loading past the "windows is loading" screen and finishing the repair process after the comp reboots during the setup/repair.

 

[Trotter]

Have you tried using a live CD, such as Knoppix, to boot in and delete the file?

 

[camosilver311]

Have you tried using a live CD, such as Knoppix, to boot in and delete the file?

no i haven't tried that, i am not familiar with live cds. i searched google and found the site for knoppix, it seems to be for linux though. do they make one for windows?

 

[Yami]

no i haven't tried that, i am not familiar with live cds. i searched google and found the site for knoppix, it seems to be for linux though. do they make one for windows?

No, there's no Windows live CDs.

 

[camosilver311]

ok, any thoughts on what i can do here then?

 

[Yami]

Well download something like Ubuntu or Knoppix as suggested, burn it to a CD and boot from that. Then you can find the file and delete it, then run a repair install.

 

[camosilver311]

i read a little more on the live cd, i didn't realize that i can run linux from the cd even though i have windows. i have never used linux before and wasn't understanding what he meant by the live cd but now i get it. i am downloading one right now.

can't i just go into the recovery console and delete the file from there? or will that harm something?

 

[Trotter]

I've never messed with Recovery Console, so I can't give you a definite answer on that one.

You might want to look into something like ERD Commander or BartPE CD, though, as they are live CDs that use a quasi-Windows environment. Well, ERD Commander is now "Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset", and MS offers a 30-day trial for it here.

That may do you better.

 

[camosilver311]

tried knoppix, got an error saying "can't find knoppix filesystem". so that didn't work.

tried ubuntu, and got a pop-up box with a message saying "I/O error. error reading boot cd. reboot computer"

just tried simplymepis 8, same thing... "can't find mepis filesystem, sorry. dropping you to a (very limited) shell."

WTF, i am getting really frustrated now. obviously it's not the programs or the cds i am burning, it's something on this comp.

i did a google search and some people have had this problem are mentioned something about the drive being IDE or SATA, that having some effect on the problem. my drive is a 120GB western digital IDE, i have that plugged into the IDE port on the mobo, so i don't see how there could be an issue.

 

[Trotter]

The iso has to be burned as an image.

If you have an extra hard drive, pop it in and install Windows on it. Don't worry about activating it. Once it is installed, put the old drive in as a second hard drive. Find the file and delete/replace it.