Windows XP Pro Will Not Install Properly/"System" Corrupt or Missing
- Thread starter kkttt87
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try using powermax in my signature (the cd.iso one) to wipeyour hard drive clean. It is good for fixing wierd problems, like when People can't reinstall corrrectly. use the quick format option. sp2 probably left something in your MBR (master boot record)
it that isn't it. try borrowing somebody else Cd rom drive to install windows. I've had a few People's computers where I couldn't install windows on them because of a cheap cd rom. swapping cd rom's solve it
it that isn't it. try borrowing somebody else Cd rom drive to install windows. I've had a few People's computers where I couldn't install windows on them because of a cheap cd rom. swapping cd rom's solve it
I'm thinkin' no, Warez.
I will try cleaning the drive and CD though. =) The CD was just used within the last week to reinstall XP on an older compy though, but I will give it a go. ^_^ You may have it there... every time I redone things and had a problem with certain Windows files installing, it was a different combo of files each time. First just luna.mst and then a set of about ten files, DLLs, SYS files, ICM, DRV. Several times it's been shell32.dll. Guess I will have to wait 'til tomorrow to go and buy a CD/drive cleaner. Should I get another copy of the disk if this does not work?Will see if I can try that too. I'm up for anything at this point.
Also a good idea! HP CD-ROMs have always been junk for me.
*hits self* Don't know why I didn't think of that! You guys are brill. *thumbs up* *hope is renewed* ^_^sleepdemon
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Ok, I think I may have an answer for you, and at first, may seem quite odd. But only a few weeks ago, I was experiencing almost identically the same problems you are experiencing right now.
My hard drive had crashed (I had left the computer on one day and when I came back that night, I had a blue screen of death). I couldn't access anything on the hard drive..when I rebooted, the computer seemed much slower. After getting to my desktop, I'd open something like MS Outlook, or Explorer, or some other software, and within 2 minutes, the software would close down (almost as if the computer was shutting down). Shortly thereafter, I'd get the blue screen of death AGAIN!
I tried reinstalling Windows a number of times, knowing that there was very little I could do to restore the data until I got into a Windows environment. (I needed internet access!) Everytime i tried installing the OS, certain files would be missing or corrupt during the install. I thought there must be major problems with the CD or maybe the hard drive. When I finished the install, it would reboot the computer, go through all the startup tests, and once it tried loading windows, it would conk out again.
I just so happened to be installing Windows on another friend's computer so I used the same CD I'd been using for my own install and there were no problems at all... so this was obviously a HD problem...
Luckily I had a few extra drives lying around so I did a switch.. When I opened the case, I realized that the inside components were quite warm to the touch (including the hard drive itself!)
Anyway, I did the switch and then tried reinstalling windows (this had been the 5th time I tried reinstalling - I even tried installing an old copy of Windows 95 just so I could get into a Windows environment, but I had similar problems with that). So even when I switched drives, this did not resolve the problem at all. The problems continued and they started getting even more bizarre as time went on.
After about 5 or 6 days of trying everything and anything I could imagine (I even switched the power supply thinking that my system was overheating and preventing the components from working properly), I got fed up and took it into a local repair shop.
When they called me and told me the problem, I almost died. It was the last thing I was even considering... It was my RAM chip. After they had performed tests on the 512 MB chip, they were able to identify corruption errors at the 1MB - 4MB level. And this made so much sense. I couldn't figure out why I had no problems running anything in DOS. I had used a million and one utilities in DOS and didn't experience any problems. It was only when the system tried to go into a Windows environment (regardless of the OS version) did these problems present themselves. The fact is that Windows requires the use of memory slots about the 640k memory barrier. As soon as it tried loading Windows, it would attempt to access this memory above 640K and right away would start becoming symptomatic.
If I were you, before going out and replacing a hard drive, I would consider testing your memory chips. As long as you can get into DOS, you can do this. There is a program called Memtest86+ which is an advanced diagnostic tool for testing memory modules. On your other computer, download the pre-built ISO image from http://www.memtest.org/, run the image on a blank formatted disk and then bring the disk to the failing computer and load the computer with this disk, just as you would with any other boot disk. You'll be able to run the tests from this disk. If there are any problems whatsoever, this program will tell you.
The reason why I am leaning towards the fact that it's probably a memory problem is because of the remarkable similarity between what happened to my system and what is now happening to yours. Also, you've conducted a thorough disk check that indcates there are no problems with the disk. If there really was something wrong with the disk for it to cause such substantial symptoms, then the disk check software would have found something (it might not have been able to fix it, but it would have found it). Also, since you can't seem to keep Windows open, then that's pretty indicative of a failed memory or power supply problem (usually with the power supply, the computer would automatically reboot itself as it couldn't keep enoug power to run all the components in your system and this would happen in DOS and Windows, not just the latter).
Hope this helps....I wish I had known all this before I had gone through so many hours of troubleshooting and the cost to hire a tech support person. If this is your problem, atleast you'll be able to replace the memory for cheaper than you would a hard drive (in most cases).
BTW, if it is your memory, I would also check the manufacturer's website for the warranty and gaurantee policy. Most memory manufacturers have limited lifetime warranties and will replace defective memory modules (even if it's from a power failure).
Let me know how things work out for ya!
Michael
My hard drive had crashed (I had left the computer on one day and when I came back that night, I had a blue screen of death). I couldn't access anything on the hard drive..when I rebooted, the computer seemed much slower. After getting to my desktop, I'd open something like MS Outlook, or Explorer, or some other software, and within 2 minutes, the software would close down (almost as if the computer was shutting down). Shortly thereafter, I'd get the blue screen of death AGAIN!
I tried reinstalling Windows a number of times, knowing that there was very little I could do to restore the data until I got into a Windows environment. (I needed internet access!) Everytime i tried installing the OS, certain files would be missing or corrupt during the install. I thought there must be major problems with the CD or maybe the hard drive. When I finished the install, it would reboot the computer, go through all the startup tests, and once it tried loading windows, it would conk out again.
I just so happened to be installing Windows on another friend's computer so I used the same CD I'd been using for my own install and there were no problems at all... so this was obviously a HD problem...
Luckily I had a few extra drives lying around so I did a switch.. When I opened the case, I realized that the inside components were quite warm to the touch (including the hard drive itself!)
Anyway, I did the switch and then tried reinstalling windows (this had been the 5th time I tried reinstalling - I even tried installing an old copy of Windows 95 just so I could get into a Windows environment, but I had similar problems with that). So even when I switched drives, this did not resolve the problem at all. The problems continued and they started getting even more bizarre as time went on.
After about 5 or 6 days of trying everything and anything I could imagine (I even switched the power supply thinking that my system was overheating and preventing the components from working properly), I got fed up and took it into a local repair shop.
When they called me and told me the problem, I almost died. It was the last thing I was even considering... It was my RAM chip. After they had performed tests on the 512 MB chip, they were able to identify corruption errors at the 1MB - 4MB level. And this made so much sense. I couldn't figure out why I had no problems running anything in DOS. I had used a million and one utilities in DOS and didn't experience any problems. It was only when the system tried to go into a Windows environment (regardless of the OS version) did these problems present themselves. The fact is that Windows requires the use of memory slots about the 640k memory barrier. As soon as it tried loading Windows, it would attempt to access this memory above 640K and right away would start becoming symptomatic.
If I were you, before going out and replacing a hard drive, I would consider testing your memory chips. As long as you can get into DOS, you can do this. There is a program called Memtest86+ which is an advanced diagnostic tool for testing memory modules. On your other computer, download the pre-built ISO image from http://www.memtest.org/, run the image on a blank formatted disk and then bring the disk to the failing computer and load the computer with this disk, just as you would with any other boot disk. You'll be able to run the tests from this disk. If there are any problems whatsoever, this program will tell you.
The reason why I am leaning towards the fact that it's probably a memory problem is because of the remarkable similarity between what happened to my system and what is now happening to yours. Also, you've conducted a thorough disk check that indcates there are no problems with the disk. If there really was something wrong with the disk for it to cause such substantial symptoms, then the disk check software would have found something (it might not have been able to fix it, but it would have found it). Also, since you can't seem to keep Windows open, then that's pretty indicative of a failed memory or power supply problem (usually with the power supply, the computer would automatically reboot itself as it couldn't keep enoug power to run all the components in your system and this would happen in DOS and Windows, not just the latter).
Hope this helps....I wish I had known all this before I had gone through so many hours of troubleshooting and the cost to hire a tech support person. If this is your problem, atleast you'll be able to replace the memory for cheaper than you would a hard drive (in most cases).
BTW, if it is your memory, I would also check the manufacturer's website for the warranty and gaurantee policy. Most memory manufacturers have limited lifetime warranties and will replace defective memory modules (even if it's from a power failure).
Let me know how things work out for ya!
Michael
Guys... you are all masterminds!! The compy is now up and running without a hitch. Ran Memtest on the RAM and I was getting a myriad of errors. Looked up the manufacturer (Hynix) and there was nothing about a warranty or policy so I headed down to my local CompUSA and got a 512 replacement for less than $60. Popped that in and voila! Thanks a million, guys. Michael, I think you hit the nail on the head there. I sure appreciate everyone's time and help. Minus the frustration, it's been a real learning experience.Computer Technology Forum = #1!
Thanks so much!
sleepdemon
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Hey -way to go- I am glad to hear that everything is finally working. I suspected that was the problem.
Yeah, I don't know about the warranty on Hynix products. There site is a little confusing and a simple search has turned up some information about lawsuits they're involved in for credit problems and fraud.
I found this site though, which indicates quite clearly that Hynix RAM is available at some places with a lifetime warranty: http://www.accesscomputerware.com/inner/pline/details.asp?mId=37
So, given that, you could always try contacting their USA office (San Jose, CA) and see how they handle returns:
http://hsa.hynix.com/hsa/index.jsp
Or even better, if there's a local dealer in your town, you may ask them what you need to do. Most repair shops are constantly returning defective RAM all the time. So they know the procedures and the people to contact.
Ofcourse, that is only if you want to go to the effort of returning your defective RAM. If it's only like a 128 MB chip, it may not be worth your time. Luckily in my case, I ended up buying a 512MB chip for $60 US to replace my defective one, then returned the old one and they gave me another brand new 512MB chip... so now I have twice as much RAM as I am used to, which is a real bonus!
Take care,
Michael
Yeah, I don't know about the warranty on Hynix products. There site is a little confusing and a simple search has turned up some information about lawsuits they're involved in for credit problems and fraud.
I found this site though, which indicates quite clearly that Hynix RAM is available at some places with a lifetime warranty: http://www.accesscomputerware.com/inner/pline/details.asp?mId=37
So, given that, you could always try contacting their USA office (San Jose, CA) and see how they handle returns:
http://hsa.hynix.com/hsa/index.jsp
Or even better, if there's a local dealer in your town, you may ask them what you need to do. Most repair shops are constantly returning defective RAM all the time. So they know the procedures and the people to contact.
Ofcourse, that is only if you want to go to the effort of returning your defective RAM. If it's only like a 128 MB chip, it may not be worth your time. Luckily in my case, I ended up buying a 512MB chip for $60 US to replace my defective one, then returned the old one and they gave me another brand new 512MB chip... so now I have twice as much RAM as I am used to, which is a real bonus!
Take care,
Michael
Thanks, Michael. I actually thought $60 was not that bad for 512, compared to $100 and $120 for others of the same size and speed. Thanks for the links, though. I did write Hynix when I first went to their site about their policies, but have not heard back from them. I may try calling the shop where I got the MoBo and see if they can help me out. Brand new RAM would be great to upgrade with or just hang onto if I decide to build my own machine someday. Thanks again!
I actually thought $60 was not that bad for 512, compared to $100 and $120 for others of the same size and speed. Thanks for the links, though. I did write Hynix when I first went to their site about their policies, but have not heard back from them. I may try calling the shop where I got the MoBo and see if they can help me out. Brand new RAM would be great to upgrade with or just hang onto if I decide to build my own machine someday. Thanks again! sleepdemon
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Oh, definitely. $60 is a great price. I just thought (depending on the size of the defective RAM chip), you may want to pursue trading it in because as we ALL know, you can never have TOO MUCH memory. lol.
Michael
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