[linag]

i use my laptop all day and now it won't start! earlier this morning it started downloading and installing a mcafee update. after about one hour of no progress i tried to turn the computer off but mcafee wouldn't let me. i removed the battery and when i tried to turn it on again it went to a black dos screen over and over again saying there is something wrong with windows and that it could be a hardware or software failure. not sure what to do as i can't even start the computer!

please help soon!!

thank you so much

lina

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Make sure you have your XP CD.

http://www.windowsxp...dexfullpage.htm

[ultimateslacker2]

Make sure you have your XP CD.

http://www.windowsxp...dexfullpage.htm

[linag]

thank you. i am trying it...

[ultimateslacker2]

Great

Will be waiting for your response

[linag]

after i accept the license agreement, i come to a different screen than what is shown in the tutoial, it asks on which partition to setup windows, -: or C: or E:. should i choose C?

[ultimateslacker2]

How big are the partitions for each?

Read me all the text or take a pic if you would like.

Edited by ultimateslacker2, 11 February 2007 - 02:49 PM.

[linag]

C: is the biggest one (34875 MB).

here's all the text:

windows xp home edition setup

the following list shows the existing partitions and unpartitioned space on this computer.

use the up and down arrow keys to slect an item in the list

1. to setup windows xp on the slected item press enter
2. to create a partition in the unpartiioned space press C
3. to delete the selected partition press D

38155 MB Disk 0 at Id 0 on bus 0 on atapi [MBR]

-: Partition 1 [FAT] 47 MB (39 MB free)
C: Partition 2 [unknown] 34875 MB (34875 MB free)
E: Partition 3 [FAT32] 3224 MB (333 MB free)
Unpartioned space 8 MB

[ultimateslacker2]

you choose C:\.

Than press Enter.

Here are the repair instructions. FOLLOW THEM SUPER CAREFULLY.

http://www.windowsxp...dexfullpage.htm

Edited by ultimateslacker2, 11 February 2007 - 02:56 PM.

[linag]

now it says the partition is either too full, damaged, not formatted or formatted with an incompatible file system.

it asks if i want to reformat the drive and says it will delete all my files. i don't want to reformat my harddrive!?

[ultimateslacker2]

Ut oh, I knew it.

Those updates must of damaged the partition and caused itself to reformatt somehow

[linag]

does that mean my harddrive is toast? and my data?

[ultimateslacker2]

The data is.. we can still reinstall windows.

It has no file system now so everything somehow got wiped. Are you sure you didnt delete that partiton.. we were attempting to repair it.

[linag]

wow... how can that be though? a simple mcafee update completely wipes my hard drive?? can i sue?

yes, i'm sure. i didn't delet anything. wow... bummer. are you sure?

[ultimateslacker2]

C: Partition 2 [unknown] 34875 MB (34875 MB free)

There is no file system there. Something got screwed up real bad!

[linag]

how can this happen? have you ever heard of this before? sorry... i'm in a bit of shock...