[Benkud]

My computer Dell GX260 makes me depressive. Why? Here is my story.

Configuration
Dell Optiplex GX260, Pentium 4, CPU 2.4 Mhz, 1Gb RAM, 80Gb HDD
Operating system: winxp Pro sp2
Windows defender is ON
Norton Antivirus is updated

Everything was woking fine. Before going to work, I've cheked my email and turned the computer off in the proper way.

When I came back from job, I turned on the PC and the [bleep] started. A dialog box appears with this message: "lsass.exe - System Error When trying to update the password, this return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct". And then the PC keeps booting over, over and over.

I tried EVERYTHING (boot safe mode, last working good...) everything that winxp has when you press F8. The only thing i did not try is the recovery disk because I lost that disk. Dell didn't want to give me a copy. The said my warranty was expired and I did not want to pay.

I put the hard drive in another PC and run Nortun on it. result: No virus found
I download the sasser virus removal tool from Norton website and I run it. Result: No sasser virus found
Finally, I've decided to wipe the hard drive and start a clean install on a new fresh hard drive. Here begins another episode of my story. I borrowed Dell OEM Winxp Pro sp2 CD from a friend. It did not work. Error in i386/txtsetup.sif, line 3858. I tried another OEM CD: error in i386/txtsetup.sif, line 3862. Another 3 different CDs gave error in the same file i386/txtsetup.sif. I used the same CD to install WinXP on another PC and it was fine.

I've decided to install Windows vista instead of XP. When the program stats, an error message related to checksum appears. It was the same DVD I've used to install Windows vista on my current PC.
I run a hardware test on that Dell PC (motherboard, RAM, HDD, ...). The test was OK; but I cannot still install Win XP on it. By the way Win XP was pre installed when I bougth it.

Please I need your help. What can I do to install on that Dell PC. I wanted to give it to my son.
Is anything like security thing on the Dell PCs with pre install OS I can remove ?

Thanks

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Try this first

Items in blue which are underlined are clickable to give more information about the process

Start the System Restore Utility at a command prompt

1. Restart your computer, and keep tapping F8 during the initial start-up until you get options, select Safe Mode with a Command Prompt then press enter. (If F8 shows boot devices, use F5 instead).

2. Log on to your computer with an administrator account or with an account that has administrator credentials.

3. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore your computer to an earlier state.

Look for the most recent system checkpoint created before the errors to restore from

For additional information about the Safe mode with a command prompt, click 315222 to see a description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP

[Retired Tech]

Try this first

Items in blue which are underlined are clickable to give more information about the process

Start the System Restore Utility at a command prompt

1. Restart your computer, and keep tapping F8 during the initial start-up until you get options, select Safe Mode with a Command Prompt then press enter. (If F8 shows boot devices, use F5 instead).

2. Log on to your computer with an administrator account or with an account that has administrator credentials.

3. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore your computer to an earlier state.

Look for the most recent system checkpoint created before the errors to restore from

For additional information about the Safe mode with a command prompt, click 315222 to see a description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP

[Benkud]

Thanks for your suggestion. Like I said in my post, I've tried EVERYTHING that pressing F8 gives. None of them had worked. finally, I wiped the HDD. Now my problem is the txtsetup.sif which blocks the installation on a new fresh HDD.

[Retired Tech]

You can either use boot and nuke to clear the drive comprehensively then see how set up goes, if you still get an error you should run memtest

Or Memtest then boot and nuke


Click this for a guide to using Memtest


Click this to download Memtest


Run it overnight if possible

To completely erase all data on the drive(s)

Click this to download Boot and Nuke

Click this for a guide to using Boot and Nuke

Use the autonuke option, which could take 8 hours or so to format a 200 GB Hard Drive, then when you run Windows set up, use the default, not quick format option, and check it is creating a RAW1 partition on C, if the drive letter is different, restart the PC and it should default to C

[Benkud]

I'm back. I follwed your instructions
- download boot and Nuke
- download memtest
- wipe (triple wipe) the HDD
- test memory: none of the memory stick is bad
- also test the HDD sector by sector (it takes 26 hours): the HDD is good

I tried to re-install winxp: same type of error (error on line 768 in the i386\txtsetup.sif).

Now my question is this: can I use any WinXp Dell EOM CD with my COA?

Thanks for all your support

[Retired Tech]

Have you already tried different CD's after the recent wipes etc?

If yes, can you go to BIOS set up and set this to BIOS defaults, press F10 to save, type Y to confirm, press enter to reboot