[aprp]

Good Day. I have just experienced the C:/Windows/System32/lsass.exe rebooting scenario. This occurred after my system rebooted to complete an install of PCTools Spyware Doctor.
Checking through these forums I have followed various topics on reinstalling windows but I must have done something wrong. I am now given a choice on startup which Windows XP Pro file I would like to open. The first one opens but does not allow me to access any programs etc. I can see them in All Programs when pressing the start button.
The second one goes nowhere.

When going through the reinstall procedure I get to a screen which tells me about existing partitions and unpartitioned space:

reads:

to set up windows on the selected item press enter
to create a partition in the unpartitioned space press C
to delete the selected partition press D

305110MB Disk 0 at id 0 on bus 0 on atapi (MBR)

c: Partition1 NTFS 305235 MB ( 230006 MB free)

152626 MB Disk on Disk (MBR)

D: Partition1 (Store2) (NTFS) 152625 MB (87142 MB free)

Now I selected to set windows up on C: Partition1
I then get a message warning of installing multiple operating systems on a single partition.

BUT I WENT AHEAD..and selected the second XP Pro file to be overwritten assuming that was my OEM XP install.

Next message tells me that setup will install windows XP on partition C: Partition 1 (NTFS) etc and gives 3 options:
Format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick)
Format the partition using the NTFS file system
Leave the current file system intact (no Changes)

I chose the last.

Then I get another warning telling me that a windows folder already exists that may contain a windows installation that could be overwritten.

Im stumped. None of this seems to have been mentioned on this forum, or the link http://www.michaelst...pairinstall.htm

How should I be reinstalling Windows?

Any assistance would be gratefully received.

System Desktop Core2 Duo Gigabyte GA -S series motherboard. 4 GB Ram About 2 yrs old. No problems till now!

Regards

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When you install windows you have, basically, two option:

1: Repair installation. This is supposed to fix your operating system without losing data. For details you can use the link in my list below. As a note: Quite often the process fail. Even when successful you have to re-install all windows updates. Sometimes drivers get damaged and you have to install them again.

2: Clean installation. That involves backing up your data, format the disk, install windows, install drivers and applications, update the computer and reinstall your backed up data.

In your case you did neither. What you did was a double installation of XP, creating two parallel installation of two different versions.

You have to decide which option to take. If you wish to run a repair installation you must remove the last installation and leave the original, damaged one. That involves some modification of the computer's boot.ini file and the removal of windows folder of the last installation.

If you wish to clean format then chose D to delete the partition on which you want to install XP. The other partitions will not be affected. Create a new partition by chosing C. Folow the instructions and run format to NTFS (NOT the Quick option). Windows will continue the installation.

Please remember to backup your data before starting the process.

[The Skeptic]

When you install windows you have, basically, two option:

1: Repair installation. This is supposed to fix your operating system without losing data. For details you can use the link in my list below. As a note: Quite often the process fail. Even when successful you have to re-install all windows updates. Sometimes drivers get damaged and you have to install them again.

2: Clean installation. That involves backing up your data, format the disk, install windows, install drivers and applications, update the computer and reinstall your backed up data.

In your case you did neither. What you did was a double installation of XP, creating two parallel installation of two different versions.

You have to decide which option to take. If you wish to run a repair installation you must remove the last installation and leave the original, damaged one. That involves some modification of the computer's boot.ini file and the removal of windows folder of the last installation.

If you wish to clean format then chose D to delete the partition on which you want to install XP. The other partitions will not be affected. Create a new partition by chosing C. Folow the instructions and run format to NTFS (NOT the Quick option). Windows will continue the installation.

Please remember to backup your data before starting the process.

[aprp]

Hi, Thanks for coming back on this issue.

I have carried out a mirror backup to an external hard drive.

I would prefer to remove the last install and carry out the modifications required to the boot.ini file.

Would you be able to guide me on this please?

[Teddie1]

This happened with Service Pack 1 after installing Windows XP. This lsass.exe error reboot yada yada yada. If you only wanted to resolve this update to SP2 and you shouldn't need to re-install windows. To prevent shutdown just hit winflag + R (for run prompt) or click start > run. Type cmd press enter, then type "shutdown -a" (minus quotes) that will abort shut down which will give you time to install SP2 update which resolves the Lsass scenario.

[The Skeptic]

Please do the following: Click Start > control panel > system > advanced > startup and recovery. Click Edit. A notepad file will open up. Please copy the file and past it to your next reply.

In your reply also mention, specifically, which installation you want to remove.

[aprp]

 boot.ini_file_16jan09.txt   304bytes   279 downloads

Attn: The Skeptic (I like that title )

Here is my file.

I believe the second Windows Install is the one I need repaired in order to open all the programs on the Drive. The first Install is the one I created and that does not read any of these programs. ( such as Word, Itunes, etc) If you see what I mean.

If I try and ask the system to open the second Windows Install I get a Dos message? on a black screen syaing "Windows could not start because of computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could not read from selected boot disk.

I could have caused that error by trying to fix the lsass.exe error message.

Regards

[The Skeptic]

Please open Boot.Ini again and delete:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(3)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

Save the changes. If successful, you can delete the folder of the second windows installation.

I doubt if this will solve the computer's problems but let's wait and see.

[aprp]

OK, Done.
The system booted up and did not enter the screen giving the option of which Windows version to load. It also came up with my old screensaver picture, but then appeared to "hang" I could not use the start button, so after about 5 mins I rebooted. It now loads into my latest install. I am still unable to bring up previously installed programs such as ms word.

Kind Regards

[The Skeptic]

Do I understand corectly that the situation now is back to where it was before you modified Boot.Ini?

Have you tried to restore the comuter to an earlier date? Follow this procedure to restore by using Recovery Console:

System Restore from the Recovery Console. {adapted from Geeks to Go. Original source unknown to me}. Xp installation CD required. Boot with the CD and when given the option choose to repair the computer by pressing "R", opening the Recovery Console. Type 1 when asked for OS installation (assuming there is only one OS installed). Type the administrator password when asked to do so and press Enter. Press Enter if there is no password.

* At the prompt Type: CD \
* Press Enter
* Type: cd system~1\_resto~1
* Press Enter
* Type: dir
* Press Enter

After you press enter you will see a list of folders (like rp1, rp2) If the list of restore points has more than one page then press the Enter key untill you reach the end of the list

* Type: cd rp {number of the second to last folder in the list). Example: cd rp9, if rp9 is the second to the last restore point where the last restore point no. is 10
* Press Enter
* Type: cd snapshot
* Press Enter
* Type: copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system
* Press Enter
* Type: copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software
* Press Enter
* Type: Exit
* Press Enter

Your PC will reboot.

If you get an access denied error when doing the above, then do the following at the recovery console:

* Type: CD \
* Press Enter
* Type: cd windows\system32\config
* Press Enter
* Type: ren system system.bak
* Press Enter
* Type: Exit
* Press Enter

Your PC should reboot

If you still cannot get access in anyway to your installation in the recovery console then your SAM database files are corrupt. There is no way you can restore these with the recovery console. You may need to do a fresh install.

[aprp]

Thanks
Well my system now only has my latest Windows Install. I can still see my previously installed folders in the Program manager menu, but if I choose them thesystem says they are not installed.

After typing CD system~1\_resto~1 the system reads it cannot find the file or folder specified.

I think I need guidance on a fresh install.( esp the sections regarding partitioned and unpartitioned spaces) I have the OEM key but I never received the disk. I have a copy of XP Pro with SP1.

[The Skeptic]

Please note: You must have a valid product key and a disk of an XP version that will work with the key. Your XP-Pro without the key is useless for our purpose. As for the OEM, you must have a disk similar to the version of XP installed. You can use your product key and this will be legal but the key will work only with the same version.

Your first step would be to save your data by using another operating system for this purpose. Download Puppy Linux from my list of links below. Download "puppy 2.16.1 seamonkey fulldrivers.ISO". Burn the ISO file to create a bootable CD. For this purpose you can download BurnCDCC from the links below. It's a very simple tool, used exclusively to burn ISO files.

Insert the disk into the CD/DVD drive and boot the computer. Use the default setting except for choosing screen resolution of 600x800 when given the option to do so. After the program is loaded click the icon that looks like flash disk. This will open the file system and will enable browsing your folders. Find the folders that you want to backup, copy and paste them to another storage device.

If the computer doesn't boot, please set boot order in the BIOS so that the CD drive is first priority boot device.

[aprp]

I'm having problems creating the boot disk. Using BurnCDCC to burn the 90.00MB .iso file Burn CDCC says that it is writing the image to the CD, takes about 1 min, then it completes and ejects the CD. However there is nothing on the CD at the end of the process.

[The Skeptic]

That's odd. Do you have any other tool that you can use to burn the iso files? If you have Nero, use it. If not, try to download the trial version of Cheetah. As far as I remember they have this option (not all burning programs have iso burning option).

[aprp]

I just tried with Nero, and asked the program to verify the data at the end of process. It took about 2 mins copying the data then came up with read error failure sectors 0-46957.
The .iso file is about 90MB.

[aprp]

 Log.txt   119.88KB   227 downloads

Here is the Nero log file in .txt form. If its any use?

Regards