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Failure when restoring XP


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#1
mandydl

mandydl

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My screen was behaving badly (sometimes oversized, sometimes undersized when turned on). I reinstalled ZA antivirus (which had been off due to slowdowns) and SpyBot. On restarting the blue logon screen came up but as soon as I saw the grass and sky on the XP background I was logged off again. Same for all users. I then found your instructions on restoring XP from the blue reinstall option and tried that. However, each time setup gets to 34mins to go, the screen goes strange (lines/semi-pixellated) and the HD light goes off. Is there anything else I can do??

Many thanks in anticipation.
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#2
Broni

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http://support.micro...kb/828267/en-us
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#3
mandydl

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Thanks for the reply, but when I click your link it says page not found...
Do you have any idea how I can fix my problem?
Thanks in advance
By the way the setup task being performed is "loading devices" don't know if it's significant. I have some old restore points (found them in Recovery Console mode) but not sure how to go back to one from Recovery Console, or even if I should try with Setup half finished. Don't want to make matters worse!!!

Edited by mandydl, 17 May 2009 - 11:50 PM.

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#4
mandydl

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Thanks but I can't access your link. Any ideas what I can do to restore my system? I can get into Recovery Console and see some restore points, but not sure how to go back to one or even if I should considering that Setup is only partly completed. I don't want to make it any worse.
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#5
Broni

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I have no problem with accessing the link.

When you try to install Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003, the computer stops responding, or "hangs," during the graphical user interface (GUI) mode portion of Setup. This issue occurs when Setup indicates that 34 minutes remain in the installation.

This issue may occur if there is a hardware-related issue that causes Setup to stop responding.

To resolve this issue, determine which hardware component is causing the problem. To troubleshoot, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer.

Setup tries to identify the device that is causing the problem and tries to skip the device on the next restart. You may have to restart your computer multiple times.
2. If the problem persists, examine the Setup log files for anything that may indicate what may be causing the problem. To do this, press SHIFT+F10 to open a command prompt after the first restart, and after any subsequent restarts, if Setup stops responding. In the %windir% folder (typically, C:\Windows or C:Winnt), look for the Pnplog.txt file. This log file is only created during setup if there is an issue that is detected with hardware. The log file should include the hardware that Setup will skip on the next restart.

You can also review the Setupapi.log file, the Setupact.log file, and the Setuperr.log file (in the %windir% folder) to try to determine which device Setup was trying to detect when it stopped responding. To locate the device that is the most likely cause of the issue, read the last 10 to 15 lines at the end of the files.

Note You may have to look for the last class installer to load in the Setupapi.log file. This may tell you the device class instead of the specific device.

If the Setup log files indicate that a hardware device or a driver may be causing the problem, verify that your hardware is supported by Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. To do this, check the device manufacturer's Web site, or visit the following Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List Web site:
http://www.microsoft...cl/default.mspx (http://www.microsoft...cl/default.mspx)
3. If the log files do not indicate the cause of the issue, try removing hardware to determine which device is causing Setup to stop responding.
1. Remove any external hardware, such as attached devices that are not required for setup (for example, printers, external serial devices, and Universal Serial Bus [USB] devices other than the primary keyboard).
2. Remove any internal cards that are not required for setup, such as sound cards.
3. Disable items in the basic input/output system (BIOS), such as ports or power management features, and on-board devices that are not required for setup to complete, such as modems.
4. Try to move or reseat the cards in the Peripheral Connect Interface (PCI) slots.


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#6
mandydl

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Thanks for that, could be my husband's work laptop won't allow accessing some pages. Will try all the steps mentioned and let you know what happens.
Thanks again for your time.
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#7
mandydl

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I have tried to access a command prompt using shift & F10 but no joy. Options shown on my screen at initial startup are: F2 Setup F11 Boot Menu. Also it mentions that something is ok but disabled although the screen moves pretty fast.
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#8
Broni

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Run hard drive diagnostics: http://www.tacktech....ay.cfm?ttid=287
Make sure, you select tool, which is appropriate for the brand of your hard drive.
Depending on the program, it'll create bootable floppy, or bootable CD.
If downloaded file is of .iso type, use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD, and make the CD bootable.

NOTE. If your hard drive is made by Toshiba, which is not listed, try using Hitachi tools.
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#9
mandydl

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Thanks, but hubby's laptop has no burner. Will try to get a friend to burn one for me but not sure when that can be arranged. Homeschooling 3 kids keeps me pretty occupied.
Thanks for your help so far.
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#10
mandydl

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I have managed to read setupapi.log and setupact.log but no access to setuperr.log and couldn't find any pnplog.txt file.(This is from Recovery Console.) Setuplog.txt had heaps of stuff that looked problematic starting with "Could not locate a non-empty section when calculating disk space in c:/windows/inf/iis.inf error 0xe0000102 required line was not found in the inf. The setupact.log said "The system cannot find the file specified" as a reason for not deleting c:/windows/system32/"".sys and .vxd and .inf files along with IE files and common files from C:/Program files. Also a number of paths could not be found. Also I noticed a couple of "Input Install: Quiet install requested." items. Not sure what any of this means. Don't really know what to do for the best as there is no obvious hardware problem so perhaps it is a virus? Clash of software? What direction should I go in next?
Thanks for your patience.
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#11
Broni

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I'd definitely start with testing hard drive.
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#12
mandydl

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Thanks I took the side off and checked my hdd. It's a WD 400 (40G, 7200rpm). Unfortunately the diagnostic software on the site you suggested only applies to newer, bigger hdds. I am beginning to think I would be best to attempt data recovery somehow, rather than restoration. I have an older Win98 computer and could use that Hdd to put data on if I knew how to do so... Would installing xp on it and making it the primary with my current drive a slave be worth a try? Or could I use an external drive to copy files across somehow?
Thank you once again for your suggestions.
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#13
Broni

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If you're willing to buy new hard drive, since your old one is small anyway, it'll come with cloning program, which will allow you to transfer all old disk content into the new one.
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#14
edge2022

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You could transfer all the files on your bad hard disk to an external media, using Linux. For the instructions click on "Backup Files Without Windows" in my sig.

As Broni stated already, buying a larger capacity hard drive would be the best way to go.

You can try using Seatools to diagnose your drive. Download it from here: http://www.seagate.c...ols/seatooldreg
Download the ISO-CD ROM Image EN file. Then burn it to a CD using BurnCDCC. Get that from here: http://www.terabyteu...ee-software.htm
You can also look at this tutorial: http://seagate.custk...sp?DocId=201271
Run a long diagnostic, and report the results.
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#15
mandydl

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Thank you both. I guess it's time to upgrade. We have been thinking for some time of getting a Mac as I understand they have less trouble with malware. Will that be a problem when it comes to transferring files?
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