[joanelaine]

I did a repair on my friend's computer Windows XP simply because it was running so slow she had to wait ages for anything to open, she had done scans and everthing to make sure no nasties were there. After the repair it was fast but IE would not open, it just put another shortcut on desktop if I clicked on the IE icon. She did have IE 7 I'm pretty sure it was not IE 8., but now I'm thinking I should have uninstalled internet explorer before doing the repair, am I correct?. Can I uninstall IE if indeed it's even on the computer, I'm not at her house now so can't check, then could I download IE 6 or 7, would that work? She is not using the machine now but using the following; I cannot go to her house until this coming week end but want to get my facts straight.

I gave her my old desktop computer that I had done a clean install on winXP SP3, and it was just sitting here not being used. I just used to turn it on to get the updates and of course had anti virus installed. This used to boot straight to Windows after the clean install and every time I did the updates. Now she tells me it boots to white text on black screen for a couple of pages before Windows. Today she tells me it just hangs on the white text and she c an't do anything. Finally she turned it off and rebooted...white text again but went to windows. Now she is leaving the computer on.

I'm thinking of doing a repair on that machine now so I want to know should I uninstall IE8 before I do a repair, if indeed you think that is the problem with the white text, and if it won't start at all in the end. I don't want to wreck IE 8 again by not uninstalling it. Does it come back automatically after a repair or do I have to reinstall after the repair?.

Sorry for the long post but I needed to tell you what I've done.
thank you,
Now I'm worried because I've been reading that to uninstall Internet Explorer one has to uninstall service pack 3. also could you tell me when IE is deleted does it affect Outlook Express.
joanelaine

Edited by joanelaine, 26 July 2012 - 02:57 AM.

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Hi,

I didn't understand if you are reporting 2 problems on 2 different computers or not...

If Internet Explorer doesn't open some times resetting its configuration to the default can solve the problem, check this MS link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737

Yes you should uninstall Internet Explorer 8 before doing a repair install, this will restore IE 6 included initially on XP.
About XP SP3, if you have installed using a CD with the SP3 included you can't uninstall the Service Pack 3. In case you install the SP3 after windows install using Windows Update or the full setup you don't need to remove it but you will need to do the repair using a Windows XP CD with the SP3 slipstreamed.

___
Rui Paz

[SleepyDude]

Hi,

I didn't understand if you are reporting 2 problems on 2 different computers or not...

If Internet Explorer doesn't open some times resetting its configuration to the default can solve the problem, check this MS link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737

Yes you should uninstall Internet Explorer 8 before doing a repair install, this will restore IE 6 included initially on XP.
About XP SP3, if you have installed using a CD with the SP3 included you can't uninstall the Service Pack 3. In case you install the SP3 after windows install using Windows Update or the full setup you don't need to remove it but you will need to do the repair using a Windows XP CD with the SP3 slipstreamed.

___
Rui Paz

[joanelaine]

Thank you for responding. Sorry for the confusion, yes I am talking about 2 computers. The first one, I did a repair on, that was my friends own computer. I could not do a clean install because I couldn't get any drivers. The makers of her computer have gone into liquidation, it's an old Optima and nothing on the net. She didn't have any restore disks.....nothing, so I used my own Windows XP SP3 disk to do the repair. I phoned a local technician to ask if this was okay to use that but her product key. Everything went well and it's fast but IE7 won't open. My disk probably tried to install IE8 and the computer is confused. I'm now reading that one MUST uninstall IE before doing a repair. That is not in any instructions I read to do a repair. We cannot open IE at all to do a reset, when I click on the icon on desktop or in all programs it creates another shortcut, so she was using firefox. I just want to know in case I have to set that computer up again if it's possible somehow to get internet explorer for her. A clean install is not possible because of the drivers. At the moment she is using the computer I gave her. She has packed away the one I did the repair on and IE doesn't work.However if I can't get the computer I gave her to play nice we may have to plug that back in. She likes the one I gave her because it has CD & DVD drives and her Optima optical drive was not writing only reading and the darn tray wouldn't open unless she stuck a pin in it. She is better off with the one I hgave her....as follows;

Computer 2, the one I gave her was working but she is getting white text on black screens then booting to Windows. This was not happening at my house when I installed all her data and programs onto a clean installed computer. When I took to her house the white text on black screen appeared. Then yesterday she told me it was hanging on the screen with white text. She had the option to "go to last know configeration" but she said the computer was frozen. She then re booted and it all started again white text on black screens, but it did boot up. That is why I'm thinking of doing a repair on that machine but because of the first computer not opening IE., I did some searches and discovered that IE must be uninstalled before doing a repair. This important information was not at the beginning of the "repair instructions". More searches and I've been reading that service pack 3 should be uninstalled as well as IE. That is why I'm asking if I do a repair on the machine I'm talking about now if I really do have to uninstall SP3. But you have answered my question that it's not necessary. I just don't want to mess up the machine I gave her and the one I'm talking about now. I can't understand why when I google that question I see that SP3 has to be deleted as well. I've had so much trouble with her Optima all because the instructions to do a repair did not tell me to uninstall IE before I did a repair. Sooooo!, if I find it is necessary to do a repair on the machine I gave her ....this one I'm talking about now, you can assure me that I don't have to delete SP3, just uninstall I.E8. Please confirm that I am right if I do this.
Many thanks,
Joanelaine.

[SleepyDude]

...We cannot open IE at all to do a reset, when I click on the icon on desktop or in all programs it creates another shortcut, so she was using firefox.

You don't need to open IE do do the reset, on the link i gave you Microsoft have a Fixit util that you only need to download and run, also you can try resetting IE to default settings using the Icon Internet Options from the Control Panel instead of opening IE.

Computer 2, the one I gave her was working but she is getting white text on black screens then booting to Windows. This was not happening at my house when I installed all her data and programs onto a clean installed computer. When I took to her house the white text on black screen appeared. Then yesterday she told me it was hanging on the screen with white text. She had the option to "go to last know configeration" but she said the computer was frozen. She then re booted and it all started again white text on black screens, but it did boot up. That is why I'm thinking of doing a repair on that machine but because of the first computer not opening IE., I did some searches and discovered that IE must be uninstalled before doing a repair. This important information was not at the beginning of the "repair instructions". More searches and I've been reading that service pack 3 should be uninstalled as well as IE. That is why I'm asking if I do a repair on the machine I'm talking about now if I really do have to uninstall SP3. But you have answered my question that it's not necessary. I just don't want to mess up the machine I gave her and the one I'm talking about now. I can't understand why when I google that question I see that SP3 has to be deleted as well. I've had so much trouble with her Optima all because the instructions to do a repair did not tell me to uninstall IE before I did a repair. Sooooo!, if I find it is necessary to do a repair on the machine I gave her ....this one I'm talking about now,

Any change of taking a picture on that "screen with white text" or post what is on the white text?

you can assure me that I don't have to delete SP3, just uninstall I.E8. Please confirm that I am right if I do this.
Many thanks,
Joanelaine.

Yes you only need to remove IE 8 but you must have sure your Windows XP CD includes the SP3.

[SleepyDude]

Thank you for responding. Sorry for the confusion, yes I am talking about 2 computers. The first one, I did a repair on, that was my friends own computer. I could not do a clean install because I couldn't get any drivers. The makers of her computer have gone into liquidation, it's an old Optima and nothing on the net...

About the drivers for the Optima, if you can please post a snapshot with Speccy following this guide:
How to Publish a snapshot with Speccy

This will help checking if the computer uses standard hardware with drivers available directly from the hardware provider instead of the Computer manufacture.

[joanelaine]

Thank you very much for all that information.
With computer #1. the Optima...my friend has packed it away.Because she wants to use the computer I gave her, the optical drives work where as the Optima optical drive would only read and not write, plus with the computer I've given her she has 2 optical drives including a DVD burner . However, I have saved the Speecy link so if we need to go back to the Optima then I can do the snapshot. I have Belaric Advisor, do you prefer Speecy?. I've just downloaded it to my computer (this one is Windows 7).

I've also saved the link for repairing I.E., should we have to go back to the Optima. Also, very good to have, thank you for that.

With computer #2...the one I have given my friend which she prefers cause everything works....except it has the white text on 2 black screens before booting to Windows. It would be very difficult to take a photo of those screens because they appear and disappear very quickly, it's hard to tell what the white text says. I can just see quickly on the first screen in the bottom...F2 (Ithink) and over the the right a DEL option. The computer did freeze on one occassion for her, I was not there and there was an option to go to last know configeration but she couldn't click on it because it was frozen, she phoned me and I told her to close down and reboot and since then it's been fine with the exception of the white text on 2 black screens. We don't see the option to go to last known configeration now.

I'm not sure if I should do a "repair" because of the white text. I can't seem to find a proper answer when I google this problem, except somewhere I saw that it might be an indication that the hard drive was about to fail.

So, that's where I am with these 2 computers now. The first one is packed away, but everything works except for I.E., and now if the computer 2 the one I gave her crashes we can go back to the Optima and I will follow your instructions with regard to I.E.

Would you give me your opinion as to what I should do about the white text on black screens, and if you think I should do a repair.
Many thanks,
joanelaine.

[SleepyDude]

Hello Joanelaine,

Thank you very much for all that information.
With computer #1. the Optima...my friend has packed it away.Because she wants to use the computer I gave her, the optical drives work where as the Optima optical drive would only read and not write, plus with the computer I've given her she has 2 optical drives including a DVD burner . However, I have saved the Speecy link so if we need to go back to the Optima then I can do the snapshot. I have Belaric Advisor, do you prefer Speecy?. I've just downloaded it to my computer (this one is Windows 7).

Belarc Advisor is fine but you need to save the report and upload it to some place like http://www.datafilehost.com/ and then post the link for download.

...
With computer #2...the one I have given my friend which she prefers cause everything works....except it has the white text on 2 black screens before booting to Windows. It would be very difficult to take a photo of those screens because they appear and disappear very quickly, it's hard to tell what the white text says. I can just see quickly on the first screen in the bottom...F2 (Ithink) and over the the right a DEL option. The computer did freeze on one occassion for her, I was not there and there was an option to go to last know configeration but she couldn't click on it because it was frozen, she phoned me and I told her to close down and reboot and since then it's been fine with the exception of the white text on 2 black screens. We don't see the option to go to last known configeration now.

Maybe you can use the PAUSE key to pause the boot process and clearly see what the text says. I would recommend running chkdsk to make sure there are no errors on the File System.
Open the Command Prompt and execute the command:
chkdsk /f /x c:
Answer Yes to do the scan at next boot and then restart the computer.

I'm not sure if I should do a "repair" because of the white text. I can't seem to find a proper answer when I google this problem, except somewhere I saw that it might be an indication that the hard drive was about to fail.

So, that's where I am with these 2 computers now. The first one is packed away, but everything works except for I.E., and now if the computer 2 the one I gave her crashes we can go back to the Optima and I will follow your instructions with regard to I.E.

Would you give me your opinion as to what I should do about the white text on black screens, and if you think I should do a repair.
Many thanks,
joanelaine.

Without knowing what is exactly the problem i wouldn't recommend doing a repair.
Check the Windows Event viewer (Start -> Run -> eventvwr) for errors specially on the SYSTEM category to see if windows its reporting something.
___
Rui Paz

[rshaffer61]

Can I step in here for a second and just respond to some of the instructions

Belarc Advisor is fine but you need to save the report and upload it to some place like http://www.datafilehost.com/ and then post the link for download.

Dace the report as a txt file and then attach it to your next post. No need to use a outside site.

Maybe you can use the PAUSE key to pause the boot process and clearly see what the text says. I would recommend running chkdsk to make sure there are no errors on the File System.
Open the Command Prompt and execute the command:
chkdsk /f /x c:
Answer Yes to do the scan at next boot and then restart the computer.

If you use chkdsk /r it will do the /f by default but also attempt to repair any problems on it's own without any interaction from you.

[SleepyDude]

Hi Rshaffer,

Can I step in here for a second and just respond to some of the instructions

Sure

Belarc Advisor is fine but you need to save the report and upload it to some place like http://www.datafilehost.com/ and then post the link for download.

Dace the report as a txt file and then attach it to your next post. No need to use a outside site.

I only suggest a outside site because the forum only accept 1MB of attachments in total if i understand correctly.

Maybe you can use the PAUSE key to pause the boot process and clearly see what the text says. I would recommend running chkdsk to make sure there are no errors on the File System.
Open the Command Prompt and execute the command:
chkdsk /f /x c:
Answer Yes to do the scan at next boot and then restart the computer.

If you use chkdsk /r it will do the /f by default but also attempt to repair any problems on it's own without any interaction from you.

I know chkdsk with /r will do a long scan checking for bad sectors, /f will do a fast scan looking only for errors on the File System that can appear after a improper shutdown like they did.
Normally i use the tool available from the harddisk manufacture to look for and fix bad sectors.

[rshaffer61]

I know chkdsk with /r will do a long scan checking for bad sectors, /f will do a fast scan looking only for errors on the File System that can appear after a improper shutdown like they did.
Normally i use the tool available from the harddisk manufacture to look for and fix bad sectors.

Understandable and if you only want to check the File System your instructions will work fine. If nothing found a SFC should locate any corrupted or missing System Files.
1mb is pretty big for a report but I understand your concern and if it makes it easier for you both then there is no problem doing as you instructed. I know we use Belarc and Speccy a lot in the forums.

[joanelaine]

Thank you all very much for helping me. I won't have access to my friend's computer (the one I gave her and she is using, her old Optima has been packed away).
I did do a chkdsk /r but nothing showed anything wrong. I also tried to do a sfc scannow....and I typed it like that, should there have been a / before scannow?. I typed cmd in run, then in the black box typed sfc scannow and when I pressed enter it just went downs to the next line for more instructions so I must have done something wrong.

I will look at event viewer as instructed. I will also try to pause on the white text, when I've paused, then how to I continue to the next page with with text,do I hit OK, or pause again (sorry), there are 2 pages before windows boots.My sister and brother in law were visiting & I told him about the white text (he didn't look though), but he said (" that is normal for Windows XP, to load all the drivers etc., it happens to his XP"). Not that I'm taking any notice of brother in law and it doesn't happen to my laptop which has XP, and it didn't happen to the computer I gave my friend that she is using now & the one I'm talking now when I had it here and installed all her data and programs it was fine.

This would happen when the Olypics are on.
Would you kindly tell me how to get past the pause screen, also how to correctly do the scannow.
Many thanks,
joanelaine.

[rshaffer61]

Go Start and then to Run ("Start Search" in Vista),
Type in: sfc /scannow
Click OK (Enter in Vista).
Have Windows CD/DVD handy.
If System File Checker (sfc) finds any errors, it may ask you for the CD/DVD.
If sfc does not find any errors in Windows XP, it will simply quit, without any message.
In Vista you will receive the following message: "Windows resource protection did not find any integrity violations".

For Vista users ONLY: Navigate to C:\Windows\Logs\CBS folder. You'll see CBS.log file.
Usually, it's pretty big file, so upload it to Flyupload, and post download link.


If you don't have Windows CD....
This applies mostly to Windows XP, since Vista rarely requires use of its DVD while running "sfc"
Note This method will not necessarily work as well, as when using Windows CD, because not always ALL system files are backed up on your hard drive. Also, backed up files may be corrupted as well.

Go Start and then Run
type in regedit and click OK


Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup

You will see various entries Values on the right hand side.

The one we want is called: SourcePath

It probably has an entry pointing to your CD-ROM drive, usually D and that is why it is asking for the XP CD.
All we need to do is change it to: C:
Now, double click the SourcePatch setting and a new box will pop up.
Change the drive letter from your CD drive to your root drive, usually C:
Close Registry Editor.

Now restart your computer and try sfc /scannow again!


Thanks to Broni for the instructions

[joanelaine]

Thank you for the instructions. The computer is XP SP3. I do have a Win XP SP3 disk. I will have to do the sfc /scannow again because I don't think I put a / before scannow. When I did it it just went to the next line in the command prompt window.
Will come back when I have access to her computer which will hopefully be tomorrow.Oh also, pleasde tell me if I pause the white text, how to I continue to the second page with white text, do I hit okay?
thank you,
joanelaine

Edited by joanelaine, 28 July 2012 - 05:42 PM.

[rshaffer61]

You should only have to click enter to continue.

[joanelaine]

Thank you very much. Probably won't have access for a day or so. Will come back,
Regards,
joanelaine