[Channeal]

I have had an extremely frustrating day with this! I have tried and tried, perusing what must have been a million links - all of which seemed to give me different advice! Your last message only confused me more, because the link seemed to me (in my ignorance) to still be telling me to download the sp3 files.

I hate to give up with things like this. I had to go out tonight to a boring meeting that went on way too long - and all I could think of was how I wanted to be back home trying to solve this! However, once back home another two and a half hours trying to solve it brought me to my limits: I was ready to give up completely!

As a last resort, I tried one more time to follow the instructions in the Bleeping Computer link in message 16. This time, when it told me that it couldn't make contact with Microsoft to update, I just told it to bypass that step - and to my great surprise, it told me that the Recovery Console had been installed!

I have no idea though if it has really been installed. The whole process was so quick that I really cannot believe it did it properly. Is there a way of checking without rebooting?

I guess it doesn't matter though. If it has not worked, I just cannot try any more. Tomorrow, I am going to uninstall Avast and reboot, no matter what! I need to get access to the second hard drive as there is a file on there that I really need to get hold of (I couldn't get the software on my external hard drive to work when booting from the clone and I stupidly forgot to back up this particular file manually) and really need to be able to use it again!

Am calling it a day for now though.......

Edited by Channeal, 04 August 2016 - 06:29 PM.

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Haven't rebooted yet..... have spent hours trying to burn an ISO copy of my Windows XP disk onto my memory stick via the laptop. Much to my frustration, the laptop refused to oblige - but in the end, my daughter helped me out and did it for me.

 

I cannot make a CD from the files though, as the files are apparently too big for that.

[Channeal]

Haven't rebooted yet..... have spent hours trying to burn an ISO copy of my Windows XP disk onto my memory stick via the laptop. Much to my frustration, the laptop refused to oblige - but in the end, my daughter helped me out and did it for me.

 

I cannot make a CD from the files though, as the files are apparently too big for that.

[Channeal]

Okay. I spent a lot of time trying to follow the instructions in your Bleeping Computer link from Message 30. When I got to the Command Prompt, nothing I keyed in would work.

So eventually, I deleted Acronis and gave up and shut down. I opened the computer, connected both drives, swapped over the power leads and replaced the battery. And of course, it won't boot at all now.

Can't tell you exactly what happens when I try to boot (though still cannot get into safe mode). I need to check again tomorrow (have had more than enough for today! ) The interesting thing though with regard to what I told you yesterday is that it IS now giving me the option to enter the recovery console; I haven't tried to click on it though!

SORRY, I meant Avast, not Acronis.

Edited by Channeal, 05 August 2016 - 03:32 PM.

[RKinner]

Thought you were going to uninstall Avast?

 

When you boot into the Recovery Console you get a DOS type prompt.  You can't do a lot but it will let you run System Restore.  Perhaps you can get it to run FRST from a USB drive.

 

Go in to the BIOS setup.  Make sure it detects both drives.  If your BIOS has options for RAID you may need to play around with them to get the one that boots.  If the second drive still works you can probably just change the boot order to boot from it.

[Channeal]

Thanks, will look at it more tomorrow.

You were too quick for me again: I added an edit to say that I made a mistake and typed Acronis instead of Avast! Have obviously spent too long on this computer today!

[Channeal]

Okay....... still cannot get anything, even when trying to boot from the 2nd drive. Now it just tells me that it wasn't shut down properly last time and gives me some options including to start in safe mode (although of course it won't do it!). There is no sign of the Recovery Console option now, at least not with the 2nd drive as the main one. I can still access all my files via Puppy Linux though.

 

Here is a pic of the screen I got when I first tried to start up yesterday.

 

 

I am really feeling now that there is probably no point going on with this. I am going away for a whole month in two weeks time and I need to spend the time doing other things. The computer is 10 years old and obviously has a lot wrong with it. I think the time has probably come to let it rest in peace!

 

Thank you so very much for all your help and all the time you have spent on this...... am sorry if I have been useless at carrying out the instructions!

 

 

 

 

 

[RKinner]

Go in to the Setup  (F2) and set the time.  Also set it to its default values.  Change the boot order so it doesn't look for a Floppy first.  Save and Exit.

 

Does it still complain that the battery voltage is low?  Perhaps you put the battery in backwards?

 

We can worry about it when you get back from your trip if you want to.  I never lock the posts so just reply when you get back.

[Channeal]

I had already set the time and only got the message about it once. I have just set to default values and corrected the boot order again so it doesn't look for the floppy drive first.

One very strange thing which happened when I reconnected the electricity supply after changing the battery was that the computer turned itself on immediately, without me touching the switch on the tower.

I have only the original drive (the one we previously called the no-boot drive) connected again now. ll I try to boot now, I get 2 beeps together with a screen with the option to select F1 or F2. Selecting F1 now once again gives me the option to start with either XP or the Recovery Console. Selecting XP now causes a BSOD to flash up very briefly (not for long enough to read anything) - and the computer then restarts all over again!

Leaving this until I come back from my travels seems like an excellent idea!

Thank you.

[RKinner]

There is an option in the BIOS setup on many PCs to reboot as soon as power comes back on after a power failure.  Sounds like it got turned on.

 

If you can get into the Safe Mode menu there is an option to Disable Automatic Start on System Failure.

 

Two Beeps means a POST error.  There should be something on the monitor that tells what failed.  

 

Get back to this when you can.  No hurry.

[Channeal]

Okay then..... I disabled the automatic restarting thing and the BSOD is now showing. The code is 0x0000007B which it appears is to do with the boot device not being inaccessible.

Am stuck on the blue screen now. How do I get out of it to shut down? Or do I just turn it off at the power switch on the tower?

Thank you.

[RKinner]

Power Off will work.  Ctrl + Alt + Delete may work.

 

Go in to the BIOS Setup and see if it sees your drive.  If it does then look for the section that talk about RAID.  Try the different options.

[Channeal]

Okay, thanks. Got back into the BIOS and can confirm that both drives are detected therein when connected up. (I only have the drive with the clone on connected at the moment, as I tried them both separately).

When I try to alter the RAID options, it gives me a message about how it might prevent me from booting, or require a reinstall. Just double-checking that this is okay. Also, does it matter if I do this with only one drive connected up, or should I connect both drives first?

[RKinner]

You only need the one drive.  I don't suppose you took my earlier advice and copied down all of the options that were set before the battery change?

 

Change the RAID option will keep it from booting.  That's true.  That's why we want to see if changing it will let it boot.  What are your options for RAID?

 

Are you still getting the 2 beeps at boot.

[Channeal]

I did take your advice and took pictures on my mobile phone, except for the fact that when I got to Drives I thought to myself that nothing would be needed there. And of course, this is exactly where I now find the RAID settings!

The RAID options are: -
RAID autodetect / AHCI
RAID autodetect / AT
RAID on
Combination

The present setting is RAID autodetect / AHCI

No, I don't seem to be getting the 2 beeps now, just the BSOD

Edited by Channeal, 07 August 2016 - 11:11 AM.

[RKinner]

Try Combination.