[tdc48]

I've had to reinstall XP Pro on an almost new IBM NetVista (refurb), and it won't let me install the monitor.

- In Add Hardware I'm told that another installation is in progress (not true, or at least it never ends).

- Display - Settings - Advanced - Monitor shows Default Monitor, but Properties is greyed out, so I can't do anything there.

- Nothing happens when I attempt to run the setup off the installation disk.

- I did manage to get the appropriate monitor listed in Device Manager, and the appropriate driver in there as well, but the rest of the system doesn't seem to recognize it.

Rebooting doesn't change anything. Any help would be much appreciated. Two hours on the phone yesterday resulted in nothing.

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Hi
Welcome to geekstogo
Why did you need to reinstall your windows? I'm think that you may have a virus or some spyware on your sytem how did you do the reinstall?

[tazz1964]

Hi
Welcome to geekstogo
Why did you need to reinstall your windows? I'm think that you may have a virus or some spyware on your sytem how did you do the reinstall?

[tdc48]

I had to reinstall because it simply wouldn't work any more - hal.dll file reported to be corrupted.

I have to do the installation with the IBM "Product Recover" disks, i.e. WinXP in some OEM configuration.

[tazz1964]

Hi
run the tools in my signature, spybot then adware then do a hijack log and post back here and some one will look at it and see if any thing needs to be removed.

(spybot: only remove the things in red)
(hijackthis: just post a log don't remove anything until someone that knows how to read it helps you on things that need to be removed if any)

[tdc48]

Thanks, I didn't remove anything because I don't know what they are, but here's the highjack log after running spybot and ad-ware:

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.7
Scan saved at 9:55:21 PM, on 2/21/2004
Platform: Windows XP SP1 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\8TM36J25\HijackThis[1].exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.yahoo.com/
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msdxm.ocx
O9 - Extra button: Related (HKLM)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Show &Related Links (HKLM)
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{34B25DEA-F65C-4575-8078-BE3D4F75F529}: NameServer = 207.108.112.1,204.147.80.5

[admin]

Looks like your installation wasn't completed successfully. Try your recovery disks again. If you get any errors, please reply to this topic and let us know.

[tdc48]

This try at installation was, I believe, the eighth, perhaps ninth. I had it installed to this point, i.e. to the point of the version that thinks it's constantly installing hardware, when I called IBM the other day. They had me install over and over. Sometimes it would hang during installation (at different points), sometimes the screen would go wonky, sometimes it would get to where it is now, looking like a full installation but still not totally functional. Never an error message.

[admin]

Do you have more than one restore option? Maybe a non-destructive restore, and a complete restore? It may be a good idea to try the complete restore, where it formats and reinstalls Windows from scratch. You'd lose all your data though, so make sure you've got important files backed up.

Next the obvious, make sure the CD's are clear of fingerprints and that there aren't any deep scratches.

If not, it's likely one of two problems. First test your memory using memtest86. It's a small program that runs from a bootable floppy. If your memory checks out okay, you may have a bad CD-Rom drive.

[tdc48]

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I'll find and run memtest86 right now. I've run PC Doctor, but it doesn't find anything wrong that I can tell - just keeps reporting PASSED for everything. The IBM techie I spoke with suggested memory might be at fault, or hard disk. (They're sending an on-site repairman second-day-response repairman. Second day from Friday morning is Tuesday.)

As for degrees of restore, no, unfortunately, it appears that XP wrapped up into a product-specific OEM recovery is all-or-nothing only. I have a laptop from another manufacturer, same story. All of the recoveries I've done have been full-blown reformat, etc.

BTW, if it's not the memory, I agree with your assessment - I'm beginning to think that it's either physically the CDs or some glitch in the recovery programming.

[tdc48]

I've run memtest86 1.11 four times. Each time it stops at a little over 9 minutes of "WallTime". The latest was at 09:08 minutes, with Pass 58%, Test 15%.

[tdc48]

Forgot to mention: when memtest hangs, it hangs completely, i.e. ESC doesn't release it, all keys are dead. The only way to get out of it is to unplug the computer.

[admin]

If memtest doesn't complete, either you have bad memory, or your memory timings in BIOS are set too aggressive. If you haven't changed the BIOS setting, you most likley have a bad stick of RAM. Since your IBM tech will be there on Tuesday, you might as well wait for them to confirm.

[tdc48]

The IBM-contracted techie came, seemed to understand little more than I do, and he had no diagnostic tools with him of any kind.

I had run memtest on both my 256 sticks, individually. On one -- the original IBM stick -- it hung every time at just a little over nine minutes of "WallTime." On the other, a stick from Critical Memory that I had added, it went for over an hour and a half reporting no errors, and then the display went wonky. Re-tries resulted in hangs at just past 15 minutes. (He had no concept of what aggressive BIOS means.)

What he did was replace the hard disk with a new refurb, and attempt to reinstall XP and IBM's huge amount of stuff, from the recovery disks IBM had sent me. His install was incomplete, however, as he didn't realize that the long quiet period of loading drivers was as long as it was. In his opinion the machine had hung, gone into a comatose state, so he shut things down in the midst of it.

He then called some sort of IBM software tech number than field repair folks have access to (but, unhelpfully, not ordinary mortals, it seems), and the first thing they told him was to be patient and no matter how long XP *appears* to be comatose during installation, leave it alone and let it do its thing. He started a full erase off my PC Doctor, and left.

I subsequently let the recovery disks have as much time as they wanted in reinstalling, and all seems to be working well so far. Both sticks of memory are now in.

Still mysterious what caused the original mangling of the hal.dll file that signaled the start of this mess. The guess from various IBM sources is bad hard disk, but that's clearly only a guess.

But the upshot, if anyone ever reports problems similar to mine (unrecognized standard monitor, "Properties" greyed out, report from XP Add Hardware that an add process is perpetually under way)... If restore doesn't fix it, it may well be that the first attack should be a complete erase of the hd, and then full -- and very patient -- reinstallation. The latter is crucial, as the driver problems I was having (IBM box not recognizing IBM monitor) were apparently due to interrupted installation.

[admin]

Very interesting. Thanks for the update!

I'd still be concerned at the inability to complete memtest86 successfully. Memtest86 is a widely used, safe and reliable program with a proven track record. Becasue this program runs from a bootable floppy, the condition of the hard drive and/or operating system should have no effect on it. Failure to complete the test indicates some type of hardware failure; most likely the memory, motherboard, or CPU.

I would keep complaining to IBM support until the problem is corrected. Just one example, if your motherboard chipset has a bad northbridge, it could lead to memory errors, as well as data corruption of the hard drive.

P.S. Make sure you've got that latest copy of memtest86 from the author Click Here.

[tdc48]

Many thanks for the link to the latest memtest, as well as encouragement to not sit idly and let Big Blue get away with anything.

The version I had was 1.1, so 3.0 is welcome. I'll let it run its course when I have time, and report results back.