URGENT: Windows Xp Pro help needed

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hi there thanks for taking the time to read this message.

allthough i dont think its a hardware problem i listed it here.


well i got two harddrives one is a western digital caviar 120gb and one is a western digital caviar 160gb. On the 160gb i have got windows xp set up.

i have had this version on windows xp running for around 1 year. but 2weeks ago, i started up the computer. bios run normally and everything seemed fine. But just past bios normally when the black screen comes up with windows xp it didnt. all that happened after bios was that the screen went black and there was a cursor flashing on the top left of the screen. The orange lite for the harddisk was on for around 10 seconds. then this bacl screen came up, pressing nething on the keyboard woulndt work.

So i decided to put the windows xp cd in to attempt a recover of startup files as i am sure it is this problem. i got into setup screen but there was no way i could press R or f10 to repair. all i could do was setup a new windows installation.

so i decided to go to the 120gb hardrive and set up windows xp on that . this worked and i set up the 160gb as slave just to check my files. and it works to so im happy abt that.


people tell me to "reinstall windows" and everything will be alrite!!! no way i dont want to do that you r talking abt setting and program files that took me 8 months to sort out!!!! reinstalling windows will be ,my last option.
i done this long time back and noticed that all my programs were not registered to me!!!! thaths hurtful!!!!!!

so what does everyone think i should do!!!!!! this is really getting to me!!!! i am lost and dont know what to do?

P~L~E~A~S~E A~D~V~I~S~E~

thanks
 

Ian

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Well, it sounds like you have a corrupt installation somehow... I think if you did chose to "reinstall windows" on your old hard disk, it may actually keep your settings (I know Win98 worked like that).

You could back up all your data and give it a go, as a last chance option? Have you tried running "chkdsk" on the large drive when booting from the working one?
 
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well if u mean did i run a scandisk before windows startups
yes i did and it told me lots of 'corrupt files' and it corrected them but there was LOTS of them!!! then i tried the harddrive it still woundlt work..

i remeber reinstalling xp all my program files were in a different folder and registrered to my old name!!!! thaths so annoying.

maybe i could clone the WHOLE HARDDRIVE! to a 200gb drive then try what u say1 im bearing it in mind.

thanks
]
 

muckshifter

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psd99

Re-Installing XP 'over the top' of itself will not/should not hurt any programs already installed, as long as your programes were installed 'normally'. You will have to get all the updates again for XP though. If you need help re-installing, let us know.

XP does not use 'scandisk', shame about that, you have to use CHKDSK follow the instructions using CHKDSK /F and if it reports you have and "bad sectors" replace the drive. :(
 
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how sure are you that the program files are not affected? im sure they are. they get placed in a different location to the normal. also all the shortcuts on the start menu vanish. thats hrtful. i know this pc shop that told me if i brang the harddrive in they could possibly fix it. so its worth a shot!!!

even if it costs 50quid i mean what is 104gb of your personal data worth? priceless!!!!#
 

muckshifter

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Please yourself, its up to you ... If you don't know what your doing, pay for someone to do it for you.

I can assure you, installing Windows over the top of itself does NOT effect the operation of any software that was installed properly.

what is 104gb of your personal data worth? priceless!
Correct, that's why I back-up my data on a regular bases. Again I've never lost any date through having to re-install window. But then I know what I'm doing.

I still think you have a faulty hardrive that needs replacing. :)
 
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im sure its not a faulty drive but then again u can never say never. but im sure tis to do with the startup files prehaps they are corrupt!!!

im hoping so in vain so this problem is sorted thanks
 
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Hi psd99,
I'd like to go back to basics. I notice that people are saying its a corupt installation, but you stated it sarted at a 'boot'... this tells me your boot sector could be bad..... or otherwise. If your 0 sector is out... your outta luck!! That's the bad news...


So, have you gone into the bios during boot up? Do you know how? If you do go into the bios during boot process and check your drive does it see it?

Before I go on let me know if you've resolved this or not before I ramble on. Goodluck.
 
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Dear Charlotte.

thanks for your reply. well thats what im thinking my boot sector is finished could i somehow rewrite this?

im very sure that both m,y harddrive get detected on boot up , as i can access them both from the new version of windows xp i have installed on the 120gb.

i took it to the pc shop. the man told me to 'hang myself!' as he reckoned he couldnt find ' the 8mb sector' something like that.

ive come to terms with losing my programs. but to be really honest im glad that i still got my impressive 50gb of music and all my files. thats the main thing if i cant sort this problem out

thanks polease reply
 

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