C:\$mft is corrupt (after SP1 express install)

[Bruce Merkle]

Just installed SP1. Now I get many messages telling me

C:$Mft is corrupt and unreadable

And suggesting I run chkdsk, which does not solve the problem.

Any insights, anyone?

Tx,
Bruce

 

[neil]

Have you booted from the CD and ran chkdsk/ then whatever letter it is to
check the drive even when not identified as dirty.
Must admit I can't think of anything else.

Good Luck

Neil

 

[Bruce Merkle]

It has become a long story.

chkdsk/f seemed to take care of the problem for a while, but after an hour
or two, the messages started popping back up, the system slowed down, and
ultimately ran low on resources at one point.

Research at various web sites led me to think that I could repair the
problem by booting with the CD, using the repair console, and running
FIXMBR. But, access to the repair console requires an administrator
password. Now, I -am- the administrator, but my password doesn't work.
Apparently, this password is a for a super secret, super administrator. To
get to (or modify) that password, I believe you need to boot in safe mode,
then press ctl-alt-del twice (for XP Home) (and maybe do a handstand, hey
why not?).

Unfortunately, by then, I couldn't even boot in safe mode, though I could
boot from CD.

I ended up doing a repair installation of XP, which for some reason took two
tries to work, but work it did, or so it seems as of right now. The only
significant thing I can see that needed changing after the repair install
was the computer name, which it didn't seem to keep. The installed software
packages seemed to stay intact.

Of course, I'm half expecting the problem to re-appear tomorrow.

So, to summarize:

I set out to install SP1 express, quite innocently. 11 hours later I am
back to XP, pre-service packs, and I am very hesitant to start down the
windows update path again. One wonders why a Microsoft service pack would
torch the master file table. Or maybe there's a joke I'm just not getting.
I'm surely not laughing.

If anyone else chooses to go this route, be careful to choose the repair
installation, which doesn't wipe out your other installed software.

Bruce


----- Original Message -----
From: "neil" <neilp67@hotmaildotcom (replace dot with .)>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 6:53 PM
Subject: Re: C:\$mft is corrupt (after SP1 express install)

 

[neil]

Wow it is a long story. (I'm sure you're not alone) The administrator
account is a failsafe in case all other account names are lost. Is it
possible the administrator account password is blank.? If you need to run
chkdsk from the repair console as with FIXMBR or FIXBOOT you need the
administrator account password. Your current user name as with any other
account name you setup can have administrator privileges but that is not the
same as the administrator account.
If you want to try, boot from the CD and when asked for the administrator
password just press return.
If you feel brave have a look at http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
nothing nasty on the website but it does offer a solution to resetting the
administrator password.

Best of luck
Neil

 

[Bruce Merkle]

I think there may also be a problem with administrator's password when the
system is loaded by disk copying/imaging utilities as OEM's do. Seems I
found something like that in my research. Maybe there's a patch for it, I'm
not sure. Given this experience with windows update, how likely am I to try
to apply it? <g>

Bruce

 

[neil]

Hmm....
Only dealt with proper installs myself. If it's an OEM they should have
documented what the administrators password was set to.
Personally I've not had a problem with SP1 or other patches, but I
understand your reluctance to try them out.

all the best

Neil