Chris--
Are you actually stuck in Safe Mode are stuck with getting the Windows
Advanced Options Menu with Safe Mode as one of the options when you try to
boot? What happens when you start your PC and you don't tap F8? Where do
you go then?
From Safe Mode try running System Restore. Go to your run box and type in
"restore" and then click "rstrui" or anyway you want. I know you can
upgrade ME to XP, but I wouldn't. If you were backed up adequately, I'd
rather not upgrade from ME. If you can't System Restore, try Last Known
Good from that same Windows Advanced Options menu (odds being it won't work,
but it might).
If you can run System Restore, then I'd run System File Checker next. I
don't know if you have XP out of the box, or one of the service packs.
Description of the Windows File Protection Feature
http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...port/kb/articles/Q222/1/93.ASP&NoWebContent=1
Description of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 System File Checker
(Sfc.exe)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310747
I don't know what build of XP you have, in terms of XP RTM, SP1 or SP2,
but I would run System File Checker on it. That can often replace corrupt
files with intact ones. Since you don't have a CD to point to, *you may
have to modify your registry to point to the install files on your hard
drive.* This also would enable you to run SFC pointing to the install
files if you had a service pack without a slip streamed CD. That way you
don't need the CD.
See:
Introduction to using scannow sfc (system file checker)
http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html
Read the section titled: "What about Windows Updates...."
Pay attention to these two points in the article, and then if necessary
follow the rest of it. From the linked article:
#1
You'll want to point your CD to the drive your OS is on by editing the
registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath
to reflect the changed drive letter.
#2
Has the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath
got an incorrect entry? The SourcePath entry does NOT include the path
location till the I386 folder. It completes one folder ahead to reach the
I386 folder.
Example:
If the I386 directory is at C:\I386, the SourcePath value would be C:\
Then, I would upgrade your OS to Windows XP SP2. Again, I don't know
whether you have any service pack now, but it doesn't matter. You can
upgrade XP RTM (out of the box) to SP2, or if you have SP1 you can upgrade
it to SP2. This may also impact your OS performance positively.
If you don't have a current decent backup, and you can't use SR or LKG, then
I'd try to boot from the CD and do a repair/upgrade or inplace install.
Here are links on how:
How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q315341
Doug Knox on Repair Install
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_install.htm
Here are some screenshots of the repair/upgrade no format install to help
you context--whether you have Home or Pro it's going to be the same.
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdrepair/index.htm
A Repair Install will replace the system files with the files on the XP CD
used for the Repair Install. It will leave your applications and settings
intact, but Windows updates will need to be reapplied.
If the inplace upgrade does not work, and it should, then you can do a
parallel install of XP to another folder or partition, but that is
considerably more time consuming because it entails extracting your data
from the other partition. A parallel install is detailed here:
How to install or upgrade to Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316941&Product=winxp
Best,
Chad Harris
________________________________________________
I have tried restarting my computer and tapping F8. I highlight start
windows
normally or reboot and it still goes into safe mode??
Also, I upgraded from millenium to XP Pro and my computer also lost all the
software that was loaded, word, excel etc. Basically the computer has not
been the same since the upgrade. Any help is greatly appreciated.
