Can't Start Windows!

[Gail]

Hi,

After I had to do a full system recovery, I reinstalled all my programs and
updates. Everthing was fine except I had trouble getting rid of automatic
password window at Windows startup. It was using an old user name even
though that name didn't show up in User Accounts. Alot of things were being
stored there and my start menu items were there. Sometimes, they would go to
my only User Account called Owner under the computer name Gail. So, some
were in one place, and some, another. So, yesterday, while in Safe Mode I
took over ownership of as many window files as I could do as I had to keep
opening files within folders. It didn't work to try to take ownership of
everything within a file or program. I was trying to get rid of
Administrators.Gail from permissions. When doing so it removed all
permissions and I added back Owner or added it for the first time. A few of
them had System as one of the permissions that were removed and I did not add
it back. Don't know if that is the problem.

Anyway, after I restarted computer from Safe Mode, it did not reboot. It
went through Windows screen then went blank with a curser. No matter what I
try to do to get back into Windows, I keep getting the blank screen. I can't
get back into safe mode except with a black screen with the safe mode heading
at the top and safe mode in all 4 corners. But there are no icons, start
button or taskbar. Is there anything I can do short of a full destructive
recovery again? Is there a way to do a system restore? I can't get into
safe mode with command prompt, either. Can I at least do a nondestructive
recovery if I have to do recovery?

I hope I am making sense. Can anyone help?

Thank you.

 

[Gail]

By the way, I have windows xp.

 

[John John (MVP)]

Can you mount your hard disk (slave) into another XP computer?

John

 

[Gail]

Thanks for responding. No. CRTL>ALT>DEL doesn't work. Right click either.
Any other ideas?

 

[Gail]

No, I am using my daughter's work laptop and no other computer available.
Wouldn't have any idea on how to do that anyway. Is there a way to get to DOS
or command prompt and a command that would get me somewhere that I can do
something? As you can tell, I don't know alot about computer problems. I
have the recovery CDs that I created when I got the computer, but no xp boot
cd. Is there a way to buy one?

 

[John John (MVP)]

Without another computer to mount your hard disk to you will have a hard
time repairing permission issues. Another way to fix the permissions
would be by installing a second copy of XP (parallel installation) but
you need a real XP cd to do this, perhaps you can borrow one. You don't
have to activate the parallel installation, you will only use it to
change the permissions, after you are done you remove the parallel
installation. If at all possible it is better to put the second Windows
installation on a different partition or disk than your present
installation.

John