Chkdsk disaster

[Menno Hershberger]

I wasn't too happy with Bill when....
I restarted my computer (clean shutdown) and chkdsk decided to run. I
couldn't really understand WHY it ran, but I let it go and I watched as
it kept saying something about an invalid path and I notice "Microsoft
Office" in the majority of those long paths. When it got done and
finished booting (I was lucky it even booted), all my MS Office stuff
(Word, Excel, Publisher) was gone. Only blank looking icons on the
desktop remained. Over 3000 files in the folder FOUND.000. I tried to
reinstall the office suite but I got an error "couldn't create directory
Program Files\Microsoft Office". It turns out that chkdsk had created a
FILE named Microsoft Office in the Program Files folder, exactly 16 Kb.
So I deleted that and finally got the installation going again. I ran
into about 4 more of those "couldn't create directory" deals and it was
the same thing. So I found the offending files and deleted them and
finally got all my Office stuff reinstalled. Two other applications also
got wiped out in the same manner.
I have NO idea what triggered chkdsk in the first place. If I'd had
any idea what was going to happen, I could have aborted it before it ever
got started, and I'll bet money everything would have been intact!
No help needed... just venting
If it ever happens to you, you'll know you weren't the first.

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

Have you had a look in Event Viewer to see if there is an entry that might tell you what caused your problem?

--

Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User


| I wasn't too happy with Bill when....
| I restarted my computer (clean shutdown) and chkdsk decided to run. I
| couldn't really understand WHY it ran, but I let it go and I watched as
| it kept saying something about an invalid path and I notice "Microsoft
| Office" in the majority of those long paths. When it got done and
| finished booting (I was lucky it even booted), all my MS Office stuff
| (Word, Excel, Publisher) was gone. Only blank looking icons on the
| desktop remained. Over 3000 files in the folder FOUND.000. I tried to
| reinstall the office suite but I got an error "couldn't create directory
| Program Files\Microsoft Office". It turns out that chkdsk had created a
| FILE named Microsoft Office in the Program Files folder, exactly 16 Kb.
| So I deleted that and finally got the installation going again. I ran
| into about 4 more of those "couldn't create directory" deals and it was
| the same thing. So I found the offending files and deleted them and
| finally got all my Office stuff reinstalled. Two other applications also
| got wiped out in the same manner.
| I have NO idea what triggered chkdsk in the first place. If I'd had
| any idea what was going to happen, I could have aborted it before it ever
| got started, and I'll bet money everything would have been intact!
| No help needed... just venting
| If it ever happens to you, you'll know you weren't the first.
|
| --
| There are 3 kinds of people: Those who can count & those who can't.

 

[Bob Smalls]

Look at Administrative tools>Event Viewer>Application and look for Winlogon
entries as listed in source.
This will tell you your chkdsk results. Also look for errors regarding NTFS.
It sounds similar to a problem I had with a HDD, seems it was developing bad
sectors, but these (seemingly) are not detected till Windows can't write to
them.
You should really check the disk occasionally, it might prevent such things
happening to you in the future.

I wasn't too happy with Bill when....

<snip out of the blue problem >

 

[Menno Hershberger]

These two "warnings" would have been when I shut down. They were both
listed under "userenv".

"Windows saved user TOPDOG\Menno registry while an application or

service was still using the registry during log off. The memory used

by the user's registry has not been freed. The registry will be

unloaded when it is no longer in use."

"Windows cannot unload your classes registry file - it is still in use

by other applications or services. The file will be unloaded when it

is no longer in use."

There was no WinLogon entry.
Then there was a whole rash of MsiInstaller errors from when I was
reinstalling all the Office stuff.
I can't remember now exactly WHY I was restarting. If I remember right, I
think I had some process that refused to die (couldn't end task on it).
Thanks for mentioning event manager. I had forgotten all about that.
Unfortunately the chkdsk log wasn't there.

 

[Menno Hershberger]

Yes... see my reply to Bob.
And thanks to you too....