H e l p !!? trapped in Repair Install loop - can't get out ! %-

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A friend has a Targa PC with a lot of viruses. We couldn't seem to fix them
all so someone suggested doing a Repair Install from the CD. We've tried
this but it always aborts with 13mins to go. Somebody else said better to do
a FULL re-install but we can't now get out of the Repair Install. I've tried
Esc and lots of Fn keys!
I guess there's a file/flag somewhere on C: that tells the CD it's
part-way through. Anybody know where/what that is so I can delete it and
hopefully get the CD to start a FULL install ? Any other way to abort the
Repair ?
I made a DOS boot disk but can't do much in DOS mode (e.g. can't do a
drastic/scary format c:). Help!!! Thanks, Gerry :o)
 
GerryP777 said:
A friend has a Targa PC with a lot of viruses. We couldn't seem to fix them
all so someone suggested doing a Repair Install from the CD. We've tried
this but it always aborts with 13mins to go. Somebody else said better to do
a FULL re-install but we can't now get out of the Repair Install. I've tried
Esc and lots of Fn keys!
I guess there's a file/flag somewhere on C: that tells the CD it's
part-way through. Anybody know where/what that is so I can delete it and
hopefully get the CD to start a FULL install ? Any other way to abort the
Repair ?
I made a DOS boot disk but can't do much in DOS mode (e.g. can't do a
drastic/scary format c:). Help!!! Thanks, Gerry :o)
Click to expand...



Your boot disk will probably only handle FAT formatted media and your
drive is probably on NTFS. I think that the next step will have to be to
use FDISK to remove the disk partition. Then you will be able to format
the drive without any bother and then re-install XP.

IanF
 
GerryP777 said:
A friend has a Targa PC with a lot of viruses. We couldn't seem to
fix them all so someone suggested doing a Repair Install from the CD.
We've tried this but it always aborts with 13mins to go. Somebody
else said better to do a FULL re-install but we can't now get out of
the Repair Install. I've tried Esc and lots of Fn keys!
I guess there's a file/flag somewhere on C: that tells the CD it's
part-way through. Anybody know where/what that is so I can delete it
and hopefully get the CD to start a FULL install ? Any other way
to abort the Repair ?
I made a DOS boot disk but can't do much in DOS mode (e.g. can't do a
drastic/scary format c:). Help!!! Thanks, Gerry :o)
Click to expand...

Try www.targa.co.uk
 
Easiest way ever made:
Go here:
http://members.tripod.com/~diligent/harddisk.htm
Download "Slate.com Version 1.0 by Jad Saliba" File is Slate10.zip .
Extract the downloaded file to a floppy.
Start the bad computer with your other boot disk.
When you see the A:> prompt, take out Dos and insert Slate.
Type after the >Slate 1 then press Enter. All info on HD is destroyed.
It takes seconds. Take out floppy, put in XP CD, reboot.
XP setup starts. Obviously, you'll use All the space, I'd go NTFS,any
other choices will be obvious, I hope.
 
Hi Dan,

Sounds great. I tried to download Slate10 but it repeatedly times out
(trying garbo.uwasa.fi) - do you know of a mirror site I can get it from ?
 
Believe me, I would if I could but I'm trapped in a Repair 'loop' where
booting off the CD allow nothing except continuing with the Repair ... I
can't get out and it offers no other options! Do you think there's
something wrong with the CD (it kept hanging with an ominous 13mins to go!)
and now won't do anything else but restart the "repair".
I wondered about trying my own Dell XP CD but it says for use only on Dell
machines -- his is a Targa.
Any ideas ? Thanks, Gerry
 
Gerry,

You have struggled with this problem since 16th November (perhaps well
before that) and yet you haven't made any progress. This indicates
technology is not your forte.

Have you thought of hiring somebody to fix this for you once and for all
so that you can move forward to the next problem!

You need to wipe your HD before you can now install XP. Clearly, you
haven't got a clue how to do this and you are not able to follow
instructions given on this NG.

Could you make sure you copy the replies given here in your messages so
that people can follow what is going on.

Thank you.
 
Hi Dix, it's a Targa recovery CD. Bear in mind this is not my system so I
don't know how it got like it is but my friend has shown me everything he
thinks he had with the system and it's the only XP CD he has. I was
surprised it failed in the Repair Install but then I expected it to offer me
to continue or restart or abort or something so that I could go for a Full
Install however it is stuck in a loop.
Somebody suggested using FDISK to format the HDD in the hope that the CD
would then offer me a Full Install so I'm hoping to try that next time I
visit him.
Thanks for your help so far - any other advice/warnings? Thanks, Gerry :o)
 
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