HD works in one comp, not the other

[Kyle.Buser]

Okay, I'm running some gateway comp with windows xp pro. I convert my
80gig partioned HD to a dynamic disk. I wanted to undo that without
having to reinstall xp, so I tried a system restore (I know, I
know...). After this I got
some error that my HAL.dll file was corrupt and needed to be replaced.
At this point my CD drive decided to stop working, so i couldn't get
into the recovery console via an XP cd. I take the HD out and throw it
into another computer, get the important files that I need off of it,
and proceed to try and fix the installation with an XP CD. This got
interrupted part of the way through, and for some reason I had to take
out the HD, when I put it back in it was not connected the same way,
and the drive letters assigned to the two hds in the box were jumbled.
The next time the comp booted up (with the xp cd in) it went back to
its position trying to restore the installation, however (i think) it
was trying to restore the wrong drive, and ended up corrupting that
installation as well. I was able to eventually fix that drive, and
reinstall XP on the original drive. Both drives were bootable on the
2nd machine. I take my original drive back out thinking all my problems

are gone and place it back into its original machine. My comp kept
trying to boot via PXE (pre-boot eXecution environment) and wouldn't
boot from the HD or CD. I disabled PXE and it tells me I have no boot
methods or something along those lines. I attached an external CD
drive, put in the XP cd and boot up. I get into the recovery console,
rebuild my boot file, and restart. No results. I tried creating a
bootable USB thumb drive but that didn't work. I'm well aware of what
I've done wrong, but how can I fix this? Why is the first host of the
HD acting so weird?


KrB

 

[Rod Speed]

Okay, I'm running some gateway comp with windows xp pro. I convert my
80gig partioned HD to a dynamic disk. I wanted to undo that without
having to reinstall xp, so I tried a system restore (I know, I
know...). After this I got
some error that my HAL.dll file was corrupt and needed to be replaced.
At this point my CD drive decided to stop working, so i couldn't get
into the recovery console via an XP cd. I take the HD out and throw it
into another computer, get the important files that I need off of it,
and proceed to try and fix the installation with an XP CD. This got
interrupted part of the way through, and for some reason I had to take
out the HD, when I put it back in it was not connected the same way,
and the drive letters assigned to the two hds in the box were jumbled.
The next time the comp booted up (with the xp cd in) it went back to
its position trying to restore the installation, however (i think) it
was trying to restore the wrong drive, and ended up corrupting that
installation as well. I was able to eventually fix that drive, and
reinstall XP on the original drive. Both drives were bootable on the
2nd machine.

Was that with both in the system at once ? You may well have
manage to generate some weird config that actually uses files
from both drives when booting the drive thats temporarily in that
PC. That means it wont boot in the original PC because it doesnt
actually have the basic boot components on it at all, they're on
the drive that was in that PC you are doing the test in.

I take my original drive back out thinking all my problems are
gone and place it back into its original machine. My comp kept
trying to boot via PXE (pre-boot eXecution environment) and
wouldn't boot from the HD or CD. I disabled PXE and it tells
me I have no boot methods or something along those lines.

Likely thats just a result of PC deciding that neither the HD or CD are
bootable.

I attached an external CD drive, put in the XP cd and boot up. I get
into the recovery console, rebuild my boot file, and restart. No results.

Try operating as if you are doing a clean install of XP, and
when it says it can see an XP install on that system, and asks
if you want to repair it, say yes. That should see it bootable.

I tried creating a bootable USB thumb drive but that didn't work.

Yeah, thats tricky with XP.

I'm well aware of what I've done wrong, but how can I fix this?

See above.

Why is the first host of the HD acting so weird?

Looks like you are thrashing around and making a complete meal of it.

 

[Kyle.Buser]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I would have been fine initially
if I had just attached an external CD drive, booted with the XP CD in
that, and repaired my hal.dll and boot.ini files from the recovery
console.

 

[Rod Speed]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I would have been fine initially
if I had just attached an external CD drive, booted with the XP CD in
that, and repaired my hal.dll and boot.ini files from the recovery
console.

I doubt it.

 

[Kyle.Buser]

Even if fixing those two files hadn't solved my problem. I would have
been able to save almost a full days worth of work. If my CD-ROM hadn't
stopped working, I would have been able to realize my repair didn't
work, and I needed to completely reformat a lot sooner, and also
wouldn't have cause problems on another PC.

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Even if fixing those two files hadn't solved my problem. I would have
been able to save almost a full days worth of work. If my CD-ROM
hadn't stopped working, I would have been able to realize my repair
didn't work, and I needed to completely reformat a lot sooner,

You didnt need to do that, an install in place over the original
install would have made it useable again with no loss of data.

and also wouldn't have cause problems on another PC.

That would have been avoided to if you had known what you were doing too.

 

[Kyle.Buser]

You're wrong.

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

You're wrong.

Nope.

 

[Kyle.Buser]

(e-mail address removed) wrote


Nope.

Yes.

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Rod Speed wrote

Yes.

Nope.

 

[Kyle.Buser]

(e-mail address removed) wrote


Nope.

Yup.