Windows XP Help?? Windows Stuck in Safe Mode on Log on Page - mouse won't work - need my data...

[Kittikatt60]

New Computer, I have a MacBookPro laptop with Dual OS - Leopard on Mac and Windows XP Professional, well two months of trying to get Windows to opperate correctly. Unbelievable! I've re-installed XP SP2 too many times to count, finally had it up and thought it was running fine for the last week, then I went over to the Mac OS tried accessing windows through boot camp, it shut down the Mac OS, then when I tried to go back to boot windows directly, I received the damning <windows root> \system32\hal.dll file is missing or corrupt - again.

I've gone through a bunch of posts, tried a number of the instructions, and now have a worse issue, my computer is now stuck at the User Log in Page in safe mode with Windows, I'd disabled everything for start up in Configuration Utility and "checked" start up in safe mode there too, so now I can't get it out of it, and since my mouse and keyboard won't opperate in safe mode, I get to the log in page to select user but the mouse just won't move and pressing "CTRL +ALT+DLT" no response.

In the Recovery Counsole when I rean CHKDSK /r this is what it came back with...
"The volume appears to contain or or more unrecoverable problems."
97638572 kilobytes total disk space.
90877508 kilobytes are available.

406 bytes in each allocation unit.
24409643 total allocation units on disk.
22719377 allocation units available on disk.

So what does that mean? Not sure what the " volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems" means when it's not telling me what they could possibly be. Thoughts anyone? As I truly need to save my data....

If anyone knows or has some good advice on how to get windows back up and running correctly, and without wiping out my data - as I can't get it backed up, I would be tremendously grateful...
2 months of this is really enough, dying to use my system, and praying that I can and will...

Thanks so much,
Kitti

 

[muckshifter]

You are going to need 'professional' assistance, from a good (damn good) PC/Mac shop, or a data recovery company.

Despite the fact you can install XP on that Mac, 98% of PC shops will turn you away and tell you to go to a Mac authorised dealer ... shame on them, cos they may actually be able to help, if they know how.

I would put your hard drive in to a PC, as a slave drive, and use something like Spinrite to "try" and recover your data.

What may have happened is, the Mac & Windows partitions have cross-corrupted one another hence the error message. A little hard to explain.

Data recovery ain't cheap, and none will guarantee any success, how valuable is your data?


Sorry I can't help with a quick fix.

 

[Kittikatt60]

Almost fixed... Now System Configuration Utility issue....

Here's what worked: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184
I followed the instructions above and once I finished, After re-booting, I selected Microsoft Windows XP Professional and the System Configuration Utility came up.
On the “General” tab, it shows that the Start Up Selection is on “Selective Startup” with everything checked, but what’s marked “Using Modified BOOT.INI
Tried to change it to “Normal Startup – load all device drivers and services” then re-start.

Windows came back up, but so did the System Configuration Utility and still showing that it was starting up with “Selective Startup”
Now just need to figure out how to start it up in “Normal”, if in fact that’s possible. Will keep you posted and if anyone has any further suggestions, that would be much appreciated.

I do hope this will help all the others that have run into the same issue, which I have found is caused by the Parallels Desktop by they way, not Microsoft, and that start having issues by getting the dreaded " hal.dll " file is missing or corrupt on a direct Boot to Windows.

Very long and sleepless night….

Kitti

 

[muckshifter]

Well done ...


I'm afraid it is one of the 'jobs' that is best done if I had the thing in front of me ... I'm quite sure I could get your data off, not sure if it will 'boot' properly without at least a "dirty install" of the OS.

You are quite right about the dreaded "hal.dll" error, you may wanna try a dirty install ... it should not affect your data, but then I can't guarantee that.

I am used to dealing in PCs, not seen a Mac in my workshop for some time.