Ongoing HD problem:

[Navyguy]

Hello Dave,
I successfully deleted both the C: partition and the E: partition
and formatted it with the long version using NTFS and installed a
fresh copy of XP and everything ‘seemed’ to go ok. Oddly it didn’t
ask me how big I wanted to make the partition or give a
highlighted number which it did the last time.

This is normal behavior if you are creating one partition out of *all*
of the remaining Unallocated Space. Frankly, it's been a while since I
have done this, but that's my recollection of how it works.

However it now
shows the same (3) partitions again, 125MB FAT (EISA
Configuration) – healthy, Partition C: has 127.87GB NTFS - healthy
and the other is Unallocated with 21.06 GB. How is that possible?!

That's a very good question!

Since I wasn't present to observe, I have no idea how to answer that
question. But I wouldn't worry about it because you can always use a
third-party partition manager at some point in the future to take that
21.06GB and put it back into C: where you had originally intended it to
go. (Or you could even create a partition out of it and resize both
that one and C: like I said in the other post if you want to keep all
your data on one partition. It's not necessary, but many people do seem
to have a preference to do that.)

 I swear I checked it afterwards and it showed only (1)
partition!@!@ I wouldn’t have proceeded any further if it showed
more than (1) partition. I would have started over.

Stuff happens. Don't sweat it. Although I understand your frustration,
it's all good.

After it finished and brought to the desktop I right clicked it >
properties > settings to change the resolution but this time when
I slide the bar it gave me (3) choices of settings whereas last
time it only gave me (2).  I just went back to check and it had
reverted back to the two choices either 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768,
but I know there was another setting in-between that I chose. This
is weird, first the partition changing and now the settings on the
desktop!

You need to reinstall all your drivers. You can find them either on the
drivers disk you hopefully have or download them from the Dell support
site. Just enter your tag number and you will get a choice of all
possible drivers for that model. In order to determine which drivers to
use for *your* particuar PC, go to Device Manager and note every item
that has a question mark (or is it exclamation mark?).

 > In any case, afterwards I clicked on Start > All Programs >

Windows Update and download (1) update before I saw the Microsoft
Update on the tab above. So I selected it instead and then
proceeded to download updates e.g. SP2, SP3, IE7 and 29 more
updates and MSN Live Mail. I initially set it for automatic
updates but afterwards I set it to Notify versus Automatic.

I then installed my Santa Cruz Turtle Beach (speakers etc) – which
had an error installing
iKernel.exe(0x2000).

You may want to start another thread specifically for what appears to
be hardware driver issues.

I had to restart the computer and I thought the Bios might be set
to boot from the CD/ROM so I did a F12. However it looked
completely different than before and gave me the following:
1.     Normal
2.     Boot from C:
3.     Boot from CD/ROM

I selected the Normal option and it booted fine and returned to
the desktop.

I then installed and updated Avira which found (3) warnings, it
use to have (2). Since you said not to worry about the two I
previously mentioned I didn’t but here is the 3rd warning:
C:\Documents and Settings\owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files [0] Archive type: CAB(Microsoft) --> FP_AX_CAB_INSTALLER.exe
[WARNING] No further files can be extracted from this archive.

False positives.

I then installed and updated Windows Defender and did a scan which
came out clean

Installed Hive cleanup

Installed and updated Spybot and did a scan which found (10)
problems (I have their names if interested), I fixed (deleted)
them and then ran it again and it found (1) problem and fixed
that, then ran it for a third time and it came out clean.

Installed and scanned with Sea Tools and ran a Long DST scan which
passed and ran a Long Generic Scan which also passed.

I then did a chkdsk and it said warning F parameter not specified.
Running chkdsk in read only mode. It gave me the same results as
before that Widows found problemswith the file system. Run Chkdsk
with the /f (fix) option to correct these.

I'm curious as to what this issue is.

Apparently it's common. See:

<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%
22f+parameter+not+specified+running+chkdsk+in+read+only+mode%22>

(watch the wrap)

Why don't you tell us the *exact* command you typed in. Perhaps there
was an inadvertant typo and checkdisk thinks you want to scan F:, which
doesn't exist!

I'm pretty sure you need to hit the space bar before the slash:

chkdsk /f

Another way to run checkdisk:

Double-click My Computer, right-click C:, and select Properties. Click
the Tools tab and then on the "Check Now" button. When you get the
check disk options, just check the top one. If you have lots of time,
you can select the other one, too. This will run the first thing after
you reboot.

This is probably a mute point at present, but on Live Hotmail do
you know of a way that I can remove the ads that appear to the
right to increase the size of the page?

I don't use Live Hotmail. Do you use the Web to read your e-mail? If
so, there are many ways to block those kinds of ads, but I'm not sure
it would increase the size of the page. One method is to use a Hosts
file:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Or you can use a browser like Firefox with an AdBlock plugin.

So now what am I to do? I’m back where I started from. I wouldn’t
have proceed if I saw that my HD had more than (1) partition and
as I said I checked this immediately afterward to make sure it had
only (1) partition. That was the whole point of doing this along
with eliminating the other problems.

Again, I'm not sure why it happened, but there are third-party
partition resizing programs that will get you to where you want to go.
Personally, I wouldn't waste any more time with reinstalling XP.

Gparted is one such program:

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

You can create a live CD.

Another is Boot It Next Generation:

<http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downloads-bootit-next-generation.htm>

(watch the wrap)

You can try that one free for 30 days.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi Dave,

Here are my replies to some of your questions;

You need to reinstall all your drivers. You can find them either on
the drivers disk you hopefully have or download them from the Dell
support site. Just enter your tag number and you will get a choice of
all possible drivers for that model. In order to determine which
drivers to use for *your* particuar PC, go to Device Manager and note
every item
that has a question mark (or is it exclamation mark?).

I checked this and none have a exclamation mark or question mark.

I then installed and updated Avira which found (3) warnings, it use to
have (2). Since you said not to worry about the two I previously
mentioned I didn’t but here is the 3rd warning:
C:\Documents and Settings\owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files [0] Archive type: CAB(Microsoft) --> FP_AX_CAB_INSTALLER.exe
[WARNING] No further files can be extracted from this archive.

I'm curious as to what this issue is.

The only issue was that it was a warning found by Avira and I didn’t
know if I should ignore it or be concerned?

Why don't you tell us the *exact* command you typed in. Perhaps there
was an inadvertant typo and checkdisk thinks you want to scan F:,
which doesn't exist!

At C:\Documents and Settings\Owner> I typed chkdsk

I'm pretty sure you need to hit the space bar before the slash:
chkdsk /f

Yes, I know about the spacing but I did not run a chkdsk /f. Perhaps
this is the usual warning it gives when typing chkdsk? I ran it again
and the warning is there again so this seems plausible, I just
mentioned it because I had never seen it before.

I don't use Live Hotmail. Do you use the Web to read your e-mail? If
so, there are many ways to block those kinds of ads, but I'm not sure
it would increase the size of the page. One method is to use a Hosts
file:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

I use MSN Live Hotmail to read my emails, so I guess yes I use the
Web. I didn't realize there was any other way, I've used Hotmail since
being on the Internet. I use to have a host file which obviously was
removed when I reinstalled XP.

Or you can use a browser like Firefox with an AdBlock plugin.

As I understand it, Firefox would replace IE7 and you would have to
basically build your own browser. I started to try it once but that’s
why I didn’t go any further with it.

Again, I'm not sure why it happened, but there are third-party
partition resizing programs that will get you to where you want to go.
Personally, I wouldn't waste any more time with reinstalling XP.

The partition issue aside, I’m still left with the chkdsk /f problem
(hanging in step 2 of 3 - verifying indexes) and I can’t just ignore
the file problems chkdsk found. I have scheduled chkdsk /f to see if
it works this time.



Robert

 

[Daave]

Hi Dave,

Here are my replies to some of your questions;


I checked this and none have a exclamation mark or question mark.

Does this mean that you had already installed all your drivers? If not,
I'm puzzled why you don't have any items with question marks. If you had
used a Recovery CD that lays down an image of the hard drive the way it
was the day the PC left the factory, I would understand. But you used an
installation disk!

I then installed and updated Avira which found (3) warnings, it use to
have (2). Since you said not to worry about the two I previously
mentioned I didn’t but here is the 3rd warning:
C:\Documents and Settings\owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files [0] Archive type: CAB(Microsoft) --> FP_AX_CAB_INSTALLER.exe
[WARNING] No further files can be extracted from this archive.

I'm curious as to what this issue is.

No issue to be concerned with. It's a false positive.

The only issue was that it was a warning found by Avira and I didn’t
know if I should ignore it or be concerned?

Ignore it.

At C:\Documents and Settings\Owner> I typed chkdsk


Yes, I know about the spacing but I did not run a chkdsk /f. Perhaps
this is the usual warning it gives when typing chkdsk? I ran it again
and the warning is there again so this seems plausible, I just
mentioned it because I had never seen it before.

You are correct. That is normal behavior. Either use the /f switch or
run Checkdisk thusly:

Double-click My Computer, right-click C:, and select Properties. Click
the Tools tab and then on the "Check Now" button. When you get the
check disk options, just check the top one. If you have lots of time,
you can select the other one, too. This will run the first thing after
you reboot.

I use MSN Live Hotmail to read my emails, so I guess yes I use the
Web. I didn't realize there was any other way, I've used Hotmail since
being on the Internet. I use to have a host file which obviously was
removed when I reinstalled XP.

The other way to read e-mail is by using an e-mail program.

Outlook Express comes with XP, and many people use it for *both* e-mail
*and* newsgroups. There are a number of other e-mail programs, including
Mozilla's Thunderbird. In order to use an e-mail client, you will need
to have the information provided by your e-mail service provider: user
name and password and various settings. You might find this page
helpful:

http://email.about.com/cs/oetipstricks/qt/et041202.htm

I've never used it, but a number of people have been using Windows Live
Mail:

http://emailsupport.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!5D6F5A79A79B6708!5359.entry

As I understand it, Firefox would replace IE7 and you would have to
basically build your own browser. I started to try it once but that’s
why I didn’t go any further with it.

You can run both Firefox and IE7. You have the option of specifying one
or the other as your default browser. If you would rather not "build
your own" as you put it by using addons, you may want to try Opera
instead, which is quite good and can also block ads (but without any
addons):

http://www.opera.com/

Oh, and it's free.

The partition issue aside, I’m still left with the chkdsk /f problem
(hanging in step 2 of 3 - verifying indexes) and I can’t just ignore
the file problems chkdsk found. I have scheduled chkdsk /f to see if
it works this time.

Yes, that is the proper way to run Checkdisk. (Or try the other method
outlined above.)

 

[Navyguy]

m:

This is normal behavior if you are creating one partition out of *all*
of the remaining Unallocated Space. Frankly, it's been a while since I
have done this, but that's my recollection of how it works.

That's a very good question!

Since I wasn't present to observe, I have no idea how to answer that
question. But I wouldn't worry about it because you can always use a
third-party partition manager at some point in the future to take that
21.06GB and put it back into C: where you had originally intended it to
go. (Or you could even create a partition out of it and resize both
that one and C: like I said in the other post if you want to keep all
your data on one partition. It's not necessary, but many people do seem
to have a preference to do that.)

Stuff happens. Don't sweat it. Although I understand your frustration,
it's all good.

You need to reinstall all your drivers. You can find them either on the
drivers disk you hopefully have or download them from the Dell support
site. Just enter your tag number and you will get a choice of all
possible drivers for that model. In order to determine which drivers to
use for *your* particuar PC, go to Device Manager and note every item
that has a question mark (or is it exclamation mark?).

 > In any case, afterwards I clicked on Start > All Programs >

You may want to start another thread specifically for what appears to
be hardware driver issues.

I had to restart the computer and I thought the Bios might be set
to boot from the CD/ROM so I did a F12. However it looked
completely different than before and gave me the following:
1.     Normal
2.     Boot from C:
3.     Boot from CD/ROM
I selected the Normal option and it booted fine and returned to
the desktop.
I then installed and updated Avira which found (3) warnings, it
use to have (2). Since you said not to worry about the two I
previously mentioned I didn’t but here is the 3rd warning:
C:\Documents and Settings\owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files [0] Archive type: CAB(Microsoft) --> FP_AX_CAB_INSTALLER.exe
[WARNING] No further files can be extracted from this archive.

False positives.

I'm curious as to what this issue is.

Apparently it's common. See:

(watch the wrap)

Why don't you tell us the *exact* command you typed in. Perhaps there
was an inadvertant typo and checkdisk thinks you want to scan F:, which
doesn't exist!

I'm pretty sure you need to hit the space bar before the slash:

chkdsk /f

Another way to run checkdisk:

Double-click My Computer, right-click C:, and select Properties. Click
the Tools tab and then on the "Check Now" button. When you get the
check disk options, just check the top one. If you have lots of time,
you can select the other one, too. This will run the first thing after
you reboot.

I don't use Live Hotmail. Do you use the Web to read your e-mail? If
so, there are many ways to block those kinds of ads, but I'm not sure
it would increase the size of the page. One method is to use a Hosts
file:

Or you can use a browser like Firefox with an AdBlock plugin.

Again, I'm not sure why it happened, but there are third-party
partition resizing programs that will get you to where you want to go.
Personally, I wouldn't waste any more time with reinstalling XP.

Gparted is one such program:

You can create a live CD.

Another is Boot It Next Generation:

(watch the wrap)

You can try that one free for 30 days.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi Dave,

Here are my replies to some of your questions;

You need to reinstall all your drivers. You can find them either on
the drivers disk you hopefully have or download them from the Dell
support site. Just enter your tag number and you will get a choice of
all possible drivers for that model. In order to determine which
drivers to use for *your* particuar PC, go to Device Manager and note
every item
that has a question mark (or is it exclamation mark?).

I checked this and none have a exclamation mark or question mark.

I then installed and updated Avira which found (3) warnings, it use to
have (2). Since you said not to worry about the two I previously
mentioned I didn’t but here is the 3rd warning:
C:\Documents and Settings\owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files [0] Archive type: CAB(Microsoft) --> FP_AX_CAB_INSTALLER.exe
[WARNING] No further files can be extracted from this archive.

I'm curious as to what this issue is.

The only issue was that it was a warning found by Avira and I didn’t
know if I should ignore it or be concerned?

Why don't you tell us the *exact* command you typed in. Perhaps there
was an inadvertant typo and checkdisk thinks you want to scan F:,
which doesn't exist!

At  C:\Documents and Settings\Owner> I typed chkdsk

I'm pretty sure you need to hit the space bar before the slash:
chkdsk /f

Yes, I know about the spacing but I did not run a chkdsk /f. Perhaps
this is the usual warning it gives when typing chkdsk? I ran it again
and the warning is there again so this seems plausible, I just
mentioned it because I had never seen it before.

I don't use Live Hotmail. Do you use the Web to read your e-mail? If
so, there are many ways to block those kinds of ads, but I'm not sure
it would increase the size of the page. One method is to use a Hosts
file:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

I use MSN Live Hotmail to read my emails, so I guess yes I use the
Web. I didn't realize there was any other way, I've used Hotmail since
being on the Internet. I use to have a host file which obviously was
removed when I reinstalled XP.

Or you can use a browser like Firefox with an AdBlock plugin.

As I understand it, Firefox would replace IE7 and you would have to
basically build your own browser. I started to try it once but that’s
why I didn’t go any further with it.

Again, I'm not sure why it happened, but there are third-party
partition resizing programs that will get you to where you want to go.
Personally, I wouldn't waste any more time with reinstalling XP.

The partition issue aside,  I’m still left with the chkdsk /f problem
(hanging in step 2 of 3 - verifying indexes) and I can’t just ignore
the file problems chkdsk found. I have scheduled chkdsk /f to see if
it works this time.

Robert- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I have another question (not related to the problem) but I thought you
might know. I have a Logitech cordless laser mouse and the pads are
beginning to wear. I went to Radioshack thinking they may have them
but they didn't and have searched online but I don't seem to be able
to find anything other than mouse pads the mouse rests on. Do you know
where I might be able to find them or is my only recourse to buy
another mouse?


Thanks,

Robert

 

[Daave]

I have another question (not related to the problem) but I thought you
might know. I have a Logitech cordless laser mouse and the pads are
beginning to wear. I went to Radioshack thinking they may have them
but they didn't and have searched online but I don't seem to be able
to find anything other than mouse pads the mouse rests on. Do you know
where I might be able to find them or is my only recourse to buy
another mouse?

Sorry, no.

 

[R. McCarty]

You can buy "MouseSkates", a small Teflon pad that goes over the
top of the factory pads. I use them on my Logitech MX Revolution
mouse and they generally last about 3 months before they need to be
replaced. Best to use Goo Gone after pealing off the old pads to get
a clean surface.
Last time I bought them was from Newegg. Here's an example item:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817114140

 

[Navyguy]

Hi Dave,

Here are my replies to some of your questions;

I checked this and none have a exclamation mark or question mark.

Does this mean that you had already installed all your drivers? If not,
I'm puzzled why you don't have any items with question marks. If you had
used a Recovery CD that lays down an image of the hard drive the way it
was the day the PC left the factory, I would understand. But you used an
installation disk!

I then installed and updated Avira which found (3) warnings, it use to
have (2). Since you said not to worry about the two I previously
mentioned I didn’t but here is the 3rd warning:
C:\Documents and Settings\owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files [0] Archive type: CAB(Microsoft) --> FP_AX_CAB_INSTALLER.exe
[WARNING] No further files can be extracted from this archive.

I'm curious as to what this issue is.

No issue to be concerned with. It's a false positive.

The only issue was that it was a warning found by Avira and I didn’t
know if I should ignore it or be concerned?

Ignore it.

At  C:\Documents and Settings\Owner> I typed chkdsk

Yes, I know about the spacing but I did not run a chkdsk /f. Perhaps
this is the usual warning it gives when typing chkdsk? I ran it again
and the warning is there again so this seems plausible, I just
mentioned it because I had never seen it before.

You are correct. That is normal behavior. Either use the /f switch or
run Checkdisk thusly:

Double-click My Computer, right-click C:, and select Properties. Click
the Tools tab and then on the "Check Now" button. When you get the
check disk options, just check the top one. If you have lots of time,
you can select the other one, too. This will run the first thing after
you reboot.

I use MSN Live Hotmail to read my emails, so I guess yes I use the
Web. I didn't realize there was any other way, I've used Hotmail since
being on the Internet. I use to have a host file which obviously was
removed when I reinstalled XP.

The other way to read e-mail is by using an e-mail program.

Outlook Express comes with XP, and many people use it for *both* e-mail
*and* newsgroups. There are a number of other e-mail programs, including
Mozilla's Thunderbird. In order to use an e-mail client, you will need
to have the information provided by your e-mail service provider: user
name and password and various settings. You might find this page
helpful:

http://email.about.com/cs/oetipstricks/qt/et041202.htm

I've never used it, but a number of people have been using Windows Live
Mail:

http://emailsupport.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!5D6F5A79A79B6708!5359.entry

As I understand it, Firefox would replace IE7 and you would have to
basically build your own browser. I started to try it once but that’s
why I didn’t go any further with it.

You can run both Firefox and IE7. You have the option of specifying one
or the other as your default browser. If you would rather not "build
your own" as you put it by using addons, you may want to try Opera
instead, which is quite good and can also block ads (but without any
addons):

http://www.opera.com/

Oh, and it's free.

The partition issue aside,  I’m still left with the chkdsk /f problem
(hanging in step 2 of 3 - verifying indexes) and I can’t just ignore
the file problems chkdsk found. I have scheduled chkdsk /f to see if
it works this time.

Yes, that is the proper way to run Checkdisk. (Or try the other method
outlined above.)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi Dave,
Here are my answers to your questions.

Does this mean that you had already installed all your drivers? If
not, I'm puzzled why you don't have any items with question marks. If
you had used a Recovery CD that lays down an image of the hard drive
the way it was the day the PC left the factory, I would understand.
But you used an installation disk!

Well I don’t understand it myself but perhaps since I didn’t format
the HD, only the partition I didn’t need to load the drivers for
everything? After using the Reinstallation CD, I installed the anti-
virus programs e.g. Avira, Spybot etc and the following (not in
order):

Excel and Word via Microsoft Office XP
Santa Cruz Turtle Beach (sound, speakers)
Dell Image Expert 2000

I do have other CD’s which I chose not to install:

Microsoft Money 2002
Dell Backup for Antivirus and Support software
Drivers and Utilities for Reinstalling V.92 (capable) 56K Telephony
Data/Fax/Voice Modem software for Microsoft Windows
Dell Drivers and Utilities for audio, CD’s, keyboard, mouse, network
video etc (pretty much useless and outdated)

In addition I have CD’s for the following but they weren’t needed:

Microsoft 4000 (ergonomic keyboard)
Dell 1503FP Color Monitor
SetPoint 2.42a Microsft Windows XP (Logitech mouse)

You are correct. That is normal behavior. Either use the /f switch or
run Checkdisk thusly:

Double-click My Computer, right-click C:, and select Properties. Click
the Tools tab and then on the "Check Now" button. When you get the
check disk options, just check the top one. If you have lots of time,
you can select the other one, too. This will run the first thing after
you reboot.

Yes I have run it this way as well with the same results (hanging at
step 2 of 3 - verifying indexes) and I’ve also run the other scan to
check for bad sectors (it does take awhile!).

The other way to read e-mail is by using an e-mail program.
Outlook Express comes with XP, and many people use it for *both* e-
mail *and* newsgroups. There are a number of other e-mail programs,
including Mozilla's Thunderbird. In order to use an e-mail client, you
will need to have the information provided by your e-mail service
provider: user name and password and various settings.

I've never used it, but a number of people have been using Windows
Live Mail:

As I understand it, Firefox would replace IE7 and you would have to > basically build your own browser. I started to try it once but that’s > why I didn’t go any further with it.

You can run both Firefox and IE7. You have the option of specifying
one or the other as your default browser. If you would rather not
"build your own" as you put it by using addons, you may want to try
Opera instead, which is quite good and can also block ads (but without
any addons):

Oh, and it's free.

The problem (for me) is that Microsoft constantly changes its mail
from Hotmail to Outlook to Live Mail, to Live Hotmail. It’s hard to
keep up with them. Also, I don’t like the fact of having everything
all in one place. I like how Live Hotmail automatically signs in and
it ‘seems’ to make the computer run faster; I have put up filters and
blockers etc. I prefer a very simple mail versus all the bells and
whistles that some like. I have heard of Opera and I will look into it
further once I have my computer problems are resolved. In passing, why
is there a problem with using Live Hotmail versus another to read my
emails? I don’t receive that many and I don’t open any that I don’t
know who their from.



Robert

 

[Navyguy]

 You can buy "MouseSkates", a small Teflon pad that goes over the
top of the factory pads. I use them on my Logitech MX Revolution
mouse and they generally last about 3 months before they need to be
replaced. Best to use Goo Gone after pealing off the old pads to get
a clean surface.
 Last time I bought them was from Newegg. Here's an example item:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817114140

Ah, so they are called 'mouse skates' no wonder I couldn't find
anything! Thank you for the link!



Robert

 

[Navyguy]

Hi Dave,

In passing, since I did run the chkdsk and it came back with the same
'Windows found problems with the file system run chkdsk /f' etc. I
scheduled another chkdsk /f and it did the same thing; I let it run
for about 3 hours but it just wouldn't advance. I know it takes awhile
for chkdsk /f to run but it shouldn't take that long and even it it
did I should have seen some activity but it stayed at 0 on step 2 of 3
the entire time and has never gone beyond 10 on any of the previous
trys. The longest I have let it go was 12 hours! I would think that's
more than enough time!

Perhaps at this point I do need to format the HD since I still have
the problem and can't do a chkdsk /f but I would also need to create a
bootable disk and don't know how? In addition, would my Reinstallation
CD work if I did format the HD? I now realize that I when I initially
tried fdisk to check the system information I probably did it wrong in
that I typed the following:

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner>fdisk



Thoughts/Suggestions


Robert

 

[Navyguy]

Again, Robert, since I wasn't there to observe what you did, I really
have no idea what it was. Maybe it was a repair install. Maybe it was
a parallel install. All I know is that it if you used an installation
CD and if you performed a "clean install", you would then need to
install drivers for things such as your motherboard chipset, graphics
card, sound card, network card, etc. I'm afraid I'm getting to the
point that this has become too difficult to assist you in the matter
that I have been. I apologize. The best advice I can offer is to
follow those instructions I gave you earlier to the letter (if you do
choose to reinstall one last time). Drivers can be found on your
drivers disk. More up-to-date ones can be found at dell.com. If you
have further questions, you could post them at the Dell forum:

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/


Actually, this disk is better than nothing at all, and it does
contain all the drivers you need. Then again, what I would do is
download the most up-to-date ones if I were starting from scratch,
but otherwise this CD should come in handy.



Either your hard drive is not healthy or your installation is screwed
up. The Seagate test pronounced your drive healthy. Then again,
nothing is 100%. Maybe your drive *isn't* healthy. And like I said, I
wasn't there to observe the installation, so who knows what all
happened. I had been under the impression you performed a clean
drive. But if you didn't, that could explain what's going on. The
fact that Device Manager doesn't have any indication you need to
install drivers doesn't add up. But didn't you say in another post
there was something wrong with your video settings? That's just about
always a sign that the graphics card driver needs to be installed.
So, I don't know what to make of it. Bottom line: unfortunately, I
have reached the end of the road on this one.


There's no major problem using a Web browser for e-mail. I had asked
the question to confirm that's what you were doing because you
mentioned ads were bothering you, and ads usually appear on Web
pages.

Personally, I like using an e-mail program. I have a number of
different accounts. I created many folders and I created rules so e-
mails wind up going to the folders of my choice. If for some reason I
am unable to go online or if the mail server is down, I still have
access to all my e-mails. I realize for many people this isn't
important; it's just how I like to do things.

I see you have one more post. I'll have a look at it. But I'm pretty
sure that will be my last appearance in this thread. Again, sorry
about that.

All I know is that it if you used an installation CD and if you
performed a "clean install", you would then need to
install drivers for things such as your motherboard chipset, graphics
card, sound card, network card, etc.

Well, if I needed to reinstall all those things e.g. chipset, graphics
card, network card etc. I don’t have the CD’s to do so unless they are
contained on the Reinstallation CD, aside from that all I have are
those previously mentioned. I have gone to the Dell community several
times in trying to resolve this but for some reason after creating an
account I can’t sign in.

But didn't you say in another post there was something wrong with your
video settings?

What I said was that after the installation was complete and I was at
the desktop I changed the screen resolution because it looked too much
like Safe Mode for my tastes. It had (3) settings when I slide the
bar, then later when I checked this while responding to you it had
changed back to (2) settings.

I'm pretty sure that will be my last appearance in this thread. Again,
sorry about that.

You have no need to be sorry, I appreciate all your time, effort and
good advise you’ve given me.


Thanks,

Robert

 

[Navyguy]

Like I said in the other post, I got nothing.

But you can do you own research. When you use Google, use terms like

chkdsk
hours
stuck
xp
solved


No need to create a bootable disk because you already have one. I
suppose you could always create a more up-to-date installation disk
(i.e., one already at SP3 lvel) by using the slipstream process, but
I wouldn't worry about it. If your system was on C: and you formatted
C:, that should have given you a nice, clean install. But again, I'm
not really sure what you did!


The Reinstallation CD *is* what you use if you want to format the
HDD.



As I have said twice already, fdisk is for Windows 95, Windows 98,
and Windows ME. Don't use it!!! Your reinstallation CD has the
ability to format your drive. If you don't want that small Dell
partition (containing their diagnostics, correct?), just pop in the
CD and perform a clean install. Delete *all* the partitions. Create
*one* partition and format it. That is, when you get to the screen
that says:

"The following list shows the existing partitions and..."

press ENTER instead of C. I'm guessing that the last time you pressed
C, which would explain that 20GB or so of unallocated space after you
were all done.

I already gave you a link to a good set of instructions. Here's
another useful Web page:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Remember to boot off the CD!

Good luck. I'm afraid there's nothing more I can offer. I hope you
are able to resolve this situation to your satisfaction.

As I have said twice already, fdisk is for Windows 95, Windows 98, and
Windows ME. Don't use it!!!

I guess I missed it when you pointed that out, I didn’t realize. Again
you have to understand I have been dealing with this for some time so
I’m a little tired and worn.

I already gave you a link to a good set of instructions. Here's
another useful Web page:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

I did copy down the list of instructions from the link you gave me but
will check this site out as well.

Remember to boot off the CD!

Good luck. I'm afraid there's nothing more I can offer. I hope you are
able to resolve this situation to your satisfaction.

I think I will try a clean install again especially after reading Ken
Blakes page and would prefer to have one partition on the HD. Yes, I
will remember to boot off the CD, and again thanks for all your good
help. I appreciate it.



Robert