I don't think you performed a "clean install" correctly. You should
have booted up using the Windows XP CD and elected to DELETE
all partitions, then create a NEW PARTITION, the elect to format
the new partition NTFS. Do not select the "quick format" option.
The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:
NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.
NOTE: If you have an internal Zip Drive installed, physically disconnect the
EIDE and power cable to it before proceeding, otherwise your main
hard drive may not be assigned the customary C: drive letter.
After installing Windows XP, you may then reconnect it.
1. Open your BIOS and set your "CD Drive as the first bootable device".
===> Accessing Motherboard BIOS
===>
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm
2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete all the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.
5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]
6. ==> Immediately after installing Windows XP, turn on XP's Firewall.
==>
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
7. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".
8. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.
9. If you happen to run into any installation difficulties, use the following resources:
How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064
Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm
[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]
Note: If unable to reactivate Windows XP via the internet,
select the "activate by phone" option.
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| > Hi,
| >
| > I've got a retired friend who, for three years, literally pulls the
| > plug on his machine when he gets ANY kind of error. For instance, he
| > runs OE, and if the yellow triangle appears in the lower right hand
| > portion of his screen because when OE went out to the Comcast mail
| > server to check for mail, and the mail server for whatever reason
| > couldn't be reached, he pulls the plug on the machine. When the
| > machine boots back up, the yellow triangle is gone, so he tells me
| > that fixes the problem. There are many other times he pulls the plug,
| > and thinks this solves problems. We've been round and round on
| > this...
| >
| > Lately, during normal operations, and especially after his screen
| > saver comes on (with other programs running in the background), his
| > machine has been displaying an error saying that it can't access the
| > hard drive. I don't know if this is a system error or application
| > error. From what he describes, it sounds like a system error. I'll
| > find out more later. What does he do to make this error go away? He
| > pulls the plug. However, now he's getting thrown into Safe Mode. I
| > get the phone call to help him out.
| >
| > Now, since the Sasser worm is in the news, he swears this is causing
| > his problem. He runs WinME. I know this is an XP ng, but I have a
| > general question, unrelated to a particular OS.
| >
| > I suspect that all the plug pulling and not shutting down orderly,
| > along with never (3 years) defragging, has caused a lot of broken
| > clusters. Could this be true?
| >
| > I suggest a partition, scandisk, and installation of XP.
| >
| > Thanks,
| > Bruce
|
| On May 10, I took time off work and made the 2 hour trip to my friend's
| place to do a clean install of XP from ME. I left home at 8 am and
| arrived back home at midnight. We still have similar, if not the same
| problems, we had with ME. I now don't know if I have a power supply,
| motherboard, memory, BIOS, or hard drive problem.
|
| (I want to thank you all for your input and suggestions, and for
| identifying some of the issues of which I had to be aware.)
|
| Here's what I did. Sorry it's long, but it's mainly lays out the
| process:
|
| 1. Copied out all data and OE address book to cd
| 2. Unplugged all peripherals
| 3. Inserted Microsoft Windows XP Upgrade cd into cd rom (This was a genuine
| Microsoft Windows XP upgrade cd, from Microsoft) turned off machine
| 4. Turned on machine
| 5. System asked if I wanted to do an upgrade or new install
| 6. I said new install.
| 7. System asked to insert qualifying Windows cd; I thought system would
| recognize current WinMe installation, and not ask for cd I called
| Gateway Computer, who told me to insert their Gateway WinMe restore cd,
| which would be the qualifying cd.
| 8. This didn't work. The system said it wasn't a qualifying version.
| Gateway told me to reboot with upgrade cd in cdrom. This time, system asked
| again if I wanted to do an upgrade or new install.
| 9. I said new install, but this time it didn't ask to insert
| qualifying cd, it came up with other options such as scan and write
| zeros to hard drive.
| 10. Gateway told me to write zeros to hard drive, and call them back when
| done. This process took 2 hours. System reported
| back that hard drive had no errors. (Ron, I never did check BIOS for or
| use S.M.A.R.T. utility.) I called Gateway back.
| 11. They told me to reboot, still with upgrade cd in cdrom. (I thought I
| should have repartitioned, but...)
| 12. System again asked if I wanted to do an upgrade or new install.
| 13. I said new install, and I was again presented with the scan, write
| zeros, etc. options. Gateway told me to write zeros. I said but...we
| did that. Why is this pass going to be any different? They told me
| they didn't know why it didn't work, but just try it again, and call us
| back when done. I began the write zero process again.
| 14. Thirty minutes through this two hour process, I got skeptical that this
| session of writing zeros would end any different than the first, and I
| didn't want to deal with Gateway, so I cancelled out and decided to go
| purchase a new hard drive at Best Buy. I got a new hard drive, but
| didn't install it yet.
| 15. Out of curiosity, I decided to start up machine
| with XP upgrade cd still in cdrom, and still with old hard drive. To my
| surprise, system asked if I wanted to do an upgrade or new install
| (rather than the write zero choice again) I said new install.
| 16. System asked to insert qualifying Windows cd I had with me an old
| retail Win95a cd from a long since decomissioned machine of mine. I
| inserted it, and it was recognized as qualifying. Good news?
| 17. System asked if I wanted to create FAT32 (quick), FAT32, NTFS (quick),
| or NTFS partition. I tried both NTFS options, but none would work.
| Sorry, I don't remember the system reponse. Probably due to not completing
| writing of zeros. I choose FAT32 (quick).
| 18. System chugged along, formatted, etc. and asked if I wanted to do
| custom
| or typical XP install. I choose typical.
| 19. After XP was installed, I inserted the Microsoft Security CD, which
| installed SP1, all updates through October 2003, and turned on the
| firewall I then applied a Sasser and Mblast patch I had gotten from my
| IT dept. at work. I verified firwall was enabled, and connected cable
| modem. I configured IE to reach the internet.
| 20. I checked for updates with Microsoft, and installed all 9 that were
| still needed. I installed anti-virus software.
| 21. This one stumped me...before I reconnected two printers, I looked at
| the printers and other hardware panel, and it showed that both my Canon
| and HP printer were installed. I don't understand this. I connected
| both printers, and both communicate and print just fine.
| 22. I installed the old OE address book to the new OE 6. I transfered all
| saved data files to new setup. Set IE homepage to yahoo. Set screensaver
| to 3D flower box. (Seems like minor comments now, but important for later
| remarks.)
| 23. Rebooted machine. Works fine.
|
| My friend wanted to see how to reboot machine, so as not to depend on
| pulling plug, so we did a start\shut down\restart. This time, I got the
| recover screen, asking if I wanted to start with safe mode command
| prompt, normal widows start up, last known good command, etc. I choose
| last known good command, and machine booted up. I restarted again, and
| it booted up fine, but I had a QUEASY feeling. It was 10 pm, and I had a
| two hour drive home. I told my friend to call if he had any problems.
|
| Friend calls next day, says home page is reset to MSNBC and screensaver
| is set to Windows XP. All else is still fine. I say I have no idea at
| this point what has happened, but to call me if needed. Next day I get a
| call that the system is going black screen and then recovery mode, i.e.
| how would you like to start Windows...safe mode, etc. I tell him to
| always use last known good command, which always works. It will do this
| at least a couple times a day, if not more. Now friend blames Windows
| XP, and undercurrents of me, too.
|
| However, the reason we finally upgraded from ME to XP is BECAUSE this
| recovery mode had become more and more frequent under ME. Now it's
| still here under XP.
|
| I'm wondering:
|
| Remember in step 21 that the new XP intall listed my two printers before I
| even connected them to the pc? Could there be ANY remnant of the old ME
| configuration which is still causing this recovery mode to keep coming
| up? I know it sounds unlikely, but...
|
| Believe me, I don't mind installing a new hard drive, but I'm not now
| sure this would solve the problem, unless my admittedly far, far out
| supposition above is true.
|
| I'm no longer curious as to what is causing the problem, I just want to get
| it fixed, but I don't want to install a new hard drive, have the same
| problem, and have my friend look at me like it's my fault or XP's fault.
| (Please, no comments about friendships, as this friend really needs my
| help, and I can take the misplaced criticisms.)
|
| So, if not the disk drive, could it be something else? Pulling the plug
| could have caused hardware problems, as Ron mentions, other than drive
| related. Power supply, motherboard, ram, BIOS?
|
| I guess my next step is to replace the hard drive, and pray.
|
| If you've gotten this far, thanks so very much.
|
| Sincerely,
| Bruce
