Reinstall/Repair XP Home Edition

[Guest]

I believe my XP Home Edition has become corrupted. Just a few
examples.........The change/delete function is missing from ADD/REMOVE
PROGRAMS, Most of the programs on my computer are NOT listed in ADD/REMOVE
Programs. Messenger is not finding my contact list, some programs are not
functioning, etc. I'm operating on the assumption that the registry is
corrupted.

I have run several anti-virus and spyware programs and find no problem.

Is reinstalling XP advisable ?

Also, when I attempt to reinstall, I get a message saying the version on my
system is newer than the one on the disk and it advises that I must reboot
from the CD. Am I correct in assuming simply means that the existing system
has updates, which obviously are not on the install disk ?

Also, I am having difficulty getting the system to boot from the install
disk. I changed the BIOS to show the cd burner in the first position.
Shouldn't that cause the system to boot from the install cd ?

And guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks !

 

[John Barnett MVP]

Lets take the CD Rom first. When you insert the XP CD into your cd-rom you
need to reboot. As the machine reboots you should see a message which say's
'press any key to boot from cd' Once you press any key the cd should start
and the xp installation procedure begins. If you don't get the 'press any
key' message then check the bios again to see that you have 'saved' your
changes correctly. Visit my website
http://freespace.virgin.net/john.freelanceit/index.htm
Click the Win XP Faq button and look at Question 13

In your instance you could do a repair (see Question 55 on my web site) But
this takes almost as long as a full install. It does only repair the windows
xp files, though. So there is less likelihood of you losing any of your
other files and applications.

If you want to do a clean install (that means clearing everything off your
hard drive and starting from scratch) then i suggest you look at Questions 7
and 85

Hopefully this will guide you through the processes.

 

[Robin Graham]

I believe my XP Home Edition has become corrupted. Just a few
examples.........The change/delete function is missing from ADD/REMOVE
PROGRAMS, Most of the programs on my computer are NOT listed in ADD/REMOVE
Programs. Messenger is not finding my contact list, some programs are not
functioning, etc. I'm operating on the assumption that the registry is
corrupted.

I have run several anti-virus and spyware programs and find no problem.

Is reinstalling XP advisable ?

Also, when I attempt to reinstall, I get a message saying the version on my
system is newer than the one on the disk and it advises that I must reboot
from the CD. Am I correct in assuming simply means that the existing system
has updates, which obviously are not on the install disk ?

Also, I am having difficulty getting the system to boot from the install
disk. I changed the BIOS to show the cd burner in the first position.
Shouldn't that cause the system to boot from the install cd ?

And guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks !

Have you tried to do a restore from a previous point?

Rob Graham

 

[Malke]

Have you tried to do a restore from a previous point?

Rob Graham

Two things come to mind:

1. It would be a good idea for you to slipstream your original XP cd
with Service Pack 2 (which you apparently have). Here are links which
show you how easy slipstreaming is:

http://www.msfn.org/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=49
http://www.windows-help.net/windowsxp/winxp-sp2-bootcd.html

2. I'd do some hardware troubleshooting before focusing solely on the
operating system.

a. Get a hard drive diagnostic utility from the drive mftr.'s website.
Usually you will make a bootable floppy. Or you can get SeaTools and
make a bootable cd if you have third-party burning software. Run a
thorough test.

b. Test your RAM with Memtest86+ from www.memtest.org. Download either
the precompiled Windows binary and make a bootable floppy or the .iso
and make a bootable cd. Again, you need third-party burning software to
deal with the .iso. Boot with the media and the test will run
immediately.

I suggest this because your problems could also be caused by failing
hardware and no amount of fussing about with software will cure that.

Post back if you need more help.

Malke

 

[Guest]

Thanks all for your replies and suggestions.

I have run a hardware check and found no problems.

John, your suggestion of booting from the install CD makes the most sense to
me at this time. I feel really stupid, but, I can't get this to happen.
When I reboot, I hit delete which takes me to the BIOS setup. I changed the
CD drive to the first boot position, saved the changes and the system
automatically reboots. However, it does not reboot from the CD. Also, I do
not get the message "press any key to boot from CD". Where am I going wrong
here ?

Thanks !

 

[Alex Nichol]

I changed the
CD drive to the first boot position, saved the changes and the system
automatically reboots. However, it does not reboot from the CD. Also, I do
not get the message "press any key to boot from CD". Where am I going wrong
here ?

Silly thought? But you *did* put the CD in the drive before trying to
reboot?

 

[Guest]

Yup, that much I was able to handle........and it was the WIN XP CD too !

 

[John Barnett MVP]

When you reboot your machine what exactly happens? Obviously the memory is
checked and the hard drive etc (unless the POST is disabled int he bios,as
it is on my machine) but then what happens. Is the screen black with a
cursor flashing in the top left hand corner? Does the cd light come on? Or
does the boot simply go through the 'post' and then immediately boot to
windows xp?

 

[Guest]

Hi John

Things are going from bad to worse. In an effort to answer your most recent
question, I rebooted several times. Here's what's going on now.............

When I click restart, I am not getting a PBESER~1 error message saying the
memory could not be written (this is a new occurance). Ultimately, the
system reboots. On reboot, it does a memory and system check. The only
option is "hit DEL to enter setup" Then, it attempts to boot from both the
CD and the Floppy Drive (lights light), then the screen goes black and all of
a sudden another message.........Cannot Find NTLDR (this is a new occurance
as well). Then the screen goes black except for a cursor, followed by WIN XP
starting up.

I hope this answers your question and the additional information is helpful
in find a solution to this puzzling and frustrating situation.