Reinstallation erases all?

A

Anton

XP and W2k doesnt boot, I get a black screen and tested reinstallation. Got
a Warning and stopped, it will wipe out all old files, is that true when I'm
not formatting again?
 
D

db.·.. >

there is a repair
option provided
via the windows
xp setup cd.

the repair option
will replace and
repair corrupted
or missing system
files.

the repair option
will preserve your
windows and file
system.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

---------------------------
if you use the other
option involving
reinstallation, then
this option will install
windows and overwrite
your system files and
basically wipe away
your customization.

----------------------------

however, there is also
the option to use the
recovery console via
the windows cd.

with this option you
can access the disk and
perhaps run a chkdsk and
a fixboot command in
the hope that this would
be an easier way to go:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058
 
P

philo

Anton said:
XP and W2k doesnt boot, I get a black screen and tested reinstallation. Got
a Warning and stopped, it will wipe out all old files, is that true when I'm
not formatting again?
Click to expand...


If you format and reinstall
all your original data will be gone

you'd want to take the repair install option
 
A

Anton

Repair worked in W2k but not in XP now, like when hal.dll is missing,
option invisible. Chkdsk /r, fixboot and fixmbr didnt help. Should I perhaps
act as if hal.dll is missing?
 
S

smlunatick

Repair worked in W2k but not in XP now, like when hal.dll is missing,
option invisible. Chkdsk /r, fixboot and fixmbr didnt help. Should I perhaps
act as if hal.dll is missing?

"db.·.. > ` .. ." <))) ·databaseben.public.newsgroup.microsoft.com> skrev i
meddelandet






- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -
Click to expand...

Repair Console may not repair your problem. You need to locate the
directions to do a repair install of you XP over top the "damaged"
install. Please note that you must do this with a standard XP install
CD. System recovery CD are usually not complete XP install system.
The system recovery systems usually "may" erase the installed version
of XP and returns the PC back to factory defaults (image restore.)
 
J

John John (MVP)

We don't know how your dual boot is setup, in particular we don't know
how your partitions are setup and which one is the Active (system)
partition. Please keep the following in mind:

1- If you set up your dual boot by following the typical Microsoft
instructions Windows 2000 will be installed on the Active (System)
partition. The shared system files Boot.ini, NTDETECT.COM & ntldr will
also be in the root folder on this partition.

2- The Windows 2000 version of the shared files NTDETECT.COM & ntldr
cannot boot a Windows XP installation, the Windows XP version of those
files are aware of Windows 2000 and can boot the older operating system.
If you do an in-place upgrade (repair install) of Windows 2000 after
XP is installed it will replace the XP version of the files with the
older Windows 2000 versions. After the repair you have to replace those
files with the XP versions, the files can be extracted from the Windows
XP cd.

3- More often than not the hal.dll is missing error message isn't
caused by a missing hal.dll, it is usually caused by an incorrect ARC
path in the boot.ini file, the line used to boot Windows XP points to
the wrong location of the installation on the hard disk.

John
 
A

Anton

When XP wasnt working I'd set it active via w2k, then nothing worked,
deactive without an OS now?
I also have an Virtual PC in XP.
XP repair doesnt work, from another Bootdisk it says hal.dll is a problem.
I'll try to copy an Hal and then check boot.ini.
 
J

John John (MVP)

See in-line:
When XP wasnt working I'd set it active via w2k, then nothing worked,
deactive without an OS now?
Click to expand...

Don't change the Active (System) partition! It will only add confusion
to the mix, return the active partition status flag to the original
active partition.

I also have an Virtual PC in XP.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make a hill of beans of difference, it is not a real
operating system, it is "virtual", it can only be started from the
Windows installation onto which it was installed, the operating system
onto which it relies. Forget about it completely, it is just another
source of confusion which has absolutely nothing to do with your booting
problem.

XP repair doesnt work, from another Bootdisk it says hal.dll is a problem.
Click to expand...

What "other Bootdisk" do you mean? To do a repair install of Windows XP
you have to use a real Windows XP cd. What is this other boot disk that
you speak of?

I'll try to copy an Hal and then check boot.ini.
Click to expand...

Make sure that the partition containing the boot.ini file is the Active
partition. Post the contents of the boot.ini file here.

John
 
A

Anton

See in-line:

John John (MVP) said:
See in-line:


Don't change the Active (System) partition! It will only add confusion
to the mix, return the active partition status flag to the original
active partition.
Click to expand...
How can it be done without an OS?


problem.

What "other Bootdisk" do you mean? To do a repair install of Windows XP
you have to use a real Windows XP cd. What is this other boot disk that
you speak of?
Click to expand...
From bootdisk.com got beyond the black screen and says hal.dll is
missing/corrupt
Otherwise I use the XP CD.
Make sure that the partition containing the boot.ini file is the Active
partition. Post the contents of the boot.ini file here.
Click to expand...

Where do I find it without an OS?
Then I'll try to copy to a floppy.

On Logon it is
1E Winnt
2C XP
3M,4H and 5G Winnt

Bootcfg scan has 1-4 without xp!
 
J

John John (MVP)

The Active partition flag can be set with a Windows 98 boot diskette and
the fdisk utility, Windows 98 boot diskettes are available on the
Bootdisk.com site. You can also do this with third party tools like
BootItNG by TeraByte Unlimited.

If you have a floppy drive you can make an XP/NT boot floppy diskette
and try to boot the Windows installations with it. Remember to use the
Windows XP version of the ntldr & NTDETECT.COM files to create the
floppy diskette. Also, the floppy diskette must contain an NT boot
sector, it *must* be formatted with Windows NT/2000/XP, if you format it
with DOS or Windows 9x the diskette will fail to boot Windows 2000/XP.

http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/ntboot/

John
 
A

Anton

Windows XP version of the ntldr & NTDETECT.COM files are?

I used those from w2k, it started but didnt work: "Previous working OS I/O
fault at use of startsector s.."
Otherwise on first its ntoskrln missing, second w32 conf sys, the rest
ntoskrln.
This or similar will be next
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Boot-Manager-Disk/UBCD4WIN.shtml or I'll
try bootfix mbr and cfg again when acitve now is changed. Last I'll run over
W2000 on C if nothing better turns up.

Moving the disk over as slave and then transfer what I need didnt work last
time, some things couldnt be found but got back when OS was repaired.
 
J

John John (MVP)

You *MUST* use the Windows XP version of the files ntldr and
NTDETECT.COM, extract them from the Windows XP cd. As mentioned in
another post the Windows 2000 version of these files *cannot* boot
Windows XP.

Does your Windows 2000 installation now boot properly?

John
 
A

Anton

Those files are only in XP as Sp's, otherwise in W2, as found in 3 other
PC's. Now I'll try on the XP CD but where?

W2 didnt start to my surprise.
 

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