M
mm
Why, when I try to reinstall XPSP3 Home over an existing and somewhat
working XPSP3, also Home, do I no longer get offered the Repair
option. (Instead I get 3 options, Enter to setup XP in the selected
partition [there is only one], C to create a partition in the
unpartitioned space [there is none], and D to delete a partition.)
What happened to the Repair option? And what should I do?
The computer is a Dell, but the XPSP3 reinstallation CD is from an HP.
I had read that it was okay to use this combination, and everything
went fine the first two times I used it on this computer. (The only
time I have mixed OEM's like this.)
Now, if I don't use any CD and just try to boot from the HDD, I get
stuck in a loop with the initial Dell logo screen over and over and
over--I don't even have to type or click on anything. I know this
points right to whatever is missing or corrupt, but I don't know what
that would be.
(But if I do use the XP reinstall CD, if I choose Enter in the choice
in my first paragraph above, I get 6 options: to format a FAT or NTFS
partition, Quick-ly or not, to convert to NTFS, or to "leave the
current file system intact (no change)" But I'm sure it's not going
to leave the *data* that is there, that I want to preserve.
(Earlier in the XP reinstall process, I do get the standard first
choice, between installing Windows and R for the Recovery console, and
I choose Enter to install Windows, but then it doesn't show me the
Repair option.)
Background:
I am trying to fix another old computer now, a Dell, and, since I
can't boot it from USB, I removed the harddrive, slaved it to my
computer, ran a bunch of AV programs (which removed about 150 files),
and reinstalled it in the computer it came from. In order to replace
Windows files that may be missing now, without connecting to the net,
I'm trying to do a Repair install of the XP SP3 that it came with.
I now have and I used a copy of the Hewlett Packard XP SP3
Reinstallation CD, and was told that any such CD works on any version
of Windows, including on a Dell, as long as Home and Pro are kept
separate, and indeed it worked very well the first two times!!
When I was making the CD from the .iso file, two sectors on the copy
failed the verify step. They mapped to oembios.bi_ . I took a chance
that file wouldn't be needed, because it was probably still on the
harddrive in question. I ran the Repair install and I did get a
warning when I got to that file. I chose to Skip the file rather than
cancel the reinstallation.
XP worked fairly well then.
But next, to get that one missing file, I made a second copy of the CD
from the .iso file, and this time it completely passed the Verify
step. But when doing the Repair install with this one, it stopped at
2 different files, couldn't read them, and I skipped both of them.
One was simsun.tt_ , which I figure is just one of many fonts and I
can get along with out it or install it later.
At some point, trying to start the computer put me in a loop, with the
initial screen showing over and over, the screen with the big blue
DELL logo, the progress bar, and in the last few seconds: "F2 for
Setup / F12 for Boot Order"
So I tried to do the Repair install a third time, with the VERY SAME
second CD that had worked earlier and, after the place where I don't
choose the Recovery Console, all I get are the choices at the top, no
Repair option. It lists the only version of Windows on the drive, the
only partition on the drive.
I thought, Oh my gosh, the partition or all its files have been
deleted, but I used Hinson's Boot CD and all the files are there.
What's going on!
Thanks a lot just for reading.
I can think of two things I could do now.
1) Run the Recovery Console and use either FixMBR or FixBoot (I'm not
sure which, or which should be first). Is there any chance I can
make things worse with either of these?? I have only one partition
and only one OS on the one and only HDD.
Or 2) Reinstall Windows using a retail copy of XPSP1. But then I
would revert myself back to SP1, iiuc, and I'd have to run SP3 again,
and I'd have left over SP1 files and it would take twice as long, and
other things I fear. (Slipstreaming SP3 is not an option now.)
Would you guys do 1 or 2, or some 3 I haven't thought of??? Can
number 1 make things worse???
Any help is much appreciated.
working XPSP3, also Home, do I no longer get offered the Repair
option. (Instead I get 3 options, Enter to setup XP in the selected
partition [there is only one], C to create a partition in the
unpartitioned space [there is none], and D to delete a partition.)
What happened to the Repair option? And what should I do?
The computer is a Dell, but the XPSP3 reinstallation CD is from an HP.
I had read that it was okay to use this combination, and everything
went fine the first two times I used it on this computer. (The only
time I have mixed OEM's like this.)
Now, if I don't use any CD and just try to boot from the HDD, I get
stuck in a loop with the initial Dell logo screen over and over and
over--I don't even have to type or click on anything. I know this
points right to whatever is missing or corrupt, but I don't know what
that would be.
(But if I do use the XP reinstall CD, if I choose Enter in the choice
in my first paragraph above, I get 6 options: to format a FAT or NTFS
partition, Quick-ly or not, to convert to NTFS, or to "leave the
current file system intact (no change)" But I'm sure it's not going
to leave the *data* that is there, that I want to preserve.
(Earlier in the XP reinstall process, I do get the standard first
choice, between installing Windows and R for the Recovery console, and
I choose Enter to install Windows, but then it doesn't show me the
Repair option.)
Background:
I am trying to fix another old computer now, a Dell, and, since I
can't boot it from USB, I removed the harddrive, slaved it to my
computer, ran a bunch of AV programs (which removed about 150 files),
and reinstalled it in the computer it came from. In order to replace
Windows files that may be missing now, without connecting to the net,
I'm trying to do a Repair install of the XP SP3 that it came with.
I now have and I used a copy of the Hewlett Packard XP SP3
Reinstallation CD, and was told that any such CD works on any version
of Windows, including on a Dell, as long as Home and Pro are kept
separate, and indeed it worked very well the first two times!!
When I was making the CD from the .iso file, two sectors on the copy
failed the verify step. They mapped to oembios.bi_ . I took a chance
that file wouldn't be needed, because it was probably still on the
harddrive in question. I ran the Repair install and I did get a
warning when I got to that file. I chose to Skip the file rather than
cancel the reinstallation.
XP worked fairly well then.
But next, to get that one missing file, I made a second copy of the CD
from the .iso file, and this time it completely passed the Verify
step. But when doing the Repair install with this one, it stopped at
2 different files, couldn't read them, and I skipped both of them.
One was simsun.tt_ , which I figure is just one of many fonts and I
can get along with out it or install it later.
At some point, trying to start the computer put me in a loop, with the
initial screen showing over and over, the screen with the big blue
DELL logo, the progress bar, and in the last few seconds: "F2 for
Setup / F12 for Boot Order"
So I tried to do the Repair install a third time, with the VERY SAME
second CD that had worked earlier and, after the place where I don't
choose the Recovery Console, all I get are the choices at the top, no
Repair option. It lists the only version of Windows on the drive, the
only partition on the drive.
I thought, Oh my gosh, the partition or all its files have been
deleted, but I used Hinson's Boot CD and all the files are there.
What's going on!
Thanks a lot just for reading.
I can think of two things I could do now.
1) Run the Recovery Console and use either FixMBR or FixBoot (I'm not
sure which, or which should be first). Is there any chance I can
make things worse with either of these?? I have only one partition
and only one OS on the one and only HDD.
Or 2) Reinstall Windows using a retail copy of XPSP1. But then I
would revert myself back to SP1, iiuc, and I'd have to run SP3 again,
and I'd have left over SP1 files and it would take twice as long, and
other things I fear. (Slipstreaming SP3 is not an option now.)
Would you guys do 1 or 2, or some 3 I haven't thought of??? Can
number 1 make things worse???
Any help is much appreciated.