Restarting the OS

[ms]

Sorry to keep posting on the same problem, but I'd like to get the machine
running again.

I have the OS CD, and now I have the 4 Setup disks.

Don't have the ERD.

The data I've saved indicates I need all three items, CD, setup disks and
ERD, to recover the OS.

I've searched, don't find a link to download the ERD.

Advice?

ms

 

[John John - MVP]

You can't download an Emergency Repair Disk, you have to create it on
your computer when it is in a good running state, it contains setup
information about the computer on which it was made. Unless you made a
disk and selected to back up the registry at the same time you are
pretty well up the creek with this. At this point you are pretty well
limited in your options, you can do an in-place upgrade (aka a repair
install which is reinstalling Windows 2000 over itself) or if your
problem is caused by a damaged registry you can try advanced recovery
techniques by replacing the registry hives in the WINNT\System32\Config
folder with the ones from the last backup set in the
WINNT\Repair\Backup, if you have never backed up the registry then you
will have to try it with the original installation hive in the
WINNT\Repair folder.

John

 

[Dave Patrick]

It would be easier to follow if you kept this in the same thread.


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]]

Hello ms,

You can not download an ERD, it has to be created from the server when it
is up and running. As said before you cna try to use another ERD from a system
which has the same configuration, but it is not recommended.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc976733.aspx

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

 

[ms]

You can't download an Emergency Repair Disk, you have to create it on
your computer when it is in a good running state, it contains setup
information about the computer on which it was made. Unless you made
a disk and selected to back up the registry at the same time you are
pretty well up the creek with this. At this point you are pretty well
limited in your options, you can do an in-place upgrade (aka a repair
install which is reinstalling Windows 2000 over itself) or if your
problem is caused by a damaged registry you can try advanced recovery
techniques by replacing the registry hives in the
WINNT\System32\Config folder with the ones from the last backup set in
the WINNT\Repair\Backup, if you have never backed up the registry then
you will have to try it with the original installation hive in the
WINNT\Repair folder.

John

Thanks.

I know in older W98 ng, it was never a good idea to install the OS over an
existing OS.

Is it better in W2K? As the setup progresses in this situation is there
anything unusual likely to occur?

When the machine was running, I have daily backups using Erndt. Also the
backups you mention above.

If I install over the existing OS, the backups were in the old
C\Winnt\Erndt folder. Will I still be able to access them?

With bad sleep, I forgot that a W2K computer with DVD writer drive creates
data backups that are useless on other W98 computers with just CD drives,
so at this point I really need to get the OS working.

The computer worked solid for 4 years, then seemingly with no cause, a
major issue. As they used to say about regular backups, it's not "if", it's
only "when".

ms

 

[John John - MVP]

See in-line below.

Thanks.

I know in older W98 ng, it was never a good idea to install the OS over an
existing OS.

It's not a 100% sure thing but Windows 2000/XP are better able to handle
this than the old legacy Windows 9x operating systems. See here for
more information:

How to perform an in-place upgrade of Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292175

What an in-place Windows 2000 upgrade changes and what it does not change
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306952/

Is it better in W2K? As the setup progresses in this situation is there
anything unusual likely to occur?

When you get to these kind of situations with non booting systems it's
hard to say what will "likely occur", anything can happen, that is why
you always make sure that have a proper working backup of your precious
files before you do anything! As I said earlier, your options are not
that many, you can try to replace damaged registry hives, you can try an
in-place upgrade or you can do a whole new install from scratch.

I haven't followed your other discussion threads so I'm not completely
sure of the exact nature of your problems and of the different
suggestions that you have received. I have only done a quick read of
your other posts, from what I can gather you cannot boot because your
System hive is corrupt or missing? Dave has already given you the
preferred usual fix for this problem, replace the missing or damaged
system hive with a backup copy. If replacing the System hive doesn't
fix the problem then you have to move up to the next possible fix.

When the machine was running, I have daily backups using Erndt. Also the
backups you mention above.

Then you should be able to use one of your backups to replace the
damaged hive. You can use the Recovery Console to replace the broken
hive with a backup. If you find the Recovery Console too daunting you
can mount your Windows 2000 hard drive in another Windows 2000/XP
computer and you can move/copy the hives around using the other up and
running operating system. You can mount your disk in a USB enclosure
and access it with another Windows 2000/XP computer. If you don't have
another computer you can use a boot CD disk like this one
http://www.ubcd4win.com/ to boot your computer to a GUI working
environment to do the repairs.

If I install over the existing OS, the backups were in the old
C\Winnt\Erndt folder. Will I still be able to access them?

Yes, your files will still be intact, an in-place upgrade doesn't
replace user files. But, as I said earlier, anything can happen when
you do these kinds of things.

With bad sleep, I forgot that a W2K computer with DVD writer drive creates
data backups that are useless on other W98 computers with just CD drives,
so at this point I really need to get the OS working.

The computer worked solid for 4 years, then seemingly with no cause, a
major issue. As they used to say about regular backups, it's not "if", it's
only "when".

Indeed, you seem to be prepared but many others learn this important
lesson the hard way...

John

 

[ms]

Thanks, your post was very helpful.

See in-line below.



It's not a 100% sure thing but Windows 2000/XP are better able to
handle this than the old legacy Windows 9x operating systems. See
here for more information:

How to perform an in-place upgrade of Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292175

What an in-place Windows 2000 upgrade changes and what it does not
change http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306952/



When you get to these kind of situations with non booting systems it's
hard to say what will "likely occur", anything can happen, that is why
you always make sure that have a proper working backup of your
precious files before you do anything! As I said earlier, your
options are not that many, you can try to replace damaged registry
hives, you can try an in-place upgrade or you can do a whole new
install from scratch.

I haven't followed your other discussion threads so I'm not completely
sure of the exact nature of your problems and of the different
suggestions that you have received. I have only done a quick read of
your other posts, from what I can gather you cannot boot because your
System hive is corrupt or missing? Dave has already given you the
preferred usual fix for this problem, replace the missing or damaged
system hive with a backup copy. If replacing the System hive doesn't
fix the problem then you have to move up to the next possible fix.

Basically the issue was "normal" operation, no excitement, shutdown, next
day in normal cold boot, now it just continually reboots, never runs the
OS, I see the logo screen and then it starts over.

Then you should be able to use one of your backups to replace the
damaged hive. You can use the Recovery Console to replace the broken
hive with a backup. If you find the Recovery Console too daunting you
can mount your Windows 2000 hard drive in another Windows 2000/XP
computer and you can move/copy the hives around using the other up and
running operating system.

I also have a XP machine and a W98 machine.

You can mount your disk in a USB enclosure
and access it with another Windows 2000/XP computer.

Do you mean- in DOS, copy the C drive to USB, then copy it to an XP
computer, open it in XP and ?? BTW, my flash card is 2 GB, is that big
enough for the windows folders?

If you don't

have another computer you can use a boot CD disk like this one
http://www.ubcd4win.com/ to boot your computer to a GUI working
environment to do the repairs.

It is 320 MB or so, on dialup I can't handle that.

Yes, your files will still be intact, an in-place upgrade doesn't
replace user files. But, as I said earlier, anything can happen when
you do these kinds of things.



Indeed, you seem to be prepared but many others learn this important
lesson the hard way...

John

ms

 

[John John - MVP]

You're welcome, good luck with the repair!

John

Thanks, your post was very helpful.

Basically the issue was "normal" operation, no excitement, shutdown, next
day in normal cold boot, now it just continually reboots, never runs the
OS, I see the logo screen and then it starts over.

I also have a XP machine and a W98 machine.


Do you mean- in DOS, copy the C drive to USB, then copy it to an XP
computer, open it in XP and ?? BTW, my flash card is 2 GB, is that big
enough for the windows folders?

If you don't
It is 320 MB or so, on dialup I can't handle that.


ms