Restoring an older configuration

  • Thread starter Thread starter Daniel Prince
  • Start date Start date
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Daniel Prince

I have gotten my Windows XP installation into a state where I can
not boot it even in safe mode. I tried to do a repair installation
but it did not work. Now when I try to go into safe mode it says
that it is unable to run setup in safe mode and it has to restart.
I had to run my old 98 SE to use Agent and send this message.

My last known good configuration does not work. What is the easiest
way I can make it boot to a configuration before that? I am able to
run Windows 98 SE so I can copy and edit files. Thank you in
advance for all replies.
 
Hi Daniel,

What exactly happens when you start Windows XP? Any error messages? Have you tired a System Restore rollback from "Safe Mode Command Prompt" boot option? Here is the article:

How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

If none of the above helped, and if you believe it a complex issue, try a clean installation. As you have the dual-boot OS, and able to retrieve the files from XP partition, you may backup the data to a removable media and then try a Clean install of XP. Here you go for the instructions: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


I have gotten my Windows XP installation into a state where I can
not boot it even in safe mode. I tried to do a repair installation
but it did not work. Now when I try to go into safe mode it says
that it is unable to run setup in safe mode and it has to restart.
I had to run my old 98 SE to use Agent and send this message.

My last known good configuration does not work. What is the easiest
way I can make it boot to a configuration before that? I am able to
run Windows 98 SE so I can copy and edit files. Thank you in
advance for all replies.
 
Ramesh said:
What exactly happens when you start Windows XP? Any error messages?
Click to expand...

I keep getting an error messages that says:

IO system verification error in (WDM driver error 207) [+0 at
000000000]
Have you tired a System Restore rollback from "Safe Mode Command
Prompt" boot option? Here is the article:
Click to expand...

I just tried it and got the message that it was unable to run setup
in safe mode. I clicked on the X in the upper right corner and all
I got was a blank screen.

I tried safe mode with network again and got the message that it was
unable to run setup in safe mode. I clicked on the X in the upper
right corner and my computer restarted again.
If none of the above helped, and if you believe it a complex issue,
try a clean installation. As you have the dual-boot OS, and able to
retrieve the files from XP partition, you may backup the data to a
removable media and then try a Clean install of XP. Here you go for
the instructions: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
Click to expand...

Do I need a partition with nothing on it to do a clean install or
just one without Windows XP? How big of a partition do I need to
install Windows XP Home?
 
See point 10b in that site:

"If the hard drive or partition has a previous installation of XP you want to remove, choose to delete the partition by pressing "D". You will then be prompted to create a new partition in the empty space. This will remove all data from the deleted space."

I recommend a minimum partition size not less than 10 GB.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


Ramesh said:
What exactly happens when you start Windows XP? Any error messages?
Click to expand...

I keep getting an error messages that says:

IO system verification error in (WDM driver error 207) [+0 at
000000000]
Have you tired a System Restore rollback from "Safe Mode Command
Prompt" boot option? Here is the article:
Click to expand...

I just tried it and got the message that it was unable to run setup
in safe mode. I clicked on the X in the upper right corner and all
I got was a blank screen.

I tried safe mode with network again and got the message that it was
unable to run setup in safe mode. I clicked on the X in the upper
right corner and my computer restarted again.
If none of the above helped, and if you believe it a complex issue,
try a clean installation. As you have the dual-boot OS, and able to
retrieve the files from XP partition, you may backup the data to a
removable media and then try a Clean install of XP. Here you go for
the instructions: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
Click to expand...

Do I need a partition with nothing on it to do a clean install or
just one without Windows XP? How big of a partition do I need to
install Windows XP Home?
 
Ramesh said:
See point 10b in that site:

"If the hard drive or partition has a previous installation of XP you want to remove, choose to delete the partition by pressing "D". You will then be prompted to create a new partition in the empty space. This will remove all data from the deleted space."

I recommend a minimum partition size not less than 10 GB.
Click to expand...

I am afraid I still do not understand.

I have two physical hard drives. Both of them have one primary
partition and one extended partition. When I partitioned these
drives I was using Windows 98 SE so I used fat 32 and made all the
logical drives smaller than 16 gigs to keep the cluster size down.

My drive zero is 120 gigs and it has logical drives C through K on
it. My Windows 98 SE installation is on the C drive. My second
drive is 30 gigs. It has logical drives L and M on it. My Windows
XP installation is on the M drive.

On 98 I use letter assigner to make the first logical drive in the
extended partition drive D instead of the primary partition on the
second drive. I made the primary partition on the second drive the
L drive. On XP I did the same thing with the control panel.

I have about eight gigs free on my D drive. I can easily clear out
a few more gigs but some of the files on this drive are applications
that would be hard to move.

Can I do a new install of XP on my D logical drive without removing
EVERYTHING from that logical drive?

If not, can I move all the files from my E logical drive and install
XP there without having to repartition the drive and without losing
anything on logical drives C D F G H I K?


I can not get into safe mode because of the failed installation. Is
there a way that I can edit or delete a file, or files, so that XP
will not know that I tried to do an install?
 
Hi Daniel,

Sorry, never tested much on drive letter swapping. You could try this in XP.Setup_Deployment groups, crossposted to XP_General. Experts in that field should be able to help you out.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


Ramesh said:
See point 10b in that site:

"If the hard drive or partition has a previous installation of XP you want to remove, choose to delete the partition by pressing "D". You will then be prompted to create a new partition in the empty space. This will remove all data from the deleted space."

I recommend a minimum partition size not less than 10 GB.
Click to expand...

I am afraid I still do not understand.

I have two physical hard drives. Both of them have one primary
partition and one extended partition. When I partitioned these
drives I was using Windows 98 SE so I used fat 32 and made all the
logical drives smaller than 16 gigs to keep the cluster size down.

My drive zero is 120 gigs and it has logical drives C through K on
it. My Windows 98 SE installation is on the C drive. My second
drive is 30 gigs. It has logical drives L and M on it. My Windows
XP installation is on the M drive.

On 98 I use letter assigner to make the first logical drive in the
extended partition drive D instead of the primary partition on the
second drive. I made the primary partition on the second drive the
L drive. On XP I did the same thing with the control panel.

I have about eight gigs free on my D drive. I can easily clear out
a few more gigs but some of the files on this drive are applications
that would be hard to move.

Can I do a new install of XP on my D logical drive without removing
EVERYTHING from that logical drive?

If not, can I move all the files from my E logical drive and install
XP there without having to repartition the drive and without losing
anything on logical drives C D F G H I K?


I can not get into safe mode because of the failed installation. Is
there a way that I can edit or delete a file, or files, so that XP
will not know that I tried to do an install?
 
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