David said:
I have a new (ca. 4 months) HP laptop with XP Media Center 2005 which has
recently had trouble starting. It got to the point where it would not boot
past the Windows XP logo; I then tried to boot in safe mode and saw that
it
only gets to:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS\System32\Mup.sys
and then instantly restarts, flashing for a split second a blue "A problem
has been encountered with Windows..." shut-down screen which I can't even
fully read fully.
...Something to the effect of "Check with your hardware vendor for any
BIOS
updates..."
The "Geek Squad" says I have a malware issue. Anything I can do to save
all
my kids' pics, etc???
Thanks for helping.
David
Not at all sure this is a malware problem, or that Norton is or would be
involved. This may be a hardware problem (or not). However:
It's easy to save your data, and you do need to do this.
You will need to buy a component, and you'll have to have access to another
XP system with enough space for the data and two available USB ports. And
you'll need a small screwdriver, usually a Phillips. You may, or may not,
need a pair of needle-nose pliers.
What you need is an external USB2 drive case, 2.5", for the type of drive
you have. Type of drive means IDE or SATA; the connectors are different.
It's quite possible that your system, being new, comes with SATA drives.
If you post the model number, it's easy to check online, or, take the drive
out (which you have to do anyway) and look at the connectors.
The drive case will be between US$10 and US$30. You don't need anything
fancy. Most computer shops carry them.
External USB2 drive cases come with a three-ended cable. One connects to
the case, the other ends to two USB ports on the host system. You have to
use two USB ports because hard disks draw too much power for one port.
Remove the drive from the laptop; this usually requires removing one screw.
The drive will be in a carrier of some sort, and you may not have to remove
it from this. With IDE drives there's sometimes an extra header on the
pins, and this just pulls off.
Attach the circuitry for the drive case to the drive. You usually don't
really need to assemble the case any further.
Then, connect this to the host XP system with the three-headed cable. The
drive will be detected and mounted, and you can just copy off your data.
Be sure to get your emails and address books as well.
You may have to Take Ownership if you get an "access denied" message.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421
If you're unsure of what data to take, download the Acronis TrueImage trial
version, about 100 meg, and take an image of the complete hard disk. This
will give you 14 days or so to figure out what to save, and in the meantime
you can fix the problem knowing that there's a backup.
Creating the image often takes under half an hour.
But before you create the drive image, delete the one or two very large
files in the root of the laptop drive - pagefile.sys and hiberfil. sys.
Empty the recycle bin.
Incidentally, deleting those two files, particularly pagefile.sys, can
sometimes solve a number of problems.
Now, while you have the drive connected like this, and once your data is
safe, you can do quite a lot to fix the problem. First, locate and clean
out the temp folders and delete contents of all temporary internet file
folders. Then, scan the drive for malware.
Then, put the drive back in the laptop and try rebooting.
There are plenty of references to boot sequence hangs at MUP.SYS being
related to hardware problems, such as failing power supplies or bad drive
connections, or overclocking or other BIOS issues.
You may also find that if mup.sys actually is corrupt, other files are too,
and you will be heading towards a Windows repair install (if that's possible
with the restore media you have). Back up your data first.
If your system is new, there's a warranty involved, and you should be
considering exercising it. But keep in mind that service shops will often
make the assumption that your data is backed up, and that the drive can be
wiped. Often, that isn't the case, so before you do anything else, back
up your data and verify the backups!
HTH
-pk
