D
David Maynard
ToolPackinMama said:
People are such suckers for 'free toolbar'.
People are such suckers for 'free toolbar'.
D
Dave C.
Prescott,
Geez, that's what *I* was wondering, also. Wasn't this thing out in beta
for a long time, also? None of the beta testers installed it with a
prescott? -Dave
D
Dave C.
Yup. Just curious, have you run into one of these systems? In my
experience, if this happens, Windows will not boot at all. Not normal, not
safe mode, and not even booting from CD-Rom to do a repair install.
Supposedly you can turn off the CPU cache and then the system will boot
normally. But who would think "Gee, my operating system won't boot . . .
guess I'll have to turn off the CPU L1 & L2 cache"?!? Not very intuitive.
I probably should have played around with that Prescott system some more to
see what I could and couldn't get away with, as far as the suggested
workarounds go. But there was no BIOS update available, even after I
learned that that was one of the suggestions. At the time, I didn't know
this was a known issue with SP2. All I did know what that there was
something on the ntfs partition that would not allow the system to be used,
at all. As I'd JUST installed SP2, SP2 was the primary and only suspect.
(!) So I used linux to nuke the ntfs partition and started over. That was
probably the best course of action anyway, as there were no data files on
that partition yet. If I'd turned off the cache and managed to get the
system to boot that way, I could have tried uninstalling SP2, but I had no
way of knowing if that would work or not. It wouldn't have been smart to
spend several hours trying to uninstall SP2 and trusting the system to
remove all traces of it on the first try.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anybody who has actually seen this problem
has tried any of the suggested workarounds, such as disable L1/L2 cache,
uninstall SP2, etc. -Dave
T
ToolPackinMama
David said:
I know! It's chronic!
"Microsoft never sends updates via email!?"
"Uh, no."
T
ToolPackinMama
<<Subject: Service Pack 2 and Broken Sword 3 not starting Date: 3 Sep
2004 06:08:33 -0700 From: (e-mail address removed) (B B) Organization:
http://groups.google.com Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure
Hi y'all.
Just to inform the people if somebody has the same peculiar problem.
Recently my computer crashed and I had to reinstall the system. Just
before that I have been playing Broken Sword 3 without any difficulties
in running it.
After I reinstalled the system, I put WinXP SP2 on since my friend
brought it to me, and then I installed BS3 again. It didn't work. To be
more precise, after you started the program, it just showed a black
window and froze the system.
First I thought it was a driver problem, since I installed the newer one
from the one I had before the crash. No help there. Then I installed new
DirectX, installed new audio driver, did everything I could think of, to
no avail.
I got on the web to see if somebody had the same problem as me. To my
surprise, there were quite a few people. Tech support gave the following
advice: "Put the resolution on 800*600, refresh frequency to 60 Hz and
put the audio acceleration in DXDIAG to BASIC". Great help there, guys.
There were a lot of people who said that this advice is worth crap, and
the tech support promptly answered that it must be that the
drivers/hardware are wrong.
In a desperate attempt I reinstalled the system again. This time I
forgot to install SP2 since it was 2am. I installed BS3, prepared to see
the black screen again, and then, to my surprise, it started without any
problems whatsoever.
So, kudos to Microsoft and their "SP2 for ultimate security". Great work
there, guys. I guess my original copy of Broken Sword is a real security
risk for my computer. >>
2004 06:08:33 -0700 From: (e-mail address removed) (B B) Organization:
http://groups.google.com Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure
Hi y'all.
Just to inform the people if somebody has the same peculiar problem.
Recently my computer crashed and I had to reinstall the system. Just
before that I have been playing Broken Sword 3 without any difficulties
in running it.
After I reinstalled the system, I put WinXP SP2 on since my friend
brought it to me, and then I installed BS3 again. It didn't work. To be
more precise, after you started the program, it just showed a black
window and froze the system.
First I thought it was a driver problem, since I installed the newer one
from the one I had before the crash. No help there. Then I installed new
DirectX, installed new audio driver, did everything I could think of, to
no avail.
I got on the web to see if somebody had the same problem as me. To my
surprise, there were quite a few people. Tech support gave the following
advice: "Put the resolution on 800*600, refresh frequency to 60 Hz and
put the audio acceleration in DXDIAG to BASIC". Great help there, guys.
There were a lot of people who said that this advice is worth crap, and
the tech support promptly answered that it must be that the
drivers/hardware are wrong.
In a desperate attempt I reinstalled the system again. This time I
forgot to install SP2 since it was 2am. I installed BS3, prepared to see
the black screen again, and then, to my surprise, it started without any
problems whatsoever.
So, kudos to Microsoft and their "SP2 for ultimate security". Great work
there, guys. I guess my original copy of Broken Sword is a real security
risk for my computer. >>
T
ToolPackinMama
<< Subject: xp and Trend pc-cillin Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2004 10:23:27 -0700
From: "Eddie" <[email protected]> Newsgroups: alt.os.windows-xp
Hi,
Since installing XP I've had a lot of boot-up and other probs, sending
heaps of error messages to MS. Seems there may be a driver issue and
PC-cillin. Anyone else have a prob and if so, does ADSL have any impact,
as I've read Braodband can be an issue.
TIA
Eddie >>
From: "Eddie" <[email protected]> Newsgroups: alt.os.windows-xp
Hi,
Since installing XP I've had a lot of boot-up and other probs, sending
heaps of error messages to MS. Seems there may be a driver issue and
PC-cillin. Anyone else have a prob and if so, does ADSL have any impact,
as I've read Braodband can be an issue.
TIA
Eddie >>
R
Ron Reaugh
Dave C. said:
Just go into BIOS setup and disable L1 and L2 cache. It'll be dog slow then
but it runs. Go into safe mode and rename update.sys. Reboot and enable L1
and L2 cache and SP2 works fine.
What's intuitive is learning to use Google effectively. If one had garnered
that competence then one would have discovered the SP2+Prescott issue weeks
ago and found the workaround I described.
Obviously the actions of a wannabie PC technie.
That was
probably the best course of action anyway, as there were no data files on
that partition yet. If I'd turned off the cache and managed to get the
system to boot that way, I could have tried uninstalling SP2, but I had no
way of knowing if that would work or not.
GOOGLE!
It wouldn't have been smart to
spend several hours trying to uninstall SP2 and trusting the system to
remove all traces of it on the first try.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anybody who has actually seen this problem
has tried any of the suggested workarounds, such as disable L1/L2 cache,
uninstall SP2, etc. -Dave
NO, disable L1 & L2, rename update.sys, enable L1 & L2 and happily run
SP2.
S
Shawk
ToolPackinMama said:
No probs here with XP Pro, SP2 and ADSL 1MB broadband (UK). All software
seems to work great, havent loaded all of my games yet but Far Cry (DX9),
Doom 3 (OGL) and AOE2 (DX?) work fine. Shaun
D
David Maynard
ToolPackinMama said:
Hehe. I had one guy who was simply stunned saying "I don't know how I could
have gotten a virus because I never download ANY thing. All I do is just
browse around a bit."
He must have had every tool bar known to mankind on that thing.
They don't realize that clicking 'yes' to those 'free offers' IS
downloading something but, in all fairness, they also get fooled by those
popups with fake 'yes no' buttons that do the same thing.
D
David Maynard
Dave said:
Off the top of my head the two most likely things I can think of are it's
not as widespread as some would have you believe or something changed at
the last minute, or both.
D
David Maynard
Dave said:
No. Just lucky, I guess.
Well, that's what the MS knowledge base says about it.
How did you install it in the first place if the CD won't boot?
Oh, come on. You expect problems to be 'intuitive'?
You keep talking about this as a 'partition' problem but it isn't. It's a
boot hang and other things can cause similar symptoms.
As I'd JUST installed SP2, SP2 was the primary and only suspect.
(!) So I used linux to nuke the ntfs partition and started over. That was
probably the best course of action anyway, as there were no data files on
that partition yet. If I'd turned off the cache and managed to get the
system to boot that way, I could have tried uninstalling SP2, but I had no
way of knowing if that would work or not. It wouldn't have been smart to
spend several hours trying to uninstall SP2 and trusting the system to
remove all traces of it on the first try.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anybody who has actually seen this problem
has tried any of the suggested workarounds, such as disable L1/L2 cache,
uninstall SP2, etc. -Dave
I just rename update.sys and then uninstall it.
D
Dave C.
No. Just lucky, I guess.
The SP2 was installed via Windows Update. Immediately afterward, windows
would not boot in either normal or safe mode. I COULD boot the Windows XP
CD-Rom, but it would not do a repair install. Basically, windows had no
access to the primary hard drive after SP2. At least, no *user interactive*
access. -Dave
The SP2 was installed via Windows Update. Immediately afterward, windows
would not boot in either normal or safe mode. I COULD boot the Windows XP
CD-Rom, but it would not do a repair install. Basically, windows had no
access to the primary hard drive after SP2. At least, no *user interactive*
access.
-Dave
D
David Maynard
Dave said:
Of course. Silly me. I've slipstreamed it into an XP CD and had mental myopia.
Immediately afterward, windows
would not boot in either normal or safe mode. I COULD boot the Windows XP
CD-Rom, but it would not do a repair install. Basically, windows had no
access to the primary hard drive after SP2. At least, no *user interactive*
access.
You put things in confusing and, I'd say, misleading terms. When this
occurs there is no problem with "access to the primary hard drive," rather
there is a windows installation that won't boot up. And the significance is
that anything which WILL boot, and can read NTFS partitions (or FAT32
depending on how one formatted it), will have "access to the primary hard
drive" just fine because there's nothing wrong with the hard drive nor is
there anything wrong with the partition.
It's not a trivial distinction to someone trying to find a solution to the
problem.
D
Dave C.
"> You put things in confusing and, I'd say, misleading terms. When this
OK, but set aside your computer knowledge for a moment and think about the
problem from the POV of a normal computer user. You know, someone who fears
the DOS prompt and thinks linux is a (Volvo sports car, perhaps?). You
don't remember what your antivirus program is called. (Did I get one of
those?) A firewall is what you nail your accelerator pedal to. You know,
THAT kind of computer user. (I probably just described 99.9% of computer
users there)
You install SP2 because you think it's a good idea. Maybe you did it
because a "professional" advised you to. Whatever. You ran the Windows
Update, all went well, or appeared to, and then Windows won't start. You
call up Frank next door because he's kind of a geeky guy (at least he knows
what linux IS, so he's geeky to you). He hears that windows isn't booting,
so he tells you to hit F8 and boot to safe mode. That doesn't work, so now
you think Frank is maybe not so geeky after all. Then you call up your
cousin Louie who helped you reformat your hard drive after that AOL update
fiasco because you figure if he can fix AOL, he can fix ANYTHING. He tells
you to boot the Windows install CD and do a repair install. So you try
that, and it does seem to do something, at least. You've now gone from not
booting Windows at all to an endless cycle of automatic reboots.
By this point, you are probably thinking you've just lost access to your
primary hard drive. *I* know there are ways to access it and *YOU* know
there are ways to access it. But from the POV of an average computer user,
that drive is hosed, because they can't use Windows to access it. Now you
can go online and find some of the workarounds to help you get around this
problem. If only you could get your computer working to do that. -Dave
OK, but set aside your computer knowledge for a moment and think about the
problem from the POV of a normal computer user. You know, someone who fears
the DOS prompt and thinks linux is a (Volvo sports car, perhaps?). You
don't remember what your antivirus program is called. (Did I get one of
those?) A firewall is what you nail your accelerator pedal to. You know,
THAT kind of computer user. (I probably just described 99.9% of computer
users there)
You install SP2 because you think it's a good idea. Maybe you did it
because a "professional" advised you to. Whatever. You ran the Windows
Update, all went well, or appeared to, and then Windows won't start. You
call up Frank next door because he's kind of a geeky guy (at least he knows
what linux IS, so he's geeky to you). He hears that windows isn't booting,
so he tells you to hit F8 and boot to safe mode. That doesn't work, so now
you think Frank is maybe not so geeky after all. Then you call up your
cousin Louie who helped you reformat your hard drive after that AOL update
fiasco because you figure if he can fix AOL, he can fix ANYTHING. He tells
you to boot the Windows install CD and do a repair install. So you try
that, and it does seem to do something, at least. You've now gone from not
booting Windows at all to an endless cycle of automatic reboots.
By this point, you are probably thinking you've just lost access to your
primary hard drive. *I* know there are ways to access it and *YOU* know
there are ways to access it. But from the POV of an average computer user,
that drive is hosed, because they can't use Windows to access it. Now you
can go online and find some of the workarounds to help you get around this
problem. If only you could get your computer working to do that. -Dave
D
David Maynard
Dave said:
You were doing fine up to here.
The 'typical user' isn't going to be musing about 'hard drive access' or
'destroyed partitions' (It has partitions? Why? Is the room too big?).
They're going to be saying "it doesn't work." Don't know why; don't know
what to do; the damn thing is broke.
They're obviously going to have to either find information themselves, take
it to a repair shop, or find some 'geek' to help them. And we can hope that
whoever they end up with didn't read only your explanation that SP2
'destroyed' the partition or else they're going to lose every smidgen of
data they ever had on it.
Btw, I recommend staying away from 'Frank', who reformats drives to fix an
AOL install.
D
Dave C.
You were doing fine up to here.
Well, yeah, there are some users who really are THAT clueless. Point taken.
Yup! I would too. But the point I was trying to make is that to the
typical computer user, 'Frank' would look like a genius. Unfortunate, but
true. -Dave
Well, yeah, there are some users who really are THAT clueless. Point taken.
Yup! I would too. But the point I was trying to make is that to the
typical computer user, 'Frank' would look like a genius. Unfortunate, but
true. -Dave
T
ToolPackinMama
<<Subject: sp2 probs
Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 23:56:41 -0500
From: "Jason" <[email protected]>
Organization: netINS InterNetNews site
Newsgroups: alt.os.windows-xp
I just installed sp2 last night, and I've noticed some peculiar behavior
from that machine since. What used to take between 15 to 30 seconds to
boot fully, now takes nearly a minute or minute and a hlaf. Once I'm
totally booted, I noticed that my Bulldog Plus software for my UPS
hasn't been able to retriieve data properly. There's also a new icon in
the systray called windows security alerts, and clicking on it brings up
something called windows security center that lists such things as the
windows firewall and so on. Now, the windows firewall had been disabled
by HP when I bought this machine since norton pf had been preinstalled
at the HP factory. So I got suspicious, and I went into the control
panel to do some poking around, and what do I find but new items in
there too, the most irksome being an icon for the windows firewall that
had never existed before. I clicked on it, and surprise surprise, I'm
promptly told that the windows firewall is now active, so there was a
radio button to turn it off, so I did. When I rebooot though, this
windows security center deal is still in the systray, and my UPS still
can't connect and send it's stats to my xp machine. How do I turn this
new crap off, so I can have my pc booting like it used to and retreiving
info from my ups again? >>
Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 23:56:41 -0500
From: "Jason" <[email protected]>
Organization: netINS InterNetNews site
Newsgroups: alt.os.windows-xp
I just installed sp2 last night, and I've noticed some peculiar behavior
from that machine since. What used to take between 15 to 30 seconds to
boot fully, now takes nearly a minute or minute and a hlaf. Once I'm
totally booted, I noticed that my Bulldog Plus software for my UPS
hasn't been able to retriieve data properly. There's also a new icon in
the systray called windows security alerts, and clicking on it brings up
something called windows security center that lists such things as the
windows firewall and so on. Now, the windows firewall had been disabled
by HP when I bought this machine since norton pf had been preinstalled
at the HP factory. So I got suspicious, and I went into the control
panel to do some poking around, and what do I find but new items in
there too, the most irksome being an icon for the windows firewall that
had never existed before. I clicked on it, and surprise surprise, I'm
promptly told that the windows firewall is now active, so there was a
radio button to turn it off, so I did. When I rebooot though, this
windows security center deal is still in the systray, and my UPS still
can't connect and send it's stats to my xp machine. How do I turn this
new crap off, so I can have my pc booting like it used to and retreiving
info from my ups again? >>
D
David Maynard
Dave said:Well, yeah, there are some users who really are THAT clueless. Point taken.
Well, they'd be 'right' as well. 'Right' to not be making rash assumptions
about 'access' and 'partitions'.
B
BP
ToolPackinMama said:
Hello Laura-
Most people have posted that using system restore to go back to a restore
point before the install worked fine.
A couple of posts that I read this morning follow. Not your problem
specific, but you'll get the idea of what it seems you have to do. Hope it
helps.
*****
Follow the Service Pack Installation Checklist:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm
Do NOT skip step 6.
--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/
*****
General "Fix all" for SP2 Blowback Active Sync, Sundry Connections
SP2 has issues with a host of driver, software, and firewall conflicts. It
is a hit or miss situation.
It may be a Firewall issue, and good help for Firewall issues can be found
at:
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 842242
Some programs seem to stop working after you install Windows XP Service Pack
2
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242&product=windowsxpsp2;
My Dell Axim USB Sync with MS ActiveSync 3.7.1 was flaking out too, as well
as an issue with my Sony Ericsson USB cradle and XTNDConnect PC sync
software, and a Remote Desktop Connection redirect printer that is networked
on my PC. The mode has generally been:
1) Completely uninstall software, drivers, and or connections related to
the process (preferably by an unistall program that may be in the program
group, else use Add / Remove Porgrams). [Write down notes about particular
connections or ALT+PrintScreen images into a MS Word document and print them
out!] You may also have to perform a command prompt "net use <target
connection> /delete" if that was part of your setup.
2) Restart the computer even though it may not require you to.
3) With devices disconnected, reinstall the software and then reconnect
devices when prompted to...or when the software installation is done. This
seems to reinitialize files and settings (and possibly hidden pointers or
keys that SP2 might have broke.)
4) Restart your computer again even the installation program does not
require you to.
5) Recreate any connections and use your notes in step one to guide you
through. You do not want to be left wondering if you set it back up the
right way. You may have to do a command prompt "net use <target connection>
\\<server name>\<device share name> /persistent:yes" if that was involved in
your connection setup.
This method had worked for my Sony Ericcson sync, and for reestablising
printer redirection via RDP to my networked printer at home; but my Dell
Axim
USB Sync cradle was especially stubborn as the device kept on disappearing
and reappearing in Device Manager. In my case, it was not even a Firewall
issue but an unstable device recognition issue. So then I finally fixed it
by help found in this article:
http://ogasawalrus.com/mobileviews/mobilefaqs/ActiveSync
and especially following the link (towards the bottom) on that article that
leads to the MS KBase article: "How to Manually Remove ActiveSync 3.x"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;263152
So my modified solution for repairing Active Sync after SP2 is:
1) Completely uninstall Actvie Sync software as per MS KBase 263152 and
DELETE any connections from Network Connections [Write down notes about
particular connections or ALT+PrintScreen images into a MS Word document and
print them out!] You may also have to perform a command prompt "net use
<target connection> /delete" if that was part of your setup.
2) Restart the computer even though it does not require you to as per the
KBase article.
3) Insert your MS Office XP CD when prompted to do so because you had just
made your system think that something is missing that is standard for an
office installation and choose OK. Allow Office components to install.
3) With devices DISCONNECTED, including the Sync cable, reinstall the
software as per the article using preferably the latest 3.7.1 download.
4) Perform a soft reset of your PocketPC / Palm, etc. [Usually a single tap
with your stylus on the reset plug on the front or back.]
5) Reconnect devices when the software installation is done, or when it may
prompt you to do so. In effect, this seems to reinitialize files and
settings (and possibly hidden pointers or keys that SP2 might have broke.)
4) Restart your computer again even the installation program does not
require you to.
5) Recreate any specialized connections in Network Connections and use your
notes in step one to guide you through. You do not want to be left
wondering
if you set it back up the right way. You may have to do a command prompt
"net use <target connection> \\<server name>\<device share name>
/persistent:yes" if that was involved in your connection setup.
I hope that will fix you as it seems to be a sure fire success, and I hope
it is universal across MS 2000, XP, and 2003 Office suites as I had not
opportunity to duplicate across platforms like that (I do not have all that
software and hardware to play with at ease.)
-Ralph
S
Shawk
ToolPackinMama said:
Check in 'microsoft.public.windowsxp.general' for advice on how to tweak the
new settings within XP to have it work how you want rather than remove it as
BP says. Everyone will have to have SP2 going forward to get new updates at
least so you may as well get familiar with how to make it work FOR you
rather than against you. Only reason I can think of for going back to
pre-SP2 is if it affects something on your PC and makes it unstable and I
would only go back temporarily until the maker of the conflicting software
brought out a patch. Shaun.