unable to start xp- seems like it keeps waiting.....

[Ben]

hi all,

I've been having this problem since last night. I use XP Pro SP1. I
shut down my machine properly before I went out. After coming back
home, i tried to use XP but it showed some errors regarding (I hardly
recall the exact messages) config.sys and pagefile.sys files. I kept
rebooting for a few times and everytime I chose "Start at Normal Mode"
option. It kept giving me the same message on Blue screen. I kept
restarting and choosing the same option. Finally I could get to screen
with a light blue background with the XP logo in the middle (just
before the logon screen). Then it just stopped responding. It doesn't
hang. It seems like it's waiting for some command and just waits
infinitely....

From my linux partition, i checked my disk space in C:\ (that's where
xp is installed). I have about 2GB of disk space remaining. I've had a
look at other postings and Microsoft's Knowledge Base docs but am
unable to find a fix for this specific problem.

I've tried "safe mode". it stops at the very same place. I'm thinking
if i need to replace my kernel32.dll file from cdrom or this prob
could be some kind of registry fault..??

Can someone know about this problem and the ways to fix it?

Thanks for your time!
Ben

 

[Mark Jacobs]

2GB is the virtual memory limit for Windoze (crap innit!?!), so try freeing up some disk space on your Windows
partition. It seems that pagefil.sys loves only contiguous disk space, and it easily reaches 1GB under normal
use. So you need 1GB of contiguous disk space. If you can't free up a good chunk of space, try defragging the
Windows partition.

 

[Ben]

I fixed my problem myself and would like to post how i've done it so
this might help other people in the future.

i referred to the Knowledge Base 307545. It talks about corrupted
registry and the ways to fix it.. i tried all the different ways but
didn't work.. so thought i better give it a try and it did work
indeed... there has been minor probs though.. i just replaced one
registry hive (..\config\system). The Knowledge Base tells us to
replace all five hives.. I still have some programs not working
properly.. I'll now go and replace the remaining hives... Hope it'll
be alright..

Ben