upgrade fails with "The system is not fully installed." message

[cboozb]

My Lenovo Thinkpad T60 ( running Windows XP SP2) was infected with a
virus. I eventually got is cleaned up with Kapersky. It was operating
fine. I then took a Windows XP Professional SP3 OEM and attempted to
do an UPGRADE.

When I first put the CD into the drive and ran setup, after entering
the Product Key, it asked me to remove the Lenovo's replacement login
(since it was using the fingerprint software) and the Thinkpad
Configuration Utilities. So I exited setup and took out the CD and
rebooted to the laptop and removed the software.

I then put the CD back in rebooted from the CD and began again.
Everything proceeded normally until the setup got to the point in the
process where it says it is installing Windows. It seemed to stop at
the point where it says something like 32 minutes left. It stayed at
that same time for the next hour. The progress animation was still
going but the time estimate never changed. I didn't seem to have any
choice --there was no progress--so I powered down the laptop.
When I restarted the laptop, it booted from the CD, displays the blue
startup background and then in a few seconds the window: "The system
is not fully installed." comes up. When I click OK, it reboots. If I
were to leave the CD in, then everytime it boots and I click the
message box with the "The system is not fully installed." it will
cycle through rebooting to the CD and putting up the message
again....over and over.

Everything else I've tried results in the same thing.

If I take the CD out and boot from the hard drive, same result.

If I leave out the CD and boot from the hard drive and press F8, and
get the startup menu, anything I choose:
Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Last Known Good Configuration

All result in the message box coming up "The system is not fully
installed."

I am stuck. What can I do?

Is there some way to get back to resuming the upgrade installation ?

Is there some way to start the process over again?

Right now, it appears I am trapped-no way out.

Help.

Charles Black
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Anteaus]

When an upgrade installation breaks there is rarely any hope of recovery.

In any case, would be best to do a clean install if malware has been on the
computer. In doing so, make sure you replace the MBR, and format the system
partition to ensure any lingering nastiness is gone.

Sorry I can't offer anything more positive, but in the long term it would be
better to know you have a clean, reliable OS than one which might still
contain lurking, festering evil.

Incidentally (if I read you right) you did a reinstall froma distribution CD
to apply SP3. You don't need to do this, just get the SP3 update from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...AD-BC34-40BE-8D85-6BB4F56F5110&displaylang=en

 

[Anteaus]

Apologies, SP3 link is:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FamilyID=5b33b5a8-5e76-401f-be08-1e1555d4f3d4

 

[cboozb]

When an upgrade installation breaks there is rarely any hope of recovery.

In any case, would be best to do a clean install if malware has been on the
computer. In doing so, make sure you replace the MBR, and format the system
partition to ensure any lingering nastiness is gone.

Sorry I can't offer anything more positive, but in the long term it wouldbe
better to know you have a clean, reliable OS than one which might still
contain lurking, festering evil.

Incidentally (if I read you right) you did a reinstall froma distributionCD
to apply SP3. You don't need to do this, just get the SP3 update from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=68C48DAD-BC3....















- Show quoted text -

Thanks. I guess that's it then. How do you replace the MBR and format
the drive? Also is there still a chance that I could first boot from a
linux (or other) CD and back up the files on the hard drive before
that?

Thanks for any help.