What's the difference between...

[Guest]

This may seem elementary, but since I don't know, I need to ask. What is the
difference between reformat, reinstall, and clean install? And do all of
these options require reinstalling all programs? Currently using XP Pro w/SP1
and downloaded SP2. OS is trashed, but hanging on to the hope we'll be able
to recover some of the files from the hard drive. Have considered getting a
new hard drive (external or internal) then start from there with possibly
adding the old HD as a 2nd. All salvage methods have been tried and failed,
so we know we need to get XP loaded as a starting point. From a command
prompt using chkdsk got message that 1 or more unrecoverable problems
existed. I guess ultimately I need someone's best guess on how to proceed
realizing I need to try to at some point recover some files from the old
drive. Any suggestions will be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

[R. McCarty]

Drives have partitions - essentially like cutting pieces of a pie. A
partition
can take 100% of a drive or a portion. By default drives can have up to
4 Primary partitions (Drives with Letters). A reformat means taking an
existing partition and erasing it's data, like wiping a slate. It's size and
it's
position on the drive remain untouched.
A re-install can mean several things. A repair install overlays XP to an
"Original" state while preserving the programs, accounts and personal
data that is already in place.
A Clean install means to take a drive ( Partition ) , format it to either
FAT32
or NTFS and do a complete/full XP install.

Before you do any of the above, you really should attempt to backup
your data. There are a number of ways to do this. Physically, you could
install the drive in a Working XP machine and using a CD/DVD burner
backup your data. Also, you could image the entire XP partition using a
Imaging program, such as Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image.

The key to your situation is to think it out. Many times when faced with
this unbootable PC, users take hasty actions that eventually can cause a
100% loss of data.

 

[code_wrong]

This may seem elementary, but since I don't know, I need to ask. What is
the
difference between reformat, reinstall, and clean install? And do all of
these options require reinstalling all programs? Currently using XP Pro
w/SP1
and downloaded SP2. OS is trashed, but hanging on to the hope we'll be
able
to recover some of the files from the hard drive. Have considered getting
a
new hard drive (external or internal) then start from there with possibly
adding the old HD as a 2nd. All salvage methods have been tried and
failed,
so we know we need to get XP loaded as a starting point. From a command
prompt using chkdsk got message that 1 or more unrecoverable problems
existed. I guess ultimately I need someone's best guess on how to proceed
realizing I need to try to at some point recover some files from the old
drive. Any suggestions will be most appreciated. Thanks.

Have you tried the Recovery Console?
Read this on how to use it to recover from a non booting machine:
http://www.digitalwebcast.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/cw_boot_toot.htm

 

[Rock]

This may seem elementary, but since I don't know, I need to ask. What is the
difference between reformat, reinstall, and clean install? And do all of
these options require reinstalling all programs? Currently using XP Pro w/SP1
and downloaded SP2. OS is trashed, but hanging on to the hope we'll be able
to recover some of the files from the hard drive. Have considered getting a
new hard drive (external or internal) then start from there with possibly
adding the old HD as a 2nd. All salvage methods have been tried and failed,
so we know we need to get XP loaded as a starting point. From a command
prompt using chkdsk got message that 1 or more unrecoverable problems
existed. I guess ultimately I need someone's best guess on how to proceed
realizing I need to try to at some point recover some files from the old
drive. Any suggestions will be most appreciated. Thanks.

You really haven't given much information for troubleshooting. First
recover the data from the drive. Try installing it as a slave drive in
another XP or Win2k computer and if the drive is readable, copy the data
that way. If you try that and the drive is not accessible as a slave
drive the next step is to decide just how important the data is. If
it's very important contact one of the data recovery companies such as
www.ontrack.com or www.drivesavers.com. They are not cheap but very good.

Check the condition of the drive using a drive diagnostic utility from
the hard drive manufacturer's web site.

Since you didn't give any information on what "salvage methods have been
tried and failed", I don't know if you've tried running chkdsk from the
recovery console as chkdsk /p. Only try this after you've recovered any
data from the drive.

Another option to read the drive and salvage it is Gibson Research's
spinrite, www.grc.com.

As to your questions, there are two types of installs, a repair install
aka in place upgrade which repairs installs the OS over itself. This
should preserve any data and installed programs. Note however that if
the disk is not readable as above, then a repair install is not going to
work.

See this link for info on a repair install:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

A clean install removes all data and programs from the drive and
installs XP fresh. During the process of the install with your
problems, you should delete the current partition and create a new raw
one, format it, then install windows.

See this link for info on a clean install:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[Guest]

A few Questions,
Where and HOW did your problems start?
do you have a spare HD?
original XP CD's? or is your XP a bundled OEM package? (installed by HP,Dell
etc)
any type of bootable partitioning software (System recovery Commander etc)?
A second PC? or across to one? (Awesome if so, since you could slave your
problem HD to the other PC in order to backup all your files)

And
IN WHAT STATE IS YOUR PC RIGHT NOW?
CAN YOU BOOT FROM CD?

Most Important so those with the knowledge to help you CAN, WHAT STEPS HAVE
YOU TAKEN SO FAR WHILE TRYING TO FIX IT? I know this may seem a pain in the
A_S, but will prove invaluable to any who may have the easy fix to your woes.
Trust me on this-------Take the time after reading this post and write down
everything you can remember that has been done and then post it on your
thread. This will serve to provide much needed details and ELIMINATE getting
advice on solutions you have already tried and insure a better understanding
of the situation. There are some very helpful users out here, so the more
info (SPECIFIC) you provide, the faster the stress will be over.

RE: Your Questions
Formatting refers to creating a file system (FAT 16-FAT 32-NTFS) Formatting
is basically building the shelves for your office library so you have a place
to store your books (Files) The type of formatting can be NON-Destructive,
Erase all DATA, or completely wipe the HD by overwriting the sectors on the
HD ensure no data recovery.

RE-Formatting can refer to converting the type of file system on the HD (SEE
ABOVE) from one to another or in doing so to fix probs.(correcting bad
sectors)

With a clean installation, you erase all data, reformat your hard disk, and
install Windows XP from scratch. You get to start over, getting rid of old
data, leftover files, and unused programs that were cluttering your hard
disk. The downside is you have to re-install programs, backup and restore
your data, and re-configure the settings you want to keep using.

Unless you have your PC's original CD recovery software you will lose all
your OEM specific programs. READ THAT AGAIN

A reinstall is typically used to CORRECT corrupted registry or OS problems.
It is hit or miss on whether you would lose your data as I have done this and
repaired my PC without losing any data and also reinstalled to a fresh sans
personal docs OS.

One option depends on how your HD is set up. What is the size and do you
have multiple partitions on the drive? If you know. Why I ask is that you
can boot your XP CD like doing a new install and you will come to a screen
that will ask you if you wish to :
*TO SET UP WIN XP ON THE SELECTED ITEM?
*TO CREATE A PARTITION IN THE UN-PARTITIONED (FREE ) SPACE?
*TO DELETE THE SELECTED PARTITION PRESS D

The importance of your HD being one large partition or not is that you may
have the option to use FREE---UN PARTITIONED SPACE to format a volume for
your XP (Make it only 10-15gb--1024mb=1GB) and then create and allow XP to
setup your OS on this space assigning it a Drive letter. WHY THE TROUBLE???
You will now be able to boot up under XP and you will see your original HD
files listed under another drive letter, (separate partition) giving you the
ability to recover personal files. Very important to use a Software program
to check for errors or virus's before doing so though as you might just get
back to square one.

IN OTHER WORDS FIND OUT WHY YOUR HD WENT DOWN IN THE FIRST PLACE AND
IMMEDIATELY STOP ANY "UNEDUCATED" (harsher sounding than meant) REPAIR
ATTEMPTS UNTIL THE CAUSE IS IDENTIFIED.

Formatting a disk erases all information on that disk to create a new file
system on the selected partition (Volume SPace) on your HD, but remember- if
you ran DEFRAG regularly formatting WILL NOT always mean losing your data.
DATA IS NOT LOST UNTIL THE SECTORS,(SPACE) ON THE hd CONTAINING YOUR INFO HAS
BEEN OVERWRITTEN WITH NEW DATA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Which is why people who "delete" their data and then give or donate their
old HD to someone else are quite shocked to find out that all their info is
mostly still their. (especially all those downloaded hard core porn files)

Anyway below is some links and I advise going to

http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/?pageTarget=Software&buttonName=Free+Software which will give you free trial use of File Recovery Software.

If you purchased software like SystemSuite 5 or Norton antivirus you
probably already have the software you need. Let us know.

Also if you have a Maxtor HD go to
http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/M...tware Downloads/ATA Hard Drives&downloadID=22

which will allow you to (or have a friend download the file to floppy disk
if your systems completely fried) and obtain POWERMAX which can diagnose and
in the words of Maxtor:
Recommends the use of this utility for troubleshooting potential hard drive
problems. These problems include, but are not limited to the following:

Potential hard drive surface problems (e.g., bad clusters, bad sectors,
partitioning/formatting problems, etc.).
Drive recognition problems (e.g. hard drive that is not recognized by the
operating system).
Software removal.

If you have a different HD then just call or go to that manufactures website
for the FREE diagnosing and fixing utilities.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO PROPERPLY DIAGNOSE THE HD'S INTEGRITY BEFORE DOING
ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MORE DETAILS refer to
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];Q255867
Article ID : 255867 which will also give some help on FDISK and CHKDISK
options using either Recovery Commander or CMD Console

Also for disk error help(NON-XP SITE) but very informative plain spoken
answers. And no I have NO affiliation with them www. FIX DISK.COM
http://www.fdisk.com/fdisk/

OH YEAH Calm Down,,, Deep Breaths,,,It's gonna be okay!!

Why does it take 5 seconds to break something and 2 years to fix it?
If it ain't broke just give me 5 minutes alone with it!!!!!!!!

 

[Kelly]

1. Reformat - Fdisk/Format cleans your hard drive (operating system and
data).
2. Reinstall - Assuming you mean repair install. If so, some updates will
need to be replaced.
3. Clean Install - Similar to #1 but not as extreme.

Tips for round 2: Allocate at least 15g for the operating system, then
store everything else in other partitions and/or another drive.

Good luck!
--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Willard]

Drives have partitions - essentially like cutting pieces of a pie. A
partition
can take 100% of a drive or a portion. By default drives can have up to
4 Primary partitions (Drives with Letters). A reformat means taking an
existing partition and erasing it's data, like wiping a slate. It's size and
it's
position on the drive remain untouched.
A re-install can mean several things. A repair install overlays XP to an
"Original" state while preserving the programs, accounts and personal
data that is already in place.
A Clean install means to take a drive ( Partition ) , format it to either
FAT32
or NTFS and do a complete/full XP install.

Before you do any of the above, you really should attempt to backup
your data. There are a number of ways to do this. Physically, you could
install the drive in a Working XP machine and using a CD/DVD burner
backup your data. Also, you could image the entire XP partition using a
Imaging program, such as Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image.

The key to your situation is to think it out. Many times when faced with
this unbootable PC, users take hasty actions that eventually can cause a
100% loss of data.

Can XP be installed on a FAT32 formatted HDD like Win2K???

 

[code_wrong]

Can XP be installed on a FAT32 formatted HDD like Win2K???

yes

 

[Guest]

The PC froze after deleting several malware and Trojans. Shutdown, wouldn’t
restart. Doesn’t read CD drive, but does see the DVD and floppy drives.
Things tried include “how to get to system restore when you can’t boot†“how
to repair corrupted registry from a command prompt†resource disk,
diagnostics. After loading the proper 6 start up disks, I chose the “Râ€
option. Looked like everything was going normal, then a dialogue box popped
up with an Lsass system error, something about trying to update password
being invalid. (no passwords were ever assigned). and that’s where we are. It
just keeps recycling over and over. I read that this is sort of typical
behavior for the sasser worm. Anyway, all attempts to do anything further
gets the same result…this Lsass error. Trying the 6 disks again, gains me
nothing, so choosing “R†here only gets me to where I was. Screen keeps
displaying F1 to continue or F2 to enter setup. I was able to use the
resource disk and ran diagnostics which indicated everything passed. Whatever
that means.

Then I thought I’d try to take the HD from this machine and install it to a
different computer. This 2nd computer only has Windows XP installed. No other
software. Swapped the hard drives. The exact same thing happened on the 2nd
machine (Lsass error). I tried every F8 option and still the error. I did run
chkdsk as mentioned in my 1st post and got back “one or more unrecoverable
problems existâ€. Is it normal for the clean computer to not recognize the
hard drive? Or is it because the hard drive is only linked to the screwed up
OS?

Reading thru all of the terrific stuff you all have provided so far, I hope
you can work me thru the slave idea on the 2nd computer. I thought of trying
this, but not sure what I need to do it. Obviously I have 2 internal hard
drives.(willing to buy an external if that makes sense) What cables do I need
for a 2nd? I’d set the bad drive as the slave. Windows will run via the good
drive, but what will occur if I try to access files on the bad drive? Will I
be able to? FAT v NTFS? How do I know which? I have all original disks that
came with the Dell system. I’ll go have a look at the various links you all
shared. Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Check this with others but heres my best guess. Plug the problem hd into the
second slot on the other pc. Place the no problems HD in the first slot and
set to CS (Cable Select) same with both. DO not save files from one HD to the
other!!!!!!!
USE a Virus scan program SELECTING DRIVE # 2 for deep SCAN (They will show
as (C:\) your booting HD and (D:\) the problem child) IF it works you will
be able to locate your personal files and Documents and back up to CD-DVD
etc.

If that works and you can recover your files AND have your XP software then
use a Formate and WIPE (OVERWRITE DATA program) to clean that HD----After
removing from working PC.
-- You didn't mention the TYPE OF HD---MAXTOR WESTERNDIGITIAL ETC? Please
Provide this info please. Also how old is the system?

Regarding your FAT vs NTFS ? XP usually formats as NTFS so I wouldn't worry
there. Remember the working HD will bot the system and hopefully give you
acses to the second HD using windows EXPLORER. GET YOUR FILES AND THEN BACK
THEM UPPP AND DO NOT CONNECT TO INTERNENT. Only if you need to update your
virus patterns BEFORE adding HD # 2 so there up to date. Keep us posted.

1)Type of HD (Both of them) size and model #'s
2)Age of the PC that pooped out on ya?

LTR


If it ain''t broke just give me 5 minutes alone with it!!!!!!!!