Magnus said:
what to do next?
When trying to boot my compaq presario 2100 with XP home SP2 it stops at
the
windows logo.
Tried safe mode -same thing, it stops at windows logo
Tried "last working configuration" -no improvement
Tried repair install and typing fixboot and fixmbr -no improvement
run chdsk -says no problem with hard drive
run another hard drive test program -says no problem with hard drive
Of course I have non backed up family photos on the hard drive...
Could someone advice me how to continue?
Magnus:
Assuming you have available another PC, the very *first* thing to do is to
install the HDD as a secondary drive in that machine and attempt to access &
copy those precious photos.
If the preceding is not practical or just doesn't work...
And assuming you have a non-OEM-branded XP installation CD available, as it
appears you might have...run a Repair install.
When you say you already tried a "repair install" I assume you're referring
to accessing the XP Recovery Console and undertaking that "repair" install.
We're talking about the "other" Repair install of the XP OS. But before
doing so, it probably would be advisable to determine if the HDD is
defective, so if you haven't done so already, you might want to download the
hard disk diagnostic utility from the web site of the manufacturer of the
HDD and check out the disk.
A Repair install of the OS the process is relatively straightforward. It
would be roughly akin to making a fresh install of the OS, but in nearly
every case your existing programs & user-created data would be retained.
While it would be a rather rare situation where data would be lost or
corrupted as a direct result of the Repair install (whether failed or
successful), and as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen. So it really
would be best if, before running a Repair install, you try to access & copy
whatever files you want off the drive (see opening remark).
I assume you've never undertaken this type of Repair installation of the XP
OS. There are a number of websites that contain step-by-step instructions
for undertaking a Repair install. The process itself is not at all difficult
and not terribly time-consuming. If you do a Google search on "XP repair
install", you'll be pointed to many of these sites. Here are a few...
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#RI
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your A-V program
to immediately check out your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will
need to download/install *all* the MS critical updates since SP2. That, of
course, is one of the downsides re undertaking a Repair install in that it's
usually an onerous task to download all the Critical Updates from MS
especially if you're using a dialup phone connection rather than broadband.
Needless to say, there's no guarantee that the Repair install will be
successful since there may be problems present - hardware or software -
other than a mildly-corrupted OS that a Repair install will generally
correct.
Anna
