- Sep 28, 2001
- 8,464
- 155
- 106
there are system crashes and BSODS which, on a scale from 1 to 10 are maybe a 6, or a 7....and those generate headaches and are time consuming...but with a little knowledge and trickery you might be able to resolve them.
THIS system crash was *definitly* a 9.5.
One of those BSOD/Stop errors which occurs immediately after Bios POST...and doesnt even allow you to boot into XP.
* safe mode ? Hahaha...no way...dont even think about it. Didn't work.
So...one LAST resort often brought up is "System recovery console" if you boot from the XP Pro CD....ot an emergency re-install.
The joke just was that i could NOT EVEN load recovery console or do a emergency install because once the setup CD loaded all it's stuff and i selected my XP install i BSODed out...basically as SOON as any access to the HD happened: BSOD
* You can imagine how i started sweating and thinking......if not even the recovery console worked. ALso want to mention that i own a couple so called "boot CDs" with various utilities....but those were all of NO use since my NTFS file-system was not accessible - and a NTFS tool for some reason wouldn't
load.
DONT EVER JUST POWER OFF YOUR COMPUTER IN THE MIDDLE OF MODDING AROUND....(too lasy to wait for shutdown since i wanna try a fan etc..) i did this for a month and was fine....but DARE you switch off the comp at the WRONG time and while it is writing the wrong file. I learned my lesson. <----------------
Solution:
I know about this very helpful link at
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
especially the last section where he manually copies around in the recovery console if you have one of those 9-10 on the crash scale which basically doesnt allow you to do ANYTHING anymore.
TOo bad the guy uses the recovery console which (see above) i couldnt use because of BSOD-mania.
How on earth now can i access my XP/NTFS install ???
*** I had a second spare 2GB FAT32 partition on my HD....so in installed a new Win XP on this small partition.
Change partition's active flag, boot into NEW XP install on 2GB partition.
Now i can access my original NTFS partition, do a CHKDSK /F on it.
Copy and delete the files around (on the damaged install) in C:\windows\system32\config like described in the above link.
----> i am able to boot in my old install ! YAY
Problem: In that link he copies some old system-restore points/registry snaphosts around....to my disappointment i see ALL my restore points are GONE. (I am positive i made one JUST yesterday !!!) Anyway they are all gone.
So i didnt have a choice than use what's there which was some registry backups about 20 or so days old.
The end of the story:
I STILL HAVE all my data and kept ALL my programs etc. EXCEPT i had to reinstall a couple programs and drivers which i just installed in the last weeks because the somewhat outdated restore points/registry backups.
System is on par again now with NOT too much work/trouble.
When i was working with the XP install CD btw. and tried to re-install a new XP which i did NOT do this time) i also got a warning that there is an OS already on the partition (my main OS, the damaged one !)...and i am QUITE POSITIVE that if i *had* started a new install (basically an overwrite) then i would've gotten an virgin XP install - means i would've had to re-install EVERY program and drivers etc.
I usually would've done an emergcy/repair install (like i did a few times before) - but as said in this case the old XP install was not recognized (only the one on the smaller HD partition)....so that's the reason why i did NOT use it today to avoid a basically re-install of *everything*.
Well....just a nice story to share
THIS system crash was *definitly* a 9.5.
One of those BSOD/Stop errors which occurs immediately after Bios POST...and doesnt even allow you to boot into XP.
* safe mode ? Hahaha...no way...dont even think about it. Didn't work.
So...one LAST resort often brought up is "System recovery console" if you boot from the XP Pro CD....ot an emergency re-install.
The joke just was that i could NOT EVEN load recovery console or do a emergency install because once the setup CD loaded all it's stuff and i selected my XP install i BSODed out...basically as SOON as any access to the HD happened: BSOD
* You can imagine how i started sweating and thinking......if not even the recovery console worked. ALso want to mention that i own a couple so called "boot CDs" with various utilities....but those were all of NO use since my NTFS file-system was not accessible - and a NTFS tool for some reason wouldn't
load.
DONT EVER JUST POWER OFF YOUR COMPUTER IN THE MIDDLE OF MODDING AROUND....(too lasy to wait for shutdown since i wanna try a fan etc..) i did this for a month and was fine....but DARE you switch off the comp at the WRONG time and while it is writing the wrong file. I learned my lesson. <----------------
Solution:
I know about this very helpful link at
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
especially the last section where he manually copies around in the recovery console if you have one of those 9-10 on the crash scale which basically doesnt allow you to do ANYTHING anymore.
TOo bad the guy uses the recovery console which (see above) i couldnt use because of BSOD-mania.
How on earth now can i access my XP/NTFS install ???
*** I had a second spare 2GB FAT32 partition on my HD....so in installed a new Win XP on this small partition.
Change partition's active flag, boot into NEW XP install on 2GB partition.
Now i can access my original NTFS partition, do a CHKDSK /F on it.
Copy and delete the files around (on the damaged install) in C:\windows\system32\config like described in the above link.
----> i am able to boot in my old install ! YAY
Problem: In that link he copies some old system-restore points/registry snaphosts around....to my disappointment i see ALL my restore points are GONE. (I am positive i made one JUST yesterday !!!) Anyway they are all gone.
So i didnt have a choice than use what's there which was some registry backups about 20 or so days old.
The end of the story:
I STILL HAVE all my data and kept ALL my programs etc. EXCEPT i had to reinstall a couple programs and drivers which i just installed in the last weeks because the somewhat outdated restore points/registry backups.
System is on par again now with NOT too much work/trouble.
When i was working with the XP install CD btw. and tried to re-install a new XP which i did NOT do this time) i also got a warning that there is an OS already on the partition (my main OS, the damaged one !)...and i am QUITE POSITIVE that if i *had* started a new install (basically an overwrite) then i would've gotten an virgin XP install - means i would've had to re-install EVERY program and drivers etc.
I usually would've done an emergcy/repair install (like i did a few times before) - but as said in this case the old XP install was not recognized (only the one on the smaller HD partition)....so that's the reason why i did NOT use it today to avoid a basically re-install of *everything*.
Well....just a nice story to share
Facebook
Twitter