Need advice please...

algae

Senior member
Oct 26, 2000
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My wife's computer is giving her a "corrupt system32" error and is prompting to run a recovery. I haven't used the recovery console in a long time and I'm concerned I'll blow away her data unnecessarily.
When I put her Win XP Pro cd I get a prompt as to which OS I want to repair. I choose "1" as it is the only choice I have.
Do I select "install" and then repair on the next screen or will it be too late to save her data when I select install at the first opportunity? I tried running a "fixmbr" just to see what would happen but I'm getting a blue screen "Driver_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" error.
Any advice?
Thanks
Gary
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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1) if you do not have a hardware firewall (a router), then disconnect the network cable from the computer or turn off your wireless access point. Don't want to be catching worms here :)

2) start Windows Setup from the WindowsXP CD-ROM. At the first screen that offers the option to Repair or to Install, choose Install.

3) Windows Setup will unpack a few things, you press F8 to agree to the EULA, and then it will show the partitions on the hard drive so you can choose an installation location. Choose the C: partition, and Windows Setup should see the C:\WINDOWS directory and offer to repair the installation that's inside. Now choose Repair. Windows will reinstall but will adopt your existing data and programs.

4) Keep the computer un-networked until you have its Internet Connection Firewall enabled. This fresh Windows installation will not have any patches or service packs except what's on your WinXP CD-ROM.

If your computer has a virus that caused the previous trouble (quite possible), then it still has it, and some of them are made to disable the Windows firewall but hide that fact. So the next thing you might want to do is what I'm describing in this text file, except download the resources on a different computer and put them on a CD-R or a thumb drive and move them to the affected computer that way.

I have some malware-prevention suggestions on this page that are particularly geared towards fresh Windows installations, so take a look at the wormproofing and ongoing-prevention areas :)
 

algae

Senior member
Oct 26, 2000
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Hi,
Thanks for replying. I followed the instructions but don't have the option to repair at that point so I didn't continue. ??

Gary
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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Maybe it got hit by one of those viruses that TKO's the guts of the Windows directory, and there's nothing left to repair. :( If that's the case then you're going to want to back off, and focus on rescuing her data before doing a fresh Windows installation.

You evidently have a second computer. What operating system does it use (WinXP Home, WinXP Pro, Win2000 Pro, or something else)? Is it a desktop computer that you could put her hard drive into for data recovery, or is it a laptop, or a Mac, or ??? Heck, maybe you got an extra-fancy cell phone ;)
 

algae

Senior member
Oct 26, 2000
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Yes it's a desktop and I can use it to read (hopefully) the hd and backup the data. Bummer tho:))

G.
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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Ok, when you get the hard drive into your WinXP Pro system,

1) open a Windows Explorer window, click Tools > Folder Options and go to the View tab. At the bottom of the list, uncheck the Use Simple File Sharing box.

2) now browse to her hard drive, open its \Documents and Settings directory, and right-click her account's folder there. Choose Properties and then the Security tab, and then the Advanced button, as shown in this picture.

3) Put a checkmark in the box for Replace owner on subcontainers and objects, then give Ownership to one of your own computer's accounts in the Change owner to: box.


This gets you past the "Access Is Denied" thing.
 

algae

Senior member
Oct 26, 2000
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Thanks. Looks like this is the only option. I did get chkdsk to run and it discovered some errors. However I could run the /f switch. When I tried it bounced back to the "Driver_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" error.

Gary