Urgent help needed with XP

[Evander]

hello,
I'm using Win XP Pro (Jap)
I applied a patch:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/lvllord/download-mirror.htm
which says it raises xp2 tcpip connections from 10 to 50 (I was hoping to optimize bittorrent).

Now windows refuses to boot (regular boot gets me the windows loading screen progress indicator, then a hanging black screen. booting safe mode = black screen as well, ditto for the "load previous good boot" option (sorry, don't know the exact english wording).

As far as I can tell, this patch only modifies c:\windows\system32\drivers\TCPIP.SYS
and creates a backup: c:\windows\system32\drivers\TCPIP.SYS.ORIGINAL

So I installed xp on a spare 2.5 gig HD and set as master, set up my original drive as slave, booted xp and restored the original file. Then I restored the original HD jumpers and hoped XP would boot on the original drive but no dice. I don't know what else I can do, could you please advise me?

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: Evander
hello,
I'm using Win XP Pro (Jap)
I applied a patch:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/lvllord/download-mirror.htm
which says it raises xp2 tcpip connections from 10 to 50 (I was hoping to optimize bittorrent).

Now windows refuses to boot (regular boot gets me the windows loading screen progress indicator, then a hanging black screen. booting safe mode = black screen as well, ditto for the "load previous good boot" option (sorry, don't know the exact english wording).

As far as I can tell, this patch only modifies c:\windows\system32\drivers\TCPIP.SYS
and creates a backup: c:\windows\system32\drivers\TCPIP.SYS.ORIGINAL

So I installed xp on a spare 2.5 gig HD and set as master, set up my original drive as slave, booted xp and restored the original file. Then I restored the original HD jumpers and hoped XP would boot on the original drive but no dice. I don't know what else I can do, could you please advise me?

So you installed a non-Microsoft patch to the core operating system, and you're surprised that you have problems? (Sigh)

You could try putting both the .original file back in place and doing the "last known good" option at the same time, which would put at least the good System hive of the registry back in place. Otherwise, I hope you have System File Restore turned on (you could then easily copy the sam|software|security|system files from SFR back into c:\windows\system32\config, after backing up what's there now...and also putting the original file back in place.)

Moral of the story: Don't install non-MS core-OS hacks or "patches" from random websites.

 

[doc2345]

Originally posted by: dclive

Moral of the story: Don't install non-MS core-OS hacks or "patches" from random websites.

Good point, I'd bet a reinstall is going to be required........

 

[mechBgon]

I don't know what else I can do

In this case maybe you should start with DBAN... :evil: Then reinstall Windows. If your CD doesn't have SP2 onboard already, then get the full-file SP2 installer, save it on CD or a USB drive, and install it before your system gets a network connection. Preferably install SP2 before your mobo and video drivers, too.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

I don't know what else I can do

In this case maybe you should start with DBAN... :evil: Then reinstall Windows. If your CD doesn't have SP2 onboard already, then get the full-file SP2 installer, save it on CD or a USB drive, and install it before your system gets a network connection. Preferably install SP2 before your mobo and video drivers, too.

Hold up there cowboys - let's not have him reformat everything if it's something simple to fix.

Let's see if he's got system restore turned on; if so his registry will be OK, so we can go back to that and see if he can boot. The only question is if he'd rather reformat to save his time - reformats are rarely, rarely, rarely actually required.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Bart PE anyone?

it's worth a try.

 

[Evander]

Well I feel stupid now, but it wasn't really a random act. I'd already heard for a long time that sp2 limits your p2p but never did anything about it. Yesterday I went to a site that had good advice for an alternative of a codec I didn't wanna install (not unlike a lotta people here use real altternative and quicktime alt). It gave good advice in that respect, and poking around this same site it referred me to that patch file. Looking further into it, I saw how it created a backup file so I figured why not try. Well, I know now of course.

And thank everyone for your advice, I had already tried the dual approach of restore file + previous good boot but still got the black screen. So following the advice here I tried the system restore. I'm pretty sure I never disabled it, but looking at those 4 files they were dated back to May. Tried using them anyway, it booted into windows then said along the lines "can't read user settings, use defaults" and clicking the OK button, it rebooted the system and the same process occurred. So I'm still stuck

And would PartPE really be of anyuse to me? I already can be to xp on the 2.5 gig HD, and have access to both hard drives from there.

 

[SleepWalkerX]

pop in a winxp cd before boot and repair install?

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: Evander
Well I feel stupid now, but it wasn't really a random act. I'd already heard for a long time that sp2 limits your p2p but never did anything about it. Yesterday I went to a site that had good advice for an alternative of a codec I didn't wanna install (not unlike a lotta people here use real altternative and quicktime alt). It gave good advice in that respect, and poking around this same site it referred me to that patch file. Looking further into it, I saw how it created a backup file so I figured why not try. Well, I know now of course.

And thank everyone for your advice, I had already tried the dual approach of restore file + previous good boot but still got the black screen. So following the advice here I tried the system restore. I'm pretty sure I never disabled it, but looking at those 4 files they were dated back to May. Tried using them anyway, it booted into windows then said along the lines "can't read user settings, use defaults" and clicking the OK button, it rebooted the system and the same process occurred. So I'm still stuck

And would PartPE really be of anyuse to me? I already can be to xp on the 2.5 gig HD, and have access to both hard drives from there.

bartPE can help you access the registry of the XP install you want access to. Can you do Remote registry from the second XP install?

 

[mechBgon]

Hold up there cowboys - let's not have him reformat everything if it's something simple to fix.

I tend to go for the surefire solution, especially after people install stuff of unknown origin. Welcome to my rootkit, said the spider to the fly...

But whatever. Good luck either way, Evander

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: Evander
And would PartPE really be of anyuse to me? I already can be to xp on the 2.5 gig HD, and have access to both hard drives from there.

No, unless you know what to fix, booting into PE is no better than what you've already tried.

Edit: Except for what PG pointed out about getting into the registry.

 

[Evander]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by:
bartPE can help you access the registry of the XP install you want access to. Can you do Remote registry from the second XP install?

I don't know b/c I've never done remote registry (only the "normal" variety, i.e regedit). But as far as I can tell I have full access to all files on that hard drive. But still, I'm not sure what I would do, even assuming I had access to the remote registry

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: Evander
Well I feel stupid now, but it wasn't really a random act. I'd already heard for a long time that sp2 limits your p2p but never did anything about it. Yesterday I went to a site that had good advice for an alternative of a codec I didn't wanna install (not unlike a lotta people here use real altternative and quicktime alt). It gave good advice in that respect, and poking around this same site it referred me to that patch file. Looking further into it, I saw how it created a backup file so I figured why not try. Well, I know now of course.

And thank everyone for your advice, I had already tried the dual approach of restore file + previous good boot but still got the black screen. So following the advice here I tried the system restore. I'm pretty sure I never disabled it, but looking at those 4 files they were dated back to May. Tried using them anyway, it booted into windows then said along the lines "can't read user settings, use defaults" and clicking the OK button, it rebooted the system and the same process occurred. So I'm still stuck

And would PartPE really be of anyuse to me? I already can be to xp on the 2.5 gig HD, and have access to both hard drives from there.

Boot into BartPE (don't install XP, else your restore points will be overwritten)
Go into the following folder:
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{71835D45-16FD-4262-BA4A-8B6C0540FEBD}\RP8\snapshot

(Yours may be RP55, for example, but the point is, go into that folder, to a recent restore point from when things worked - look at the dates - and file the SAM, software, security, and System files)

Go to c:\windows\system32\config and back up those 4 files into c:\windows\system32\config\backup.

Copy those four files from c:\system volume .... to c:\windows\ssytem32\config.

Find and rename all files that this patch changed on your system. We'll assume that's just the file it renamed as .original, so find out where it put the file and replace it with the original.

Reboot and let us know what happens. You're essentially putting a backup registry back into place. If the problem was with the registry, that will fix it.

And does the safe mode no network config do anything different?

 

[Evander]

I tried BartPE, but when I boot the cd it gets as far as the windows logo with the blue progress bar endlessly going back and forth, waiting a little while the cd stops accessing, so it's not gonna load.
Is there another way? I never even knew about the C:\System Volume Information folder, it doesn't show up even if i show all files\folders including hidden. If I try to access it directly, it says "access denied", but I guess it must be there b/c it doesn't say no such file\folder.

edit: to answer your question, none of the safe modes act any differently

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: Evander
I tried BartPE, but when I boot the cd it gets as far as the windows logo with the blue progress bar endlessly going back and forth, waiting a little while the cd stops accessing, so it's not gonna load.
Is there another way? I never even knew about the C:\System Volume Information folder, it doesn't show up even if i show all files\folders including hidden. If I try to access it directly, it says "access denied", but I guess it must be there b/c it doesn't say no such file\folder.

edit: to answer your question, none of the safe modes act any differently

It's there. You need to add yourself to the Security tab (in properties) and you'll be able to open it.

If you can't boot the OS, how can you see the folder?

If PE won't boot that box, chances are your PE CD is bad, but test it - use it to boot another PC. If it works on the other box, it's starting to sound like that original PC has other issues....

 

[Evander]

I couldn't actually see the folder, I just typed the path into file explorer:
F:\System Volume Information
and it said access denied.
Is there no other way to access it besides partPE? You mentioned the security tab, but I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about (fyi, xp on current drive has no sp1 or 2 installed (probably not enough space anyway), and if I can alter the security of my original install from the outside, that doesn't sound like much "security" is going on there).
Edit: OK, I found the setting in folder options to make the folder show, but still it says access denied

I tried again making the iso and also using a different burning program but the results were the same. I don't have another pc to try the cd out on, except for a win95 p75 laptop with pcmcia cdrom drive, which won't boot jack from a cd. I could maybe send the iso to you if you wanted to test it. I really don't think there's anything wrong with the pc itself (it boots other cds), maybe an error with my boot cd making process, or perhaps bartpe doesn't like Japanese versions of xp.

If worse comes to worse, I did a system backup on 2 dvdrs some months ago just prior to installing sp2. Although some programs would need to be reinstalled to get where I am now, at least I would still have full access to all my files and restore them easy enough.

 

[Evander]

Ok, I found out how to gain access to the folder. For anyone who's wondering:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/system_volume_information_folder1.htm
Now I'll try using those files

 

[Evander]

Tried using the restore files from 2 days, made no difference. That patch is evil. Guess I've got no choice but to format

 

[Evander]

Well you're not gonna believe it. I backed up all my save data from the drive, and backed up my previous preSP2 2-DVDR recovery set (in case there were read errors during recovery, I'd have spares). Also attempted to copy the associated boot floppy in case of read erros, which failed, so I made 2 new ones. Unhooked the 2.5gig HD, rebooted the system (didn't yet format b/c the recovery program will do it for me), and for some reason the floppy boot failed and went to the hard drive boot instead. I figured what the hell, I'll give windows one more chance to load. And it did! System appears to be working 100% now, except for my 2 very last installed progs before this crap all started, but I can restore those easy enough. I'm not quite sure how it got fixed, but I'm sure it was b/c of the help of those who contributed here, thank you. And a special thanks to dclive. I'll be more careful now and make DVDR backup images more frequently

 

[dclive]

Glad it works; I suggest putting SP2 on it plus all other *Microsoft* updates.

 

[Evander]

Yep, strictly ms updates from now on (since i didn't have to use my restore dvds, sp2 is still on there. it was my 2.5 gigger that had no sp 1/2)

 

[dclive]

IC ... when you booted with that, it probably overwrote the restore information you had in system volume information folder. Can you confirm? Were there any RPxyz folders from prior to your doing that secondary install of XP on the 2.5Gb drive?

 

[Evander]

Well I tried to check for you but for some reason, when I changed the security settings on this hd's xp install (as opposed to when I changed them on the 2.5 one which is already back in the closet) it still denied me access to the contents of the system information folder. Looking at changing the possible security settings beyond what was mentioned on that eldergeek page made me feel like I was playing with fire. So unfortunately I cannot confirm the info you requested

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: Evander
Well I feel stupid now, but it wasn't really a random act. I'd already heard for a long time that sp2 limits your p2p but never did anything about it.

The one thing not addressed in this thread is the fact that this information is false. XP has a outstanding connection limit for 1/2 opened connections. Those are connections which do not complete. Those are limited to 10 outstanding at a time (to help slow worm propigation). There is no limit on completed connections, so this will NOT overly affect bittorrent or other such applications. You'll easily see dozens or more connections in Bittorrent if you look (and it's a popular file), which will prove the point.

Bill