XP installation problems

[ButtersB]

Hi,

i'll try to keep this short(ish), as the long version is dull.

Started off with Windows 2000. Have two hard drives. They were C and D. Was having wireless problems for ages, so split C into C and E, and installed windows xp onto E. Wireless was fine with XP, so the plan was to upgrade win2k on C to winxp, then remove E, thus leaving me with one OS, with all of my settings and programs still intact. The first problem I had was winxp refusing to install as an upgrade to 2000, whinging about not being able to create a temp directory. So I disabled EVERYTHING. All the startup and services stuff that might get in the way, but it still didn't work. So, I tried copying the xp cd to the hard drive, and upgrading from that, which seemed to be working fine, the problem is, the installation freezes at 'installing network' and won't budge any further. It doesn't crash, the 'isn't windows xp great' messages keep cycling and the mouse is still active, but it just doesn't go any further. Tried rebooting and letting it complete another 3 or 4 times, all with the same result. I even tried disabling the onboard network card and removing my PCI wireless card, none of which made any difference. I know windows xp can be installed ok, cos i installed a fresh copy on E, so its just an upgrading problem.

Now, if it were just a matter of reinstalling all of my applications and stuff, i could handle it, but, i've lost my email password, and have no easy way of getting it back. I've tried copying the identity information from C, which recovers the inbox fine, but not the account information. I've tried using Advanced Outlook Express Password Recovery from elcomsoft, but that will only recover from the version of outlook express on the new XP installation on E.

If anyone knows how to either complete the XP upgrade, or tell me another way to recover the password from C, it would be hugely apprieciated. Full system info is below.

Thanks,
James

system info:

athlon xp2000 (at stock)
512mb PC3200
MSI K7N2-L (n-force 2)
WD800JB + Maxtor 40GB
Liteon 40x12x48
Pioneer DVR-105
SB Live! 1024
CNet 311 11b wireless
hauppauge TV card
ASUS GF4 Ti4200

 

[Slikkster]

Couple of things. First, the password. Assuming you've actually gotten the password saved in OE and just can't remember it (shows up as dots or asterisks in the password box), try this FREE utility. Follow the directions; it should work fine.

Free Mail Password Reveal Utility

As to the installation, you and many others have gotten that looping problem with "Installing Network". One guy said he had luck by not only disabling the network card, but also making sure there was no ethernet connection to any LAN or Cable Modem or DSL modem. In other words, disconnect the cable from the internet.

There are also some "switches" you can use at install time to tell XP how to install outside the "normal" install routine.

You would be interested (since no network will be used) in the "dudisable" switch:

/dudisable Disable dynamic update, so only the original setup files are used.

As for the temporary folder issue, you can use other switches to specify a folder/drive:


/syspart rive_letter Copies temporary files to specified drive, make the drive active, and run from that drive.

/tempdrive rive_letter Drive location of temporary files


More info here on switches:


XP install switches

Additionally, on the Temporary Files/folder problem, there's a MS KB article on Office XP install problems with that type of error that might apply to your upgrade, too. Read the solution about adjusting permissions on that folder, if you have it in your Win2K C: drive.

Cannot create Temporary Folder issue

 

[ButtersB]

First of all, thanks for the suggestions.

About the email password recovery program. The password is indeed already stored on the computer, the problem is, I can't actually boot into windows 2000 any more as its halfway though the XP upgrade, and so when i select it from the boot menu, it just tries to continue the XP installation and freezes at network installation. I'm working from the second windows xp partition on E at the moment, and it just tries to read its own copy of outlook express, and not the one on C.

About the 'Installing Network' problem. The inbuilt NIC hasn't got anything connected to it, and I totally removed the wireless card.

Unless there's a way to reinitiate the upgrade process on C, whilst working from an entirely different XP installation on E, I can't apply the switches.
I tried wiping the two temporary directories that XP setup created on C, as well as $LDR$ and txtsetup.sif to try and force the XP setup to start again from an earlier point in the upgrade, but that made no difference.

One thought I had: The install is working from setup files on C:\wxp cd\ at the moment, is there anything I can alter or delete to make it either skip the network part entirely due to not finding the right files, or will that just abandon the whole process.

Another thing, when i installed WXP on E, i tried to use the same wireless NIC driver as 2000, and it installed, but gave me an error in device manager saying it was missing some component or other. Does the XP upgrade try to use the same drivers as were installed already, or will it automatically use the ones from the XP cd regardless? If it is trying to use the 2000 one, it may be physically installing OK (like it did in XP), but is kicking up an error when trying to actually access the network, in which case either deleting the driver inf from the windows directory on C, or replacing it with the real XP one that actually works may solve the problem. What do you think?

Thanks,
James

 

[ButtersB]

Well, i've managed to get my email password back, which fixes one of the problems. I remembered i'd put the details on a different computer years ago, which still had them on, luckily.

James