-=PCTechTalk=- Re: XP Musical boot failure
- From: Gman <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 20:21:26 -0400
Bottoms up! (or are we now on Uppers Bot?)
Peace,
Gman
http://www.thevenusproject.com/index.php
"The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask"
----- Original Message -----
From: <recklessmaverick@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 10:04 AM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: XP Musical boot failure
> My brain is a bit fried at the moment also. That makes the idea of
> frying some sausage and eggs for breakfast rather displeasing. Thank
> goodness for cereal and milk. :-))
>
>
> I also see very little to if anything to add to this topic and I have
> the system in front of me. I doubt that we will ever be able to
> determine what it was about moving and returning the data drive files
> that caused the boot problem to appear. Same goes for figuring out why
> doing a full image restore of all three drives did not fix the problem.
>
> An answer to this question will eliminate a guess on my part: With some
> files that XP wants physically located on a separate drive, will XP look
> in its own drive's FAT or the DATA drive's FAT to find its location?
>
> My guess? The move and move back of the data files/folders would
> effectively defragment the drive and thus change file and folder
> locations. If XP checks its own FAT (or other resource on its drive)
> first then it will get inaccurate information.
All drives store the file table individually. The partition info on where
to find the various parts of a fragmented (or non fragmented) file on second
drive cannot be stored on the first. So, this is not a matter of one drive
losing track of another. Also, since the info remains on the same drive as
the actual data it represents, no 'defragmenting' effect can be experienced.
> I wish I had kept the two boot problems in two separate threads. At one
> point it seems the two got mixed together but I will sort that out as I
> write this reply.
>
> To simplify the "see below the above below the below above" situation I
> will quote pertinent parts up here but leave the full message below for
> reference.
Now you're just trying to confuse me. lol
> "The first screen is something like "Windows is starting up". The second
> is something like "Windows is loading your preferences". The first one
> looks to the System area of the registry. The second focuses on the User
> area. Perhaps we're looking at a corrupted registry in the User part.
> Remind me: Have you tried a System Restore to back to before the big
> bang?"
>
> No. My use of the term "restore" referred to use of the backup image
> created using ATI. I had no access to XP to do a system restore and did
> not think that a Vista system restore would help XP.
Ok, and if Safe Mode is/was not an option, then the case for determining the
state of the registry may be lost. It still might be possible to restore to
an earlier state using the Command Console, if you have an official XP disk
of the same SP level handy. I don't know the commands offhand, so some web
searching will be required to hunt those down.
> "Triple check the cables, too. I would even suspect the power cables and
> swap them for any other molex connectors that might be available. Even if
> none were available, I'd likely pull a couple of 'good' ones from lesser
> devices just to make this switch. Give those now deprived devices the
> ones
> that used to go to the hard drives and see what happens."
>
> The case is open as we speak, with the power on of course. I see that I
> have only two SATA power connectors... one on the DVD drive and one on the
> Hard drive. If length and positioning permit I will swap those around. I
> have a lot of molex connectors but I had trouble getting one to reach the
> data drive when I installed it and may not be able to swap that around.
> The data drive has a new data cable but I will swap data cables between
> the DVD and
>
>
>
>
>
>
> (sorry about the delay... the mention of sausage and eggs made me hungry)
>
>
> boot drive.
You're incorrigible! lol
> "A corrupted system file that's somehow unaffected by System Restore? A
> still somewhat loose data or power cable connection to the XP drive? Lab
> rats getting loose in your computer room? Insufficient power through
> your home (i.e. semi-frequent brownout conditions)? Voodoo?"
>
> This is what made me think mentioning both problems in the same message
> was a mistake on my part. I'm hooked up to a top notch UPS from APC so
> power flucuations don't impact the system. I always thought that lab
> rats were a myth!!! I'll watch out for them now. And no more going
> barefoot in the computer room.
It's a cardinal sin to discuss two different problems in the same thread.
Y'ought to be 'shamed o' yawsef! As a result of yaw infraction, I have no
idea what related to which problem here. I was not aware that there was a
second issue other than what I've referred to as the 'big bang' (XP's
inability to boot after shuffling drives in Vista).
> "I don't know enough about permissions to confirm or deny this, but it
> sounds perfectly plausible that they would be stored within the file
> system itself."
>
> Would it be plausible to think the FAT and MBR would be backed up when
> an image is created by Acronis True Image (or any other image
> software)? If the answer is "Maybe" would telling it to do the image
> "sector by sector" make the difference?
sector by sector should capture everything. Anything less than that will
likely require a high court to learn the truth.
> "I'm scared, Don! Hold me! ;^) "
>
> I'm scared too. Ask Baby Doll to hold you. :-))
She's too scared to come near me. :o(
> Don
>
> P.S. I'll make this the last message I write in this thread since the
> above is the last of my ideas and questions. I'll do a total reinstall
> across the board tomorrow or Saturday.
*** G lets out a huge sigh of relief! ;oD
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