-=PCTechTalk=- Re: XP Home Boot Problem
- From: "Don" <dsw32952@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 22:18:59 -0400
Adding comments into the message text certainly makes it easier to follow
the thought processes but it also makes it more complex to write the
comments after two or three exchanges. I'll try to be careful with the
snipping and cutting. <grin>
My added comments are preceded by three asterisks.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Ward" <Fred.Ward@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 5:27 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: XP Home Boot Problem
> Yes, F8 brings up a boot menu, but the diagnostic option just hangs in the
> same way as the others.
***
Will it boot to SETUP? Anything unusual in there? I assume you are able to
read and write to the HD with no problems since you copied driver files to
it. If it will boot to the recovery partition, why won't it boot to the
diagnostics partition? Or is the diagnostics NOT a partition?
>
Or, if he has a spare drive laying around or can buy
> one,
>> install it and then format and install windows and then install the bad
>> drive as slave and so on.
>
> Agreed, I've got spare drives of sufficient capacity and have done
> re-installs many times.
***
I would install a spare drive as master and the bad drive as a slave. I
would then scrounge any non-oem version of Win95 or later and clean install
it (an OEM version that has not been butchered by the manufacturer would
probably work as well). Maybe booting in SAFE mode or disconnecting all of
the optional peripherals would minimize the driver hassles.
If the boot is successful, you have eliminated everything except the hard
drive and the software installed on it.
Not much help, but you should be able to save all the data from the bad
drive just in case. In fact I would do that at the very first
opportunity... just in case. :-))
> This has a recovery partition, but the process starts by reformatting -
> therefore destroying everything! I am trying to avoid this if at all
> possible.
***
If the boot with the spare drive is successful and the data backup is done I
would think that the recovery partition would be the path of least
resistance.
Of course, if you are like me, you are curious as hell and you don't want to
wipe out any evidence until you have all the answers. Or, again like me,
you are too stubborn to take the easy way out of any problem, if for no
other reason than because it is the easy way out.
>> Some manufacturers maintain websites ....
>> a download page where you can input the computers serial number and get a
> list
>> of required drivers or even the drivers themselves.
>
> Not in this case unfortunately.
***
I assume you have informed your colleague of the folly in buying a computer
from a company that does not have a good tech support website. Not to
mention the need for a system installation disk instead of a recovery
partition. <grin>
> Several points here. The last driver mentioned in ntbtlog is not bad, so
> can't be identifying the cause of the hang.
***
How were you able to determine that? Does the problem persist AFTER
overwriting it with a known good one? Why is it the last one in the log?
Would the name of the last and presumably the bad one, not be written until
AFTER it was loaded? Wouldn't it be nice if the log read:
Loading: Good_Driver.sys
Load complete
Loading: Bill_Gates.sys
Load aborted: Bill_Gates.sys corrupted
Windows aborted
System boot aborted.
>Deleting the system.log file
> does clear the file corruptions and it is created again on the next boot -
> but its corrupted again and I can't see the contents even with a hex
> editor.
***
Can a bad driver trying to load cause the log to become corrupt? Doesn't
seem likely to me. IIRC you mentioned that scandisk was tried and reported
that log corrupted. Did you also do defrag or chkdsk? If the system.log is
written to the same area of the drive could an unidentified bad spot on the
drive cause the corrupt file?
>> What was the computer doing just before the problem was discovered?
>
> I have to say I can't get a very clear answer to this question (it was one
> of the first I asked). I do know that he was not into loading lots of
> software or games and a look through the program files shows that the
> programs installed are small in number and very common - so no clues
> there.
***
Whatever it was, caused him to need to do a standard system restore, that
turned out to be anything but standard. What sort of thing(s) might he have
been doing that could cause a system restore to go so bad? Is the lack of a
clear answer because he is being evasive? I don't mean that to be rude or
insulting. Some people (including ME sometimes) are too proud (or too
ashamed) to admit they were doing things they know they shouldn't do even
when it will help fix a major problem and the fixer doesn't care. The
answer to the question could be a clue to the type of things he might have
been doing. Such as monkeying around in areas of the registry that he
should not be in.
Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.
Don
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