XP Repair Install gone to hell...

I have been dealing with problems for the past 5 days and have spent every waking minute (probably 5-10 hours a day) trying to fix this ****. Here's my problem:

First I had bad RAM but didn't know it. During this time (last weekend) I did a repair install of Windows XP Pro which went well. When I got Windows loaded and started downloading updates everything was going well. Then I got to SP2 and during the middle of the install I got a BSOD because of my faulty RAM. So I went back to repair install Windows again. But with about 10 minutes left in the install I got another BSOD. So after this I again went to repair install and it completed fully. After it restarted I got the "setup is being restarted" screen and windows continued to load normally. From this point forward my windows would load with a blank screen except for the mouse pointer (an all black screen with just my pointer able to move around). I have searched and searched and tried everything to try to get Windows to load. I have tried repair installs about 5-10 times a day and every time after it copies the install files to the computer it restarts and goes nowhere. Instead of continuing the repair install setup I see the windows splash screen and then the black screen with the pointer. The install never actually continues.

I had a parallel install from a while ago that I used to log on and search google for solutions. No matter which F8 setting I tried (the 3 safe modes, Last known settings, etc), the same black screen/pointer showed up. The same thing is true using the Recovery Console to fixboot, bootcfg, fixmbr, etc. My parallel install still loaded fine, however.

Now I ordered new RAM and it came today. I have yet to receive a BSOD because of it, but my original Windows install still won't load. I have tried just about everything. Today I saw a post about slipstreaming SP2 and trying to repair install that way. I did that and ran into a number of problems. During the repair install at the beginning where it copies files to installation folders, XP said "Setup cannot copy the file:" for a number of files, including driver.cab, isconW.chm, and mouhid.sys. As you can either skip or retry the file, I retried all of them and these three specifically (among others) had to be skipped.

After getting through this the OS does basically the same thing, except now when it gets to the black screen and pointer it will restart after about 10 seconds. It seems like the only boot.ini modification the repair install makes upon initial copy of files to the computer, is making my original OS the default and making the timeout 1 second instead of 10 like I had before.

So after days of frustration I am looking for any help anyone can give. If it's possible for me to keep my registry and use it on my parallel install (I know you can load it using regedt32.exe but I'm not sure how that works) so I can keep all my settings I might opt for that. I don't know how plausible that is. Otherwise I'm wondering if it's possible to rename my parallel Windows directory (C:\Windows2) to C:\Windows and renaming the registry under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion so it links to my previous OS's Documents and Settings.

System Info:
ASUS M2N-E SLI (AM2/nForce 500 SLI) Mobo
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2
SAPPHIRE 100173L Radeon X1550 512MB GDDR2
A-Data 2GB (2 x 1GB) Kit 240-Pin DDR2 800 SDRAM

 

Hopefully some others will weigh in on this but from the sound of things, I'd have a tough time recommending anything other than a total rebuild. You have two different installations and both of them appear to be crippled in some form or fashion. Even if you could get back to some semblance of normality on your original installation one would have to question its integrity. In your specific situation, I'd boot to a Bart PE disc or some form of a self contained Linux CD (perhaps ubuntu 6.06) and grab all of your data files. Then, with those safely squirreled away on another drive or removable media, my next step would be to kill any partitions, create a new one(s) and do a full reformat and a clean installation. Then you have some confidence moving forward. Anything less (in my book) is just postponing the inevitable.

Now, that's probably a recommendation you didn't want to hear so I'll ask noahdfear to take a look at your dilemma and see if he's willing to throw in his 3¢. (others may be similarly qualified but Dave is the only guy I know who could pull this off). Be patient, it may take him a while to get to this thread.

 

I'm actually getting so sick of this I'm almost ready to wipe the drive and start over, but is there a way to save my original OS's registry and re-import it after the re-install? I'd also like to salvage my Documents and Settings folder so I can try to avoid reinstalling all of my 100+ programs with their settings.

This morning I tried to login to the original OS and it hung on "setup is being restarted." Which file dictates to an OS to display this screen?

 

if you have a windows key, use it as a shift and type winkey-r, then type explorer and hit enter. That may restore a desktop for you, at least temporarily.

 

At this point I have installed a 3rd parallel install because after upgrading my display drivers for my 2nd OS, it wouldn't load.

So basically I'm wondering if the following things are possible:
1) Importing my old registry to a new install's registry
2) Renaming the OS user folders and/or copying the Documents and Settings from the old OS to the new OS so I don't lose important data
3) Finding out which file triggers a repair install to continue after it copies the installation files to the computer and restarts - if I can replace this or turn it off it would help
4) Editing or at least viewing one of my parallel install's registries

Or anything else that can help. I have 3 hard drives. My OS and documents and settings are on C:\, my Program files are on D:\ and my major media like movies and music is all on E:\. So by reformatting the windows disk (C I won't lose any of my program files. They, of course, won't be in the registry at all. Any suggestions or answers to any of these problems?

 

For making the slipstreamed disk, is the original Win XP disk clean and free of marks/scratches? Use a burning program with minimized reading and burning settings. Use a quality media disk.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555308/en-us
You could use it to point to the old D & S, it would look like your old system, but I doubt many of the programs would work. You could try the Files and Settings Wizard
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306186/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306187/
I just copy selected folders from one to the other.

Registry manipulation? I think you will just be losing more time.

Work out your future backup system.

My 2 cents.

Matt

 

Hi noeticsage,

Possible? Yes. Recommended? No. Will programs and devices installed on the original system still work? No. The original installation will contain drivers and other files in the Windows directory that those programs and devices are dependent on. The new installation will not.

Yes. You can logon to the Administrator account and open the original user folder, select all and copy, then paste it into the new installation user folder, overwriting everything. Note that both user accounts should have the same name before doing this, so that registry paths sync.

It's buried in the registry.

For informational purposes only:
Yes. You can load the registry hives that are not in use for viewing and editing. Open the registry editor and click HKLM to select it. Click File on the menu, then Load Hive. Browse to C:\Windows\system32\config (the original Windows path) and select a hive. The software hive represents HKLM\Software, the system hive represents HKLM\system, the default hive represents HKU\.default, etc. Once a hive is selected, you will be prompted to give the key a name. Use something like play or test so that it's easily distinguished from the others. It will appear under the HKLM key along with the other sub keys. You will notice some differences when the hives are loaded in this way, vs normal viewing of the registry for the OS you are logged onto, especially in the system hive. When finished working with the loaded hive, select the key (play), then click File>Unload Hive.


My recommendation at this point is to copy your old profile folder and begin re-installing programs, or better yet, copy your old profile folder to another partition or drive, format and do a clean install on C:, setting it up with the same user name, then copy the profile backup over top of the new (from administrator account).

While it is possible to edit hives and probably get the original installation working again, it would take literally hours upon hours of experienced editing, moving files from the recovery console or bootable OS cd (BartPE or Linux), more registry editing and then updating again. More often than not, that scenario will also lead you down a road of dealing with corrupted files and/or chasing down files and registry keys with permissions problems that prevent access when trying to update, re-install applications, etc. etc. In short, it can be a lot more headache than it's worth to attempt recovering the original installation.

 

As my head hit the pillow, I had some after-thoughts to my previous post and recommendation. You may want to be a bit more selective with what you save and copy from the old profile. Items such as the Start Menu folder and the Application Data folder will contain files and shortcuts that will no longer be valid. Your best bet is probably to only copy things like your documents, My Pictures folder, My Music folder, Favorites, Address book and dbx files (if you use Outlook Express), etc.

 

OK sorry I haven't followed up in a while. Basically I did another parallel install and moved a lot of my settings from the previous Documents and Settings folder. It all has seemed to work out all right. I haven't really lost anything and I've just reinstalled a few programs that didn't work.

The only problem I unexpectedly ran into is this: I encrypted a few files with windows (the built in encryption in XP Pro) and forgot that I did before I installed my parallel install. The files are there, it just won't let me access them (obviously, because they are encrypted). So how can I decrypt these files?

I downloaded NewSID and changed my SID to the SID of the original windows install (where I encrypted the files) and changed the name of my computer to match that as well, but I still can't decrypt the files. For some reason after I changed my computer name, when I test encrypt a new file it still comes up as the old name when I click the details button.

So I guess I either need to find out how to log onto the old system (which still restarts automatically about 5 seconds after a black screen with just a mouse, just after the windows splash comes on and before the login screen comes on) or how to decrypt the files from this system. Help!

 

Do you have a FAT32 partition? Maybe even try copying it to a FAT32 formatted floppy??

 

My partitions are all NTFS, although I recently converted my main partition (with windows on it) from FAT32 to NTFS and that may have happened after the encryption. I don't have a floppy drive installed on my computer.

I have also tried using Advanced EFS Data Recovery, but when it scans for keys, at 63% it always has an error and has to close.

 

Do you have a partition that you can move everything off of (empty it) and then format it FAT32 using Disk Management?

 

I could add another partition to my OS hard drive, I suppose, but isn't there an easier way to do this? Or what exactly do you have in mind?

 

What I had in mind was moving everything from one partition to another, just to empty it. Like if you have a partition full of music or pics or something. Move them temporarily to another partition. Then right click My Compter and select Manage. Select Disk Management, then right click the empty partition and select Format. Set it to Fat32. When it completes, just move the encrypted files to that partition and it will decrypt them. Move them back where you want them, then you can convert the partition back to NTFS and put the original data back on it.

 

Would it be easier to just install a floppy drive? I have one and I'd just have to borrow a disk from someone. Or perhaps there's another way? I'm not sure how to add a partition to an existing drive.

 

You can't add a partition without a third party application, one such as Partition Magic. What I previously suggested is nothing more than a few mouse clicks and likely an hour or less start-to-finish. Adding a floppy drive is easy enough as well, though I can't be sure the outcome would be the same. I'm guessing it would see a floppy as a separate Fat32 volume, but I have not tested it........hmmmm, maybe I will.


Be back shortly

 

I have three hard drives as follows:
C:\ - Windows is contained here
P:\ - My three encrypted files are contained here
T:\ - Other **** that doesn't really matter now

So is this what I would do?

1) Add another partition to C:\ (it has about 8 GB free) or P:\ (about 200 GB free)
2) Move selected encrypted files to new partition
3) Format this partition as FAT32
4) Move now decrypted files back to original P:\ partition
5) Delete new partition

Will adding a new partition affect other partitions?

 

I don't recommend touching the C: drive at all.

How much data is on each of the other two drives, P: and T:, and what size drives are they? And have you installed programs on either of them?

Were it mine, I would move the contents of the drive that is used as data storage only, to another drive (all in one new folder). Then, using the disk management console, I would delete the partition (available via right click) on the now empty drive, then re-partition it into two or more partitions, making one of the partitions Fat32, the other(s) NTFS. Once formatted, move (not copy) the encrypted files to the Fat32 partition, effectively removing the encryption. Move the decrypted files to wherever you intend for them to reside. Convert the Fat32 partition to NTFS (optional). Now move all previously moved data back to where you want it, leaving the multiple partitions in place.

BTW, just tested and moving an encrypted file to a floppy disk does indeed remove the encryption.

 

I have an old external FAT32 hard drive that I connected and it won't let me move the files to it. It says "cannot copy: access denied" even when I specifically click on edit/move to folder.

I suppose I can try the floppy drive instead, it's just more work

 

Since you're using XP Pro, right click the file(s) and select Properties. Select the Security tab. If the Security tab is not present, close the properties window, then click Tools on the menu, then Folder Options. Click the View tab, then scroll to the bottom and uncheck 'Use Simple File Sharing'. Click OK and re-open the file properties window. On the Security tab, click Advanced, then the Owner tab. If your username is not the current owner, select your username and click OK. Back on the Security tab, your username should be listed in the top window, and should show full access in the lower window when selected. If your username is not listed, click Add. Type your username and click Check Names. When your name comes up, click OK. Your username will now be listed. Select it and make sure full access is checked below. Click OK to exit the properties window. Try to copy to the external drive again.