Hang up of WinXP repair

My son's backup hard drive has been very unstable lately, with Windows closing programs frequently and Explore messing with the desktop. I put in the XP CD and clicked repair the OS. It automatically removed some data and installed some data. It then went to the window where it says Installing Devices. It has now been stuck at 34 minutes remaining for the past 5 hours. Do I just restart the computer, or will I have problems if I do so? The window isn't frozen. The dots run and the advertising windows change and the mouse can be moved. I'll leave it running, as I'll be tied up at work for the next 5 to 6 hours. Hopefully I won't have to activate XP again.

 

I ended up restarting the computer and it went back into the installation mode. Everything has finished, though it said that there were about 6-8 errors, with things missing. Now I have to install service pack 2 and then all the updates again. At least I don't need to reactivate Windows, though I did have to input the product key. We'll find out if the drive is more stable now. At least it is the backup.

 

After installing service pack 2, a message came up stating that the OS was unstable and SP2 needed to be uninstalled. I am uninstalling it now. Would running repair again help stabilize this OS?

 

Look at disconnecting any added devices and starting the repair again. Once it is stable, install SP2 then add back one piece of hardware at a time. If and when you find the hardware that is causing the problem, look for updated drivers.

Make certain the base drivers are up to date. These are the chipset/motherboard drivers.

Matt

 

I continue to have the same problem. I couldn't uninstall SP2 completely. It froze at the 2nd to the last step (after uninstall). I've removed everything I can think of, other than the modem, keyboard and mouse, but it still hangs up at 34 minutes. The mobo drivers are up to date. Any other suggestions?

 

Hello Barry,

SP2 install creates a System Restore point. Try using that to roll the system back to just prior the install.

Regards - Charles

 

The system repair just keeps getting to 34 minutes remaining and won't go any further. If I restart, it tells me that I have to put the XP CD back in and then returns to 39 minutes left of the repair. How can I do a restore if I can't even get back to my desktop?

 

Good point - missed that.

Can you get to a command prompt?

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449&sd=tech

Regards - Charles

 

I might be able to put in a Win98 startup floppy and get to a command prompt. Should I attempt that?

 

Hi Barry,

Your XP cd is a boot disc. The 2nd R option is for the Recovery Console.

I don't think a 98 boot floppy would work if the file system is NTFS. If FAT32, try it.

Regards - Charles

 

I don't seem to be able to get anywhere with the XP CD, other than the 39 minutes left to the 34 minutes left. The first partition on my drive is FAT32, though the 2nd with XP is NTFS. Also, according to my CD, the first R is the Recovery Console and the 2nd R is Repair. I have been using the 2nd R. I could probably access the bad hard drive through the good hard drive, if that would help.

 

You're right - the frist R is the RC.

I don't know of a way to do that and whether that's even possible.

Regards - Charles

 

Hi Barry,

You can get XP boot disks here: http://www.bootdisk.com/

Regards - Charles

 

I have the 6 XP boot disks. What do I do once I get to the prompt?

 

I also have an XP Quick Boot, if that is better.

 

Try to get back to a restore point prior to all the mess. Follow the MS doc I linked to.

Regards - Charles

 

None of the boot disks do anything. I can restart, and pressing F8 gets me into Safemode, but the message that comes up is "Windows XP Setup cannot run under Safemode. Setup will restart now." My problem is getting out of the Setup loop. If I could stop the repair process, I could probably get into the hard drive. Any suggestions?

 

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=61270 Post #18 - how to build a Bart PE disk.

You might also try not booting from the cd and see what booting from the HD comes up with. Go into the BIOS and change the the boot order to the HD as the first boot device.

Regards - Charles

 

It makes no difference if I use a floppy boot (XP or Win98), the XP CD or just boot to the hard drive, the results are the same. Somehow I need to stop the repair. Once I do that, I think I can restore to a previous configuration. One question I have about that, though. If I restore to a previous configuration, I assume that whatever was added to that hard drive since that date would be lost. If I am correct in that belief, I'll have to make sure that my son backs up all his files before I do that.

 

This is the closest reference searching on this problem:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Miscellaneous/Q_21741719.html
Unfortunately, you have to pay for the answer.

SR monitors all .exe files - PDF files. Does not touch .txt/.doc/ or media files such as .jpg - .bmp - .wav

MS doc on the file types monitored: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/sr/sr/monitored_file_extensions.asp

It'll wipe MS updates - any software installs.

What SR mainly does is restore OS files and the registry.

Regards - Charles