Bad_system_config_info

Dell Dimension 8400

Cannot boot into Windows XP. I get a blue screen saying BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO Stop 0x000000074 (0x000000003 0x000000002 0x80088000-0xC)

Google posts point to bad memory but diagnostics say it is good.

I believe it is a corrupt registry.

I've tried to do a chkdsk but cannot get into the recovery consul because setup will not recognize the cd-rom.

I did diagnostics on the hardware and all passed.

 

I've tried that - it has two sticks of 512 - I tried each stick separately and get the same blue screen. Could it be that both sticks are bad? Dell diagnostics says the RAM passed.

I would like to reload XP but I can't access the CD-Rom either.

 

Hi mojo,

To see if the registry is the problem:

Have you tried a System Restore prior to the problem? SR restores the Registry among things.

If you've installed MS updates or programs since, have to be done over. One of those may be the problem actually.

If you can get into Safe Mode, try it from there, or SR from a command prompt: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449&sd=tech

Regards - Charles

 

Charles, this is my brother-in-laws computer and it was disfunctional when he brought it to me. I cannot access Safe Mode or last known good configuration or anything. I can't even get to the Recover Consul.

He had a problem with a talking dictionary program he had installed before. He wanted it to pronounce words and I think he messed up the path to the CD-Rom which you have to have the disk loaded for the pronounciation to work. He tried getting it to work by clicking this and clicking that until he got the whole thing messed up.

I believe the registry is corrupted and the OS needs to be reinstalled.

My problem is "set-up" does not even see the cd-rom anymore and aborts.

 

Hi mojo,

Can you get into the BIOS?

If you can, assuming the boot order is either floppy - ROM, try making the HD the primary boot device and see what happens.

This whole thing rings a bell, the last time I saw somehing like this, a bad cd was left in the ROM drive.

Regards - Charles

 

As an outside shot - try removing the CDROM drive using the control panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager > CDROM Drives > highlight the particular drive and remove it. Then power off and disconnect the CDROM drive molex and 40 pin connector and reboot. Then power off again and reconnect the CDROM drive and reboot - is it now detected and is it functional?

Regardless of coming up yea or nea - try booting to an XP SP2 CD and doing a repair install again. Advise if no go - surgery will be required.

 

Surgery is required

 

Lets run another quick and simple test. Get a Win98 Boot floppy and see if you can boot to it with CDROM drive recognition.

 

I tried that and it did work but I couldn't install XP with DOS.

I just wonder if the Windows registry has messed up the CD Rom drivers and that is why it can't continue with the upgrade. Just wondering if trying a new hard drive in it would work as far as setup.

Bios sees both the CD rom drives

 

OK, if you can run 98 Boot disk and get CDROM drive recognition, I'd FDIDK the MBR and Then FDISK the drive and remove all partitions then rebuild one partition. Then use your XP CD to format the drive and do your installation - yes, all data on the drive will be long gone so if there's anything there you need, pull the drive and put it in another machine to retrieve anything worth saving before you do this.

 

I tried that too. But what I found was the diagnstic tools were on C: drive. Not the OS.

 

You lost me.

What do you have in the machine for HDD's? Do you have a Win98 Boot Disk? What happens when you run FDISK /MBR? What happens when you run FDISK - how many partitions (Non DOS or DOS) do you see? Please describe.

 

When I used a USB Floppy to boot up I got the CD-Rom drivers on D: and the diagnostics tools on C: It did not see my hard drive at all.

 

OK. Then I'd look at few basics - lets go back and IDE check cables, molex and the HDD jumper setting. Once you know they are secure and correct for sure, restart and go into setup (BIOS). Now, try to redetect your hard drive. Please confirm that it appears in BIOS. Also, reset boot order so CDROM is before hard drive if not already set before hdd. Now, try the 98 boot disk again and see if FDISK indicates any hard drives present.



edit: I notice this is one of those other Dude's Dells. They put a hidden partition on their drives so don't kill all of the partitions if you do get to the drive in FDISK. Just holler back.

 

It is a SATA drive and Bios sees it. No problem there. Bios also sees both CD Roms and the CD Rom is first in the bootup order.

When I try to setup or continue with an upgrade to the OS I get flagged by setup that it can not find a CD Rom and aborts.

 

OK, if I disect your statement, you state that you at least get to a step showing setup or continue. So that means the CD is read up to this point - Is this correct?

 

It is to that point and then the flag comes up it cannot continue because it cannot find the CD-Rom

 

OK, this is quite different than we were originally led to believe. The machine will boot from a CD but it won't permit you to get past a certain point using this particular CD. So what is this CD? You are using a Dell machine and attempting to do exactly what? What OS do you think is on this machine?

Pull the cover on the case and confirm this is the primary CDROM drive and that its an IDE drive.

 

I don't understand what you mean by you were lead to believe! I said in my first post that I've tried to do a chkdsk but cannot get into the recovery consul because setup will not recognize the cd-rom.

That has been the problem all along.

I wanted to do a chkdsk and a fixmbr but could not get to the recovery consul on the Windows XP Professional Setup disk.

I solved it last night by putting a new harddrive in, going to the recovery consul and fixing the master boot record. All is fine now. I setup XP on the new disk, downloaded the needed drivers from Dell and will extract the data files off the old harddrive and format it.

Everything works now including the CD Roms.