Trying to do a xp repair install.
#1
Posted 04 September 2011 - 05:00 PM
First problem: I can't just boot from a XP cd because my cd drive won't burn cd's any more and it won't even read most cd's any more. That leads to problem two: I'd boot from the ISO image using Grub4Dos loading it into ram but i've only got 702MB of ram and i'm not sure if it will work properly.
So if anyone could help or give me some advice that would be great.
#2
Posted 04 September 2011 - 05:11 PM
It won't work anyway.Hello all. So i'm trying to do a repair install but i have a few issues which hopefully you can help with.
First problem: I can't just boot from a XP cd because my cd drive won't burn cd's any more and it won't even read most cd's any more. That leads to problem two: I'd boot from the ISO image using Grub4Dos loading it into ram but i've only got 702MB of ram and i'm not sure if it will work properly.
So if anyone could help or give me some advice that would be great.
Check whether the repair option is available on a WinsetupfronUSB prepared stick:
http://www.msfn.org/...omusb-with-gui/
If there isn't one in a stick made with the 1.0 beta 7 version try the older method 0.2.3.
In the worst case, use the manual method, detailed here:
http://www.msfn.org/...ut-extra-tools/
Wonko
#3
Posted 05 September 2011 - 04:53 PM
Ok i'll try a WinsetupfronUSB prepared USB drive and see if that works. I'll post back when i've tried it.
I'm intrigued now, What wouldn't work and why?
#4
Posted 05 September 2011 - 05:27 PM
As I like to say, it has taken several people months of work to find one (actually more than one) way(s) to successfully install a XP from USB device:I'm intrigued now, What wouldn't work and why?
http://www.msfn.org/...ndows-from-usb/
http://www.msfn.org/...l-from-usb-key/
and having it done through a .iso image is a relatively recent achieving:
http://www.msfn.org/...aded-iso-image/
IF it was as simple as mapping the .iso in grub4dos, do you really think that all those peeps would have taken that amount of time to deliver solution(s) to the problem?
Or do you assume that they all were doing something UNneeded?
Now, let's analize your original post.
You have a problem.
You think you know how to solve it.
BUT instead of trying it directly, you ask about it.
WHY?
I mean, did you have your "common sense" tingling?
Or you really assumed that it could have worked like magic was it not for the amount of RAM?
Or you were simply overcautious?
Wonko
#5
Posted 06 September 2011 - 05:11 PM
The reason i didn't just try it is because i wasn't sure if i had enough RAM and i didn't won't to go ahead and try it and then it not having enough RAM and screwing something up. Because i have a habit of going into something without all the facts and screwing it up. Then having even more to fix so yes i'm am a bit overcautious about these thing now.
Now i tried WinsetupfromUSB and It booted fine but i couldn't see a repair option. So now i'm wondering is my XP iso even capable of doing a repair install or am i missing something? I made this iso using the instructions here:
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/#wxp
And then slipstreamed SP2 then a while later SP3 into it. Can you do a repair install from a installation cd? do you need a recovery cd?
#6
Posted 06 September 2011 - 06:47 PM
Sure you can.And then slipstreamed SP2 then a while later SP3 into it. Can you do a repair install from a installation cd? do you need a recovery cd?
See here for reference:
http://www.michaelst...pairinstall.htm
Question: did you have enough "guts" to get all the way (after "INSTALL") to get to the actual Repair install option?
What I cannot remember is whether the modifications used in WinsetupfromUSB somehow prevent it.
Wonko
#7
Posted 07 September 2011 - 09:19 AM
#8
Posted 07 September 2011 - 10:53 AM
Yep, that single thing tricked probably more people than stars in the sky, you might appreciate how it is bolded red and how many times it is repeated on the mentioned site.oh right i didn't know it was under the "To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER." option. I thought that was just to do a clean install of it.
Remember to ALSO read this:
http://cquirke.blogs...ir-install.html
when actually doing the repair install, be particularly aware of the "Duplicate user accounts" issue, a good idea is to create a temporary "MickeyMouse" dummy account, leaving any existing one in the previous install alone. (this is probably the second most fallen into trick
Wonko
#9
Posted 07 September 2011 - 05:02 PM
#10
Posted 07 September 2011 - 05:11 PM
Ok thanks. I was thinking about all of this and i thought that maybe if i could put the updates that you get for XP in the cd then it would save time and effort. Now i know that you can use Nlite to slipstream them in to the cd but i'm not 100% sure where and how would be the best place to get them. Perhaps you could point me in the right direction?
Well, NO.
If you are doing a Repair Install, it means that you are having a problem and you expect to solve this problem this way.
If this is the case, you should do a Repair Install ONLY.
You should have the SAME SP level as the "botched" install and possibly "nothing else".
That is unless (like you seem like NOT having) you originally installed that system from a source already updated with a zillion of updates/KB integrated. (then it would be allright to repair using the same source you used to install).
Otherwise, by integrating "random" updates you provide for an additional layer of complexity and hence greater probability of problems.
The idea of a "Repair Install" is to repair something that went beserk, doing a "Repair and upgrade install" may be a way to save some time, but it may as well be something that will make the already botched install not working and UNrepairable.
So, you can integrate the updates to the source, whether it is a smart idea or not, is debatable, in any case you should be aware how YMMV:
Wonko
#11
Posted 07 September 2011 - 05:22 PM
#12
Posted 07 September 2011 - 06:31 PM
Sure I can.So could you point me in the right direction please?
Question is: Will you like it?
http://www.vorck.com...otfixes_xp.html
Wonko
#14
Posted 08 September 2011 - 08:46 AM
I doubt it.
Sure, the estimation I produced was done based on a concept established LONG BEFORE November 2010:
http://bible.cc/psalms/147-4.htm
the nice mentioned study more or less says "we are so bad at counting big numbers that till now, after centuries of peeps wasting good hours of sleep to watch the sky we found out that we mistakenly estimated 2/3 of reality (and this in itself is an estimated value)".
However, I'll gladly to rephrase to:
sorry for the misleading figure.Yep, that single thing tricked probably more people than visible (with the naked eye) stars in the sky, ...
Wonko
#15
Posted 08 September 2011 - 09:34 AM
So now my computer will not boot at all so i tried LiveXP but that didn't boot, i tried a Linux live cd (slitaz) and that worked but when i started gparted i said my hard drive was unpartitioned space. This is why i am so overcautious. So please help me.
#16
Posted 08 September 2011 - 01:12 PM
Yes.Well as i feared i've scewed it up.
Sure, this is normal, you just did a repair install, remember?I went to the set up windows option but it didn't come up with any other menus. It just copied some files over to the hard drive did a few other thing and the robooted the computer. So i started up my computer and my grub menu wasn't there, it just booted XP.
WHY (the HECK) did you put in "hybernate"?I put XP into hibernate again and then when the computer started i got a multi-coloured screen with flashing numbers on it.
WHY "again"?
"didn't boot" is not a description for what happened with LiveXP.So now my computer will not boot at all so i tried LiveXP but that didn't boot, i tried a Linux live cd (slitaz) and that worked but when i started gparted i said my hard drive was unpartitioned space.
Overcautious is another thing, an overcautious peep might have come here asking for help to resolve the issue he/she was having, instead of asking how to do a "Repair Install".This is why i am so overcautious.
You seemingly slipped on a chocolate covered banana:
I don't see an actual cause-effect relationship between your being overcautious and the need to help you.So please help me.
But don't worry, we will help you no matter if you are overcautious or not.
Let's start from the standard litany:
http://homepages.tes...ard-litany.html
You need to give as many info as you can about the hardware, what happened, what is happening now, etc., etc. (DETAILS, NOT "didn't boot" please)
Wonko
#17
Posted 08 September 2011 - 01:44 PM
hi-grade 8615 GTK
intel celeron m cpu 420 1.60GHz
notebook mam2080 Motherboard
samsung 256MB + transend 512MB MB
FUJITSU MHV2040AH 40GB HDD
VIA/S3G UniChrome Pro IGP intergrated 64MB Graphics Card
Realtek hd audio output Sound Card
Windows XP SP3 home/ Ubuntu
When i boot it up it goes to a screen with a multi coloured checker pattern and falshing numbers and letters. As i said the XP cd did what i said then i rebooted my computer. XP was already hibernated when i turned it on for the first time and it came on so i put it back into hibernation and rebooted to see if i could get Ubuntu to boot. thats when it stopped booting. With LiveXP it will get to the first boot menu but then when it says booting LiveXP on the black screen it just stays there. This image i've used before and it worked in the past.
I've tried with only one stick of ram in but that didn't work. I started testdisk and it found the partitions so now gparted will see the partitions but it says it cannot read them and to run chkdsk. So then i started the windows recovery console but it doesn't seem to see the windows installation on the hard disk. Aftewr all f that i'm still stuck with a computer that won't boot.
#18
Posted 08 September 2011 - 02:17 PM
The LiveXP hanging is likely to be a "not enough RAM" issue.I started testdisk and it found the partitions so now gparted will see the partitions but it says it cannot read them and to run chkdsk. So then i started the windows recovery console but it doesn't seem to see the windows installation on the hard disk. Aftewr all f that i'm still stuck with a computer that won't boot.
WHICH partitons?
Are they ACTUALLY the ones(s) you had before?
If a filesystem is corrupt, it is possible that RC won't see the revious windows install.
Have you ALREADY a backup of the DATA?
Right step right now would be to STOP fiddling until you have made a dd-like or "forensic sound" image of that harddisk.
Then, and only then, attempt to run CHKDSK.
Wonko
#19
Posted 08 September 2011 - 02:52 PM
#20
Posted 08 September 2011 - 03:03 PM
Yes they are the ones i had before. The recovery partition, the windows one, a fat32 one and the ubuntu one. no i don't have a backup. ok well i'd make a dd image with testdisk but it wants to save it to drive a which is the floppy image which won't have enough space on it. I have a external hard drive which has enough room on it but it doesn't seem to see it. any ideas?
Wait a minute.
DO NOT do anything you may later regret.
The laptop can boot from USB, right?
The external hard drive is USB, right?
Most probably the partition on it in which you have enough space is NTFS formatted.
You simply cannot boot the LiveXP (as said this can be a problem with the amount of memory your particular build of LiveXP or it could be as well a hardware problem of some kind)
So, you are running TESTDISK from within some Linux distro.
Has this Linux distro you are using read/write capabilities on NTFS volumes? (presuming that the external drive is USB and NTFS formatted)
You see the difference between the level of detail of the info that I am trying to extort from you (and which I actually need in order to understand the issues and hopefully help you) and the ones you are giving: "I have a external hard drive which has enough room on it"
If my guesses are correct you need either a Linux distro with NTFS access or another USB disk drive or another build of LiveXP (or similar PE) that can actually boot that machine.
Wonko
#21
Posted 08 September 2011 - 03:33 PM
Yes the external hard drive is usb but it won't boot. it has a NTFS partition that does have enough space. i've been booting off my usb stick.
i'm running testdisk off a dos floppy disk image. need any more info?
#22
Posted 08 September 2011 - 04:12 PM
Yes the laptop can boot from usb.
Yes the external hard drive is usb but it won't boot. it has a NTFS partition that does have enough space. i've been booting off my usb stick.
i'm running testdisk off a dos floppy disk image. need any more info?
You need to run the cloning/imaging app from a OS that can read and write NTFS. (are you sure that TESTDISK can create such image? )
Last time I checked:
http://www.cgsecurit.../Image_Creation
TESTDISK allowed for the creation of partition images (as in NOT disk images, which is what you actually want)
You could use dd or ddrescue, what you want is a "whole disk" "as is" or "forensic sound" DISK image.
A good idea is to make the external hard disk bootable and from it boot a distro such as PartedMagic that has TESTDISK (or actually suitable dd program) and that can read/write NTFS.
Or add the .iso to the booting USB stick, how much space do you have on this? Parted Magic should be around 170 Mb nowadays.
You could use allright an old version suach as the 5.3:
http://sourceforge.n...%20Magic%205.3/
which is the simpler to boot from .iso:
http://reboot.pro/12491/
and is smaller, around 130 Mb
Wonko
#23
Posted 08 September 2011 - 05:13 PM
#24
Posted 08 September 2011 - 06:30 PM
You can use clonezilla (I presume you don't have "bad sectors" on the disk), it is part of parted magic.I'll have enough room on my usb stick. Sorry i thought i could use testdisk but that makes images of partitions not whole hard drives so right ok. So when i boot partedmagic how do i create a image of the whole disk?
http://clonezilla.org/
or, as said a dd, like dd itself or ddrescue or dc3dd.
Wonko
#25
Posted 08 September 2011 - 09:38 PM
Why won't it boot? Is there an error message? Has an external USB drive ever booted on that computer?Yes the laptop can boot from usb.
Yes the external hard drive is usb but it won't boot. it has a NTFS partition that does have enough space. i've been booting off my usb stick.
There is an experimental version of Syslinux with NTFS support, now. Perhaps if you installed it to this external USB HDD, then it might boot. Syslinux' chain.c32 can then boot NTLDR or BOOTMGR or whatever.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users