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#1
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Xp Reload failure
My son was the computer person in the family. He installed XP on my computer as well as other members of the family's computers. He was killed in an auto accident last year, so I have no support for my computer problems. My niece began having a problem wit
h her Xp. It would go to the page where you can start windows in safe mode, safe mode with command prompts, or latest successful configuration. I believe there was one other thing you could select, but I just can't remember it right now. Anyway, she tried to start windows with each of those selections, but they just kept looping back to the same page and no further. I found the XP disc and she used it to try to load XP back onto the computer, She went so far, then a screen stated that she would have to refo rmat her hard drive before it could be installed. It said the computer was either full, and several other reasons that could cause it not to load. Is there anything else we can try before completely reformatting her drive. She has so much stuff....... and of course , not backed up. I don't even know how to do that, either. Could you help, please? |
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#2
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Xp Reload failure
Such a message indicates the setup is too corrupted for a reinstall or
repair install. Setup simply won't go any further unless you format, something you can do from XP setup: Assuming your system is set to boot from the CD-ROM drive, boot with the XP CD in the drive. If it isn't or you are not sure, you need to enter the system's BIOS. When you boot the system, the first screen usually has instructions that if you wish to enter setup press a specific key, when you see that, do so. Then you will have to navigate to the boot sequence, if the CD-ROM drive is not first line, set it first in the boot sequence. Save your settings and exit with the XP CD in the drive. The system will reboot. A few screens into the boot process, if you see the message on the boot screen to "Press any key in order to boot from the CD," do so. After loading drivers and files, you should be taken to a screen with the following: To Setup Windows XP now, press ENTER. To Repair a Windows XP Installation using Recovery Console press R. To Quit setup without installing Windows XP, press F3. In your case, press ENTER. Agree to the License agreement by pressing F8. You will then be taken to a screen with two options. To repair the selected Windows XP installation press R. To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without repairing, press ESC. This will bring you to a partition map where you can delete, create and format partitions. Select the drive you wish to format, delete the partition, then create a new partition, format as desired and continue with XP installation. I am terribly sorry about the loss of your son, please accept my sympathies. -- Michael Solomon MS-MVP Windows Shell/User Backup is a PC User's Best Friend DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/ "Jane" wrote in message ... My son was the computer person in the family. He installed XP on my computer as well as other members of the family's computers. He was killed in an auto accident last year, so I have no support for my computer problems. My niece began having a problem with her Xp. It would go to the page where you can start windows in safe mode, safe mode with command prompts, or latest successful configuration. I believe there was one other thing you could select, but I just can't remember it right now. Anyway, she tried to start windows with each of those selections, but they just kept looping back to the same page and no further. I found the XP disc and she used it to try to load XP back onto the computer, She went so far, then a screen stated that she would have to reformat her hard drive before it could be installed. It said the computer was either full, and several other reasons that could cause it not to load. Is there anything else we can try before completely reformatting her drive. She has so much stuff....... and of course , not backed up. I don't even know how to do that, either. Could you help, please? |
#3
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Xp Reload failure
Hi, Jane.
She has so much stuff....... As Michael Solomon said, it's probably time for a complete clean install, which includes formatting your niece's hard drive - which means deleting ALL her "stuff". :( Before formatting, she could make one last attempt to recover irreplaceable "stuff". This includes her DATA files, such as letters, pictures and other documents that are personal to her and probably don't exist anywhere else in the world. Don't worry about Windows files; those will be replaced from the WinXP CD-ROM during the new installation. Don't worry about application files; all the applications will have to be reinstalled from the original CDs or other media after WinXP is reinstalled. But her data files can't be replaced from anywhere; only SHE can decide whether they are worth the trouble to save them. If her computer can be booted at all, she can to copy only her data to floppies, CD-R/RW, or some other temporary storage. If it cannot be booted, then she may have to open the case, remove the hard drive, and transfer it into a friend's computer. (Of course, this must be a friend that she trusts to be both computer-competent and able to safely handle any secrets that may be in those files. If such a friend is not available, a local computer shop should be able to handle the job for a reasonable charge.) The friend can temporarily install her HD as a secondary drive and copy her data to temporary storage. Then return her HD to her computer and install WinXP, including reformat of her HD. After WinXP is installed, restore her files; this might involve repeating the process of temporarily installing her HD in her friend's computer. If she can afford it, and her data is worth enough to her, she could buy a new HD. Remove the old one and install the new one as primary master. Clean install WinXP on the new HD (with the old HD out of the computer so that WinXP Setup doesn't get confused as to which is the active partition). Then add the old HD as a secondary drive and copy her irreplaceable "stuff" to the new HD. Then she can retire the old HD, or use WinXP's Disk Management to delete the old partition, create and format a new one, and have plenty of room for more "stuff". ;) RC -- R. C. White, CPA San Marcos, TX Microsoft Windows MVP "Jane" wrote in message ... My son was the computer person in the family. He installed XP on my computer as well as other members of the family's computers. He was killed in an auto accident last year, so I have no support for my computer problems. My niece began having a problem with her Xp. It would go to the page where you can start windows in safe mode, safe mode with command prompts, or latest successful configuration. I believe there was one other thing you could select, but I just can't remember it right now. Anyway, she tried to start windows with each of those selections, but they just kept looping back to the same page and no further. I found the XP disc and she used it to try to load XP back onto the computer, She went so far, then a screen stated that she would have to reformat her hard drive before it could be installed. It said the computer was either full, and several other reasons that could cause it not to load. Is there anything else we can try before completely reformatting her drive. She has so much stuff....... and of course , not backed up. I don't even know how to do that, either. Could you help, please? |
#4
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Xp Reload failure
Thank you so much for your sympathy, as well as the
information. My son was only 22 and had a brilliant career ahead of him. An 18 year old on drugs entered an exit ramp on the interstate and hit my son head-on, killing him instantly. Our family is completely devastated. Your information is a lot of help. Thankfully, I remembered my son learned just about everything he knew about computers by asking questions in newsgroups, so here was the only place I could think of to go. I had a feeling that she would definitely have to reformat the drive. Another question though.... since her drive is already partitioned, could I just try to reformat that partition and try to install XP on that one, or when you format, do you have to format the whole drive? Thanks again for your information. Jane -----Original Message----- Such a message indicates the setup is too corrupted for a reinstall or repair install. Setup simply won't go any further unless you format, something you can do from XP setup: Assuming your system is set to boot from the CD-ROM drive, boot with the XP CD in the drive. If it isn't or you are not sure, you need to enter the system's BIOS. When you boot the system, the first screen usually has instructions that if you wish to enter setup press a specific key, when you see that, do so. Then you will have to navigate to the boot sequence, if the CD-ROM drive is not first line, set it first in the boot sequence. Save your settings and exit with the XP CD in the drive. The system will reboot. A few screens into the boot process, if you see the message on the boot screen to "Press any key in order to boot from the CD," do so. After loading drivers and files, you should be taken to a screen with the following: To Setup Windows XP now, press ENTER. To Repair a Windows XP Installation using Recovery Console press R. To Quit setup without installing Windows XP, press F3. In your case, press ENTER. Agree to the License agreement by pressing F8. You will then be taken to a screen with two options. To repair the selected Windows XP installation press R. To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without repairing, press ESC. This will bring you to a partition map where you can delete, create and format partitions. Select the drive you wish to format, delete the partition, then create a new partition, format as desired and continue with XP installation. I am terribly sorry about the loss of your son, please accept my sympathies. -- Michael Solomon MS-MVP Windows Shell/User Backup is a PC User's Best Friend DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/ "Jane" wrote in message news:8A7B255C-E5F6-45B1-B8B1- ... My son was the computer person in the family. He installed XP on my computer as well as other members of the family's computers. He was killed in an auto accident last year, so I have no support for my computer problems. My niece began having a problem with her Xp. It would go to the page where you can start windows in safe mode, safe mode with command prompts, or latest successful configuration. I believe there was one other thing you could select, but I just can't remember it right now. Anyway, she tried to start windows with each of those selections, but they just kept looping back to the same page and no further. I found the XP disc and she used it to try to load XP back onto the computer, She went so far, then a screen stated that she would have to reformat her hard drive before it could be installed. It said the computer was either full, and several other reasons that could cause it not to load. Is there anything else we can try before completely reformatting her drive. She has so much stuff....... and of course , not backed up. I don't even know how to do that, either. Could you help, please? . |
#5
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Xp Reload failure
Thank you so much for this information! It was very
informative for me to know how to be able to save her information. I had a feeling that she would definitely have to reformat the drive. Another question.... since her drive is already partitioned, is it possible to reformat that partition and try to install XP on that one, or when you format, do you have to format the whole drive? Thanks again for your information. It is nice to know that we can possibly salvage her stuff from her hard drive. Jane -----Original Message----- Hi, Jane. She has so much stuff....... As Michael Solomon said, it's probably time for a complete clean install, which includes formatting your niece's hard drive - which means deleting ALL her "stuff". :( Before formatting, she could make one last attempt to recover irreplaceable "stuff". This includes her DATA files, such as letters, pictures and other documents that are personal to her and probably don't exist anywhere else in the world. Don't worry about Windows files; those will be replaced from the WinXP CD-ROM during the new installation. Don't worry about application files; all the applications will have to be reinstalled from the original CDs or other media after WinXP is reinstalled. But her data files can't be replaced from anywhere; only SHE can decide whether they are worth the trouble to save them. If her computer can be booted at all, she can to copy only her data to floppies, CD-R/RW, or some other temporary storage. If it cannot be booted, then she may have to open the case, remove the hard drive, and transfer it into a friend's computer. (Of course, this must be a friend that she trusts to be both computer-competent and able to safely handle any secrets that may be in those files. If such a friend is not available, a local computer shop should be able to handle the job for a reasonable charge.) The friend can temporarily install her HD as a secondary drive and copy her data to temporary storage. Then return her HD to her computer and install WinXP, including reformat of her HD. After WinXP is installed, restore her files; this might involve repeating the process of temporarily installing her HD in her friend's computer. If she can afford it, and her data is worth enough to her, she could buy a new HD. Remove the old one and install the new one as primary master. Clean install WinXP on the new HD (with the old HD out of the computer so that WinXP Setup doesn't get confused as to which is the active partition). Then add the old HD as a secondary drive and copy her irreplaceable "stuff" to the new HD. Then she can retire the old HD, or use WinXP's Disk Management to delete the old partition, create and format a new one, and have plenty of room for more "stuff". ;) RC -- R. C. White, CPA San Marcos, TX Microsoft Windows MVP "Jane" wrote in message news:8A7B255C-E5F6-45B1-B8B1- ... My son was the computer person in the family. He installed XP on my computer as well as other members of the family's computers. He was killed in an auto accident last year, so I have no support for my computer problems. My niece began having a problem with her Xp. It would go to the page where you can start windows in safe mode, safe mode with command prompts, or latest successful configuration. I believe there was one other thing you could select, but I just can't remember it right now. Anyway, she tried to start windows with each of those selections, but they just kept looping back to the same page and no further. I found the XP disc and she used it to try to load XP back onto the computer, She went so far, then a screen stated that she would have to reformat her hard drive before it could be installed. It said the computer was either full, and several other reasons that could cause it not to load. Is there anything else we can try before completely reformatting her drive. She has so much stuff....... and of course , not backed up. I don't even know how to do that, either. Could you help, please? . |
#6
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Xp Reload failure
You may format only one partition on the HDD for installing XP. You don't have to do both.
As the others have mentioned, try to back up your data first before you do anything. Chaitan. |
#8
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Xp Reload failure
Jane, again, my deepest sympathies.
You only need to format the partition on which XP is installed, just do it during setup as I described and reinstall on that partition. -- Michael Solomon MS-MVP Windows Shell/User Backup is a PC User's Best Friend DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/ "Jane" wrote in message ... Thank you so much for your sympathy, as well as the information. My son was only 22 and had a brilliant career ahead of him. An 18 year old on drugs entered an exit ramp on the interstate and hit my son head-on, killing him instantly. Our family is completely devastated. Your information is a lot of help. Thankfully, I remembered my son learned just about everything he knew about computers by asking questions in newsgroups, so here was the only place I could think of to go. I had a feeling that she would definitely have to reformat the drive. Another question though.... since her drive is already partitioned, could I just try to reformat that partition and try to install XP on that one, or when you format, do you have to format the whole drive? Thanks again for your information. Jane -----Original Message----- Such a message indicates the setup is too corrupted for a reinstall or repair install. Setup simply won't go any further unless you format, something you can do from XP setup: Assuming your system is set to boot from the CD-ROM drive, boot with the XP CD in the drive. If it isn't or you are not sure, you need to enter the system's BIOS. When you boot the system, the first screen usually has instructions that if you wish to enter setup press a specific key, when you see that, do so. Then you will have to navigate to the boot sequence, if the CD-ROM drive is not first line, set it first in the boot sequence. Save your settings and exit with the XP CD in the drive. The system will reboot. A few screens into the boot process, if you see the message on the boot screen to "Press any key in order to boot from the CD," do so. After loading drivers and files, you should be taken to a screen with the following: To Setup Windows XP now, press ENTER. To Repair a Windows XP Installation using Recovery Console press R. To Quit setup without installing Windows XP, press F3. In your case, press ENTER. Agree to the License agreement by pressing F8. You will then be taken to a screen with two options. To repair the selected Windows XP installation press R. To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without repairing, press ESC. This will bring you to a partition map where you can delete, create and format partitions. Select the drive you wish to format, delete the partition, then create a new partition, format as desired and continue with XP installation. I am terribly sorry about the loss of your son, please accept my sympathies. -- Michael Solomon MS-MVP Windows Shell/User Backup is a PC User's Best Friend DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/ "Jane" wrote in message news:8A7B255C-E5F6-45B1-B8B1- ... My son was the computer person in the family. He installed XP on my computer as well as other members of the family's computers. He was killed in an auto accident last year, so I have no support for my computer problems. My niece began having a problem with her Xp. It would go to the page where you can start windows in safe mode, safe mode with command prompts, or latest successful configuration. I believe there was one other thing you could select, but I just can't remember it right now. Anyway, she tried to start windows with each of those selections, but they just kept looping back to the same page and no further. I found the XP disc and she used it to try to load XP back onto the computer, She went so far, then a screen stated that she would have to reformat her hard drive before it could be installed. It said the computer was either full, and several other reasons that could cause it not to load. Is there anything else we can try before completely reformatting her drive. She has so much stuff....... and of course , not backed up. I don't even know how to do that, either. Could you help, please? . |
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