Original CD won't 'restore' system ??

Robert Macy wrote:
On Jun 13, 1:30 pm, Paul wrote:
Robert Macy wrote:

Failed same way ?? again today comes up saying missing \system
This time I ran Scandisk on both C: and E: with no errors, but after
running that the CD seemed to be happier,
this time the CD got all the way to the repair console, but asked for
number of installation ?!
What is that?! It's the installation that failed, the one I'm using,
what does the 'number' of the installation mean?
just hitting enter with blank response did nothing.
The repair disc scans for OS installations. If it sees more
than one with the right ingredients, it will show them in a menu.

To give an example, I have WinXP on one disk, and Win2K on the other disk.

If I insert the WinXP CD and fire up the repair console, it will scan and
find both installs, and ask me to type a number to select the correct one.
Trouble is, there is no external information to specify which is which.
You can't rely on the "drive letter" it uses.

1) C:\Blah
2) D:\Blah

I have a 50:50 chance of typing the correct number. The right answer
in my case, might have been "2", even though the install is called "C:"
when that OS is running.

After you make the selection, you'll be asked for the administrator password.
Since my two installs have different passwords, that's how I can ensure the
correct one is selected. If the password doesn't work, it means I selected
the wrong one. If I select the wrong one, I end up rebooting and trying again.

The tool is dumb - it doesn't know what failed. It doesn't even know
the difference between WinXP and Win2K. It's up to you to guess which
is which, and enter the correct administrator password.

Paul

AFter running scandisk and leaving the info in the drives, it went
further and listed the ONLY install WinXP Professional etc, then hung
after I selected it. didn't go any more.

Ok, frustration, put in Win98 boot disk and reformatted the C: drive,
did scandisk /surface on BOTH C: and E: came up perfect. install
WinXP, and it hung at the F8, I accept the agreement... screen.!!

Ok boot up, reformat C: run scandiskc -perfect and this time got past
install WinXP, accept agreemtn where to install, leave memory intact,
and THEN it hung. Ok go back and install Win98, works great. using
the same CD Drive.

I can't believe the WinXP CD has gone bad. just keps hanging at or
near the start.

Is there any possiblity that the RAM is intermittent, or bad in some
critical location?

Test memory with memtest86+. Downloads are half-way down the web page.
Once you've prepared the tool on some media, the computer boots
from that media, and the test will run continuously until you
hit esc. And then the computer will reboot, and you can do
something else.

http://memtest.org/

Using something like Imgburn, perhaps you can copy the WinXP CD and
make (burn) a new one ? Give that a try, on another machine with
a known-good CD/DVD burner on it.

Depending on the brand of hard drive, you can get disk diagnostic
tools. An example would be Seatools for DOS from seagate.com , useful
for Seagate branded drives. Western Digital has a tool for a
similar purpose, if your drive is WD brand.

Paul

On Jun 13, 8:42*pm, Paul wrote:
Robert Macy wrote:
On Jun 13, 1:30 pm, Paul wrote:
Robert Macy wrote:

Failed same way ?? again today *comes up saying missing \system
This time I ran Scandisk on both C: and E: with no errors, but after
running that the CD seemed to be happier,
this time the CD got all the way to the repair console, but asked for
number of installation ?!
What is that?! *It's the installation that failed, the one I'm using,
what does the 'number' of the installation mean?
just hitting enter with blank response did nothing.
The repair disc scans for OS installations. If it sees more
than one with the right ingredients, it will show them in a menu.

To give an example, I have WinXP on one disk, and Win2K on the other disk.

If I insert the WinXP CD and fire up the repair console, it will scan and
find both installs, and ask me to type a number to select the correct one.
Trouble is, there is no external information to specify which is which..
You can't rely on the "drive letter" it uses.

1) C:\Blah
2) D:\Blah

I have a 50:50 chance of typing the correct number. The right answer
in my case, might have been "2", even though the install is called "C:"
when that OS is running.

After you make the selection, you'll be asked for the administrator password.
Since my two installs have different passwords, that's how I can ensure the
correct one is selected. If the password doesn't work, it means I selected
the wrong one. If I select the wrong one, I end up rebooting and trying again.

The tool is dumb - it doesn't know what failed. It doesn't even know
the difference between WinXP and Win2K. It's up to you to guess which
is which, and enter the correct administrator password.

* * Paul

AFter running scandisk and leaving the info in the drives, it went
further and listed the ONLY install WinXP Professional etc, then hung
after I selected it. didn't go any more.

Ok, frustration, put in Win98 boot disk and reformatted the C: drive,
did scandisk /surface on BOTH C: and E: came up perfect. *install
WinXP, and it hung at the F8, I accept the agreement... screen.!!

Ok boot up, reformat C: run scandiskc -perfect and this time got past
install WinXP, accept agreemtn where to install, leave memory intact,
and THEN it hung. Ok go back and install Win98, works great. *using
the same CD Drive.

I can't believe the WinXP CD has gone bad. *just keps hanging at or
near the start.

Is there any possiblity that the RAM is intermittent, or bad in some
critical location?

Test memory with memtest86+. Downloads are half-way down the web page.
Once you've prepared the tool on some media, the computer boots
from that media, and the test will run continuously until you
hit esc. And then the computer will reboot, and you can do
something else.

http://memtest.org/

Using something like Imgburn, perhaps you can copy the WinXP CD and
make (burn) a new one ? Give that a try, on another machine with
a known-good CD/DVD burner on it.

Depending on the brand of hard drive, you can get disk diagnostic
tools. An example would be Seatools for DOS from seagate.com , useful
for Seagate branded drives. Western Digital has a tool for a
similar purpose, if your drive is WD brand.

* * Paul

Thank you for that URL!

I downloaded both the precompiled floppy DOS version and will see what
happens. 4.10 and 4.20

During boot upt, the HD comes up as EIDE Drive 10239

I'll have to take the cahssis apart again, or maybe install Win98 and
add Everest Home Edition to do a system list. But, will get back.

Somehow installing Win98, then reformatting C: completely changed the
CD's install procedure - which makes NO SENSE to me, since both cases
the HD is empty and FAT32, but it did change the screen shots and
sequences dramatically. Yet the failure on boot up is still the same,
something about damaged/corrupted .../SYSTEM file.

But will check HD.

On Jun 14, 7:22*am, Robert Macy wrote:
On Jun 13, 8:42*pm, Paul wrote:





Robert Macy wrote:
On Jun 13, 1:30 pm, Paul wrote:
Robert Macy wrote:

Failed same way ?? again today *comes up saying missing \system
This time I ran Scandisk on both C: and E: with no errors, but after
running that the CD seemed to be happier,
this time the CD got all the way to the repair console, but asked for
number of installation ?!
What is that?! *It's the installation that failed, the one I'm using,
what does the 'number' of the installation mean?
just hitting enter with blank response did nothing.
The repair disc scans for OS installations. If it sees more
than one with the right ingredients, it will show them in a menu.

To give an example, I have WinXP on one disk, and Win2K on the other disk.

If I insert the WinXP CD and fire up the repair console, it will scan and
find both installs, and ask me to type a number to select the correct one.
Trouble is, there is no external information to specify which is which.
You can't rely on the "drive letter" it uses.

1) C:\Blah
2) D:\Blah

I have a 50:50 chance of typing the correct number. The right answer
in my case, might have been "2", even though the install is called "C:"
when that OS is running.

After you make the selection, you'll be asked for the administrator password.
Since my two installs have different passwords, that's how I can ensure the
correct one is selected. If the password doesn't work, it means I selected
the wrong one. If I select the wrong one, I end up rebooting and trying again.

The tool is dumb - it doesn't know what failed. It doesn't even know
the difference between WinXP and Win2K. It's up to you to guess which
is which, and enter the correct administrator password.

* * Paul

AFter running scandisk and leaving the info in the drives, it went
further and listed the ONLY install WinXP Professional etc, then hung
after I selected it. didn't go any more.

Ok, frustration, put in Win98 boot disk and reformatted the C: drive,
did scandisk /surface on BOTH C: and E: came up perfect. *install
WinXP, and it hung at the F8, I accept the agreement... screen.!!

Ok boot up, reformat C: run scandiskc -perfect and this time got past
install WinXP, accept agreemtn where to install, leave memory intact,
and THEN it hung. Ok go back and install Win98, works great. *using
the same CD Drive.

I can't believe the WinXP CD has gone bad. *just keps hanging at or
near the start.

Is there any possiblity that the RAM is intermittent, or bad in some
critical location?

Test memory with memtest86+. Downloads are half-way down the web page.
Once you've prepared the tool on some media, the computer boots
from that media, and the test will run continuously until you
hit esc. And then the computer will reboot, and you can do
something else.

http://memtest.org/

Using something like Imgburn, perhaps you can copy the WinXP CD and
make (burn) a new one ? Give that a try, on another machine with
a known-good CD/DVD burner on it.

Depending on the brand of hard drive, you can get disk diagnostic
tools. An example would be Seatools for DOS from seagate.com , useful
for Seagate branded drives. Western Digital has a tool for a
similar purpose, if your drive is WD brand.

* * Paul

Thank you for that URL!

I downloaded both the precompiled floppy DOS version and will see what
happens. 4.10 and 4.20

During boot upt, the HD comes up as EIDE Drive *10239

I'll have to take the cahssis apart again, or maybe install Win98 and
add Everest Home Edition to do a system list. But, will get back.

Somehow installing Win98, then reformatting C: completely changed the
CD's install procedure - which makes NO SENSE to me, since both cases
the HD is empty and FAT32, but it did change the screen shots and
sequences dramatically. Yet the failure on boot up is still the same,
something about damaged/corrupted .../SYSTEM file.

But will check HD.

Just ran Memory Test [great program, thank you] for only aobut 40
minutes -recommended is overnight. But absolutely no glitches during
the test.

So went back to install WinXP, got passed F8, accept license, passed
reading HD, all the way up to 'save current file structure' now THAT
is where the system hangs!!!

Yet, scandisk c: and e: /surface comes up perfect.

Plus, have no trouble installing Win98 ??

Perhaps, something about WinXP not liking the HD. Is there some way to
repartition the drive to make it happier? without removing drive and
connecting to another system.