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Just finished building a computer for my son.
I installed Windows XP Professional, i have put an icon with his NAME so he clicks on it after it loads.
Problem is its asking for a PASSWORD and i never put one in.
When i try to put a password, i GET a pop up saying

System cannot log you on due to the following error
The specified domain either does not exist or could not be contacted

I cant even go to control panel i am stuck can anyone please help, thanksI just GOOGLED your error message and they all point to Active Directory, Domains, LDAP, etc. During setup did you leave it as a workgroup or domain?

Wish I could be more help

Alan <>< OHHHHHHH man i cant remember is there any way of fixing it
Thanks anywayCan you boot into safe mode and change it there?

Alan <>< No tried that still cant get out of the logon stage its driving me crazyMight be your antivirus package. sounds like the firewall or another third party firewall/security sw is running? are you running an av suite, it may have something running you dont know about.

Or try this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/172931Before GOING crazy and trying to figure this out it may be best to do a clean install...
Pay attention to all the prompts in the process.agreeing with patio here. you have somehow installed the computer as in a domain

A friends computer runs on Windows XP HOME Edition. I lent them a disc to copy a program but that disc also had a autorun file on it causing it to load Windows XP. When you start the computer up it then offered the options: "1. Windows XP Pro, 2. Windows XP Home Edition (which had all their data), and 3. E:\WININT(or something like that)". They always had to pick "1. Windows XP Home Edition" to get to their data. However, while playing a FPS game, the computer suddenly stopped responding, the game started playing itself, then the computer FROZE. Now, when booting up, there is no Windows Home Edition option and they can't get their data?Have you tried system restore? If you can get your XP Home edition to run it's relatively easy to remove the XP Pro. Here's the link: I hope this helps.
http://fastidiousmercury.blogspot.com/2005/09/how-to-remove-one-operating-system.htmlThanks SuperDave, very pertinent. All I need to do now is get back into Home Edition which I think I can do using Recovery and access Boot.ini"I lent them a disc to copy a program but that disc also had a autorun file on it causing it to load Windows XP." I'd say your friend voluntarily loaded XP Pro. It just doesn't install itself without user INPUT. Most likely this could have been avoided had your friend been a little more observant. Sigh...

Alan <>< Quote

I lent them a disc to copy a program but that disc also had a autorun file on it causing it to load Windows XP.

How can I tell if my copy of Win XP is a bootable copy?
This COMPUTER was put together at a computer shop and I was given a disk with XP/ SP1 OPERATING system on it. Have since ADDED SP/2 to the computer. The shop is out of business, can't ask them.set your bios to boot off the CDROM drive and try to boot off the CD. Don't worry, it won't run amok and FORMAT your hard drive.
Thanks, I'll give it a try.it should work as a bootable cd

If anyone can HELP me I'd be super greatful!

Heres my problem: I will load my computer up, it will work just fine for like 3 minutes, then my fans will stop (I opened it up to see this because it stopped making noises) My monitor will say no imput or power signal, yet my tower liights are still on. I have a little green and red power light. Both are on.. So my computer is still getting power... but whats wrong? And how should I fix it?
Another thing. If it does this the only way for me to "FULLY" shut it off is to hold in my power button, or pull the plug. Then if I try to restart it it will shut off on me quicker than usual (possibly overheating? idk.) Sometimes while loading up it will say Drive A error and then in just a second shut off like it has been.

Does anyone know whats GOING on with it? Sounds like a defective power supply. Disconnect all your other devices (cdrom, floppy) remove all expansion cards (network, sound, etc.) and reboot. Does the problem still exist? By removing these items it rules them out as a culprit.

Alan <>< I dont have a floppy disc drive ( which is why I was wondering about the drive A error?) and I dont think I have sound card expansions or anything (atleast nothing that I put in it SINCE buying it) but I do have a cdrom drive.. so to disconnect... do you mean open it and take it out? because I cant disable it if it involves my computer being on.. as it doesnt STAY on for very long.. Have you made any changes in the CMOS/BIOS settings?nope, i havent made any changes. It just happened one day and has been since.. It started doing this about a week ago.. I was in the middle of doing an essay and it just shut off... So,I am thinking you need to clean your computer. Apparently!

See below site.

http://www.technibble.com/how-to-clean-the-inside-of-a-computer-case/

hi


i would know if it's posible to make a boot disk not for installing/repairing mi OS (WIN XP) but for running some c (borland c++) .exe file that i have developed

thks

nicosWhat OS is the exe compiled for?
at first it`ll be compiled for DOS, but i can make it for windows if that`s necessaryYes it's possible to make a DOS boot disk. There are many WEB pages with details of how to do this. You will have to create an autoexec.bat file to call your exe.

that's even if WXP is in my CPU INSTALLED?

can you route me to one of those tutorials?

just if you remember any URL

although i'll search

thksQuote from: erictop on October 28, 2007, 09:04:28 AM

that's even if WXP is in my cpu installed?

can you route me to one of those tutorials?

When I START outlook I get the following error message "a program is trying to ACCESS e-mail addresses you have stored in Outlook. Do you want to allow this? If unexpected, it may be a virus and you should choose "NO"
I went through McAfee with computer and DOS scan. All negetive. Whwn I start Outlook it come up stays for a minute the goes back to desktop. When I start again the message comes up I need to answer "no" twice then the message disappears and I can proceed.
"Have a look here: HTTP://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=a+program+is+trying+to+access+e-mail+addresses&btnG=Search&meta=

I am using Windows XP SP2 in my P4 m/c. I have typical problem with the files having .dat extension which I can not delete from my m/c. WHENEVER I try doing it it shows error message like 'The File is being used by another process.' I have made sure that no other processes/user is using that file. It occurs for every .dat files.
Please suggest quick remedies so that I can delete unwanted .dat files from my m/c.

Rgds,
priyabratause dr delete. it's a software which deletes files at the time of rebooting.Hi,
thanks for the reply.
Can this dr delete be downloaded? If yes...plz give me the link.
ALSO I beleive that there may me some virus affected my m/c which is doing this behind the curtain. I do have Norton installed in my m/c and i have scanned my m/c with that with NO VIRUS FOUND.
Please suggest.Quote from: Delta on October 26, 2007, 06:00:45 AM

I am using Windows XP SP2 in my P4 m/c. I have typical problem with the files having .dat extension which I can not delete from my m/c. Whenever I try doing it it shows error message like 'The File is being used by another process.' I have made sure that no other processes/user is using that file. It occurs for every .dat files.
Please suggest quick remedies so that I can delete unwanted .dat files from my m/c.

Rgds,
priyabrata

I'm new to forum and not very knowledgeable when it comes to my computer, so I need answers in very simple terms. I have a E-machine, Windows XP Home Edition, 2006, with HP media CENTER and it appears that I lost or accidently deleted the "Document Viewer" program. Error message is that program can not be found. How do I reinstall this program? Do I need to backup or save any data before I re-install? Thank you for any help.you may have accidently deleted it or uninstalled it. have a look on google and see if you can find the program and download it. If you have a DISK USE that instead. You do not need to backup data when installing a programQuote

You do not need to backup data when installing a program

Hi,

Bit of a windows networking PROBLEM. I have a laptop connected wirelessly and a server box that shares drives on the network. The laptop connects through a linksys ROUTER. Both machines are running XP and are up to date with updates.

The problem is that the shared drives BECOME unavailable as does the server machine in network neighbourhood. While the network drives are unavailable I can still access the internet. I can SEE the shared drives again by changing the windows WORKGROUP and rebooting but obviously this isnt ideal ;-)

Any Ideas?

Hi all,

This is the problem. I have an HP media center desktop with Windows XP. When I turn the computer on, it SEEMS to turn on properly, and the desktop APPEARS with all the icons, start button like it normally should. At this point the cursor is still the hourglass figure. After about a second the desktop dissappears, which is when the cursor becomes an ARROW. What is GOING on, and how do I fix it?
Do a ctrl,alt,del and select the processes tab. Do you see explorer.exe there?I'm having same/similar problem. explore.exe is not showing on Processes.In Task Manager, click on "New Task" button. Type in:
explorer
Hit Enter.
See, if it'll bring your desktop BACK.

I am running into a situation where my computer is kicking me off of EVERY search ENGINE that I click on to (Example : I click firefox and right as I try to search something it shuts it off COMPLETELY) . I have another computer and it is not doing this at all, any suggestions on what it may be ?

Thanks in advance.ok, have you cheaked that you firewall or anti-virus ISNT blocking it? if not turn both off and try to go bak on if it WORK all yo have to do is tell you firewall not to block it



hope this helps What Windows version?
Windows updates, security check, up to date?
How long ago did it start? Any recent changes to computer hardware, software?

HI;
Help! Help!
I can't print anything from notepad, wordpad, paintbrush, and some text form the net.
I have checked my printer and it works great. I just installed the updated print driver for my machine, and that did not fix the problem.
I have PrintMaster Gold, prints great! Got corel Draw, also works, but when I try to print from any MS program the printer indicates PRINTING STARTED, and it sounds like it's printing but the page is blank.
I have tried all the TROUBLESHOOTING from Lexmark sieries 1200 and Microsoft
nothing seems to fix the problem.

Help! Please
DaveHeres my SPECIALTY

http://itinfo.mit.edu/article.php?id=7312

or try reinstalling...

hope it help mate.When you go to print from an MS APP at the printer setup page what is showing as the DEFAULT printer in the drop-down list ? ?
If you have a FAX program for example it MAY default to this...

How many printers are shown in Control Panel ? ?
Uninstall any tou are not using then right clik the one you want select Properties and set it as the default printer...

I have a Gateway desktop w/winXP. Have never had any probs until now.

When turned on, the Windows logo w/black background comes up, then it goes to the black screen w/white writing that wants to know how I want to start windows. Ex. "safe mode", "start windows NORMALLY". But the computer hangs. It says to scroll up or down w/arrow keys, but nothing works.

I tried a SEARCH but nothing. My son uses this for HOMEWORK, I need help and I'm not real good with the mechanics of computers. Any help would be greatly apprieciated.might be your Ata controller CARD or read this:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/261590QUOTE from: tommy gusack on October 26, 2007, 11:17:46 AM

might be your Ata controller card or read this:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/261590

Ok, I "think" I got it going again.

I kept tapping F8 on startup and got it going in safe mode.

I didn't make any changes, just let it boot and load Windows.

Then did a restart in normal and seems to working now. I'll see.

So i needed to format my main DRIVE and reinstall windows xp. Everything works until just after the install on the first boot and just after i put in my administrator password the system resets. i remember this HAPPING before when i switched OS's from 2000 to XP. That time i ended up taking it in i remember there was a driver problem and i was given a CD witch i lost. would it be a driver problem because of the 2 processors and and if so how do i solve this? I rarely ever recommend a BIOS upgrade but, what is your version
you are now using?REVIEW the link below.

------>GoHereI don't think it's that, it seems i have the newest one. would there be anything special about installing windows XP because of the 2 processors? Any help would be great.A newsgroup feed mentioned LOWERING the HyperTransport setting in the BIOS to 800Mhz instead of the "automatic" setting...

Seems that board is a challenge to get running properly.

I recently installed a 2nd vid card and was having probs activating crossfire. I changed a device I shouldn’t have and was UNABLE to view monitor (computer still booted ok) I had a friend come over to help and he ended up changing some bios setting that now will not allow pc to post so I can not access the bios to change settings back. I have tried removing battery, removing jumper, Intel boot recovery”, original oem win xp sp1 disk, booting by thumbdrive all to no avail. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

Windows Xp SP2
Intel D975XBX2
Intel 2 Core Duo E6600
Asus Silent Knight Cooler
G-Skill F2-6400CL5D-2GBBNQ
ATI X1600Pro PCI X 512mb (x2)
Maxtor 160GB Sata
Philips SPD2513
Pioneer 112D
Samsung Syncmaster 216BW
Antec 900
How long was the CMOS battery out ? ?
When doing this unplug from the wall and also hit the power button a few times to DISCHARGE any stored energy...
Leave it out for 5 minutes or so after doing it this way.5-10 minutes maybe. should i remove for longer?SEE above...

i have a TYAN tiger k8w s2875 with 2 amd opteron 240, i did a format and a reinstall of window xp pro. the problem is just as i reach the login screen it reboots and then GETS CAUGHT in a loop of this. I can access windows in safemode and thought i might have to install the divers, but am having trouble finding them and knowing which ONE's i might need. Help?Have you tried what was suggested in Your Other Thread ?

Hello people, a few days ago i noticed i cant log into myspace.com. When i type in my password and CLICK log in it takes me straight to th e GOOGLE homepage. It is like the PAGE is blocked. I have tried the little things delete cookies and temp internet files. I dont know what ELSE to do. I dont want this to happen to other websites so please someone help me.

I have a Dell SX270
Running Internet explorer and have Firefox also.
Windows XP

Thanks

ScottNeed...more...info...gasp

Operating system / antivirus &AMP; ANTISPYWARE protection / service packs installed / when did it start happening / did it ever work right / installed any new software?

Alan <><

I installed a newer graphics card given to me by a FRIEND, it is an agp card and should work in my computer. I rushed it into my computer and of course without reading the directions upon restarting my computer the compaq SIGN appeared but nothing else would work, harddrive spins fans spin but no boot up sounds. I tried putting my old one back in and I couldn't even get the compaq intro screen to come up, I tried restarting my computer a few TIMES only to have it restart on me after starting it up each time. I then tried to plug my screen into the motherboard graphics port to see if my graphics cards were messed up only to have the same issue with that, nothing on my screen. When I unplug my screens cord it comes on telling me I have no signal, but when I plug it back in it just GOES blank again. A buddy who know more than I do says that my drivers are messed up but I can't even access anything without of course the computer booting up so I can delete the old ones. HELP ME!!! I don't want to buy another computer (can't afford it right now). I have a laptop that I am using right now so I can find out information on this stuff but nothing has helped me so far...... Did you try resetting your mobo?
Unplug your computer for 15 seconds that replug and boot.
Does that help?
I don't quite get your problem:
So you can get past the BIOS but you can't load your OS?
What OS are you using?
Did you tried going into safe mode?

Jonas

I accidentally deleted the ntldr files LOG set up and I as my computer restarts it prompted NTLDR is missing Ctrl+alt+del to restart...I use some methods to recover but then still doesn't work. I installed the XP SP2 instead with the files intact and no changes/b] on the installation setup...then it works! But the big problem is my log on Name doesn't work..the administrator works(new) but my files in my recent administrators can't be Access...

COULD someone dearly help me...please! Open Explorer / Document & Settings / right-click your old Administrator / properties / security / advanced / Owner tab. Take ownership of your old administrator account here.

Alan <>< Quote from: ale52 on October 30, 2007, 09:04:32 AM

Open Explorer / Document & Settings / right-click your old Administrator / properties / security / advanced / Owner tab. Take ownership of your old administrator account here.

Alan <><

Go to Explorer / Tools / Folder Options / View / Uncheck 'Use simple file sharing'. That should give you the Security tab.

Alan <><

ok, It's an old computer that wouldn't start up and had Windows ME installed. I was trying to use a guide to completely start over. I got a Windows ME boot disk (floppy) and ran fdisk, deleted all partitions, and made a new primary partition C: with the label "HOME" and formated it.

It will boot from the XP CD, but it always freezes at "setup is LOADING FILES (kernel debugger dll)..." And once it said something about missing a file and ERROR code 7. I tried booting from the XP floppies too and got the same problem, so I don't think it's a problem with the CD. I looked at this (it's about a different file missing though) and it said that ME is Fat32. Could that be the problem? I tried "sys c: " like it said, but I just got bad command or file name.

Any idea why it won't work? I thought I could just put in the CD and install. This is really ANNOYING. If a Windows install keeps failing with file copying errors, especially (but not only) if it's a different file each time, flaky RAM is often to blame.

You can install XP to a FAT32 partition.
by copying are you talking about the error code 7 or just the normal freezing while loading files? I think that whole error part was a one time thing. I tried again and it still gets STUCK at "setup is loading files (kernel debugger dll)..."

So could that be fixed by buying some new RAM?

edit: also, I successfully installed Debian linux when I couldn't get Windows to work, so I think Windows should be able to install fine if there aren't any errors or whatever.

i have an xp system that reboots when i issue the shutdown command.

this problem was not occurring PRIOR to uninstalling symantec antivirus.

at this point i just need the quickest SOLUTION to prevent windows from rebooting. i.e., is there a registry setting that will completely disable windows ability to reboot?

any alternative suggestions (even if they are not quick) will be happily accepted too.
um... could you give more information please ? Like what OS ?
If your a XP user your in luck..
heres your answer...
http://www.xpmaximized.com/archives/how-to-prevent-windows-xp-from-rebooting.htmlQuote from: TOMMY gusack on November 02, 2007, 10:57:27 AM

um... could you give more information please ? Like what OS ?
If your a XP user your in luck..
heres your answer...
http://www.xpmaximized.com/archives/how-to-prevent-windows-xp-from-rebooting.html

Quote from: tommy gusack on November 02, 2007, 10:57:27 AM

um... could you give more information please ? Like what OS ?
If your a XP user your in luck..
heres your answer...
http://www.xpmaximized.com/archives/how-to-prevent-windows-xp-from-rebooting.html

Your link has nothing to do with a re-boot issue on shutdown...

besonon what method did you use to remove Norton ? ?

Although it may not be the cause of your re-boots Try Here...

I am hoping that SOMEONE can help be because I am about to go out of my mind. And I apologize if this has already been COVERED. I didn't see it, but it might be somewhere on the site. I recently (yesterday) upgraded to a legitimate version of Windows XP SP2. I am having several issues, but the one that has me CLOSE to hanging myself from the ceiling fan is .. When I start up, the computer makes it through the first black Windows XP screen and then it goes to a blue Windows Starting .... screen. It takes forever (many minutes) to go from there to the Welcome screen. Has anyone had this issue and if so, how did you FIX it. I hope you can help me.Will it start fine into safe Mode?Have you re-installed the MBoard drivers yet ? ?
That should speed things up.Quote from: Broni on November 01, 2007, 07:47:07 PM

Will it start fine into safe Mode?

Hello,

I've been frequenting this forum for quite a few months & have gotten some great HELP from folks here responding to other's problems...hoping to find help for my problem this time.

I can get my computer to detect my keyboard after it comes on. The problem also is that I have a password to enter, so with no keyboard I can't log on. I've tried 3 DIFFERENT keyboards, one brand new, so I know it's not the keyboard.

Also, before I get to the log on window, there has never been a text review so I'd know if the computer has been detecting my mouse, keyboard, etc, as I've had on my older PC's.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Do you get any errors?Were all 3 of these keyboards USB?

If so,Have you tried a PS/2 keyboard?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_connectorQuote from: street1 on October 28, 2007, 12:21:58 PM

Were all 3 of these keyboards USB?

If so,Have you tried a PS/2 keyboard?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_connector

i CLONED a drive with 4 partitions or 4 VOLUMES. vol 1 PARTITION contains the xp operating system,the other three vols 2 thru 4 are storage partitions . I took out the original 160 gig western digital drive with 4 partitions and put in the cloned 300 gig maxtor with 4 partitions. now the system will not boot to that drive . the bios see the new drive and is listed as a boot divise but when i try to boot it tells me to insert boot media please any help would be greatfull. Welcome to the CH forums.

Which cloning program did you use?

Also what did you use to partition the Maxtor drive ? ?
Did you remember to set the first partition active ? ?
At any rate i would only clone one at a time until each is working.I used a maxtor disk to format the pertitions & casper clone to clone it ,nether program oferd the option to set active. the way a normal fdisk would. is there any way to set the partition with the os active.thank you , the system is home built asusI would just start over with FDisk...simplest solution.
After everything is up and running you can use Disk Management in Windows to convert to NTFS if need be.

The other option is if the old drive still boots and has all the data do the following.
Install the old drive as master and boot up making sure everything runs.
Power down and hook up the Maxtor as a slave and re-boot making sure the Maxtor drive is recognised.
Then power down and re-boot with the Maxtor CD and use it to clone the first partition of the old drive to the first partition of the Maxtor.
Power down...hook the Maxtor as master and leve the old out for now.
Power up and make sure everything runs properly...if so you can now shut down hook up the old drive as slave and copy/clone the remaining data partitions.

Maxtor and for that matter all HDD manuf. cloning utilities have come a long way and work great.thank you any reason why casper did not set active and work properly or is it just not a good program for cloning partitions my friend say it works great for single partitoned drives but did not know for multi partitions . i will try your last REPLY and post back later thankyou for your help .I only used Casper very briefly...and that was many years ago...
I grew up using nothing but the DOS version of Ghost and i remember trying Casper to compare.
If i didn't switch there must have been a reason.

ok im blonde and in need of some help, i have windows xp and need to wipe my harddrive clean can anyone tell me step by step on how to do this? is there a WAY to wipe it clean without making a boot disk? what will i need to continue?hook it on another computer as a slave, right click and select format.Do you want to wipe your HDD or simply reformat it? Wiping it USUALLY requires a separate PROGRAM and will render all the info. on your HDD unretrievable. Reformat, on the other hand simply prepares the HDD for the INSTALLATION of other programs. The info. is usually recoverable with special programs. Usually people only wipe a HDD when they are donating or selling the HDD or computer. if you want to sell the hdd and want to WIPE ALL THE DATA without POSSIBILITY for recovery by the next owner, better use this one.

http://www.killdisk.com/hi,

if reformat?just try the suggestion of KUZZ...

Hi GUYS can anyone help to FIX this problem i get this window that pops up all the time and i can not get rid of it its so frustrating any help would be awesome


[getting DISK SPACE - attachment deleted by admin]Right CLICK on the desktop and click on Properties.
Click on the Web tab, and uncheck Show Web content on my Desktop.

Click Apply and click OK.

Hi, I'm NEW, & busy. May take time for formalities later.

My PC's original hard drive crashed & I didn't have a RECENT backup (I know, shame on me ). It wouldn't boot in regular or safe modes (not sure about DOS mode). My husband replaced the hard drive, but I still desperately need the files from the old hard drive. I'm considering setting the old hard drive up as a slave drive to access the files on it, but I'm wondering if this is even POSSIBLE since it's damaged.

Also, we're concerned that there may be a virus or spyware on the old hard drive (even though we have Norton & have TRIED to keep it up to date). If there are security issues with the old hard drive, can they transfer to the new hard drive if we set it up as a slave?
Setting it up as a slave is probably your best bet for 2 reasons :
1) you can run chkdsk /r on it which may help you salvage your data
2) You can also run all your protection application scans on it prior to moving/copying any data...

As long as you do not run any EXECUTABLES on that drive i.e. programs etc. the risk of infection to your main drive is very low.

Follow the steps above and let us know.

P.S. You may want to list your protection apps here first in case our security guru's may have additional suggestions before you copy any data...

Quote from: SuperDave on OCTOBER 19, 2007, 07:37:17 PM

This cable is supposed to work on any type of HDD. Sells for $40
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=48965&criteria=sata%20usb&doy=24m9

1.Click start and then click run
2.Type Devmgmt.msc in the Open and then click ok
3.On the Action menu, click Scan for hardware changes This causes Windows to recognize new devices.
4.Close device manager and control panel

How many drives and partitions did you have in this machine before ? ?

How many letters were taken up ? ?

If you right click My Computer and select Manage and then Disk Management how are all the drives being reported in there ? ?

It may help to post a screenshot of the Disk Management screen...

Cannot see anything at that resolution...

It is an HP laptop. When started up and logged onto windows the taskbar and icons do not appear. Almost all files and applications in windows are excessible by going through the Task Manager. Has ANYBODY seen this before? Is there a way to fix it without having to RESET the entire system?Windows XP:

Press Control/Alt/Del to get to the Task Manager. Click on "New Task..." and type in "explorer" without quotes.If above remedy does not SOLVE your problem, you can do System Restore with the HELP of Task Manager. File> New Task (Run) > %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

This will help you to restore your system to previous state when it was ok.

Vishnu Thakor

hi,

right click on the desktop, go to arrange by icons, then click show desktop icons...


i have had this problem too and of course i did the task manager thing and start explorer.exe

but then why does this even happen.Try this press ctrl+alt+del and open explorer.exe it should show everything. Or on the other hand try this:
irst Backup your registry..........

Start >> Run >> regedit /e c:\registrybackup.reg

Now ...

Start >. Run >> regedit >> navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\TaskManager

Now Delete Taskmanager

Restart Windows

My problem started with hal.dll being missing or corrupt so it would not boot.

I booted from the Windows XP CD and tried various things in the repair RECOVERY console but none of them worked. (Tried expanding hal.dll, ACCESS denied; tried fixing boot.ini, didn't work; chkdsk froze)

I decided to go for a reinstall and it could not DETECT any previous Windows and then said it could not read my Windows CD when I am 99% sure this CD works perfectly fine. It's a XP SP2 cd and it's the full ORIGINAL VERSION.

At this point I'm assuming that my hard drive is dead and I need a new one, but I would like a second opinion.

Thanks.

Edit: This happened overnight, I was not doing anything to my computer to make it happen.Ok my CD may be an upgrade version, how can I tell by just looking at the CD?

I tried reading some other posts with similar issues; however, I did not see anything about this PARTICULAR problem or how to solve it -

A couple of weeks ago I needed to renew my subscription for Norton Security SUITE. Instead I decided to upgrade to Norton 360 - a massive mistake! After ten days of constant intereference and crashes, trying to get help from Norton and other various nightmares, I uninstalled the software using the uninstall utility in Win XP Pro. When the system went to reboot it displayed the following error message:
Windows could not start because the following file is missing:
\Windows\system32\config\system
I KNOW that this refers to a missing registry key and that the likely culprit was something to do with how Norton attaches itself to every other program. My system is a Dell XPS 400 and Dell does have a utility to return the system to factory specs. But, this erases EVERYTHING and sets the system back to how it arrived at my office - something that I would hope to avoid. I think I can REPAIR the error if I could get a copy of the setup CD, but I don't know where/how to get this. All Dell can tell me is how to reset the system to the factory specs. Is there another way of doing this that would be less destructive? It is not really a matter of data loss - I am a maven about backing up my work - but, it will be a royal pain to reset all my software and other settings. Any help will be very welcome. Thanks!This doesn't look like an easy fix. Read this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

i bought a dell comp. at a flea market and was told it works . when i TRIED to use the comp. it has a- log on to - page.no matter what i do i cant seem to get by the -log on to- page--ive tried the F8 key many TIMES but no use--any suggestions on how to by-pass this page would be greatly appreciated--thanks--ronrob Is the logon page before or after Windows loads ? ?....it makes a difference.
Have you contacted the seller ? ?You will have to contact the person you bought the computer from. If this is a password that you are missing to log onto Windows we can't tell you how to "hack" into it. Do you have any idea how to contact the person you bought it from? I know that may be a LITTLE hard because it was at a flea market, but that is what you will have to do. They should have PROVIDED you the password at the time of purchase.Also...do you have any clue what Windows version it is?If this is indeed, a password, and you can't find the seller to GIVE you that password the only other option is to reinstall a new OS. This may be preferrable because you probably don't want what the previous owner had.This is why we need to know when the prompt is showing up...it may be a Windows password...it may be a system password.
When he returns we should know which way to go.

I recently did a "1-click maintenence" with TuneUp Utilities 2007 and it recommended that I decrease the paging size to boost computer speed so I accepted the change and restarted my computer. An error popped up saying there was not enough memory(?) and that I should go to Control Panel --> System --> Advanced --> Performance Settings --> Advanced --> Change Virtual Memory.

I didn't know what "total paging size for all drives" I should have chosen so I just selected custom size and restarted my laptop. The problem is that Windows now will not load. It gives me the option to Start my computer normally, Load Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked), SAFE mode, Safe mode with command prompt, and Safe mode with networking. I tried all of them and none let me start up windows. I then tried clicking f12 at startup, but that wouldn't work either. So my only option I guess would be to change some setting by clicking f10 at startup, but I have no idea what option to change. I loaded the default settings, but the laptop still won't load Windows.

I'm running Windows XP on the laptop.Choose safemode. Sometimes it takes awhile to load. Be patient.
Then travel to Control Panel/System/Advanced/Performance and you will see the swapfile settings...for now set both the lower and upper at 768MG.
Re-BOOT and you should be good to go...I tried all three variations of safe mode, but it takes be back to the load up SCREEN and asks me to choose again.what does the last good known configuration do to your computer? Have you tried that?

Selecting last known good configuration also takes me back to the load up screen and asks me to choose again.Try the suggestion listed on following website:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Windows-XP-3282/boot-XP-Safe-Mode.htm


It might help, although solution is for different issue. Let us know how it goes if you do try it out. 1. Disable automatic restart on system failure.

If you're using Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), the Windows Advanced Options Menu you keep going to should have the following item:

Disable automatic restart on system failure

Select it and hopefully you'll get Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) on next restart with error message text and numbers. Copy the message text and numbers exactly and post them here. It's frequently possible to search Microsoft Knowledge Base and Internet on "exact" substrings of text for problem resolutions.

By default, if a serious system error occurs while Windows is attempting to load the operating system it attempts to display an error message and then automatically restarts. If you break the restart cycle there may be a BSOD that you can read.

I don't think the option exists on Windows Advanced Options Menu of earlier versions of Windows XP (original, SP1). If I'm wrong, someone please correct me so that I get it right next time.


2. Memory. So... How much memory does the laptop have? 256 MB, 512 MB, or 1 GB?


3. Hard Drive. How is your hard drive set up, i.e. do you normally see just one logical drive,"C:"? Do you know what the storage capacity of the hard drive is and how much free space was available on drive "C:" (in MBytes or GBytes)?

If your laptop came pre-installed with the operating system, I'm wondering if there's a "hidden" recovery partition on that hard drive, although I can't say yet how that would apply to the current problem.


4. Custom Size of Swap File. Do you recall what the value(s) for the custom size were and whether it was for the "C:" drive?


If you have the bootable Installation CD, boot and press any key to start the Windows Installation Interface, and you will select Install mode, then, you'll repair over the present OS. It'll RESTORE the OS Kernel and could fix your problem.

If you don't have de Windows Installation CD, try to find this software Hiren's Boot CD http://www.hiren.info/, here you have the downloable link http://www.loranbase.com/var/attachments/Hirens.BootCD.9.2_www.loranbase.com.zip. Uncompress it and burn the ISO file into a CD, or you could apply the detailled instructions published on the Hiren's Web site to configure the USB boot mode.

On this app. Cd, you could use too many tools to solve diferents troubles.

I am running Windows 98 and have a problem with accessing my files on Excel. They are all password protected and having accessed one I cannot go back into the file again at a later stage. An ERROR message appears stating that the password is invalid which it obviously not being the same one used earlier. This is happening to each of my files in turn as I use them.

Your help would be GREATLY appreciated. Peter EdwardI checked the help file in Xcel and there are many ways of putting passwords on documents. Perhaps that is the problem. Just a thought.Did YOU SET up that password?yes, I set up the password. Peter EdwardHave you tried to remove or modify the password?When you go to the same file for the second time, do you manually type in your password again, or it's already there as ASTERISKS?Hi Broni, I am back home again. The password has to be TYPED in. There are no asterisks showing.
Await hearing from you with interest. Peter EdwardQuote

Have you tried to remove or modify the password?

I have win 2K SP4. Whenever I shut down, the computer shuts down and a screen is DISPLAYED that SAYS, "It is now SAFE to shut off your computer." Is there any WAY to disable this? On the Win 2k desktop in my parent's room it doesn't do that.See here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810903
Try first solution.

You can dual-boot them.

Read this.

Have searched site before writing to see whether this topic has already been ADDRESSED and did not find answer.

I have CREATED a movie in WINDOWS Movie Maker (WMM) and pulished with no problem. However, the scene selection MADE by Windows Move Maker is not good. WMM recognizes that I have 9 chapters, but came up with 30 scenes for scene selection which will make no sense to viewers.

How can I CHANGE the scene selection in WMM?

Thanks.

Hi ther... I'm having firewire problems and have since discovered an xp sp2 patch that will fix this.. I downloaded the patch, but have to create a value to set the speed for the driver... It shows you how on the windows site, so that's not a problem.. It won't let me create a Dword value.. That's all I have to do now, and it won't let me.. VERY FRUSTRATING!! I've tried DISABLING my virus protection, which is getting me nowhere.. Any suggestions? Thanks.What do you mean by "cannot create value" ??

Do you mean you RECEIVE an error such as "Access Denied" or do you create the key but it doesn't appear on screen ??

Normally you NEED to reboot after you change the registry.the box says "Error creating value" at the top and then says in the box.. "Cannot create value. Error writing to the registry." Are you the ADMINISTRATOR? If you are, then try this:

Right click on the key where you want to create the DWORD value.
Click on Permissions...

The permissions should be:

SYSTEM > Full Control
Administrators > Full Control
Users > Read

Click APPLY then click on Advanced --> Owner tab, click on Administrators, place a "tick" next to Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and click OK.

Does it work now?

nice name and this might not help but give it a shot : http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=/support/ie/outlookexpress/win32/faq/default.asp

best of luck,

It is important that the process of compacting folders is not interrupted.

If allowed to finish, compacting ensures that your Outlook Express runs smoothly and disk space is not wasted in too excessive a manner.


If the compaction process was interrupted or the Outlook Express message store files get corrupted for another reason, Outlook Express may start to empty folders. Your messages probably are not gone, however.

You can build a safeguard into the Outlook Express compaction process with a PATCH that backs up all data before compacting. To recover from automatically created BACKUP copies:

* Make sure Outlook Express is not running.
* Open the Recycle Bin on your Windows Desktop.
* Locate the ".bak" files corresponding to the Outlook Express folders you want to recover.
o The ".bak" file will be named like the folder in Outlook Express.
o To restore a folder called "Archive", look for "Archive.bak", for example.
* Click on the ".bak" file with the right mouse button.
* Select Restore from the menu.
* Open your Outlook Express store folder in Windows Explorer.
* Drag and drop the ".dbx" file corresponding to the Outlook Express folder you want to recover to your Desktop.
* In the Outlook Express store folder, click on the ".bak" file to be recovered with the right mouse button.
* Select Rename from the menu.
* Change the ".bak" file extension to ".dbx".
o If the file was called "Archive.bak", for example, make sure it is named "Archive.dbx" now.
* Open Outlook Express.
* If your emails have been recovered, delete the ".dbx" file you moved to the Desktop.

Even if you had not YET installed the patch, message recovery could be easy:

* Exit Outlook Express.
* Look in your Windows Recycle Bin for a .dbx file corresponding to the folder from which mail is missing.
* Restore the .dbx file.
* Start Outlook Express.

To recover mail from an already corrupted message store, use one of the Outlook Express recovery tools, maybe ScanDBX.

It is important that the process of compacting folders is not interrupted.

If allowed to finish, compacting ensures that your Outlook Express runs smoothly and disk space is not wasted in too excessive a manner.


If the compaction process was interrupted or the Outlook Express message store files get corrupted for another reason, Outlook Express may start to empty folders. Your messages probably are not gone, however.

You can build a safeguard into the Outlook Express compaction process with a patch that backs up all data before compacting. To recover from automatically created backup copies:

* Make sure Outlook Express is not running.
* Open the Recycle Bin on your Windows Desktop.
* Locate the ".bak" files corresponding to the Outlook Express folders you want to recover.
o The ".bak" file will be named like the folder in Outlook Express.
o To restore a folder called "Archive", look for "Archive.bak", for example.
* Click on the ".bak" file with the right mouse button.
* Select Restore from the menu.
* Open your Outlook Express store folder in Windows Explorer.
* Drag and drop the ".dbx" file corresponding to the Outlook Express folder you want to recover to your Desktop.
* In the Outlook Express store folder, click on the ".bak" file to be recovered with the right mouse button.
* Select Rename from the menu.
* Change the ".bak" file extension to ".dbx".
o If the file was called "Archive.bak", for example, make sure it is named "Archive.dbx" now.
* Open Outlook Express.
* If your emails have been recovered, delete the ".dbx" file you moved to the Desktop.

Even if you had not yet installed the patch, message recovery could be easy:

* Exit Outlook Express.
* Look in your Windows Recycle Bin for a .dbx file corresponding to the folder from which mail is missing.
* Restore the .dbx file.
* Start Outlook Express.

To recover mail from an already corrupted message store, use one of the Outlook Express recovery tools, maybe ScanDBX.

my computer is showing only 3 fonts named device fonts but i have so many other fonts installed on my computer. this is the problem with word only excel is showing all the fonts. pls helpMicrosoft has a COUPLE of Word programs, and they sometimes get mixed up. You are referring to Microsoft Office Word, correct? Which version? And what OS are you running?

Has this always been a problem or is it something that STARTED recently? How long have you had Word, how long has it been giving you trouble, and how did you OBTAIN it (store, download, etc.)?

Although you shouldn't have to, have you tried installing the fonts? To get a better idea of what I mean, CHECK out this link...
http://www.howtodothings.com/computers/a2396-how-to-add-microsoft-word-fonts.html

HELP! I went to use my computer today & all of my desktop icons are gone & so is my Start menu?!?!?!?!Have you tried this?


Right-click the desktop, Point to Arrange Icons By,

Click Show Desktop Icons .



CTRL+ALT+DEL.....will Task Manager show up?I tried Ctrl., ALT, DELETE.....nothing. I tried to right click.....nothing. I've even tried to restore the system back two days AGO & I still can't get any of my icons or stars menu back?!?!?!?!What Windows version? Do you have Windows CD, or RECOVERY CD?I'm using Windows XP. I've tried System Recovery & when I reboot, my icons & start menu come up but disappear about 4 seconds later.Quote

Do you have Windows CD, or Recovery CD?

I tried Ctrl., ALT, Delete.....nothing. I tried to right click.....nothing. I've even tried to restore the system back two days ago & I still can't get any of my icons or stars menu back?!?!?!?!

So i went on a date with a girl last night and at the end she ASKED me to come inside and take a look at her PC. its an HP with windows xp.. she had this window that kept popping up when she started it up saying something about set to factory or reseal for end user. so to get rid of it i tried to reseal it (thinking that she is the end user) now some of her important documents are gone.. it started up like it was the first time windows started..

So, my question is, are those documents gone for good? i searched for Word Documents and none of them were there.. please tell me a WAY to restore those. it was our first date and i lost her divorce decree! please help if possibleYou call it a date when the girl asks you to look at her computer? oh what did you do? check the system restore, if you can restore ... then i guess you can un-embarass yoursef (if that is even a word). if you can do that you just unscrewed up your date.

but i do not think those documents are actually gone if you're lucky. just STOP all work on the computer and look into the restore.

if you instantly stop doing anything that anything that writes to hard drive like use internet or save files, you can potentially save the missing files.


System restore has saved me a couple times, thought the file was gone but i restored and it came back; although maybe not in full but enough to get me going.





thats right....system restorewell i was going to do system restore but when i tried it had no previous restore dates. and it was at the end of the date and she invited me in. i think if i would have fixed it the date would have ended much better.Quote from: Mikesway on October 31, 2007, 06:41:10 AM

i think if i would have fixed it the date would have ended much better.

I hate to mix business with pleasure in that way.

the more up to date version of "so, uh... you wanna come up for some coffee?"

system restore is the solution...

I started up my BRAND new pc and set up the admin password and promptly forgot it! Can ANYONE help me? Someone told me to use FDISK but I don't know how! Can someone help me with that? They also told me that I would have to delete Windows and then re-download it, is this true? And how do I do that?

HELP!!Here is a link. I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of this program because I've never used it.
http://www.password-reset.com/?gclid=CLDlpYK1tY8CFRFSagod2hagcwre-download the xp..........Boot into Safe Mode and LOGON with the inbuilt Administrator account.

When you are logged in, click on Start, Run, type in CONTROL userpasswords2 and click OK.

Click on your administrator account, and click Reset Password.
Type in a new password, and click OK.

Restart Windows in normal mode.

When i TRY to delete some files in the program files folder it tells me

"Cannot delet _____:Access is denied.
^File name
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use."

How do i get around this?

I have WINDOWS xp pro....Restart your computer. Sometimes files can get locked up and won't get freed up until you reboot.
Also check the file permissions.....let us know how you goYou can try in Safe Mode, or better YET, get "MoveOnBoot":
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/moveonboot.htmlhttp://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

unlocker is one of the best..please give it a try and you will believe meboth PROGRAMS worked very well...thanks alot
-MikeCool For situations like this, I tend to use ProcessExplorer a lot. If you do a search for the file, ProcessExplorer will tell you what program the file is tied to. You can then kill the process for that particular file (WITHOUT disrupting any other files tied to the program) and safely delete it. Probably not as efficient as the other programs, but it's my preferred method.

I've encountered an odd problem... I had a computer with my sister's copy of windows xp on it, which worked great for the 30 days of trial (lost the registration key). After a month, I attempted to install a different copy of xp on it (didn't do any formatting or anything). Booting from disk, I was ABLE to do the PRELIMINARY stages of windows install, and then it needed to restart... so I restarted, it posts, goes through bios, and after a screen which said "Windows install is restarting" (or something to that effect), it instantly shuts off.

I found that if I didn't insert the install disk, it would boot up and get to the windows install menu (the one that takes 39 MINUTES, or whatever), and SIT there prompting me to insert the install disk. As soon as I inserted the disk (ANY disk, actually... install, audio, data) it would spin for half a second and then instantly shut off.

I suspected either a faulty disc drive, or maybe a dual-OS-booting problem.... so I tried a different cd drive with a different hard drive (HD had data on it but no OS), and same problem.....


...Thoughts?XP is not designed to be reinstalled after the activation period. I would suggest purchasing a license and activating your install.After the 30 day trial I did install a licensed version of XP, and that was what started the crash... very confused....The best APPROACH would be to use a bootdisk to format the drive and re-installing the legit Windows...it's probably detecting the other installation and just overwriting some system files but balking at the activation process.
A clean install is the way to go.thanks patio-- i was able to create a couple bootdisks designed to wipe hard drives... they booted properly, and I got into the interface for the wipe program, but for some reason my keyboard wouldn't work!! The keyboard works during BIOS, but doesn't seem to respond after that? thoughts? thanks guys!!If you have a PS2 keyboard i would switch to that at least until you get the re-installation complete.
They're not designed to be connected/disconnected while the machine is on...make sure you are powered down to make the switch.how about my usb keyboard with a PS2 adapter? i think I might be able to the adapter more easilyThat'll work...

I have an older Presario, still (and happily) running Win-98. Recently vertical red lines can obscure photos, and sometimes illustrations, on the web and often in my offline picture files. Not all photos are OBSCURED, and the vertical red lines don't RUN through text, etc. This is not a monitor issue... cause it was present on my old monitor and now on my new FLAT screen, and is not in the same POSITION -- but where ever the photo appears. Anyone know what I'm missing here? THANKSDid you update your video drivers?Quote from: Broni on October 28, 2007, 10:01:34 PM

Did you update your video drivers?

accidentally DELETED my My pictures FOLDER when i did a FRESH install of windows,

restored the folder using a program called "Restoration" everything in the folder was

copied back to the desktop, all FILENAMES and folders are present but the pics are

unable to be viewed any ideas on how to fix this ? thanks


Windows xp, sp 2 Why don't you go in your recycle bin and restore the folder?Quote

but the pics are unable to be viewed

I recently took my computer in to be repaired. A new video card was installed. For some reason, my PC (window 98 os) no longer detects my Iomega Zip 100 SCSI external drive. I have tried re-installing everything from the original CD. That doesn't work. I have downloaded updated drivers from the Iomega site; that doesn't HELP. I have tried contacted Iomega support: nothing. I have posted my problem in other help sites; no advice has SOLVED my problem.
Can anyone here provide suggestions?
Thanks to you who can.Unfortunately, my experience with zip DRIVES is very limited, so I don't know how much I can help...but have you tried contacting the people who repaired your computer? If they did something to cause this problem, then I would EXPECT them to rectify it free of charge.CBMatt is right rather aske them first.. Question..more info on you computer specs please...98 is very old also why dont you upgrade to XP???Have you tried installing nusb31e ?

------>HereThe reason I haven't returned to the computer store is, frankly, I don't trust them to do the right thing. The video card that they installed isn't as good as the one I had before; I can no longer set my monitor resolution to 1280x1024, only the level one down from that. When I complained about this to them, they gave me a whole bunch of B.S. If I complain about the SCSI card or my Zip drive not working the way it should, I have a feeling they will not take any responsibility for it, especially since I have no proof that they screwed things up.
The reason I haven't upgraded to a higher OS is because I'm cheap.I understand being cheap but the new OS has a lot to offer above a win98 machine. I would suggest that you take a look at upgrading.

The zip drive connects to your machine with a SCSI card? What model card? Also you may want to check to see if the system has a I/O conflict with the new video card and your SCSI card. You may have to move it to a new slot in your machine to make the system give it a new address...