Re: MS Update Caused Total Crash
- From: Malke <malke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:09:24 -0800
A Baffled User wrote:
Running Vista 32 Home Premium, 3 GB RAM. For months now, I've been trying
unsuccessfully to install the MS updates that show up on my computer. The
first near disaster was SP 2, which began an endless loop of Stage 1, 2, 3
with percentage meters followed by a restart of the whole process.
You must mean SP1. SP2 is still in beta. I'm going to assume you really
meant SP1. If you installed a beta Service Pack, then having problems with
it is no surprise. Thou Shalt Not Install Beta Software on anything but a
testbed machine or on one you are prepared to wipe and clean install.
To bypass that problem, I performed a system restore and have been trying,
with only occasional success, to install subsequent MS updates. I.e., I
choose one update on the list of any given day, install it, and wait to
see
what happens. If restart is successful, great. More often than not, it's
unsuccessful and I have to use system restore to get the computer
functioning properly again.
So last night I tried to install the first of four updates dated November
11 (I had been away for two weeks). When the endless loop action described
above began, I did what I usually do: tapped the F11 key in hopes of
getting, as I've always been able to before, to the system restore screen.
Either I made a mistake and clicked system recovery when I meant to click
system restore or else system restore wasn't even offered as an option. In
any case, I suddenly found myself looking at a screen that was starting a
system recovery operation. I.e., all my data would be lost.
I immediately turned off the computer and tried to go to safe mode. No
dice. Got a black screen saying something about the boot and that Windows
hadn't started normally, I should insert a Windows installation disk. I
tried inserting one of the three DVDs I had been told by the computer to
create in case of emergency, but that did no good, either.
Now, when I turn on the computer and click F8, I get the message "BOOTMGR
is missing, Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart. When I do, I get the same
message. I've called Hewlett Packard, which manufactured the computer, and
they say my only choice now is to perform a system recovery. So two
questions:
1. Is there any way to get my data off the hard drive before I perform the
system recovery?
2. Can I buy Windows XP and put it on this machine?
1. Pull the hard drive and put it in an external USB enclosure. Attach it to
a working computer and copy your data onto the working machine's hard
drive. You can also use a drive-to-USB adapter.
2. Restore your computer to factory condition using HP's method. Do the
updates before you install anything else but *after* you remove the HP
preinstalled garbage, including whatever antivirus trial version they
include. If you still can't update an optimized factory-restored machine,
then contact HP tech support because something is wrong with your computer.
I've updated numerous HP machines to Vista SP1 and subsequent updates with
no problems.
I'm not convinced that replacing Vista with XP will help, but here is some
general information about doing that:
On an OEM (HP, Sony, etc.) computer:
1. Go to the OEM's website and look for XP drivers for your specific model
computer. If there are no XP drivers, then you can't install XP. End of
story. If there are drivers, download them and store on a CD-R or USB
thumbdrive; you'll need them after you install XP.
2. Check with the OEM - either from their tech support website or by calling
them - to see if you will void your warranty if you do this. If you will
void the warranty, you make the decision.
3. If the OEM does support XP on the machine, call them and see if you can
have downgrade rights and have them send you an XP restore disk. This will
be far the easiest and best way of getting XP on the machine. With HP
machines, this is really preferable to doing a standard clean install with
a retail XP install disk.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Reinstalling_Windows - What
you will need on-hand
4. If XP is supported on the machine but the OEM doesn't have an XP restore
disk for you, understand that you'll need to purchase a retail copy of XP
from your favorite online or brick/mortar store.
5. Also understand that you will need to do a clean install of XP so if you
have any data you want, back it up first.
6. If none of the above is applicable to you because you can't run XP on
that machine (see Item #1 above), return the computer and purchase one
running XP instead.
Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ
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