Re: Corrupt registry in an OEM version of XP

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry


"John John" <audetweld@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Mike Hyndman wrote:

"John John" <audetweld@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Mike Hyndman wrote:


"John John" <audetweld@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Mike Hyndman wrote:



"John John" <audetweld@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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No hard drive can be found most likely = press F6 at the beginning of
the setup routine and load the "Mass Device" or SATA drivers.

John


John,

The harddrive is an IDE.

Many thanks

Make sure the drive is properly recognized in the BIOS, check cables
for loose connections. Run chkdsk /r on the disk in question. If you
still get the error do these two commands:

fixmbr
fixboot


John,

From where? I can't get into safe mode command prompt or otherwise and
hitting R on the Windows set up screen just puts me into the "can't find
HD loop". Cables and BIOS ok.
I'm tempted to slave the drive into a nother PC and see if I can recover
any "work" from it, then try and do a clean reinstall.

If you can't get to the Recovery Console then it appears to me that the
Windows setup program cannot figure out the drive controller. Mounting
the disk in another computer might be a good idea, at least you will find
out if the drive is sound and if the data on it is (somewhat) intact.
From another Windows XP installation you will also be able to run chkdsk
on the drive if need be. If you mount the disk in another machine and it
checks out ok then you will have to consider hardware problems as the
cause of the problem. Is the disk connected to the motherboard's IDE
controller or to a PCI IDE controller? If the later you will need to do
the F6 thing.


John
My only concern is with not being able to access any work etc., on the
slaved drive due to account permissions etc.,
I haven't tried to re install Windows into a different folder on the HD
for similar reasons.
I still think that this problem is due to the fact the OS is an OEM
version and the way it "treats! its hives is different to the way a
retail version does.

Is this your computer or are you fixing it for someone else? The
permissions problem is no big deal, all you have to do while logged on as
an Administrator is take ownership of the files. The original owner can
again later on, provided he/she has administrative privileges, retake
ownership of the files.

The idea that an OEM version would not allow you to use the Recovery
Console is generally news to me, but what I don't know would make up a big
book. In any case, the error seems to happen before the setup program
even knows what, if even any Windows version is on the disk. Read here
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315403/ and see if anything there might
apply. Is the Windows cd that you are trying to use a full retail cd?
What happens if instead of pressing R for the repair options, you press
<Enter> for the setup options? Don't worry, you can back out of the setup
at anytime until the very last minute. If the cd is a retail version and
the setup program reports that no disk is available then you have some
sort of hardware problem, or a controller issue. I think your idea of
mounting the disk in another computer is a very good one, it may answer a
few questions and shed some light on the problem.

John,

Many thanks, the OEM problem is mentioned in the warning paragraph in KB
article 307545. below.

"Warning
Do not use the procedure that is described in this article if your
computer has an OEM-installed operating system. The system hive on OEM
installations creates passwords and user accounts that did not exist
previously. If you use the procedure that is described in this article, you
may not be able to log back into the recovery console to restore the
original registry hives."

Full retail version CD and pressing R at setup gives me the HD missing etc.,
error message.
The annoying thing is is that I had a similar problem with a PC last year
and fixed it, but can't remember how. ;(
It isn't my PC and I am now going to insert the HD as a slave in my my and
sweep it for viruses, run a few utilities and then see if I can relocate the
files mentioned in the KB article manually.
PC's, don't you just love'em? ;)

Regards

Mike H


.

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