XP hangs at 'please wait' screen after repair installation

djshowdowndjshowdown London
edited December 2009 in Science & Tech
I have a laptop with 2 separate XP partitions (one for work and one for play).

My general partition messed up today after some windows updates and I kept getting a 'Fatal System Error' BSOD.

I tried last known good configuration but that didn't work so I did a repair install after looking around on the net for a solution.

Everything went according to plan and was routine, apart from dialog box coming up halfway through the install saying something about creative drivers saying it needed to reboot to install them. The first time it did this (I have done 2 repair installs currently) I clicked no, thinking it may mess up the installation.

Install carried on fine, entered my product key etc no worries.

The computer finished installing and I was taken to the black please wait screen
waiting.jpg

This is where the computer hung, so I turned the computer off via the power switch and rebooted. Upon reboot I was told that windows had to be activated before logging on. I clicked yes and was led to the desktop screen minus all icons or taskbar. It was also completely unresponsive once here.

I tried another repair install and decided to click yes to the creative driver install thinking foolishly that may be the reason why it messed up, it wasn't.

It has been sat there an hour at that screen and I am not sure what to do.

It is worth noting that I did do some windows updates for the partition in question before powering down and one of them which was something to do with network or framework said it failed but would complete upon reboot.

I have noticed now that my second partition will not connect to the net either. I get the networking icon with a yellow triangle box and an exclamation mark in the taskbar and am not able to connect.

I am so lost, please help!

Comments

  • djshowdowndjshowdown London
    edited December 2009
    Please if anybody has an idea, put it forward.
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2009
    Have you ever done a manual system restore? Usually you boot up with some other disk, then pull the registry files out of the system restore points and copy them to windows\system32\config. Since you can boot into your sandbox XP it should be especially easy to do. I've done it many times, and it's always worked except for one computer where some malware crap infected all the restore points.
  • djshowdowndjshowdown London
    edited December 2009
    Last night I admitted defeat. I formatted the system, both partitions. I had all my data on a third partition so all is well. Thanks for the reply dude

    Just a word of warning, if anybody has a dell system, I strongly urge you to delete those silly small partitions they add along with the os. You can honestly live without that media direct nonsense.
  • phuschnickensphuschnickens Beverly Hills, Michigan Member
    edited December 2009
    I totally agree about the small partitions. On any computer not built from parts, I prefer to A) buy it, B) wipe it C) reinstall with OEM OS disk (ie not the manufacturer's copy). Sounds like it worked out for you.
  • djshowdowndjshowdown London
    edited December 2009
    I just wish I had done that from the beginning but at least its sorted now. Dell and their silly partitions!

    I hope anyone planning to buy a Dell reads this. Whilst the system itself has been really great performance wise, the way the system was sliced and diced has caused me nothing but problems.

    I wasn't sure if the small partitions were system critical so I didn't want to trouble them. Good riddance :)
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