Repairing a messed up XP Pro install
In searching for the solution to my similar problem: A failed XP Pro installation when it was almost finished, I have encountered a lot of people advising that the HDD HAS to be RePartioned and ReFormatted that wipes out EVERYTHING on the HDD needlessly in many cases as the file system is still intact and makes for a lot more grief and time getting back up and running. Also if you are like most of us, you don't have EVERYTHING else on the HDD backed up and would lose everything on it needlessly when it is just Windows that is SNAFU, every thing else remains in tact and is just fine.
Rename the following files by using the REN command. To do this, type REN File_Name.extension File_Name.old at the command prompt.
�
These all pertain to the command window/promt opened with administrative rights:
I use the following format for these:
REN Wpa.dbl Wpa_old.dll
This way the old files will still get listed right by the news replacement files when sorted by both the file name or extension if you need to manipulate them more they are much easier to find as they stay grouped together.
Wpa.dbl
� Pidgen.dll
� Actshell.html
� Licdll.dll
� Regwizc.dll
� Licwmi.dll
� Wpabaln.exe
Note In the previous command, File_Name.extension represents the new file name. Additionally, File_Name.old represents the old file name.
9. Type the drive letter of the CD drive together with a colon, and then press ENTER. For example, you type D:, and then press ENTER.
'CD' stands for 'Change Directory' To go back up to the previous folder/directory, just type: CD..
As indicated, to change to a different drive, enter the drive letter followed by a colon :
10. Type cd i386, and then press ENTER.
11. Type the following commands individually. Press ENTER after each command. �
Your syntax may be giving you some problems here. You have navigated to the i386 folder/firectory of your Windows CD. In my case this is the H: drive. As I'm on a Vista installation on the same computer but with a completely different RAID controller and HDDs than my XP is. My currently DIRECTLY inaccessible XP installation is designated to be the E: drive in this configuration. Note that I can access and read it from the E: HDDs just fine and it is ONLY the XP StartUp Routine that is messed up. So the file system is still intact and if you end up succeeding in fully reinstalling XP Pro, which is what i am trying to repair; then just leave the file system intact and all the rest of your applications, files, data and information will still remain and you will just have to rerun the installation programs for the Apps that you want to reinstall. Still a pain, but considerably less so.
Thus the %Systemroot% would most likely erroneously be taken to be C:\Vista in my case as it is the root of the current OS that I am on.
The syntax for the Expand command is:
"Expand 'Source path\compressed FileName.Ex_' ' Destination Path' So for me the expand command is:
"Expand H:\i386\licwmi.dl_ E:\Windows\System32\"
I hope that with helps both of us out. Good luck to all with this problem.
Expand licwmi.dl_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand regwizc.dl_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand licdll.dl_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand wpabaln.ex_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand wpa.db_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand actshell.ht_%Systemroot%\System32
The same provisio applies to the Copy command :
� Copy pidgen.dll%Systemroot%\System32
Did you try OSuninst.exe?
Type Exit, and then press ENTER to restart the computer.
More food for thought. I have used MultiBoot utilities and configurations quite a bit in the past. In this instance Vista wants to take complete control of all of these functions. But what happens when I had a similar problem with Vista a while back: The file system is intact, but the Boot routine was messed up and I couldn't get into Vista.
So If Vista is now the Master Boot controller, if My Vista startUp routine goes down, will I not be able to access neither XP nor Vista? My BIOS has boot control routine in it during the initial start up, so I opted for NOT putting ANY boot control program/configuration regardless of whose Boot Manger it is. This has the minor inconvenience that if restarted unattended, it defaults to Vista if I am not there to invoke the BIOS StartUp selection routine. In my environment this is a very minor inconvenience problem and I don't have to worry about MultiBoot utilities etc that quite often are flaky and easily messed up leaving one not being able to get onto ones computer at all. This is an area that the 'KISS' formula may be the best bet.
Ok, did all that... didn't help
Next I installed the Recovery Console to my system with success.
How did you mange this with the initial StartUp routines out of order?
Well, I finnally stumbled upon short-media.com and posted a thread in the "Spyware-Virus Removal forum"... During which time my buddy decided to use his XP CD to "REpair Windows XP" by using this disc. Managed to proceed through most of the setup, of re-install of XP Home and at the end it stopped because it said that another OS was running on the partition. I stopped him there.... checked with my father(from which I got the computer) and he revealed to me that WindowsXP Professional was installed not WindowsXP Home Edition.... crap
It would seem that you would need to uninstall the XP Home edition before you install the WP Pro.
Windows ME was really just a service pack UpDate and most crtainly didn't qualify to be considered an 'new, improved' OS enough to justify it. But no doubt that it made a significant cash cow for Microsoft as they Ripped many of us off for a new O/S that really wasn't one )< 8(
These arecompletely blatant rip offs and taking advantge of the fact that Microsoft sells about 90% of ALL software sales in the world! Including games and numerous apps in may different specialty areas They basically 'own the InerNet etc software business and as such, can and do throw their weight around. The proverbial 'sharing ones bed with an elephant'
The shear gall and blatant rip off of buying a newer software system from MS that is the 'complete' package for a new, clean installation only on and empty computers or ones that are getting a completely new installation done on them
but that it won't work for an 'upgrade' and one has to buy them both to get this capacity which is an outright and unscrupulous abomination that borders on being criminal. I I hope and wish that someone takes them to court over this scandalous RipOff and make them pay all of us poor schmucks that found this out the hard way. One has the full install there that they have paid a significant price for only to find out that they can't use it to upgrade a computer with it and have to buy yet another pricey disk that is almost entirely the same for each task. TOTALLY BOGUS and most certainly not 'fair play' in this market. We all know that know one takes opened software back for a very good reason.
It would be great if someone started a class action suit against microsoft for these sleazy underhanded and unfair sales tactics that they can get away with just because they have the best market penetration and 'own' the software market and are no trying to get control over the internet!
If we don't want the internet to becomd fragmented with numerous entities 'walling off' there portion of the internet that is ONLY available to those that subscribe to and pay for these exclusive access services. Imagine what it will be like when one has to pay to see the results of a search to numerous different corporate entitles in order to get the comprehensives data and information needed.
It is now such that the authorities can listen in om ever and any data on the InterNet that they want to. This is the equivalent to giving governments the right of access to any any and all phone calls anytime and on anybody that they want to without the need to prove just cause and get a court order for them to be able to do this. in on any and all traffic and interactions on the InterNet. This is the same as having a carte blanch to wire tap any ones phone at any time for any reason with out justification! Do we tolerate and allow such abuses to exsist? No, of course not. PLEASE read some of the (recent) articles by the person that invented the InterNet! Make informed choices and utilize sources and apps that are 'open'. Otherwise the internet as we know it will rapidly disappeand be owned and controlled almost totally and complete by huge corporations.
If this happens, the internet as we know it with all of it's inherent qualities for freely finding information and open global communications will be destroyed, ruined and very significantly curtailed! Do your part and beocme an informed consumer in this matter and then act appropriately. Otherwise this great and wonderful communications medium that allows individuals together there own facts and make informed decisions about such thins as opposed to our 'mass media' owning and manipulating and controlling the InterNet, and by them controlling the flow of information and us!
Act before it is to late! The events that I have outlined above will be implemented and taken over very quickly if we do not all act and vote with 'our money and our feet' and only use InterNet services when one can that is supporting this sort of integrity in the 'open global marketplace and communications network and data bases' for the internet services that we pick out and use. Make informed decisions in favor of and open internet with assured privacy. It is very 'ripe and ready' for being 'taken over' over with the Multi-Billion dollar markets that are in it.
The US has anti-Trust and Anti Monopoly laws. They need to be applied to MicroSoft and have them be prosecuted for these unfair business practices and the sooner the better.
Act now and save OUR InterNet before it is to late and end up in the hands of and under control of huge multinational corporations that only care about the 'bottom line' and will seek to utilize propitiatory software that limits InterNet strictly to usage of ONLY there corporate services. which is a real pain and downright dangerous!
MicroSoft has pulled a number of such events and products tha fit this scenario. One fairly widely known is when Sun Micro Systems licensed Java to MicroSof. Part of the legal agreement was that Microsoft could not (significantly) alter it and make it so that MS's verion of Java ONLY worked with Micrsoft. fortunately Sun Micro Systems won
this case and as well as receiving cash awarded to them and Microsoft was forced to put back eh standardized version of Java into tier products.
Another instance was when they stole some source code from two young business men in central Canada and put it into their own products without any agreements, acknowledgment nor the permission to do do so.
The business men won their case in court and recieved what was for them a very substantial amount. But it would be so small to microsoft that it was insignificant.
Still, the precedents have been established. That are important and have opened up the doors for other such legal actions against Miscrosoft when the giant machine rolls right over anyone else and flatten them out and destroys these companies being ripped off by Microsoft, that they will have some legal recourse and precedents in place to do so.
The Spyware forum directed me to you.
And thats pretty much where I am at now. Oh, and my monitor just went out, so I have to get another one. lol
My system: Dell Dimension 8100
Intel Pentium 4 1500mhz
WindowsXP PRO
Thanks for any assistance. My dad tryed to find the original XP PRO CD for this computer, but was unsuccessful. I was able to download most of my DATA files through command prompt and an external harddrive.
Zack[/quote]
Rename the following files by using the REN command. To do this, type REN File_Name.extension File_Name.old at the command prompt.
�
These all pertain to the command window/promt opened with administrative rights:
I use the following format for these:
REN Wpa.dbl Wpa_old.dll
This way the old files will still get listed right by the news replacement files when sorted by both the file name or extension if you need to manipulate them more they are much easier to find as they stay grouped together.
Wpa.dbl
� Pidgen.dll
� Actshell.html
� Licdll.dll
� Regwizc.dll
� Licwmi.dll
� Wpabaln.exe
Note In the previous command, File_Name.extension represents the new file name. Additionally, File_Name.old represents the old file name.
9. Type the drive letter of the CD drive together with a colon, and then press ENTER. For example, you type D:, and then press ENTER.
'CD' stands for 'Change Directory' To go back up to the previous folder/directory, just type: CD..
As indicated, to change to a different drive, enter the drive letter followed by a colon :
10. Type cd i386, and then press ENTER.
11. Type the following commands individually. Press ENTER after each command. �
Your syntax may be giving you some problems here. You have navigated to the i386 folder/firectory of your Windows CD. In my case this is the H: drive. As I'm on a Vista installation on the same computer but with a completely different RAID controller and HDDs than my XP is. My currently DIRECTLY inaccessible XP installation is designated to be the E: drive in this configuration. Note that I can access and read it from the E: HDDs just fine and it is ONLY the XP StartUp Routine that is messed up. So the file system is still intact and if you end up succeeding in fully reinstalling XP Pro, which is what i am trying to repair; then just leave the file system intact and all the rest of your applications, files, data and information will still remain and you will just have to rerun the installation programs for the Apps that you want to reinstall. Still a pain, but considerably less so.
Thus the %Systemroot% would most likely erroneously be taken to be C:\Vista in my case as it is the root of the current OS that I am on.
The syntax for the Expand command is:
"Expand 'Source path\compressed FileName.Ex_' ' Destination Path' So for me the expand command is:
"Expand H:\i386\licwmi.dl_ E:\Windows\System32\"
I hope that with helps both of us out. Good luck to all with this problem.
Expand licwmi.dl_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand regwizc.dl_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand licdll.dl_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand wpabaln.ex_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand wpa.db_%Systemroot%\System32
� Expand actshell.ht_%Systemroot%\System32
The same provisio applies to the Copy command :
� Copy pidgen.dll%Systemroot%\System32
Did you try OSuninst.exe?
Type Exit, and then press ENTER to restart the computer.
More food for thought. I have used MultiBoot utilities and configurations quite a bit in the past. In this instance Vista wants to take complete control of all of these functions. But what happens when I had a similar problem with Vista a while back: The file system is intact, but the Boot routine was messed up and I couldn't get into Vista.
So If Vista is now the Master Boot controller, if My Vista startUp routine goes down, will I not be able to access neither XP nor Vista? My BIOS has boot control routine in it during the initial start up, so I opted for NOT putting ANY boot control program/configuration regardless of whose Boot Manger it is. This has the minor inconvenience that if restarted unattended, it defaults to Vista if I am not there to invoke the BIOS StartUp selection routine. In my environment this is a very minor inconvenience problem and I don't have to worry about MultiBoot utilities etc that quite often are flaky and easily messed up leaving one not being able to get onto ones computer at all. This is an area that the 'KISS' formula may be the best bet.
Ok, did all that... didn't help
Next I installed the Recovery Console to my system with success.
How did you mange this with the initial StartUp routines out of order?
Well, I finnally stumbled upon short-media.com and posted a thread in the "Spyware-Virus Removal forum"... During which time my buddy decided to use his XP CD to "REpair Windows XP" by using this disc. Managed to proceed through most of the setup, of re-install of XP Home and at the end it stopped because it said that another OS was running on the partition. I stopped him there.... checked with my father(from which I got the computer) and he revealed to me that WindowsXP Professional was installed not WindowsXP Home Edition.... crap
It would seem that you would need to uninstall the XP Home edition before you install the WP Pro.
Windows ME was really just a service pack UpDate and most crtainly didn't qualify to be considered an 'new, improved' OS enough to justify it. But no doubt that it made a significant cash cow for Microsoft as they Ripped many of us off for a new O/S that really wasn't one )< 8(
These arecompletely blatant rip offs and taking advantge of the fact that Microsoft sells about 90% of ALL software sales in the world! Including games and numerous apps in may different specialty areas They basically 'own the InerNet etc software business and as such, can and do throw their weight around. The proverbial 'sharing ones bed with an elephant'
The shear gall and blatant rip off of buying a newer software system from MS that is the 'complete' package for a new, clean installation only on and empty computers or ones that are getting a completely new installation done on them
but that it won't work for an 'upgrade' and one has to buy them both to get this capacity which is an outright and unscrupulous abomination that borders on being criminal. I I hope and wish that someone takes them to court over this scandalous RipOff and make them pay all of us poor schmucks that found this out the hard way. One has the full install there that they have paid a significant price for only to find out that they can't use it to upgrade a computer with it and have to buy yet another pricey disk that is almost entirely the same for each task. TOTALLY BOGUS and most certainly not 'fair play' in this market. We all know that know one takes opened software back for a very good reason.
It would be great if someone started a class action suit against microsoft for these sleazy underhanded and unfair sales tactics that they can get away with just because they have the best market penetration and 'own' the software market and are no trying to get control over the internet!
If we don't want the internet to becomd fragmented with numerous entities 'walling off' there portion of the internet that is ONLY available to those that subscribe to and pay for these exclusive access services. Imagine what it will be like when one has to pay to see the results of a search to numerous different corporate entitles in order to get the comprehensives data and information needed.
It is now such that the authorities can listen in om ever and any data on the InterNet that they want to. This is the equivalent to giving governments the right of access to any any and all phone calls anytime and on anybody that they want to without the need to prove just cause and get a court order for them to be able to do this. in on any and all traffic and interactions on the InterNet. This is the same as having a carte blanch to wire tap any ones phone at any time for any reason with out justification! Do we tolerate and allow such abuses to exsist? No, of course not. PLEASE read some of the (recent) articles by the person that invented the InterNet! Make informed choices and utilize sources and apps that are 'open'. Otherwise the internet as we know it will rapidly disappeand be owned and controlled almost totally and complete by huge corporations.
If this happens, the internet as we know it with all of it's inherent qualities for freely finding information and open global communications will be destroyed, ruined and very significantly curtailed! Do your part and beocme an informed consumer in this matter and then act appropriately. Otherwise this great and wonderful communications medium that allows individuals together there own facts and make informed decisions about such thins as opposed to our 'mass media' owning and manipulating and controlling the InterNet, and by them controlling the flow of information and us!
Act before it is to late! The events that I have outlined above will be implemented and taken over very quickly if we do not all act and vote with 'our money and our feet' and only use InterNet services when one can that is supporting this sort of integrity in the 'open global marketplace and communications network and data bases' for the internet services that we pick out and use. Make informed decisions in favor of and open internet with assured privacy. It is very 'ripe and ready' for being 'taken over' over with the Multi-Billion dollar markets that are in it.
The US has anti-Trust and Anti Monopoly laws. They need to be applied to MicroSoft and have them be prosecuted for these unfair business practices and the sooner the better.
Act now and save OUR InterNet before it is to late and end up in the hands of and under control of huge multinational corporations that only care about the 'bottom line' and will seek to utilize propitiatory software that limits InterNet strictly to usage of ONLY there corporate services. which is a real pain and downright dangerous!
MicroSoft has pulled a number of such events and products tha fit this scenario. One fairly widely known is when Sun Micro Systems licensed Java to MicroSof. Part of the legal agreement was that Microsoft could not (significantly) alter it and make it so that MS's verion of Java ONLY worked with Micrsoft. fortunately Sun Micro Systems won
this case and as well as receiving cash awarded to them and Microsoft was forced to put back eh standardized version of Java into tier products.
Another instance was when they stole some source code from two young business men in central Canada and put it into their own products without any agreements, acknowledgment nor the permission to do do so.
The business men won their case in court and recieved what was for them a very substantial amount. But it would be so small to microsoft that it was insignificant.
Still, the precedents have been established. That are important and have opened up the doors for other such legal actions against Miscrosoft when the giant machine rolls right over anyone else and flatten them out and destroys these companies being ripped off by Microsoft, that they will have some legal recourse and precedents in place to do so.
The Spyware forum directed me to you.
And thats pretty much where I am at now. Oh, and my monitor just went out, so I have to get another one. lol
My system: Dell Dimension 8100
Intel Pentium 4 1500mhz
WindowsXP PRO
Thanks for any assistance. My dad tryed to find the original XP PRO CD for this computer, but was unsuccessful. I was able to download most of my DATA files through command prompt and an external harddrive.
Zack[/quote]
0
Comments
It depends on ones unique situation. If one is able to determine that the file system is still intact, then it IS a considerable needless waste of time and energy backing everything up needlessly, repartitioning it; which is relatively easy to mess up if one is not familiar with these procedures, then reformatting it and then putting all of the original info back onto the HDD, except for the contents of the windows folder and user data. When the partitions, file system and data on the HDD were all just fine in the first place and one ends up back in exactly the same situation and place and configuration many hours later as when they started doing all of these steps needlessly.
If one is inexperienced enough to get into trouble repartitioning (and reformatting) the HDD. Then it is very likely that they will be even deeper in the do-do and in more trouble if they mess this up as they won't know how to subsequently deal with this and will then possibly end up paying someone else needlessly just to get them back to the starting point.
I have over 3 terabytes of data on this computer.
Even if one has no where near that much info on the HDD, if the adapter you are speaking of ends up being channeled through a USB port, given the volume of data involved this could be a VERY long drawn out, time wasting and frustrating experience. Especially as one then has to put it all back onto the HDD through through the USB port as well. A much better, more efficient and faster method is to open the case up and plug the BackUp HDD directly into the controller IF one has an open port to do so. Even if they don't, they could temporarily unplug the CD/DVD player/burner and plug the BackUp HDD drive into this for the transfers of data.
On the other hand, ALL HDDs fail at some point in time, so (complete) Backup's followed by sequential UpDates & syncs to keep the backup current are always a good idea regardless of the circumstances.