System restore via the Ultimate Boot CD

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by MrMister, May 12, 2010.

  1. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Greetings to everyone reading.

    I've had a longstanding issue with the family computer for many months now. It started a long time ago, and after trying a few methods to fix it with advice from some tech-savy friends, I gave up and no one in the family decided to pay someone to fix it. I'm pretty tired of having my laptop be used as the family computer, so I decided to try again with the Ultimate Boot CD.

    I'm running with a Windows XP Professional OS, SP2.

    The Problem with the computer is that it boots normally until it reaches the screen where you choose which user to log in as (Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, etc.). Instead of showing the names, though, it simply hangs at the Windows XP logo on the blue/light blue background that comes before the names.

    I've tried a few methods with overall failure, and now I came across the Ultimate Boot CD. After a bit of confusion I was able to piece it together using the original CD that came with the computer/software.

    My question now is if there is any specific way to go about fixing this problem, or if UBCD can even directly diagnose and fix the issue without upsetting all of the personal data that remains on the computer? I'm looking at the list of what UBCD offers, but I don't want to go out on a limb and try the first thing that looks useful only to make matters worse.

    Thanks in advance for any help.
     
  2. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Let's start troubleshooting the desktop before we jump into UBCD. This method may be easier and quicker.

    1. Can you run the desktop in safe mode?
    2. Have you attempted to use the windows CD to run a repair?
    3. Do you know the last thing that changed before the fault occurred? New hardware/new application installed etc.
     
  3. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Well, it reaches the same problem in safe mode as well, though I just now noticed that SP3 had been installed, which I don't recall being on the computer before it started with this problem. Granted, it's usually me or my dad tha overlooks any updates that the family would need to do, but I doubt that SP3 could be the culprit, could it?

    Putting the UBCD aside, I am able to access the menu that offers the three options for XP setup (setup, repair using Recovery Console, and quit). My main issue is that I have been reading many conflicting how-to's concerning what information still remains after the process. I guess I should have asked here first, but exactly how reliable is the setup process in preserving personal data in relation to results UBCD could produce? Or better yet, would there be a way to transfer that data to an external drive beforehand (possibly with UBCD)?

    I'm assuming this is the process I would have to follow for setting up with the XP CD, assuming all goes well: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1.htm
     
  4. derron

    derron Private E-2

    When you choose to go into safe mode.. the list should have a "Last known good configuration" option... try to select that.. it might or might not work. I think possibly your computer automatically installed sp3... is automatic updates turned on?

    Sp3 install could of been interrupted... or there were too many things running or you shut down the computer prematurely while installing sp3.. if the install of sp3 was corrupted that might be why.


    Also.. if you want to just reinstall XP... backup all your data using the UBCD to a USB flash drive or CD.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2010
  5. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    None of the Safe Mode options have worked as of yet.

    The problem could be SP3, i'm not sure. It's been so long since i've looked at the computer I can hardly remember what was on it tech-wise before it locked up. This was just the first time SP3 stood out at me, so its possible that it could've gotten corrupted. If i remember correctly, we did have automatic updates on.

    If you happen to know, could you give me instruction on what to use in UBCD in order to move data to an external USB drive? There seem to be a few that deal with copying data from one drive to another, but I just want to be certain i'm working with what I need. Thanks.
     
  6. derron

    derron Private E-2

    You should be able to just click on "Computer" on the desktop in UBCD... go into your C: directory.. and copy whatever you need into the External drive... highlighting the files you want and right clicking them and click on copy.. then go back where you started and click on the external drive and paste...

    idk what else to say...

    and my post was being reviewed for some reason before i posted it so im gonna try posting again. so sorry for double post if the post all of a sudden appears..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    If that is too hard for you to try in UBCD... this will be alot easier I think..

    I have worked with UBCD alot when i went to a technical institute about a year or so ago. I have used it to repair a couple of computers recently.

    UBCD should automatically detect that USB drive... and you should be able to very easily move all your data in there. If it is not detecting it.. and you can't figure it out.. I would recommend to bring the Linux penguin in to fix the problem.

    If you have a CD/DVD RW drive.. which i hope you have.. go to www.ubuntu.com and grab yourself a copy of 10.04

    the download will be a .iso file.. if you don't know how to burn an ISO file (you don't want to burn the ISO file itself.. it has to extract itself into many files on the cd.. i recommend using ISO Recorder from here..

    http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/v2.htm



    Now the cool part about linux is you can run it purely off the CD.. just like UBCD... so run it off the CD, do not install (unless you really like it) It should detect that external drive... and just copy em over. I don't know if linux will detect the usb drive on liveCD tho... but if it doesnt.. i have another suggestion.. but i think its better off just to let someone else who may now a little better than i..


    hope i have helped a little bit..
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2010
  7. derron

    derron Private E-2

    you are working with what you need... should be relatively easy with whatever option you choose in UBCD..

    wish i could be there in person to help but im just not really good in explaining anything if im no there doing it myself. you should be ok tho with exploring it and trying anything out.. just make sure you dont delete anything on you main hardrive.. you can't really do anything wrong as long as your not messing with your harddrive.
     
  8. DavidGP

    DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

    Hi

    Try not to use.... in ..... (or -----------------) between sentences and or paragraphs as they are picked up by our spam filter and sometimes we may bulk delete spam and your post may get caught up in it, luckily a day when I had time to review posts.

    Cheers.
     
  9. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Alright... a big problem i've run into is the absence of the C drive upon opening up UBCD. All i'm getting is the A: floppy drive, a B: RAMDisk drive, and the D: and X: CD drives.

    Ugh...I'd hate for this to be a hard drive problem. Is there any solution to this that you would know of?
     
  10. derron

    derron Private E-2

    in the beginning of UBCD... on the desktop (wallpaper) your should see system information.. does it see your harddrive there?

    If it doesn't I would actually suggest trying ubuntu... www.ubuntu.com

    just burn the CD.. run it off the CD just like you do with UBCD and if you don't see the drive.. try to install Ubuntu.. when the option comes up select "install side by side" when it is all installed.. and your restart the computer.. you should have a dual-boot option where you can boot into ubuntu or windows... boot into ubuntu obviously.. and see if you can see your windows drive.. you should, unless there is something wrong with the HD..

    Before you do all this however I would try to do a chkdsk scan... go into UBCD.. and open a command prompt.. its somewhere in there.. and type in "chkdsk C: /x" or do "cd C:" and "chkdsk /x" and if it asks..(it shouldn't since nothing is running on the harddrive) say yes to restarting the computer.

    hope this helps..




    and BIG thankyou to Halo for saving my post...
     
  11. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    No luck with the chkdsk scan. I either get "___ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file", or "The type of the file system is RAW. Cannot lock current drive. CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives." (for "chkdsk /x").

    Seeing as how System Information isn't on the desktop either, that would make this a hard drive issue after all?
     
  12. derron

    derron Private E-2

    well what version of UBCD are you running? I forget how to find that out... hopefully you can figure that one out...

    are you running a version you got from here?
     
  13. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    I opened up Disk Check and tried it out, but it couldn't locate the C: drive. For safe measure I tested the B: and CD drives and they are in working condition.

    As for the version of UBCD im using, I downloaded the 3.50 version from that website using the MajorGeeks mirror actually.
     
  14. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    I find it strange that you thank Halo for saving your posts and then carry on doing the thing he suggested would waste his time and delay your posts.

    Anyway, back on topic. I don't get how UBCD has a "My Computer" icon. We are talking about the UBCD with drive tests, memtest etc built in?
     
  15. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Correct. Technically it does have a Computer icon, but I gather that it exists as a self-contained system as the only folders it really has are My Documents and two subfolders, all of which are empty, instead of actually opening up whats on my computer's actual C: drive.

    That being said, do you know if not being able to run tests on the C: drive have a legit connection to the issue at hand? Or if UBCD is even capable of running tests on the drive?

    And I guess I should reapproach the repair function of the windows cd as well, and how well it would do in keeping our personal data. I'm guessing right now that I will have to use the UBCD to transfer the data before doing the windows repair, but I'm just overly precautious as some of the information on the computer is somewhat valuable. Thanks.
     
  16. tr00pertj

    tr00pertj Private E-2

    Ok

    First unplug the pc and get access to an air compressor. Then gently blow in the air vents and or take the side off the pc case off and blow (gently) the heat sinks (where the fans are). Blow the dust out! Don`t use a vacume as it creates to much static. After doing that I would remove and replug all cards into there sockets. Then if all goes well I would use boot UBCD to image the Hard disk to an extenal hard disk the same size or greater. eg.usb hard disk.
     
  17. derron

    derron Private E-2

    excuse me.. but this is just the way i type. the spam filter did not pick up my last two posts.

    So I am really sorry that I am just typing how i normally type... i am generally not using more than three dots.

    not like this (ok im not going to demonstrate, but you get the idea)

    If my posts get caught in a spam filter i have no problem reposting if i have to... but thank you very much anyways.
     
  18. derron

    derron Private E-2

    sorry for the repost.. But i did not get a chance to edit my post. I wanted to say that I apologize for the use of the continuous -- in my posts... however I do not understand the (...) aspect. If it gets caught in the filter I will just repost unless it is a problem with the admins I will try to change it, but it is almost like telling me not to walk anymore.

    Anyways.. on topic now. I would still try ubuntu and install it if you could, side by side with windows. what kind of valuable information do you have on your computer? Pictures, Word documents? If most of the things you do on the family computer is web and simple stuff I bet ubuntu would be perfect for you and you won't have any windows problems, but anyways that is my two cents. You can just try ubuntu from the CD before you install it too and make your decision after.

    That way, you always have an outlet. If windows fails you for whatever reason, you can go to ubuntu and access all your valuable information from there and continue browsing the web and doing whatever you were doing before... no hassles
     
  19. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    A little update:

    Concerning UBCD, I tested out the Drive Imaging software, but when I opened any of the options it says "You must have administrator rights in order to access physical or logical drives."

    That explains the absence of the C: drive...I suppose... but I wasn't even aware that administrator rights kick into effect using the UBCD4Win. I'm searching for a solution to that right now, if there is one. It continues getting stranger and stranger :confused

    EDIT: @derron - It's mostly some pictures from some key events and some documents that my dad needs to get off of there. I'm not really certain as to specifics as everyone had their own profiles (and I didn't really have too much at stake), but everyone's been somewhat annoyed at not having it so I assume it's still needed. I'll try ubuntu a bit later if I can't get this current issue solved (if possible), but I'll focus on one thing at a time for the moment. Thanks for the heads up.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2010
  20. derron

    derron Private E-2

    no, that does not make any sense. I have always been able to access the drives without having to gain administrator rights on UBCD.. it must be reading your CD drives or something.

    Why are you not going to try ubuntu? It is easy..
     
  21. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    I would like to apologise for my comments about the use of dots. I did not mean to cause offence, I am just trying to help.

    I also did not pick up that you were referring to UBCD4win, rather than the more traditional UBCD, which is a collection of DOS-type applications on a CD.

    @MrMister: I second derron on trying Ubuntu. It may help a lot in diagnosing the specific problem you are having.
     
  22. derron

    derron Private E-2

    yes, but you miss my point MrMister.. even if you can't figure it out.. it takes almost no effort to just try ubuntu just using the CD.. you don't even have to try to install it. Just try it out... you might be really happy with it.

    I cannot tell you how many times Ubuntu has come to my rescue when i needed to repair my customer's computers. What are the documents? if they are Word documents.. or any kind of Office document, you can open them using a free product that comes free with Ubuntu called OpenOffice.



    I DARE you to give it a try... I promise you you will be happy with it, and you will get so much support if you run into any kind of problem, you will probably faint from all of the support lol.



    and Collins.. I accept your apology. I however am sorry if my post came out in a aggressive kind of manner, i didn't mean it to come out defensive and aggressive like that. I know you are trying to help... Thank You Collins.
     
  23. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    No problem.
    I would suggest, though, that you back down a little on the pressure to use Ubuntu, as some people are uncomfortable with trying new things, and if you reference post #19 you will see that MrMister has already said he will try it if he needs to.
     
  24. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Good news :-D

    I found out the solution to the administrator rights problem, but in order to fix it i needed access to my C: drive (go figure).

    So I bought another pack of blank cd's and gave Ubuntu a try, and after a good 5 mintues I finally tracked down all of our data.

    I have to wait for my brother to get off of work so I can transfer the data to his external hard drive, but I'm assuming Ubuntu will recognize the USB drive and I will be able to drag and drop the files, right?

    Thanks a bunch so far, its good to see all of these old files again:cool
     
  25. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Yep, that's how it works.
     
  26. derron

    derron Private E-2

    Sorry.. I just wanted him to try it, really easy to just pop in the CD and see if you like it or not..

    It's all good tho..

    I also realized something when i went to work.. we should of suggested you try to use your XP CD and boot with it and run the recovery console and you would be able to run chkdsk from there. I don't know if you want to try to do that now or just wipe it out and start new... which might be better anyways.
     
  27. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Ugh...

    I moved all of our data to an external drive, but when I used to XP cd to try and setup another copy of Windows I got the message:

    "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer. Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and porperly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostoc or setup program"

    And of course now I can't continue. Ubuntu proved this wrong by allowing me access to the drive, so now whats the issue? :/
     
  28. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    I think this may be to do with AHCI on a SATA drive.

    Can we get the make and model of the computer please?
     
  29. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    It's a Dell 8400.

    I looked into a guide mentioning slipstreaming a new installation cd, but in the end my laptop reached an error in Winimage concerning the SATA driver (go figure). And I wasn't quite sure which other drivers I would need if any.

    Since I'm asking here, I'll wait for more input before I start burning through my CD's.
     
  30. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Try nLite instead to slipstream the driver.
     
  31. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Well I was following this guide:

    http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...d-disk-drives-during-windows-xp-installation/

    ...which basically said to use nLite, though first I needed to get the file for the drivers and use Winimage to gain access to the drivers themselves. When I tried putting it through Winimage I got an error that the file couldn't be read.

    Assuming that all I need is the SATA drives from here, winimage has me stuck at this stage. Is there a way around using Winimage or using Ubuntu to gain access to the files?
     
  32. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Try extracting the drivers using 7-zip instead: http://www.7-zip.org/
     
  33. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    I extracted the download, but neither recieved any .inf files or .flp files. None of the products are recognized by nLite, and anything I attempt to open in winimage gets an error in reading.

    I have a feeling i'm either downloading the wrong thing or not trying something...
     
  34. derron

    derron Private E-2

    ya... this is past my expertise lol.

    Good Luck MrMister... glad you at least got your files saved.
     
  35. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Now I get it. The Intel driver from the site you referenced earlier is a floppy image file. I don't suppose you have a floppy drive do you?
     
  36. derron

    derron Private E-2

    im curious... can you install Ubuntu? Ubuntu sees your drive right?

    So it is in fact that you need the drivers for the SATA. Makes sense to me now. Don't the newer XP CD's already have the driver... if not that's stupid.
     
  37. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Nope, XP never had support for AHCI without a driver. I know it's stupid but SATA and AHCI were not around when XP was made.
     
  38. derron

    derron Private E-2

    I know that... but they were producing XP with Service pack 2 and so on... until they released Vista a few years ago.


    and i mean the driver bundled in with the CD...
     
  39. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Unfortunately Microsoft probably felt that having the option to install AHCI drivers at the start of the installation using F6 was probably enough.
     
  40. derron

    derron Private E-2

    soo... microsoft liked to keep it a little difficult and not just incorporate it into their sp2 CD's? that's microsoft right?

    wait can't he use his External HD... to install the drivers? o ya wait, no support for USB either MICROSOFT!! lol...
     
  41. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Problem is that around the time of SP2 AHCI still wasn't very common. It only became common around SP3 which is after the release of Vista but before Vista was a flop therefore Microsoft would have wanted everyone to go over to Vista, thus major XP changes were not in order.

    Anyway, back on topic: @MrMister: do you have a floppy drive?
     
  42. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    The computer with the issue (the Dell 8400) does have a floppy drive. I tried placing the floppy program for the SATA driver on a floppy disc through Ubuntu using a flash drive, but it said that I didn't have proper permission to put information on it. :/
     
  43. derron

    derron Private E-2

    I am not sure if you can go to the terminal and use CHMOD.. i know a command to make it so you get permission and that is CHMOD, if you go into the terminal... Applications-Accessories-Terminal..

    I can't really explain any better than someone can on the ubuntu forums.. try and ask for help with getting permission here
     
  44. foogoo

    foogoo Major "foogoo" Geek

    if those sata drives are distributed as an Winimage exe, you need to put a blank disk in the drive (or one you can write over) of a working Windows PC and run the Winimage from the desktop (or C:, anywhere but the floppy) and create the floppy. Then since the Dell has a floppy, put it in there and boot the XP cd hit F6 to "load scsi drivers" and it should detect the drive and let you reload.
     
  45. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Alright...

    Winimage still gives me "Error reading ________" when I try to access the SATA driver floppy executable I downloaded from the Dell website, so I'm going to assume that slipstreaming the install CD with nlite won't be possible unless there's some other method of getting the driver from the floppy file. When I extracted it using 7zip, i got 5 files, none of which show up as proper files in winimage or nlite: "TEXT file", ".data", ".rdata", ".rsrc" and "CERTIFICATE". Unless there's a way around this or there's something I can do with these files, this path won't be possible.

    I tried looking into CHMOD for Ubuntu, though it was a bit confusing so I had to ask about it. All I can do about that situation is wait for an answer.

    I also tried a bit more searching and found out that a second option for bypassing this is to go to the BIOS and switch AHCI mode to ATA/IDE mode and then proceeding to do the repair install. It actually worked and I got through the setup until it prompted me to insert a cd for the U.S. Robotics V.92 Faxmodem drivers. I hunted the cd's that came with the computer and put in the CD labled for the V.92 faxmodem, but setup still asked for some files which i guess weren't on the CD. Without any other option, I had to click cancel. Setup continued by asking me for the default language pack (English), but then it froze on the "Performing Configuration" step.

    Without any of these options working, I'm heading out today to find someone with a computer with a floppy drive to hopefully use the floppy program how it was supposed to be used. If not that then I'm not sure what else I could try to be honest. I'm downloading the V.92 drives from a website, though i'm only assuming they are what I need (the notice wasn't specific).
     
  46. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    EDIT: I also get the dialog box "C:\Windows\system32\rundll32.exe
    This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel" after getting past the Faxmodem step (it wouldn't recognize the file it needed even though it was on the CD, for some reason...). After that dialog box, the Regional Language pack thing comes up and then after clickling next it freezes.

    Another thing I forgot to mention: I also tried using Winimage on another computer (that runs on XP) and it still had an error in reading the file from Dell. Unless there's an alternative to Winimage or some way to use the files I mentioned before, using nLite won't be possible.
     
  47. MrMister

    MrMister Private E-2

    Apologies for the triple post.

    I was able to get it on the floppy disc, but it responded with "txtsetup.oem could not be found".

    I suppose this means that the file is wrong or something, but that would leave me high and dry. I'm still searching for answers on it...
     
  48. derron

    derron Private E-2

    Tell the people at Ubuntu forums what you are doing.. and a link to this thread. Would be a good idea to help them understand what you are trying to do.
     
  49. foogoo

    foogoo Major "foogoo" Geek

    Ok, I downloaded the file : R82876.exe from the Dell 8400 support site.
    Ran it and I have a floppy with :
    Volume in drive A is F6 Install
    Volume Serial Number is 6138-4E46

    Directory of A:\

    07/23/2004 07:39 PM 7,976 iaahci.cat
    06/29/2004 11:11 AM 4,227 iaahci.inf
    07/23/2004 06:42 PM 8,074 iastor.cat
    06/29/2004 11:11 AM 3,272 iastor.inf
    06/29/2004 11:17 AM 477,952 iastor.sys
    07/30/2004 04:07 PM 1,428 txtsetup.oem
    04/08/2004 01:01 PM 6,268 readme.txt
    05/24/2010 12:48 PM 0 lst.txt
    8 File(s) 509,197 bytes
    0 Dir(s) 929,792 bytes free

    The txtsetup is right there in the root. What's on your floppy?
    Funny the volume name F6 install - nice reminder. lol
     
  50. derron

    derron Private E-2

    download the file again.. maybe the download just got corrupted. Extract it using WINRAR.. and make sure txtsetup is in there and move it over to the floppy.
     

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