Got A Serious Problem

I need help with.

When i try and access my corrupted HD on my 98 pc,the HD off XP is NTFS and mine is FAT32, my pc wont recongise it, so i use active recovery, demo, to see what it can find.
Well this stops half way through and my pc crashes, so i turn it off and then it starts up, i am running 98 se, in Surface Scan, which if anyone knows, takes hours to finish.
So im wondering and would appreciate and anyhelp here, if my XP HD is totally fecked, or can i somehow access it without useing a progam, yet my 98 wont recognise it and i have tried alsorts of ways to see if it will.

ANY HELP IS A GREAT AID

Jeff

 

Well Jeff

How's about telling me what the problem is with the HD when it was in the other computer. Perhaps we can help you get it up there. Details not just that it is corrupted.

You can go here and get the NTFS reader for 98
http://www.diskinternals.com/products/ntfs-reader/access_ntfs_tutorial.shtml

It should allow you to copy important files over to your 98 partition. It is safe as it does not write to the NTFS partition.

I also don't understand what you are talking about on surface scan. Do you have problem with the 98 partition?

What ever you do, do not use a demo or other program that can access it and write to it.

You only want to read it or test it.

BUT! I am waiting for you to tell me what XP and the drive were doing that made you remove the drive.

Mike

 

HI Mike,

I removed the XP HD because it had the files, HAL.DLL and PCI.SYS corrupted.When i came to reboot it, it would just show a screen with start in safe mode, or safe mode with networking, or safe mode with command prompt etc etc, so when one of these numbers was pressed, it went to the main XP screen, the one with the little blue bar across the bottom, then it switched itself off.Also the XP HD has a clicking noise coming from it, dont know if this means anything.

Hope this is all the info you need mike.


jeff

 

Ok Jeff

I found your other post after I posted to this yesterday.

Prior to this HAL PCI.SYS issue did you have any reports or suspicion that the HD had problems?

These two files are very critical system files. The "HAL Hardware Abstraction Layer" alone would cause a failure to boot Windows. The PCI.SYS requires HAL.

Did you have Virus or Malware problems leading up to this problem? Try to install new hardware or software? If new hardware remove it.

I propose that you do a Windows Overlay/Repair install.

This type of install will repair Windows but keep all of your settings and data.

But in order for this to work Windows setup needs enough of Windows remaining on the HD to recognise that there is an existing Windows installation. I hope you have not damaged the data on the HD tinkering in Windows 98.

It has to be done carefully if you have not done it before. Do the following.

Put the HD back in the other computer.

Put the Windows install CD in the CD drive. If you don't know how to boot from the CD get back to me.

So Setup begins. You are looking for an option to "Repair existing Windows installation" this will be the second offer to repair.

The first offer will ask if you want to repair using the Repair console. Do not chose that.
Chose only the second offer to repair existing installation.

WARNING: if you do not get that offer. It will tell you that it will overwrite the existing installation! DO NOT CONTINUE!

The ball is in your park!

Get back!

Mike

 

hey M, Cheers for all that.

But there is one major problem about rebooting the XP HD, it wont recognise the disc, inother words, when i put the disk into the drive, nothing happens, it still shows the same screen and doesnt start set up.
Now i have found that my 98HD is fat32 and the XP is ntfs, so maybe there might be a problem there with my hd recognising the ntfs one.

Also there is a clicking sound on my XP HD and i have been told that the disc could be on its way out.


jeff

 

OK Jeff

Listen.

First you should have mentioned the "Clicking" before.

And yes clicking is a sign of physical problems on the HD. BUT can be caused by other things.

Now we can determine if you have a problem with the HD or XP. But you will need to do what I say and answer my questions.

And forget the 98 crap untill we have finished with the drive back in the XP and have no other alternative.

Yesterday I asked

What was happening the last day XP worked.

Also tell me this. Does the clicking occur when HD is attached to the 98. What brand of HD. When does the clicking begin?

When you do try to boot what do you see "details"? Do you get a message about HD failure or no boot device? Do you see the Windows Logo?

AND Jeff I did not tell tou to boot from the HD (did you read my post?), I told to to re-install the HD back in the original computer and BOOT from the windows installCD.

Tell me all of the above and hold off on the Overlay/Repair install process in my last post for now.

Just do this. Boot from Windows CD chose the Repair Console when it gets to a prompt let me know if it says C:\ or something like that. Once you see that just power off to stop there.

Check back more often if you can. Remember give details.

Mike

 

Mike

It wont boot form the cd at all, ive tried it, it just wont recognise the cd drive, it comes up with a window full of all sorts and say things like, start in safe mode, with networking, with file cofig, start windows in the last known version, then it gives you 30 seconds to choose a number, so you choose and it then runs for a bit, shows the start up front page of XP, with the blue bar, then it turns itself off.

The clicking does it on both machines and it started when the other half was useing her account and told me of the noise, so i told her to turn it off.I then turned it back on the next day and it was fine, then she started to use it and thats when it went all together.Now as for a virus or malware, i know i did a scan a while back and found she had two in her account, but they were less harmful ones, but i got them removed with a program, but i cant remember which one.Now maybe they have come back to life, wwo knows, but the clicking only did it when she was useing her account.
The HD off XP is a WD400.


Hope this helps, if not then lets keep trying


JEFF

 

OK Jeff

Good you gave good detailed information that time.

NOW listen.

If it can get the screens that allow to to try safe mode etc that comes from the HD. Confirms the HD is working!!!

As for booting from CD.

Watch the screen carefully while booting look for something like
F2 for boot options or F12 for Boot menu. If one is there hit the key and choose the CD as the boot device.

If not there do the following

You need to go into BIOS find the boot order and put the Floppy 1st CD 2nd and HD last.

Have you been in the BIOS before. Be carefull what you change. Change nothing else.

Mike

 

CHEERS MICK

ILL do that, yeah i have been in the bios before to mess around.

I do see the f2 and the f12 buttons come up at the very start, but when it comes to boot from cd, noting happens.

ill try these over the week end and ill let you know what happend on monday.


cheers

 

First of all Jeff DONT PANIC,
If your pc keeps booting to the mode menu than I doubt if the hard drive is done for.

Take a deep breath and a large sup of Guiness, then try this and tell us what happens.

On the the menu screen run the cursor down to safe mode and press return, you may have to wait up to an hour for the pc to get to a screen which says
'Windows is running in safe mode'
If you can get to this screen press return and shut down in the normal way.
Then post that result

If not then try running the highlight down to 'last known good configuration'
and press return.

post the result.

You can't cause any more computer problems by trying the options on that menu screen, only get more frustrated yourself so keep the Guiness handy.

Let us know

Studio T

 

Jeff

Wait a minute.

Tell me what the option are for each key.

And if you get this option you should not need to go into the BIOS to change the boot order because this F Key does it for you.

Now I need to know if the CD Rom tries to access the CD. Does the CD spin up can you hear or see the lights.

You may check the BIOS to see if the CD is enabled. This is not the Boot order just to see if it is enabled.

Is your windos XP CD in good shape no scratches etc?

Is it a XP SP2 setup cd?

I will be available over the weekend.

Mike

 

Jeff

I will be here but I am also working at my own job so if I don't get bact immediately I will be checking in.

Also don't get your hopes to high as this HD may be on its way out. If we do get it up you should do a very good backup of you presonal files and email.

Mike