Not sure if this is the right place to post

Ok. I will start from the beginning and try and not make it to long....

It started with IE not being able to run. I would click on the icon and it would flash on the screen and instantly minimize. Task Manager showed it was still running but I couldnt see it anywhere on my screen. So I went thru the software forum, no luck. They referred me to the malware forum, no luck. So I gave up. At that time my PC started to run incredibly slow. So I went thru the normal maintenance things. Defrag, delete unused programs, etc... However in my stupidity I decided to try and delete more that just unused programs. I deleted a file necessary to reboot. So on next reboot I get "missing NTLDR" so I google it on my phone and realize I screwed up.

So after driving to a friends house at 2 in the morning to borrow her windows XP disc I get my computer up and crawling. It is running horribly slow. Not only did I lose all my pics from the last 2 months (3 kids, a germany trip, and random family moments) but I messed my computer up so now I just want to beat it with a baseball bat!

I dont know what to do. Any help will be appreciated. I hope I posted in the right forum. If not... SORRY!

 

Greetings, aatmwilson.

This thread will most likely be moved to the Software Forum.

First, some background info is needed: what is the make and model # of your machine? What XP service pack #? What, if any, antivirus software are you using?

Do you still have the XP disk? Do you have the capacity to download .iso files and burn them to a disk?

Give us that information, and hang in there - don't bring out the Louisville Slugger quite yet!

 

Ok.... Computer is Dell Dimension DE051 (yes I know old, but it has been very faithful! LOL)

Service pack 3

I use Comodo Antivirus

I do still have the XP disc

My computer is functional (somewhat) so I do have the capability of downloading .iso files and burning them

 

Can you tell us what you did when using the XP disc to get things up and running so far?

Also if in MyComputer you right-click on the C: drive and select Properties then how much used space and how much free space is shown (just the rounded numbers in GB)?

 

When I put the XP disc in I tried to repair the issue. But that didnt work. So I reinstalled Windows XP completely.

I have 54 GB Used and 17GB Free.

 

Hmmm,

That doesn't sound like you reinstalled Windows completely. Usually on a fresh install C: would have been formatted and less than 5gb would be used. That might explain why things are still slow. The good news is that your pictures may still be there somewhere.

If you open the C: directory/folder in My Computer do you have more than one WINDOWS folder (something like WINDOWS and WINDOWS2)?

 

I didnt think that it had reinstalled XP because we had it set up before where each family member had their own user profile. And the profiles are still there but not active.

But no there is no WINDOWS2 there is only one windows file.

 

aatmwilson,

It has been a while since I have run XP and I think it may be wise to wait for Caliban to return to this thread. Since you may be able to salvage your old profiles and data I don't want to do anything to jeopardize your chances for the best possible outcome.

Let's wait and see what Caliban or others more familiar with the XP repair process have to say.

 

Well thanks for trying I would like to get the pics back at least! I did download one program that was supposed to recover "hidden and deleted" files. When I downloaded it it said it was 100% free. Well it spent about 16 hours scanning my computer. And I tried to recover 1 file to see if I had done the right thing. And suddenly I had to pay to recover any files.

 

I'm not sure of the layout of your folders. But you are using 54 gb of space. So some data must be there. Is it only specific pictures that are missing?

You say the old profiles are there but not active(what do you mean by not active?). Are you using a new profile or are you in your old/regular profile? If you are in your old profile are there folders missing where the pictures used to be?

Do you know where the pictures used to be? For example, the full path to the folder such as C:\Users\Aatmwilson\Desktop\Summerpics, and the folder is no longer there?

 

All my pictures are missing. All my word documents. When I was finally able to get back onto the computer it appeared that nothing was there. Now in documents and settings there is a file with everyones names on it. When you open the file there is nothing in them. And thjis is where the pictures should have been. My user profile was named automatically "Owner.TIFFANY-RABXBI3"

 

How valuable are your documents and pictures? Are they worth paying a forensics recovery lab to dismantle the drive? If so, I'd suggest stopping now and contacting such a company (such as Ontrack).

If you wish to continue here, I'd suggest burning a live Linux distro (such as Mint 9), booting to that disk, and let's see if we can't salvage some data.

 

Ok... The pix n stuff were valuable but not enough to go that far rolleyes

So I will keep going with this forum. I have never used Linux, never had to make a disc to boot from. So Imma figure out how to get that done and as soon as I do I will be back. Thx

 

Should I download the CD (basic version) or the DVD (comes with Contains additional software such as Java, VLC, F-Spot, OpenOffice.org-base, Samba, additional wallpapers and ttf-dejaVu fonts)

 

The basic version should suffice for now - if later you decide you like and wish to install Mint, then the full package is always available.
It's very simple, and very helpful - any questions, let us know.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of links to explore:

XP Nondestructive Rebuild.

How to fix a corrupted XP Registry.

How to recover a damaged XP user profile.

Any or all of these may come in handy here - but first, get that Linux disk up and running so we can see what we've got to work with.

 

Ok... I have read a million things about making a Linux bootable disc. I am lost. Is there a guide somewhere that makes it easy? Like a "for Dummies" type of thing?!?!? Sorry...

 

Mint 9 User Guide.

Basically, just download the .iso (assuming you're running 32-bit) and use a disk burning software to create a bootable disk with that file.

 

Ok. It just finished downloading. So I have Nero.... I click on New, then CD-ROM (Boot) , Then I click on the .iso file I just downloaded. Click open.... Then it wants me to chose a Nero compilation?!?!?! Stuck at this point.

 

While or before you are downloading Linux there are a couple of things you might try that would give some more information.

Start> Control Panel>Folder Options>View tab and then Checkmark the circle for Show Hidden Files. See if there are any folders in My Computer>Open C: drive look for any folders named "Found.###". If so are any of them larger than 10mb?

Also in My Computer>>Open C: drive and then right click Document and Settings select Properties and let me know the size of the whole folder (might take it a minute to calculate). If it is above 5gb then go into Documents and Settings and get the size of your new profile and the old one.

BTW, Do you happen to know which files are taking up the great part of your 54gb used? I'm trying to determine where the bulk of the data is stored. If you know you have a large folder with 20gb of music in it please let me know so I can take that out of my calculations.

My basic math is that WINDOWS folder should take up 3gb, Program Files should take 8gb and a single user with no large files should take 1gb. So there must be 40gb of files somewhere. You say all old user profile folders are empty, so I am trying to figure out where what folder is taking up all the space.

******
Recuva is a free recovery program that is pretty good at looking for lost files. The thing is you need to recover/write the files to a different drive then the one they were originally written to. I think you only have the one C: drive so do you have a USB stick?

 

Don't have Nero anymore but try using Nero Express and this guide. http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2007/01/05/burning-dvd-iso-image-with-nero-express.html Nero appears to call ISO files an Image file.

 

I have a movie file that I just found that has 20GB in it.... But thats the largest file.

 

I've just been reading today and it looks like corrupted profiles may end up in Folder.xxx folders in C:\. Once they get into those folders they are pretty much junk data. I'm hoping you don't have any such folders and that your data may still be somewhere else.

I'm running Win7 so things are a bit different. I'd still be interested to know the total size of Documents and Settings. Also does Documents and Settings just contain folders with usernames?

 

Ok....So I tried to do Nero Express and I cant even open it. Is there a free program that I can download real quick to just burn one CD??? I will deal with Nero later.

My documents and settings file is 24.6 GB.... But 20GB of that is movies. The old profile has nothing in it. Actually none of them do. The new profile has everything in it.

 

Imgburn http://majorgeeks.com/ImgBurn_d4870.html

Choose burn image to disc.

 

Ok. I downloaded CDburnerXP.... It has an ISO option. But it didnt say to make it bootable... Does that matter?

 

No, it will make it bootable. CDburnerXP is good.

*******
So, in your profile that has 4gb do you see any files you recognize. Are you only missing recent docs and pics or is everything missing?

 

Ok if that doesnt matter then I have the CD burned.

 

Everything is gone. The only thing that stayed was the profile files... But apparently nothing in them. All the drivers were gone. Everything....

 

I'm not certain what Caliban's plan with the Linux CD is. Do you have a USB/Flash drive?

The idea of the CD is simply to put it in the tray and restart the computer. The PC should boot from the CD and give you a Linux desktop. From there you will have access to all the files on the HD. I'm guessing the plan would be to copy the files you want to CD or flash drive. I'm not sure why that can't be accomplished in Windows since your system seems to be functioning?

The question in my mind is where are the files? If Document and Settings is 24GB. 20GB is in a Movie folder. All profiles but the new one are empty. Then the new profile must be 4GB. A new profile should be no more than 100mb. So what is the other 3.9gb in the new profile? Is that your old files? Is that some of your old files?

Have you checked for the hidden folders in C: with names like Found.001?

 

I dont have a flash drive.

I checked for hidden files and did not find anything named Found.anything....

 

Ok, no flash drive.

Just to bring you up to my thinking. I'm not good at repairing XP. That is why I am leaving this thread to Caliban to come up with a plan for your XP installation. I usually keep all my documents and downloads on a separate partition and just reformat and reinstall the OS when I have problems. So I'm only thinking about saving your pictures, documents. But we can't seem to locate them. If we could find them we could find a way to create and move them to a new partition or write them to CD/DVD.

Maybe try WinDirStat http://windirstat.info/ and once installed you could look for picture files. To see if the missing ones are on the drive somewhere. Files are color-coded by type. So blue ones would be jpg or whatever.

Or you could look at Recuva and see if it comes up with any pictures. It runs in minutes not hours. If it shows the pictures you are looking for as deleted then we know they must be recovered and won't be found in a folder somewhere on C:.

 

Honestly I am at the point where I am willing to give up the pics and stuff. I just want my computer to run how it should. So as of now if I knew how to completely erase EVERYTHING and start fresh I would.

 

My one concern with that is that you said you had to borrow an XP CD. I'm guessing you don't have the XP CD that came with the computer? I'm not sure that you can use the installation key from the sticker on your case with any XP CD or if it has to be a CD from DELL.

My only idea about testing that would be a bit of a hassle but I'm the safe rather than sorry type.

Download a small ISO for a partition program. Write it to bootable disc. Use it to take 10GB from your free space and create a new partition.
Try to install XP on the new partition and see if it accepts your key.
If accepted you could go ahead and install and make sure we can find all the appropriate drivers but your Windows installation will be on D:\ where it is simpler to have it on C:\. The only advantage being that you could keep your old data to go through later. [Or you could abort install at that point and just start the install again but this time format your current installation(losing all data) but you would have a normal installation on the C: drive]

 

Unfortunately Dell did not send me an XP disc. But the XP disc I borrowed is a Dell disc.

Now your talking about partitions and stuff. I dont know about that... Im good at following step byt step instructions, and usually maintaining my computer. But as far as actually knowing what most stuff is I am a tad bit clueless.

 

I'd be recommending Partition Wizard free Home Edition because I've used it and have found it very reliable. Quick look at steps to resizing a partition. http://www.partitionwizard.com/help/resize-partition.html

Now, because you only have one partition which is the System partition I wouldn't want to move it or create space before it which would be more likely to have a problem. I would just want to take some free space from the end of it which is safest.

You actually can skip the ISO part and just download the Windows version. Install and run the program. In the window that opens click on C: then on Move/Resize from the left column of commands. In the window that opens you would grab the right-hand slider (IT is circled in picture #4) and drag it over to the left until you see the numbers change to show 13000mb for Unallocated Space After. Hit Ok and pop up closes. Then hit Apply. I believe it will take you through a restart.

Then we can try and install XP on that new space. This program should get you your Windows key http://files5.majorgeeks.com/files/63f73cf1450f9d04d966da4d2390c57c/covertops/JS_Keyfinder_v106.zip easier than finding it on the sticker. If the key is accepted then I would go ahead and spend the 45 minutes to install it on the unallocated space. If it asks to try to fix your current installation say NO. You want to install on the 13000mb of unallocated space you just created. You will use the option of formatting to NTFS (not Quick option) but the default. This ends up giving you two running versions of XP. The one your on and a new hopefully faster one. Then we find the correct drivers make sure everything is up and running and decide whether you want to keep or remove your old data. You also get a chance to see which programs are missing and whether or not you have them. For instance you might realize you don't have Microsoft Word and don't own the disc. If you can't live without Word then maybe you want to think twice about deleting the old installation.

*****
This post is just an overview you can ask anything you need before starting or considering it. You can take a look at Partition wizard but not hit Apply and just quit the program rather than commit to any changes. [You get a second chance to opt out even after hitting Apply] But I have found it as good as my expensive version of Acronis partition software.

 

Oh, I forgot in that very long post.

The other option would be to create the partition. Try the key. If accepted abort the installation. [I'd have to test to make sure you could stop the installation at this point or have to wait for it to complete]
Then go back to your current installation and salvage any personal data (some of the movies, pics) you could easily find and put them on the now formatted 13000mb partition. Then go ahead and delete the remainder of the old installation and install on the main 54GB partition.

It is getting late for me. I hope that makes sense.

 

Ok... Its not letting me create a partition because it says it needs to be defragmented. However I just did that this morning. I did it again just now. So I am going to retry.

 

Nope still wont let me create it. Is it time to bring out the Louisville yet?!?! :-D

 

I just downloaded Defraggler to see if it can do a better job...

 

Are you using Windows defrag? Maybe try Puran http://majorgeeks.com/Puran_Defrag_Free_Edition_d6360.html

It is highly recommended but I haven't tried it. Ideally we want a defragmenter that moves all the files to the front of the disk. I'll give it a look to see what the options are.

 

Puran looks like it will do the job of consolidating free space at the end of the drive but defraggler will probably be fine as well.

 

Defraggler is pretty slow.

MyDefrag has a specific option just to consolidate free space http://majorgeeks.com/MyDefrag_d5542.html

If defraggler doesn't work than I would use MyDefrag.

****
Another thought is Easeus Partition Manager is also very good. Since we are using a Windows based P/M Easeus is also an option if Partition Wizard is troublesome. I only got accustomed to Partition Wizard because they have a bootable ISO that is very handy in some situations.

 

Yea Defraggler is SUPER SLOW! Should I stop it and go with something else?

 

Does it seem to be leaving mostly blank space at the end of the drive?

If it looks like it hasn't freed up a lot of space at the end of the drive maybe go with MyDefrag. I'm not sure how quick it is but the Consolidate Free Space skips some optimization and just moves everything to the front of the drive which is what we want. MyDefrag should be able to pick things up where Defraggler leaves off.

 

It is very slowly leaving room at the end..... It still has 59 files to defrag. Started out with 66. And its been running now for about 40 minutes...

So I thing I am going to stop it and go with MyDefrag. At this rate defraggler will be done in a few days.

 

I just tried MyDefrag and not much of an interface. It just says finished at the top when it is done. But it is quick. If you are already trying it let it run and then try Partition Wizard again.

If still the same problem then I would go with Puran for defragmenting. And maybe Easeus for partitioning.

I apologize, I really thought doing this partitioning would be a 15 minute thing. Not this kind of hassle.

EDIT: Just skip over MyDefrag and go with Puran if you haven't started. Puran is at least understandable.

 

Ok... I havent started yet. So I will go with Puran

 

Oh, In Puran before you start hit the Advanced options tab and unclick the box for "Leave some space for Windows temporary files". Then go back to the main tab and defragment.

 

Ok. A couple hours later.... Tried Puran and still getting same error

I am going to download Easus now and try that.

 

That was the plan - my thinking was that if Windows (or some Windows program) was corrupting the data, it would be safer to boot to a live environment to copy any salvageable data to a flash drive before any further damage was done.
The booting to a live disk is also useful in determining any hardware vs. software issues.

I like the way you guys are going about this, especially the creation of a test partition - the fact that the XP disk is a Dell OEM is sometimes problematic when it comes to licensing and hardware drivers. If I can help in any way, let me know.