[hugo_zair]

Couple of days ago I installed sp2 from an old magazine CD and the installation failed for some reason. Did system restore and had another go today. Went to download sp2 from MS site and had to install 61 updates for SP1 first. all ok so far. Then downloaded sp2 and apparently succeeded but once again - as before- the machine fails to boot.
Initial windows flash screen runs for a few seconds then reboots. "windows failed to load" message" appears. Choose safemode and it runs ok. Disable loads of hardware in device manager..still no luck. Ran msconfig and tried "diadnostic mode" loading only basic drivers and services. No change.
So decided to use "sytem restore" to at least get it running again but all the system restore points have gone http://images.techguy.org/smilies/eek.gif
I only have an pre SP1 XP disc so don't know what effect it would have if I tried a reinstall over the top of this mess. I do see a unreadable flash of a blue screen as windows quits but it's too quick to read. Any ideas? I'm out of them and am completelly stuck...

AMD 3.0Ghz..1012ram

[simpswr]

See this for how to prepare for SP2

You can perform a Repair Install . . It should not affect your applications or Data, but it's always a good idea to back up the data when doing something this significant. You will loose SP1 and all windows updates. Suggest you apply SP2 immediately after the Repair Install using the SP2 disc . . it will usually go much smoother and you do not need SP1 installed first.

[hugo_zair]

Thanks for that advice. I will try it but first am trying to locate a more recent xp home install disk with SP2. In the meantime I'm wondering about a SATA raid driver on the WinFast K8S 755A Motherboard.
I mentioned in my first post that I had disabled a number of bits of hardware and one of them MIGHT have been the Raid controller In any event it was showing as disabled and in error. (I don't have any SATA drives and no RAID arrays either)
However when I re-enabled these devices, on enabling the RAID drivers the PC instantly crashed to a BSOD winghing about a file SCSIPORT.SYS. I looked it up on the net and found a reference to a Microsoft hotfix which you appear to have to ring up and ask for. Is it possible that a motherboard driver could be loading within seconds of the start of windows and causing this problem? Ive been unable to uninstall the two drivers that have the yellow!'s as they immediately reload on bootup. And as to why they wern't apparently causing a problem b4 the SP" update I have no idea.
If there are no comments added as a result of this update I'll post again after doing the win XP repair with a new disc..or the original one if I can't get a later one..

[simpswr]

Install disc with SP2 is a good idea . if you don't have SATA/RAID, you can leave it discbled . . it might be trying to find the RAID array if it is enabled.

If you have the drivers, right click on the two devices and choose update driver. ( what are they )

[ozrom1e]

Does your computer fit this senario:

This non-security critical update helps resolve an issue where a limited number of systems running a BIOS without production support for Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron D processors based on Prescott C-0 stepping can potentially hang on Windows XP Service Pack 2 installation.

If it does then go to this page for the update and use internet explorer for this task:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

Here is more info on what might be the problem might even be the same thing

Your computer stops responding when you restart to complete the installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885626

[simpswr]

Not a lot of AMD Prescott processors . . .

[ozrom1e]

That's what I get for troubleshooting with out any system specs and I really do not think I should have to go to a motherboards site for finding this stuff out, but I thank you for doing so. In the future I will leave the problem alone and ask for system specs.

[simpswr]

AMD 3.0Ghz..1012ram

Last line in the first post . .

[simpswr]

Let us know how it goes . .

[hugo_zair]

Ok...here's how it's going! (this post will conclude with a new but related question.) I'll skip some of the stuff that's ocurred over the last couple of days! Decided to make up an up-todate SP" install disc using Paul Thurrol's guide at http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...slipstream.asp

Then I tried "repair" - the one in the first win install menu. I pressed 'R' and computer instantly reboots. Every time... round and round I go...In desperation tried "repair" from the original non sp2 cd and repair got as far as "enter admin password" and all activity stopped at C:\windows....
Got fed up and, using the new slipstream cd was going to install over the top but found the second route to 'repair' in the install menu (why are there two different ways in??)

This way got past pressing "r" and the repair process started. But for some reason not yet determined, three files could not be read. the second was drivers.cab (but I pressed on) but when sp2.cab couldn't be read I gave up. I remade another slipstream disc and this was exactly the same.

At some point, as the bricklayer said when he let go of the rope on the barrow:-) , I lost my presence of mind and just installed window from the original disc 'over the top' Bad idea. None of the installed programs work of course (did this happen with win98?) Now Ive forgotten exactly what I did next but I ended up with windows setup files installed on the C: drive but I quit the install. Then window would only boot to continue the installation and there was no way out. I even tried a dos boot disc to format the C; drive totally forgetting that my old dos dicsc doesnt know about NTFS.

Now I.m getting to the new problem. Using window install disk I deleted the partition and went to format it in order to start completely from scratch. But windows has renamed the drive and the 12Gb system partition is named E: and there doesn't seem anyway to change the drive letters back as they were. Having the system drive as E: and the data section as C: will blow my (quite old) mind.

So the original problem is now a bit academic (unless when this trial is over it is still there :-( I would appreciate some advice on how to reformat the partition with the correct (C name..Thanlks for your patience.
ps sorry about the sketchy pc details..I havn't been on a forum b4..

[simpswr]

Take the second drive out and do another reinstall . . delete the partitions and format. You can add the second drive back after the installation.

[hugo_zair]

b4 I get going on that I'll make it clearer what I have...

There are two physical drives - 80Gb partioned as: partition 0, 12Gb (system - was C, partition one (data1 was - D and the second physical drive 40Gb (data2) was E:

At the time of posting the above, windows wants the system drive to be E: data1 to be C: and the second physical drive D:

I have now removed the second drive D: and again deleted the partition 0 (system) on the 80Gb. After recreating the partition and preparing to format it, Windows is still labelling it E: and partition 1 is still C:.

Other than temporarily removing the 80Gb to this machine and copying off all the data1 (video) files from partition 1 - then starting completey from scratch I can't think of any way out of this..ideas?

[simpswr]

Do you have any flash card readers on that pc? . . if so, disconnect them for the installation. They will sometimes confuse XP into thinking they are hard drives, and XP then uses the next available lettter assignment ( E in your case )

[hugo_zair]

Hi....There are no other drives apart from the cd rom. So, does it looks lile saving off the data and starting completely from scratch is the only way?

[simpswr]

Where are you seeing the Partition 0 . . Partition 1 designations ??? How was the drive partitioned?

You best bet may be to boot from the XP CD. delete all partitions, then set up the ones you want . .