Tech Support Guy banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Solved: Fatal Error...

21K views 164 replies 4 participants last post by  Macboatmaster 
#1 ·
I received a Fatal Error "STOP 0xC000021A" BSOD, and am now stuck in an uncompleteable (sp) reinstall loop.

Let me explain: I thought I detected irregularities in my browser (IE8) so I ran MBAM and found/removed several files. After restarting, I got BSOD with the fatal error text:

STOP: c000021a {Fatal System Error}
The Windows Logon Process system process terminated unexpectedly with a status of 0xc0000034 (0x00000000 0x0000000)
The system has been shutdown.

I was able to come up in Safe mode, but not Safe made with networking. I attempted to run System Restore, but that failed to the BSOD and error message. Searching the error lead me to Microsoft Support. I felt sure it was file corruption, so I popped in the reinstall/repair disk. I forgot I had had the HDD replaced so it was not the original from Dell. I guess the reinstall disk wasn't happy with what it found and asked for additional disks to complete the reinstall/repair. Since I didn't have them, I tried to cancel out so I could try something else. Every time I restarted, it wanted to resume loading from that reinstall disk.

So that's where I am now. Is there any way to break out of that reinstall cycle, or have I FUBAR'd everything more than usual?
If I could get back to Safe Mode and recover my pst file and family photos, I would reformat the HDD and load Window XP Home (which is on my other PC).
 
See less See more
#2 ·
There are a number of ways of recovering your data. One is below and probably one of the best.
Puppy Linux
See the link on the next post. - first link.
Get puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso download it and burn it to cd using this BurnCD - the link is on the next post.

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start
make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....​

  • Change the second drive to the C or Main Drive
    Once that is done then click F10 to Save and Exit
    You will prompted to enter Y to verify Save and Exit. Click Y and the system will now reboot with the new settings.
Make sure the cd you burned is in the cd drive before clicking Y and then your system will reboot. Puppy will boot and run totally in ram...if your hardware is is good working order you will know...
after you get it running and your at the desktop...you take the puppy linux cd out and then you can use the burner to copy all your data to cd/dvds
you can also use it to backup your data to a external usb harddrive..just have it hooked to the computer when you boot up with puppy...
==========================
quick guide for saving data...music..files on a system that will not boot using puppy Linux..
after you get to puppy desktop..
click on the drives icon...looks like a flash drive...top row..it will list all the drives connected to
your computer...

click on the red icon for the drive you want to mount...in this case its a flash drive ...puppy will
mount the drive..the drive icon turns green when its mounted...
minimize the drives mounter window..you will need it again in a few minutes..
drag the right edge of it sideways to shrink it to its narrowest size...about half the width of the screen...then drag the window to the right edge of the screen...
now click on the icon that looks like a filing cabinet (kind of yellow) on the main drive...it should
already be green..
you will see a list of all the folders on the main drive Usually your C: drive..shrink that window to
the narrowest you can..about half the width of the screen...drag that window to the left side of the screen...
at this point you should have 2 windows open on your desktop..the flash drive on the right side..
go back to the folders on the C: drive...click on the documents and settings folder...then your user
name or all users..find the folders that has your data..
drag and drop the folder with the data you want to make copies of to the flash drive window...
your options are to move ..copy ect...JUST COPY..if its to big you will have to open the folder and
drag and drop individual files until the flash drive is full...after you get the files copied to
the flash drive...
Click on the drives mounter you minimized earlier
UNMOUNT THE FLASH DRIVE by clicking on the green icon..you will once in awhile get error messages when
unmouting the drive..ignore them..when the flash drive icon turns red again its safe to remove the
flash drive.. and download to another computer.
Ensure the other computer can read them...
now delete the data on the flash drive...take it back to the misbehaving computer and plug it in

again..click on the drives icon again and repeat until you have all your data transferred to the working
system..
Remember to only click once! No double clicking! Once you drag and drop your first folder, you will notice a small menu will appear giving you the option to move or copy. Choose COPY each time you drag and drop.

YOU ARE DONE!!! Simply click Menu >> Mouse Over Shutdown >> Reboot/Turn Off Computer. Be sure to plug your USB Drive into another working windows machine to verify all data is there and transferred without corruption.

POSTED with acknowledgement to the authors of this information

NOTE only save your personal data. If your computer has been infected and you save other material you may then transfer the infected files back to the newly installed operating system. If that is how you eventually have to proceed.
 
#3 ·
#5 ·
Finally (after an emergency trip out of town)! I was able to save my pictures and mail file. Thanks again.

Last bit...is there anything spaecial I need to do to format the drive in prep for Windows Home XP (the only OS I have available to me now)?
 
#7 ·
#9 ·
Sorry to report
From the Advanced Boot Options highlight Repair Your Computer with the arrow keys and press <ENTER>.
is not an option available to me. I should clarify...I had to have the HDD replaced with an after market drive because of a hard fail. I had broken my hand and couldn't do it myself, so I had the Geek squad do it. I'm assuming they loaded an OEM version and not the Dell proprietary stuff. I was just happy to have the machine back up at the time.
 
#10 ·
Well that is not going to work, I must apologise I have just been waiting for your reply and read on your first post - Hard drive replaced. - so unless the replacement was an image of the original there will not be a restore partition.
 
#11 ·
Did you recover your files using that Linux I sent.
 
#13 ·
Go F2 Enter BIOS setup. Set first boot device to HDD.
Exit BIOS by F10 usually save and exit.
Reboot - what happens.
 
#15 ·
Sorry
Can we start again.
Have you entered the BIOS, set boot device for HDD and NOT put a CD in.
 
#18 ·
You interrupted the process when setup files were being copied to the drive, and the boot.ini file was already modified to include an additional boot option for setup, which was set to default.

The cure, using Recovery Console, is to navigate to the root folder of
your system drive, (usually C:\) and:
rename boot.ini boot.old
and then:
copy boot.bak boot.ini
and then:
exit.


We may be able to recover using the Recovery Console, but it is not certain.
You are not going to be able to install that XP Home you have as it is most certainly a one user licence and as soon as Microsoft Detect it, they will realise and you will be locked out of any updates etc.
Additionally it may not even activate in the first place.
 
#20 ·
No there was nothing to do yet.
What do you want to do.
We can either try entering recovery console with another CD which you make like the Puppy Linux using the same burning programme..
We MAY then recover from this. I have to say that it is a rather large MAY

Or we can try and get out of the loop and install from that CD

OR XP Home but see what I said. before.

It will have to be your choice. Whether or NOT we can ever get back to the original system depends on just how far the install went.


There was, but it is too late now, every chance we could have recovered originally by use of the recovery console, and that would have ben far easier.
 
#22 ·
Before we go down that route pls open that reinstall/ repair CD on another computer.
DO NOT RUN IT.
If it starts, as the setup screen close it and then in My Computer right click and click open.
Tell me what files and folders are on it pls.
 
#24 ·
Put the Puppy Linux CD in and go to C drive.
Open C drive with the puppy linux. I seem to remember that Puppy sees all the files. Is there a file named
Boot.Bak - 1kB IN SIZE
 
#26 ·
Open the Windows folder, go to a folder named "pss" open that is there a file named "boot.ini.backup"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top