Unable to repair Windows 1

[cdogg]

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I cloned a failing hard drive successfully over to a new drive, with only 3 or 4 read errors. The new drive booted like a champ all the way up to the user's desktop. I thought I was in the clear until I made a careless mistake. I decided to format the old drive so it could be used temporarily for storage space. When I attached the drive and booted back into Windows, all hell broke loose!

Boy was that a bad idea! Windows detected the old installation of Windows on the bad drive, and for some reason renamed it's drive letter to D: . I went ahead and formatted the old drive (even bigger mistake) not thinking that was a big deal assuming I could fix the drive letter mixup later. Well, I powered off the workstation, detached the old drive, and booted back up. It froze at the Welcome Screen. After rebooting again, it blue screens right after the Windows logo ([red]0x0000007E[/red] error).

Trying to repair the installation didn't help. After copying files, it gives me the error:

"Setup cannot set the required Windows XP configuration information. This indicates an internal setup error. Contact your system administrator."

Aside from a clean install, has anyone seen this error before with any ideas on how to get around it? Because I reached the user's desktop, I don't think the cloning process missed any crucial files. The version of Windows is Media Center Edition SP2 OEM which matches the same disk I'm using for the repair.

Thanks...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[wolluf]

cdogg - sounds as bad as my laptop problem!

When you first booted the clone - was it only hard drive connected? (ie, original was disconnected)?

And when you connected old drive to format - you say windows detected old installation? What do you mean? (I'd presumed you were booting from cloned drive with old as slave/second drive - but then it should just boot one or the other).

I've seen the 7E error several times when doing repair reinstalls - its the major cause of repair reinstall failure for me. I have found a way round it (which I explained to linney in a post here months ago), but its quite long winded, and not an exact science! I have also seen that internal error message - but can't remember in what context unfortunately.

One question - are the system restore registry backups (in system volume information) still available? (repair reinstall process usually doesn't wipe them if it fails). If they are, you could try restoring a recent set - which should have everything in the right place - ie, should just boot.

 

[cdogg]

wolluf,
Thanks for your quick reply.

Yes, I only had the new drive attached the first time I booted. The second time I booted, the old drive was attached as a secondary and should have received the D: drive letter. Instead, it was given C: forcing the new drive to the D: mapping. I made it all the way to the desktop again but for the last time.

Sometimes when you have two SATA drives, each with an OS installed, you can boot from the wrong hard drive. However in this situation, the old drive "always" failed to load Windows. Because I was staring at the desktop, I was sure the new drive was the one I booted from. I just don't understand why the system partition changed from C: to D:


As for system restore...

Since I can't get into Windows, I'm not sure how else to make use of the system restore points. Is there a way?


~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[BadBigBen]

You probably looked at these already, cdogg, but just incase you have not:

When you use a Creative Labs SoundBlaster 16 Joystick with a game port in Windows XP, you receive a "serious error" or a "STOP: 0x0000007E" error message

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321637

Error message in Windows XP Service Pack 2: "Stop 0x7E"

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=900485

You receive a stop error 0x7E in Pci.sys

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=839641

Stop Error 0x7E Occurs in Usbhub.sys If USB Bandwidth Consumption Exceeds 100 Percent

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=327863

How to troubleshoot a Stop 0x0000007E error in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330182

You receive a “Stop 0x0000007E” error message after you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a non-Intel-processor-based computer

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=888372

0x0000007E error
There are numerous individual causes for this problem, including hardware incompatibility, a faulty device driver or system service, or some software issues.


check also the BOOT.INI file and see where it points to as to start location...

Have you tried using the Recovery Console, to access the imaged drive? Where you could try to FIXMBR and FIXBOOT...


Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[aich69]

try attaching the disk in question to another machine and checking BOOT.INI as per Bens suggestion but also...

run a 'chkdsk /r' on the drive from the command prompt if you haven't done so already



Cpt. Red Bull

 

[wolluf]

cdogg - I meant to either mount the drive in another machine or access via something like bart and manually copy the saved registry backup from system volume information to \windows\system32\config - like my post here thread779-1451418 mentions (should put the registry back before it wad D: - so should be ok).

 

[linney]

Here is the link "Wolluf" mentioned in passing earlier.

No boot situation/Repeated BSOD
thread779-1404916

Is there any Bios Scanning that you can disable or hardware that can be removed?


How To Fix This Error

http://www.smartcomputing.com/techsupport/detail.aspx?guid=&ErrorID=21142

Error Message: Setup Cannot Set the Required Windows XP Configuration Information

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316425

http://groups.google.com/groups/sea...ows+XP+configuration+information"&qt_s=Search

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF...guration+information"&qt_s=Search&sa=N&tab=gw

 

[cdogg]

Thanks for all the information everyone! I'll have another go at it tonight.

Ben,
I did try fixboot, but it didn't help. I did not try fixmbr, because there is a hidden FAT32 partition (I that HP's recovery software uses. I was hesitant to risk losing access to that. I will have a look at boot.ini just in case, though I don't believe I would get past the Windows logo if that was the issue. Thanks for the links.

aich69,
Yes, chkdsk ran the first time the system booted up on the new drive after being cloned. I may try it again just in case.

wolluf & linney,
To be continued...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[DTracy]

You might also see if you can change the boot order in the CMOS. Also, that formatted drive could be recoved with File Scavenger if you don't overwrite too much of it.

David.

 

[ForumKB]

I believe off the top of my head drive letters are assigned to partitions, if you only formated the old drive and did not delete all the partitions it would still have c: assigned to it and windows may have got itself confused and assigned d: to your new drive (may have been set as a slave / CS or on the wrong channel, or just one of those windows things??).

If this is the problem you MAY (and I stress the may) be able to get around this by using a partition tool like partition magic (available on Hiren's boot disc, but I didn't say that) to reassign the drive letter on your new disc back to c: (not 100% sure if you can do this off the top of my head), reboot and run the windows repair.

If you then want to use the old disc use the same tool to delete all the partitions on the old disc before putting it back in (without the new disc in).

Another option may be to copy the whole disc (including all system files etc.) to yet another disc (copied not imaged, robocopy should do this for you) and then put that disc in and run an XP repair on that.

Adrian Paris

http://www.ForumKB.com

- Tech forum only Google search, find answers faster by not searching the junk.

 

[cdogg]

ForumKB,
Actually the drive letter mix up occured before I formatted the drive. When I noticed the problem, I shut the computer down right away and formatted the "old" drive outside of Windows. In fact, I used a tool called Parted Magic (a free tool that resembles Partition Magic) to delete the partitions. Then when I booted up the next time, I did not have the old drive attached and haven't since. I decided to take it out of the equation until I resolve the Windows issue, which I hope to get to soon.

By the way, when I ran the repair on the "new" drive previously, the drive letter shows up as C: in Windows Setup and in the Recovery Console. So I'm not sure if the drive letter is still the problem at this point.


~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[cdogg]

OK, here's an update...

I attached the drive in another computer and was able to access the system restore points. I pulled the SAM, Security, Default, Software, and System files from a date before the problem started and copied them over to System32\Config. I still get the 7E blue screen.

However, I'm able to get into Safe Mode. In event viewer, I can see what happened the last time the system booted up in Normal mode. It saw the old hard drive as having the same "disk signature", so as a result it created a different one for the new hard drive which kinda explains the D: drive letter assignment. Nothing else seems out of the ordinary in Safe Mode. Scanning for hardware changes turns up nothing.

I tried using multiple restore points, but each one fails. It gives me the following error message before System Restore even runs:
[ul][navy]"Changes made to drive(s) J C:\ D: C: after this point cannot be reversed because the drive was either excluded from System Restore monitoring, or was turned off or removed."[/navy][/ul]

So it sounds like whatever change Windows made to the drive (disk signature, drive letter assignment, etc.) has corrupted the MBR and/or some other boot-related function to the point where System Restore doesn't even recognize it. SR will try to restore files and gets about 75% of the way done before the progress indicator flies to 100% and it reboots showing the failure message. I did go back into the Recovery Console and run fixmbr this time, but it still didn't make a difference. I even detached a compact flash/SanDisk media reader device only leaving the essential components and DVD burner attached.

Guess I'm left with the only option of reloading Windows from scratch unless you think of anyhing else to try?

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[BadBigBen]

You cloned it, do you still have the image? if yes, then restore it again...

knowing now what caused the hick up, I would suggest that with the old drive you kill the partitions and then recreate them... which would give the drive a new identifier...

if not ignore what I am rambling and can only say that from my standpoint, it would be your only option to do a fresh install...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[cdogg]

Ben, thanks again for your input. I would have done that in a heartbeat if I could, but unfortunately I've already formatted the old drive. I mentioned that in the first post, though it was probably easy to miss in all that clutter!

 

[linney]

Short of a clean install I cannot add anything further. A last couple of straws to clutch at are things like ChkDsk /r which you would have already tried, and maybe MbrWork?

The following are notes from the late Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)

"Go to

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downloads-free-software.htm

look for MBRWORK in the free tolls and download it, put it on a DOS floppy (one made by formatting in XP and taking the MSDOS Startup disk option will do).

Boot that and run MBRWORK
Use options
1 (to back up the current state, so it could be restored with 2)
3 then 4 to delete the current code and tables
there will then be a possibility of using A
which will scan the disk for 'signatures' of partitions and rebuilt the partition table then
5
to install standard MBR code so the disk could be booted

 

[wolluf]

Clean install does sound best option now - you should at least be able to restore user's profiles after reinstalling apps.

Other option - run something like getdataback on the old drive you formatted - with just a format it should retrieve everything. Copy all retrieved data to disk to use in machine. Boot into recovery console & run fixmbr & fixboot & it should then boot ok. After it boots you might need to recopy the installer folder (in \windows) from the recovered data back over itself (I've found when doing this sort of recovery, windows wipes out installer folder contents on first boot).

 

[cdogg]

A small amount of data has been written to the formatted drive, but I will try it out.

Thanks to everyone who tried to help!!

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[whatthe5846]

A number of things can cause this - atleast now that you can boot into safe mode you can atleast start determining what it could be and should be able to fix it or atleast backup you data.

Does anything in device manager have a yellow exclamation mark next to it? If yes post back more info

Uninstall your display adapter in device manager and see if it will boot then.

Also after you booted for the first time into windows on the new drive did you update any drivers. If so rollback to the old ones if possible.

Do you have daemon tools or similar software on the pc. If so uninstall it or disable the service from safemode and try rebooting.

Have you tried installing windows under a different directory while stll kepping your old installation.
eg c:\winxp
This has worked for some people and you will still have access to your old files.

Is the drive now showing as C:\ rather than d:\ when in safe mode. If not follow the instructions to edit the registry to fix it.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223188/en-us

 

[cdogg]

- There is nothing flagged in Device Manager
- Drivers were not updated during the first boot
- This PC is for a customer and I doubt he had daemon tools or any other similar software
- I have not tried another directory, because to me it is easier to pull off the data I need and proceed with a format/clean install (I was just hoping to avoid that because of all the programs and settings)
- Yes, the drive is showing as C: rather than D: now

I may consider the display adapter idea, but I'm not sure how replacing the hard drive would affect it. Usually when there is a failure, Windows can default to a generic VGA adapter. Worth a shot I suppose.

Thanks for that MS Article link. I'll have a look at the security settings for mounted devices.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[BadBigBen]

No problem cdogg, I did read that you had formated the old drive, but it may have been possible that you backed it up to another drive before recreating it on the new hdd...

that is the way I tend to do things, I guess, that way I still have the image/BU until I got everything running right...

good luck with the restore, hopefully you can get most of the files...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."