Let me thank anyone checking this out in advance for your assistance. It's truly appreciated. Here is the situation, I will try to be as detailed as possible. I have a laptop I am trying to re-install Windows XP on. I am not worried about backing up any of the data. The machine seems to be have been infected with a nasty virus that is keeping me from being able to reformat. The virus has locked the system registry as well as the task manager. It also seemingly has disabled the CD-Rom.My first move was to go into Command Prompt and go with "format c:" when I do that it tells me the file system is RAW. I was able to find a find for this and have tried "format C: /fs:ntfs".
The system then tells me that format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. It attempts to dismount the volume by forcing a dismount and fails. It tells me it cannot lock the drive and the volume is still in use. I also tried switching the BIOS order so that the system boots from CD-Rom with both a XP install cd and a Vista install DVD with no luck. The Vista DVD fails to load and the XP leads to a blank blinking prompt. Again, I don't need anything on the computer, is there any way I can whipe this machine clean and re-install windows? Thanks so much for having a look.
i am likely going to reformat my computer due to a severe virus (see my other post). my brother told me to find the reboot disc before i reformat it, but i cant find the disc! do i even need this disc? i'm not even sure if my computer came with one
I've come across a virus that i am not able to get rid of & reformatting my computer is the only option. Problem is, i don't know how to reformat my computer
I'm running XP with a downloaded, update SP2. I got a virus around Christmas and now want to reformat the drive and XP won't let me.It says I cannot dismount the drive to start the process.Something is using it?I just want to learn from my mistakes and start over. Also can I install XP from the discs from my other machine to this one? I do not have a copy of the original OS disc.
I am going to be building a new rig sometime in the future and I have an existing install of XP on my current HDD. I plan on buying a new much larger HDD for a fresh install of XP with my new rig. Now I plan on keeping my old HDD but dont have anywhere to back up the data currently on it when I get my new rig.Once I get the OS intalled on the new drive I want to move the stuff I want to keep from my old drive to the new one then reformat the old drive to clear it all up. The new HDD will be a SATA while my old one is IDE, should I wait to plug in my old IDE HDD until after I get my OS intsalled on the new HDD? Or can I plug them both in and set the SATA drive to be the boot drive in BIOS and then do what I need to do with my old drive after installing the OS on the new drive? And lastly if I chose the former and intstall my old IDE drive after the OS on the new HDD will the fact that I have an existing OS install on the IDE drive mess anything up on the boot up after I install the old drive to move what I need to move to the new drive?
i`ve just begun using a new computer,running windows xp, i intend to install a 2nd hard drive,from my old computer which was running windows 95.Can i still install even though the 2nd drive is so old....and if so, is it possible to keep all my files from the old drive and transfer them to the new.(all my programs are still on the old computer,i just can`t be bothered reinstalling all the programs and files.
the computer will "hang". It stops keeping time and will not shut down via the on-screen start button. If you try to shut the puter off with the on/off button on the tower, it is very difficult to get it to turn back on that way...the computer comes on, but never boots up...monitor and keyboard/mouse never come on. I've found that unplugging the power cord from the back of the tower while the computer has power, and then plugging the power cord back in usually works to bring the puter back on and up without using the on/off button. Once the puter is back on, it keeps time again (but it has to be reset to current time). Once in a while, some settings are lost such as IE options. But in the past, settings were so messed up from this problem that it couldn't copy to CD and other such annoying things.
I'm running Windows XP, which has been fairly unstable as late, and thinking it might be because of an overful hard drive, I recently moved several gigabites of music etc. off my main drive (C and onto my second drive (F. Unfortunately, this now means that i'm wasting a fair bit of space on my F drive, as I already exported most-but-not-all of these files to my iTunes music files so I could put them easily onto my iPod. I'd like to free up this space again, but since the files are all in one large folder and not very well organised, it's gonna be a nightmare going through them all and just deleting the ones that are already in iTunes. Does anyone know a simple and effective way of deleting these duplicate files, but keeping ones that aren't duplicates where they are? I don't mind downloading freeware/shareware but I can't afford anything retail at the moment
I'm new to this forum.I have installed XP cleanly on several machines but I have now run into an issue.Machine: Self built MB: epox 8RDA3+ CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2700+ 1 GB RAM.This past weekend I decided to do a clean install of XP Pro to freshen things up after having my kids install random stuff over the past two years. I took out the current master for safe keeping and made the current slave the new master.The new master is a Hitachi Deskstar 80GB (IDE) drive that was working fine as the old slave.The BIOS sees this drive correctly (size and model #) During the fresh install from CD, I can get through the following without issues: 1) Boot from C2) Have the install see the drive and ask me where it should install windows.3) Delete the current partition and format the drive (NTFS)4) copies all install files to HD.5) tells me it will reboot in 10...9.. 8.. etc
At my job we have about 500 networked users on WinXP 32 bit. Each user has an individual log in - there are no roaming profiles. We're in the process of creating a new image andI'm having a disagreement with a new tech here. He says we should get rid of the Default User Profile and only use the All Users Profile. Every time I've created an image I've set up the image the way I want and then copied that over to the default profile - so that when new users log in - they see exactly what i've set up in terms of the standard desktop shortcuts we use. This new tech thinks the default user's profile redundant and not really needed. I'm having a hard time finding information the default users profile and if it's needed or not.
After I used Fix-it Utlilies the program erased essential system folders. So now when I do check disk it reboots, flashes a blue screen real fast (so fast I can't even read it) then restarts the computer, restarts check disk, restarts the computer, and on & on. It won't stop doing this till I interrupt check disk at the start by hitting any key but then I end up with a black screen with instructions which include safe mode, safe mode with networking, start windows normally & last known configuration
I can't boot from an installation CD to do a "repair" since Windows was preinstalled in the drive so I have NO CD. Does system recovery work?, who knows, I'm a noob and have no idea how to use it. The only thing I've tried to fix it was 2 things : 1) use system restore which failed; 2) use run> sfc /scannow but this file checker is also broken and will barely start before it errors and stops. I don't know what else to do besides reformat
Im reformatting my computer with the OS CD it came with: Windows xp. I think its service pack 2. While re-installing i get the error: Setup cannot copy file: cinemst2.sys .It gives me the options to retry, skip the file or quit the setup. What should I do? What will happen if i exit the setup now? I selected retry and i get the same thing.
am trying to reformat a Dell Dimension on Windows XP Home, and have never had a problem like this, don't know what I am missing, the machine was purchased with XP home on it, and there is a reinstall disk. When you do the reformatt when it comes back up and runs through the process it does not ask for the product key? It reformats and when machine is supposedly all set up and ready to go half the information such as ethernet card, audio drivers etc is not there. If you are doing a complete reinstall should it not ask for the product key??? This really has me puzzled, I have reformatted 3 times, and am not coming up with the proper setup.
Can someone please help me with reformating my windows. i dont have the original windows cd because this computer was given to me and there is nothing that i want on there.
i had done this many times before but have never stopped at an error like this from reformatting and installing a fresh xp on to a harddrive. I was trying to reformatt a brand new xp onto the harddrive cause for some reason the old one won't load up to desktop and it says system32/config is missing or something and needs reapir but i had try to repair several times and it freezes. So when i put the xp disc in it ask me to press f8 to agree and stuff to install windows XP just after that, it says at the bottom searching for pervious version of microsoft windows, i had restarted many times and tryed again but nothing ever happens it just says it. I even tryed leaving it to load for 14 hours and nothing happened..... im guessing something from the pervious version of windows was corrupted so it wouldnt install a fresh copy. But i really need u guys help on this. Can someone tell me how to fix this problem all i want is a fresh copy of xp on the harddrive and all the windows gone.
i am using windowsXP on my Lenovo laptop. My harddisk was partitioned into c and d drive. How do I join this 2 drives back into 1 drive without reformatting.
Does any computer wiz out there know of an anti-virus site that will remove the rojan horse virus free? I know that all downloads are free,but once they find all the infected files,they won't remove them with out u paying for them
There is little to no information on this little guy, but it looks like xcechinu.dll is a Virus, if this is legitimate or not, but I cant remove it with anything that i have at the moment
My PC recently got a fairly nasty virus (W32-Sinowal-based Maximus! or something along those lines) so we had to get it wiped. A few days later, my computer was all messed up again. I can only boot up in Safe Mode, my sound doesn't work, and it is running slower than normal. I need to find out if I have another virus (although the guy who fixed it downloaded Norton Anti-Virus and it seemed fine for a few days) or if maybe my computer is just dying. It's about three years old and apparently it was outdated before we even bought it. Is there any way the virus could have affected the computer's hard drive or whatever (yeah, I don't quite know what I'm talking about) or have I maybe gotten another virus?
I bought Win XP Pro SP 2 OEM and want to upgrade some computers - it will be a major hassle to backup the info. & re-load all the programs: can someone confirm it can be upgraded over the top of Win XP Home without reformatting?
I'm trying to reformat an XP SP1 computer, with just one hard drive, a CDburner and a floppy that doesn't work. Whenver I try format c: (from the C drive) I get this: Quote: Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.Format may run if this volume is dismounted first ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID.Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? (Y/N) y Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use.
I recently switched back to XP after using Ubuntu for a couple years. I had no problems reformatting back to NTFS from XFS, no problems on install, but when I start up I have no sound, and no connection to the internet or to my other machine (which is also an XP machine).When I check the hardware my audio and ethernet come up yellow. I think the audio gives me a code 10 and the ethernet gives a code 28 (I could be wrong about the code 28 I didn't write it down). Now the really odd thing about this is that I put in my Ubuntu live CD and booted Ubuntu up, and right away I had audio and internet running straight from the live CD so I know the hardware must be good. I'm actually posting this from firefox running off of my live CD.I even tried installing a different ethernet card (the one I am using is integrated on the MOBO) and it recognizes it but won't let me get a connection.
I have decided to reformat my hard drive. I've transferred my files to my backup disk. I need very specific instruction on this process. I could use details regarding process itself and any precautions or hints. I am running Windows XP Professional X64.
I have a gateway amd athlon 1.10 Ghz running microsoft windows server 2003 datacenter edition. The os was installed by my former roommate, without my permission, and I believe it may not be a legal copy. I've been trying to reformat the hard drive and install a copy of Windows XP Professional, which is legal, but it tells me wrong dos version whenever I try to do this. My former roommate also partitioned the drive, also without my permission. I would like to remove the partition as well, but don't really know how.
basically something happened to my computer so i want to reinstall windows xp again. usually it starts up and then when it should normally go to the login screen, it shows a blank black screen. so i tried to boot it from the windows xp cd, and yeah it says 'press any key to boot from cd', or something like that. so i do it and i know after it boots from the cd i can choose to reformat the hard drive...but it freezes every time i press the key to make it reboot from the cd. i haven't seen any online tutorials that go over this..
This is a dell PC on Windows XP, I was going to just reformat it with my windows xp CD and the Serial key that's on the computer, but I'm worried that if I delete the partitions and then do a completely fresh install that I won't be able to find the chipset drivers and everything. I've never reformatted a production PC, only my own custom PC so I have all my driver installation disks but none for this one I'm trying to format. So if I reformat this computer, install windows xp, how can I get all the drivers for the hardware?
