[haloboy100]

I'm sure by now most of other XP users know how to repair and install windows XP. I do too, but i've ecountered some problems. I'll be brief with this.. I used this guide to attempt to repair my windows install. It would of worked, if it weren't for a few problems. For one, I have a quite unusual windows XP install, even for a pirated one, as a few years ago it turns out that I installed a newer version next to my old one in order to avoid some really weird errors and still preserve my data. I'm not really sure what the hell happened there, as it was a long time ago, though needless to say I can say I have 2 windows xp folders: C:\Windows, and C:\WINDOWXP. I'm not really sure which is which, though I have an idea that my computer runs off of the one in C:\Windows. My problem is, after I hit enter to see if I can repair, it tells me the windows XP disc didn't detect any previous version of windows. I tried the 2 solutions explained in the warning 2 part of the above guide, though it didn't help at all. The first solution does really nothing when I try it, though the second one is different.

Whenever I go to the recovery console, I have 2 choices, D:\windows and D:\WINDOWXP. I don't know why it says D, as the drive I have these installed on is C.

anyway, when I try the window one, after putting in "copy C:\i386\ntldr C:\" or "copy C:\i386\ntdetect.com C:\", I just get a "file not found" message. When I go into WINDOWXP, It says I need to put in an administrator password. The password to my account doesn't work, and neither does "admin". Though strangely when I put in nothing it works. Either way, when I try putting in those commands in the WINDOWXP folder, I just get an "access denied" message.

With both folders, when i put in "Type: attrib -h -r -s C:\boot.ini del C:\boot.ini " I just get a message about an invalid parameter. And with both folders when I try "BootCfg /Rebuild" It says something about a corrupted file system and asks me to scan by typing DSKCHK (or it was spelled something like that). After scanning, i still get the same problems.

So I guess I might have to copy my files to another drive and just re-install XP cleanly, but i'm saving that as a last resort. Anybody know what I should do?

[jr2]

chkdsk /r

run that first... to fix your errors on your hard disk.  Yes it will take a long time.  Apparently you have a hidden partition, too, I'm guessing that's why recovery console sees your hard disk as "d:".. next time you do a side-by-side install, shrink your hard disk partition using GParted (use the LiveCD), and create a new partition, and install to that... installing two copies of windows in the same partition is almost guaranteed to give you errors.  (Because they share the \Documents and Settings folder and the \Program Files folder)  You may want to burn yourself a copy of the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows, and try fixing things from there (basically, boot a stripped-down XP from CD so you can do stuff).  You will need an XP source disk that is at least Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2 is highly recommended.  (If you need help here, let me know).

[Stealth]

ran it by some experts too, and we all agree - with a setup that corrupt, just do a fresh install, on another HDD, connect the current one as a slave, and copy relevant data back

[jr2]

Yeah, that always works...   Assuming you have another hard drive.

[haloboy100]

I do have another hard drive, though it's only 10 GB avalible space(which isn't enough to transfer all my games, though that isn't much of a problem anyway), so i'll cram as much stuff there as I can.

 I'll try a fresh XP install, though my current XP disk is very old (2002) so I don't even think I have service pack 1 on it. Just to make sure, I'll have to dump all my important data I can from drive C (the main one) on to drive D, then format drive C with my windows install, right?

EDIT: Wait a sec...I have 2 seperate user files in documents and settings. My name is Aaron, and my account I log onto is Aaron B. Yet I have 2 account files: Aaron, and Aaron B. I have a weird feeling Aaron is the name of my PC, since that file is significantly smaller (Around 266 MB), and I think windows stores a file for the computer under it's name in documents and settings. Is that true?

EDIT2: Nope. the name of my PC is AaronPC. So what's the other file doing there?

[karajorma]

User on the other account?

[haloboy100]

Aaron B is the only account on my computer.

[Scuddie]

When you tried putting in those commands in recovery console, did you replace all the C: parts with D:?  It doesn't matter if your Windows installation is C:\windows, the only static reference to anything is in the directory structure.  If recovery console sees the drive as D:, then address it as such.  The reason "copy C:\i386\ntldr C:\" doesn't work is because C:\i386\ntldr doesn't exist.  It should be "copy D:\i386\ntldr D:\".

You are probably seeing the windows install drive as D: because of different drive letter assignments.  You probably are using SATA or have your hard drive slaved to something else.

[haloboy100]

alright, i'll try that. I'll post the results in a few. I'm pretty sure my drives are SATA, and if my C drive is slaved, should i make it master and everything else slave?

EDIT: chkdsk /r didn't work. It went all the way up too 50%, paused, creeped up to 75%, paused, then went back DOWN to 50%. After sitting there for several minutes at 50% without any HDD activity, I assumed it was locked and I rebooted. I did try the copy d:\i386\ntldr d:\ command, which didn't work. Though I assumed the command means transfer the file from the DVD drive (which has my windows xp disk in it) to my HDD, so i put in copy e:\i386\ntldr d:\, which worked. I'll see if I can repair now.

[colecampbell666]

My dad retardedly did this, and there were double folder issues too. I had to do a clean install.

[haloboy100]

I can see that, as I still can't repair.

Alright, i'll do a clean install. Once everything is transferred i'll set my C drive to master and fix that whole issue if it's wrong. Thanks for the help.

[Scuddie]

did you try fixmbr d: and fixboot d:?

[haloboy100]

I think it'll just be better to copy everything to my laptop and other drive and put XP on my C drive

[colecampbell666]

Just burn important stuff/transfer it to laptop, and reinstall. As a rule, NEVER USE THE REPAIR FUNCTION. EVER.

[haloboy100]

NEVER USE THE REPAIR FUNCTION. EVER.

Ah. I'll remember that.

Right now i'm transfering my 44.5 GB program files folder to my laptop and my "aaron b" file to my other HDD. any idea on what I else I should and what I shouldn't bother transfering?

[colecampbell666]

Bad idea. You'll need the old registry, and that will cause conflicts with the new one. Don't do a direct copy, select individual files.

[haloboy100]

like what? All I really need are "application data" and "My documents" right?

and as for program files, what do I need to copy from there aside from my games?

[colecampbell666]

You need appdata, the registry entries for each program, and your docs. I'd just copy your documents/any important files, and reinstall your programs clean, as copying the old files is problematic. I assume you have the discs, and if you pirated them it's not too hard to get them again.

Trust me, I've had experience trying to do that, it doesn't work and causes errors.

[haloboy100]

Actually, I really can't argue with that. I'll just transfer my documents and anything else personal I need, and do a fresh install. Thanks for the help.

[colecampbell666]

No prob. I've gone through this process so many times, it's not even funny.