10 things you can do when Windows XP won't boot

When your computer hardware appears to power up okay, but the Windows XP operating system won't boot properly, you have to begin a troubleshooting expedition that includes getting into the operating system, determining the problem, and then fixing it. To help you get started on this expedition, here are 10 things you can do when Windows XP won't boot.

#1: Use a Windows startup disk

One of the first things you should reach for when troubleshooting a Windows XP boot problem is a Windows startup disk. This floppy disk can come in handy if the problem is being caused when either the startup record for the active partition or the files that the operating system uses to start Windows have become corrupted.

To create a Windows startup disk, insert a floppy disk into the drive of a similarly configured, working Windows XP system, launch My Computer, right-click the floppy disk icon, and select the Format command from the context menu. When you see the Format dialog box, leave all the default settings as they are and click the Start button. Once the format operation is complete, close the Format dialog box to return to My Computer, double-click the drive C icon to access the root directory, and copy the following three files to the floppy disk:

• Boot.ini
• NTLDR
• Ntdetect.com

After you create the Windows startup disk, insert it into the floppy drive on the afflicted system and press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to reboot the computer. When you boot from the Windows startup disk, the computer will bypass the active partition and boot files on the hard disk and attempt to start Windows XP normally.

#2: Use Last Known Good Configuration

You can also try to boot the operating system with the Last Known Good Configuration feature. This feature will allow you to undo any changes that caused problems in the CurrentControlSet registry key, which defines hardware and driver settings. The Last Known Good Configuration feature replaces the contents of the CurrentControlSet registry key with a backup copy that was last used to successfully start up the operating system.

To use the Last Known Good Configuration feature, first restart the computer by pressing [Ctrl][Alt][Delete]. When you see the message Please select the operating system to start or hear the single beep, press [F8] to display the Windows Advanced Options menu. Select the Last Known Good Configuration item from the menu and press [Enter].

Keep in mind that you get only one shot with the Last Known Good Configuration feature. In other words, if it fails to revive your Windows XP on the first attempt, the backup copy is also corrupt.

#3: Use System Restore

Another tool that might be helpful when Windows XP won't boot is System Restore. System Restore runs in the background as a service and continually monitors system-critical components for changes. When it detects an impending change, System Restore immediately makes backup copies, called restore points, of these critical components before the change occurs. In addition, System Restore is configured by default to create restore points every 24 hours.

To use System Restore, first restart the computer by pressing [Ctrl][Alt][Delete]. When you see the message Please select the operating system to start or hear the single beep, press [F8] to display the Windows Advanced Options menu. Now, select the Safe Mode item from the menu and press [Enter].

Once Windows XP boots into Safe mode, click the Start button, access the All Programs Accessories System Tools menu, and select System Restore. Because you're running in Safe mode, the only option on the opening screen of the System Restore wizard is Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time, and it's selected by default, so just click Next. Then, follow along with the wizard to select a restore point and begin the restoration procedure.

#4: Use Recovery Console

When a Windows XP boot problem is severe, you'll need to use a more drastic approach. The Windows XP CD is bootable and will provide you with access to a tool called Recovery Console.

To boot from the Windows XP CD, insert it into the CD-ROM drive on the problem system and press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to reboot the computer. Once the system begins booting from the CD, simply follow the prompts that will allow the loading of the basic files needed to run Setup. When you see the Welcome To Setup screen, press R to start the Recovery Console.

You'll then see a Recovery Console menu. It displays the folder containing the operating system's files and prompts you to choose the operating system you want to log on to. Just press the menu number on the keyboard, and you'll be prompted to enter the Administrator's password. You'll then find yourself at the main Recovery Console prompt.

NOTE:

CHKDSK /P /R will locate bad sectors and recover readable information. (From the Recovery Console.

#5: Fix a corrupt Boot.ini

As the Windows XP operating system begins to load, the Ntldr program refers to the Boot.ini file to determine where the operating system files reside and which options to enable as the operating system continues to load. So if there's a problem rooted in the Boot.ini file, it can render Windows XP incapable of booting correctly.

If you suspect that Windows XP won't boot because Boot.ini has been corrupted, you can use the special Recovery Console version of the Bootcfg tool to fix it. Of course, you must first boot the system with the Windows XP CD and access the Recovery Console as described in #4.

To use the Bootcfg tool, from the Recovery Console command prompt, type

Bootcfg /parameter

Where /parameter is one of these required parameters:

• /Add--Scans the disk for all Windows installations and allows you to add any new ones to the Boot.ini file.
• /Scan--Scans the disk for all Windows installations.
• /List--Lists each entry in the Boot.ini file.
• /Default--Sets the default operating system as the main boot entry.
• /Rebuild--Completely re-creates the Boot.ini file. The user must confirm each step.
• /Redirect--Allows the boot operation to be redirected to a specific port when using the Headless Administration feature. The Redirect parameter takes two parameters of its own, [Port Baudrate ] [UseBiosSettings].
• /Disableredirect--Disables the redirection.

#6: Fix a corrupt partition boot sector

The partition boot sector is a small section of the hard disk partition that contains information about the operating system's file system (NTFS or FAT32), as well as a very small machine language program that is crucial in assisting the operating system as it loads.

If you suspect that Windows XP won't boot because the partition boot sector has been corrupted, you can use a special Recovery Console tool called Fixboot to fix it. Start by booting the system with the Windows XP CD and accessing the Recovery Console as described in #4.

To use the Fixboot tool, from the Recovery Console command prompt, type

Fixboot [drive]:

Where [drive] is the letter of the drive to which you want to write a new partition boot sector.

#7: Fix a corrupt master boot record

The master boot record occupies the first sector on the hard disk and is responsible for initiating the Windows boot procedure. The master boot record contains the partition table for the disk as well as a small program called the master boot code, which is responsible for locating the active, or bootable, partition, in the partition table. Once this occurs, the partition boot sector takes over and begins loading Windows. If the master boot record is corrupt, the partition boot sector can't do its job and Windows won't boot.

If you suspect Windows XP won't boot because the master boot record has been corrupted, you can use the Recovery Console tool Fixmbr to fix it. First, boot the system with the Windows XP CD and access the Recovery Console as described in #4.

To use the Fixmbr tool, from the Recovery Console command prompt, type

Fixmbr [device_name]

Where [device_name] is the device pathname of the drive to which you want to write a new master boot record. For example, the device pathname format for a standard bootable drive C configuration would look like this:

\Device\HardDisk0

#9: Restore from a backup

If you can't seem to repair a Windows XP system that won't boot and you have a recent backup, you can restore the system from the backup media. The method you use to restore the system will depend on what backup utility you used, so you'll need to follow the utility's instructions on how to perform a restore operation.

#10: Perform an in-place upgrade

If you can't repair a Windows XP system that won't boot and you don't have a recent backup, you can perform an in-place upgrade. Doing so reinstalls the operating system into the same folder, just as if you were upgrading from one version of Windows to another. An in-place upgrade will usually solve most, if not all, Windows boot problems.

Performing a Windows XP in-place upgrade is pretty straightforward. To begin, insert the Windows XP CD into the drive, restart your system, and boot from the CD. Once the initial preparation is complete, you'll see the Windows XP Setup screen. Press [Enter] to launch the Windows XP Setup procedure. In a moment, you'll see the License Agreement page and will need to press [F8] to acknowledge that you agree. Setup will then search the hard disk looking for a previous installation of Windows XP. When it finds the previous installation, you'll see a second Windows XP Setup screen.

This screen will prompt you to press R to repair the selected installation or to press [Esc] to install a fresh copy of Windows XP. In this case, initiating a repair operation is synonymous with performing an in-place upgrade, so you'll need to press R. When you do so, Setup will examine the disk drives in the system. It will then begin performing the in-place upgrade.
Keep in mind that after you perform an in-place upgrade or repair installation, you must reinstall all updates to Windows.

User Profile Hive Cleanup Service

Brief Description
A service to help with slow log off and unreconciled profile problems.

Overview
The User Profile Hive Cleanup service helps to ensure user sessions are completely terminated when a user logs off. System processes and applications occasionally maintain connections to registry keys in the user profile after a user logs off. In those cases the user session is prevented from completely ending. This can result in problems when using Roaming User Profiles in a server environment or when using locked profiles as implemented through the Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP.

On Windows 2000 you can benefit from this service if the application event log shows event id 1000 where the message text indicates that the profile is not unloading and that the error is "Access is denied". On Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 either event ids 1517 and 1524 indicate the same profile unload problem.

To accomplish this the service monitors for logged off users that still have registry hives loaded. When that happens the service determines which application have handles opened to the hives and releases them. It logs the application name and what registry keys were left open. After this the system finishes unloading the profile.


http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=
1B286E6D-8912-4E18-B570-42470E2F3582&displaylang=en

How to connect to Wanadoo (Freeserve) AnyTime if you withhold your phone number

How to connect to AnyTime if you withhold your phone number

Caller Line Identification or CLID is required

Please note that if your CLID is withheld, the instructions below for overriding this will need to be applied whenever you reconfigure your computer

Ensure that your CLID is being presented by following the instructions:

If you have Windows 2000 or Windows XP

• Double click ‘My Computer’ on your desktop
• Double click ‘Control Panel’
• Double click ‘Network and Dial Up Connections’
• Right click on the Freeserve HomeTime icon
• Click ‘Properties’
• Remove the tick from ‘Use dialling rules’
• Click in the ‘Phone number’ box and enter 1470, before the number
• Click ‘OK’

Norton Internet Security Fixes

Cannot send or receive email with regular email, such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express after installing Norton Internet Security http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nip.nsf/34d620401eba7
81c88256d8e0076b295/09dfad744fb5ce4965256f9b0065831a?OpenDocument&src=bar_sch_nam&seg=ag

Message: "Norton AntiVirus 2005 does not support the repair feature . . . "http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/
2004090712504306?OpenDocument&src=hot&prod=Norton%20AntiVirus&ver=2005&csm=no&tpre=

Error: "Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection . . ." when sending or receiving email in Outlook or Outlook Express
http://symantec.atgnow.com/consumer/resultDisplay.do?gotoLink=743&docType=1000&contextId=2792%3A743.937&clusterName=ConsumerCluster&contentId=d60cb6d7-e033-4a6e-9012-18878c3d628c&responseId=a7a613d67668be41%3A1b1fbf4%3A108bad03ca3%3A336c&groupId=1&answerGroup=2&score=685&page=http%3A%2F%2Fservice1.symantec.com%2Fsupport%2Fnav.nsf%2Fpfdocs%2F2001060516275506&result=1&excerpt=%28Account%3A+%26lt%3Baccount+name%26gt%3B%2C+POP3+Server%3A+%26lt%3Bserver+name%26gt%3B+Error+Number%3A0x800ccc0f%26quot%3B++--+%26quot%3BXIMS%3A+Outlook+Express+POP3%2C+Error+0x800ccc0e%2C+Socket+Error+10061%26quot%3B++--+%26quot%3BThe+connection+to+the+server+has+failed.&resultType=5000#

Error: "Your email message to with the subject was unable to be sent . . ." (1003,9)http://service1.symantec.com/support/sharedtech.nsf/docid/
2004121009243713OpenDocument&seg=hho&src=_mi&
product=CC&version=103.0&language=english
&module=1003&error=9&build=Symantec

Emailing and resizing photographs from My Pictures

To send more pictures you can send the pictures as a smaller file size – not so good for printing but good enough for viewing on screen.

Here’s how to do it:

I am assuming when you transfer your pictures from your camera to your computer it saves them in the My Pictures section of My Documents.

1. Click on “START”
2. Click on “My Pictures”, this will open a new window on your desktop, displaying all your pictures.It should include folders where you have saved your photographs.
3. Double click the folder with the pictures you want to email, this will open the folder and display the pictures.
4. To send one picture select the picture, by onto it clicking once, then click on the “E-Mail this file” link from the left hand side of the screen, under File and folder tasks.(To send multiple photographs in the same email, click on the first photo to select it, then hold down the CTRL key (Bottom left of the keyboard) and then click on another picture. Keep the CTRL key pressed until you have finished selecting all the photographs you want to send. To deselect a picture keep the CTRL key down and click on the picture again. With all the photos selected click on the “E-Mail the selected items” link from the left hand side of the screen, under File and folder tasks)
5. Send Pictures via E-Mail will be displayed, Make all my pictures smaller should be selected.
6. Click on “Show more options”
7. Select “Medium (fits in a 800 by 600 window)” for the Make my pictures this size: (This should be large enough to get the detail of the photograph, but small enough to be quicker at emailing.
8. Click “Ok”
9. This will open a new email message, with all the photos resized and attached to the email.All that needs to be done is either type in the email address of who you want to send it to, or click the “To” button to select email addresses from your address book. (You can add multiple email address into the To section of the email address, this means the email will be sent to multiple people but only send from your computer once. If you are typing in the email addresses manually include a ; (semicolon) between the email addresses)
10. Click the "Send" button

Reset Internet Explorer Window Location

Sometimes Internet Explorer may have problems with the location of the explorer window, possibly placing the window off the screen or only allowing you to minimize or maximize the window. This tweak should reset Internet Explorer to the default position.

Exit Internet explorer, then open your registry and find the key below.
Find the value named 'Window_Placement' and delete it, make sure you have highlighted the correct value as there is no Undo function.

Restart Internet Explorer and it should now be located in the default position.

Registry Settings

User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]Value Name: Window_PlacementData Type: REG_BINARY (Binary Value)

Problems with Microsoft Office and Norton Internet Security

Problem

When using Internet Explorer, copying a picture to the clipboard and then trying to start Microsoft Word – Word will hang and cause the Computer to Lock up. Forcing a hardware reboot.

Resolution
Disable the Office plug-in and add the Office programs to the Firewall

Disable the Office Plug-in

1. In Norton Internet Security
2. Select Options, then select Norton Antivirus
3. Under Other select Miscellaneous
   Deselect the Office Plug-in

Add the Office Programs to the Firewall

1. In Norton Internet Security
2. Select Personal Firewall
3. Click Configure
4. Click the Programs tab
5. Click Add
   Browse to the Microsoft Program c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe
6. In Program Control, select Permit
7. Add all Microsoft Office Programs
8. Check the All Microsoft Programs are in the list and Internet Access is set to Permit All
9. Close Norton Internet Security
   
   

Apache Tomcat - webpage problem

If after updating Facility MIS system or ISA server, Apache Tomcat web page is being displayed on all Internet Browser pages, this is usually due to Tomcat web server taken control of port 8080, before ISA server can use the 8080 port.

This will disable ISA server functionallity.

To change Apache Tomcat port settings, browse to the Facility\eportal\conf folder, and in notepad edit the XML file Server.xml.

Modify the section Port="8080" to Port="8085"

Restart the server.

Use a utility such as CurrPorts to display which ports are used by which application or service.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html