System Restore Not Working

That looks like a Dr. Watson error message from XP. No idea what it means.

Possible the System Restore database is corrupt. Open System control panel and click System Restore tab. Check the box to turn off System Restore, confirm and exit. When you reboot, System Restore database and all retore points (corrupt or otherwise) will be deleted, so there won't be any restore points available afterwards. After you reboot, go back to the same screen and uncheck the box to turn off System Restore. Reboot again. Now manually set a restore point, reboot and use that restore point to restore the system to confirm it works again.

If that doesn't solve the problem, you may need to run the windows system file checker (sfc). And obviously, this probably won't fix whatever problem existed when you tried to run System Restore in the first place...

Ron

If I understand your post correctly, you aren't able to get to the System Restore tab to turn it off. If that's correct, run a windows system file check:
click start>run
type in: sfc /scannow
(space between sfc and /)
click ok
Insert XP CD if sfc requests it. Reboot when it's done.

sfc will replace missing/damaged XP system files. It's not terribly informative, so after rebooting, open the Event Viewer (Programs>Administrative Tools>Event Viewer). Click System at left and look at right for "Windows File Protection" entries around time you ran sfc. Open each one. First should say "started"; second one "successful". Read any additional Windows File Protection entries and/or if 2nd one isn't "successful", you have more XP problems to fix.

Ron

Not a good sign if sfc won't run. When that happened to me, the only fix was a Repair/Reinstall of XP. This is NOT a Reformat/Reisntall so your personal files and software shouldn't be lost (always good to back up to CD first, just to be safe), but you will have to reinstall all XP updates and hotfixes again.

You'll have to boot from XP CD, hit enter (not R) at first option, and you should see XP end user license appear. Press F8 (if I remember correctly), then press R for Repair/Reinstallation.

Another alternative, assuming your system was shipped after 7-14-04, is to use PC Restore which will reset your HD to exactly the way Dell shipped it. ALL personal files, software you installed, and all XP updates will be lost forever, so it's essential to back up everything to CD first (don't forget email address book and browser Favorites list!). To run PC Restore, press Ctrl-F11 before XP starts to load.

Maybe somebody else will have a better idea...

Ron

Kent,
Post back and let us know how you resolve the issue. I personally don't think running Repair/Reinstall is a problem, aside from the pain of downloading and reinstalling all the XP updates/fixes again. But it ain't my pain. ;)

Good luck!
Ron

Reboot and press F12 before XP starts loading. Run hard drive and memory tests. If everything passes, use your functional boot partition to boot up and run full malware scans on C: partition.

Sounds like that user account is corrupted. You can delete the user account and take ownership of it's files in either an existing account or in a newly created account. (See below.)

With all these problems, you may want to consider backing up all files to CD and then running PC Restore (assuming system was shipped after 7-14-04) to reset hard drive to exactly the way Dell shipped it. You'll have to get firewall and antiviral software running and then grab all the XP updates and fixes, followed by installation of any other software you need.

Take ownership of a file or folder (from Windows Help&Support):
Open Windows Explorer, and then locate the file or folder you want to take ownership of. Right-click the file or folder, click Properties, and then click the Security tab. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab. In the Change owner to box, click the new owner. (Optional) To change the owner of all subcontainers and objects within the tree, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.
Notes:
To open Windows Explorer, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer. If you are not joined to a domain and want to view the Security tab, see To display the Security tab. You can transfer ownership in two ways: The current owner can grant the Take ownership permission to others, allowing those users to take ownership at any time. An administrator can take ownership of any file on the computer. However, the administrator cannot transfer ownership to others. This restriction keeps the administrator accountable. In Windows XP Professional, the Everyone group no longer includes the Anonymous Logon group.

Ron

My bad! You must have XP Home. You have to start XP Home in safe mode (F8 before XP starts to load), and then log on with an account that has Administrative rights to have access to the Security tab.

If you don't have PC Restore, then your only option may be full reformat/reinstall, after you recover your files, unless somebody's got a better idea. The full reformat/reinstall will give you something to do on Turkey Day, while you're waiting to chow down! ;)

Don't forget to back up all your email address books and browser Favorites lists before you reformat/reinstall. Depending on your browser, look for an option to "export" the address book and Favorites lists. Save the files to the HD and then burn onto CD.

After you reformat/reinstall, install all hardware drivers, starting with chipset (if required). You may want to download the drivers first and burn onto CD so they're ready to go when you need them. Then get firewall and antiviral software running and go directly to MS update site to download the updates and fixes. When time comes, use the browser's "import" feature to import address books and Favorites lists from the files on CD.

Ron