Blue Screen with Registry_Error -- usual approaches don't work

Hi,

You can follow this document

http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?dn=1075437

Hope it helps..

Cheers...

Abhishek Parashar

"Where there is a Pundit, there is a Way"

jbarm,

If the link above does not resolve the problem you can do a repair reinstall of Windows XP using the procedure described here.

If worst come to worst, the Dell XP Reinstallation CD is exactly the same as a retail XP CD and the installation procedure is also the same.

Tried both solutions -- same issue.  I get the blue screen of death with the registry error message.

Any other ideas?

Is there a handy link for reformatting and reinstalling XP using the Dell disk? I'm wondering how to do it, as I can't seem to even get to a command prompt.  I'm used to having a system with a floppy for booting, but this one doesn't have that option.

jb

Did you try running Recovery Console and using the chkdsk /r command?

jbarm,

I already provided a link for a Repair Reinstall. To do a clean install set your CD-ROM drive as the first boot device in BIOS (the XP CD is bootable so you don't need an emergency boot floppy as you do with Windows 9X) and restart the system with the XP Reinstallation CD in the drive, then follow the procedure given here. Delete your existing C:\ partition at step #5, create a new one (or more) from the unpartitioned space that results, format it/them (NTFS) and let the installation continue. After Windows XP is installed you must install your drivers, then your applications. If you need directions for this, see the Reinstall Guide link at the top of the page that opens when you click the Solutions tab above the forum

well seems strange to me that recovery console backup of registry didn't work. Do one thing...

boot from XP cd,

on welcome to xp setup screen press enter

press F8 for licence agreement

If it gives to you the option to repair existing windows installation then press 'R' or else proceed further...at the time of format you can choose "leave the current file system intact" and then it will ask you to delete current version of windows..if u dont have any imp files in my documents, u can delete this installation and proceed further else you can do a parralal install by choosing a different windows folder and later on after installation is over you can copy ur documents from older installation to new one and then delete previous windows installation.

OK, I'm stumped.  I have tried to get to the recovery console, I have tried the Repair option and to no avail.

This is what I've done:

1. Set my bios to boot using the CD-Rom.

2. Restarted with Dell XP disc in drive.

3. Prompted to hit any key to boot with CD Rom drive. Hit key.

4. Watched the loading of various drivers during CD Rom boot process.

5. Get to 'Welcome to Setup' screen. Hit 'enter'.

6. Get to 'License' screen, Hit 'F8'.  Result: Blue Screen with Registry error

What confounds me is why am I getting a registry error when booting from CD? Shouldn't the OS load override registry problems on the hard drive?

Similar thing happens when I go to the Recovery console. I get to the point where I choose my hard drive to repair (only one choice of c:) and I promptly get a blue screen with the registry error message.

I can't even see how I can format the darn drive, given that I can't get far enough into the process to start formatting.

I've run various Dell diagnostics on the system, with a focus on the hard drive, and can't find any problems on the hardware side.

As I said previously, why wouldn't booting from CD bypass the registry problem on my hard drive?  Could it be some sort of virus?

(scratching my head)

jb

jbarm,

Yes, booting from the CD should allow the installation to proceed without ever examining the registry. I have not seen this problem reported before (except by users who failed to change the position of the CD in the boot order in BIOS).

It should not be necessary, but you might try a brute force fix to the problem. Obtain an emergency boot floppy diskette (if you don't have an older Windows 9X system to make one you can download one from here. Boot with that floppy and run FDISK to remove the NTFS partitions from the hard drive, then run FORMAT to clean up the drive. Once the registry is gone from the drive, the clean install of XP should proceed normally. (I would say "will proceed normally" but at this stage I'm not as confident as I would normally be.)

I would try a emergency floppy, but unfortunately I don't have a floppy in the machine in question.

I am positive that the bios is set up correctly as well, so I'm still stuck.

Is it possible I have some sort of boot sector virus?

I guess I could install XP on one of my old hard drives, add this units hard drive as a slave and then format it. What a pain!

jb

jbarm,

Perhaps this may offer a solution.

To post a follow up....

I did find a solution to my dilemma.  I decided to check the jumpers on my cdrom and hard drive.  Both were set to 'cable select'.  So I thought, 'what the heck', and switched the jumpers to 'master'. Booted with the CD and viola, I was able to reinstall XP!

Of course when I tried to reboot the hard drive was not recognized by the bios.  So... I switched the jumpers back to 'cable select' and my system now works. Of course I now need to reinstall my programs again.

Weird but true.

jb

jbarm,

Thanks for posting the followup. I would never have suggested the route that eventually led to success, but it's something to file away for future reference in case the problem arises again.

I've encountered the same problem.  I tried to boot from my XP cd but to no avail.  In search for a solution I ended up here.  I've gone ahead and changed the jumpers to master but as I proceeded that the repair console keep on kicking me back to to a reboot phase.  When i sellected the install windows option that went well, but then sad thing is that it's going to set up another partition and I won't be able to access my existing files.  Is there any way around this, or this is really the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH?

Okuka

Well Im not sure if this thread is closed or not. I am currently working on a solution with a friend and wanted to offer this info. This issue occurs the same as everyone else posts.. No lastknowngood no safemode.No recovery console or Repair.

Sooo after all the hardware diagnostic pass, which they seem to always do.. I decided to debug the hard drive. This is a process of wiping the drive clean. So any hint of a windows registry would be gone.

 

http://premiersupport.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?nav=Knowledge_Base&DN=TT1011054

Heres the link.. The title of the article is How do I use the MS-DOS® debug script to remove my DOS or non-DOS partition?
 just in case the link is not working right..

So yeah after this the OS installed fine... All the data was gone but the install of the OS worked... If this doesnt work for you I'd say its time to start replacing hardware...