Boot Problem (Stop 0x00000024)

Question

I am trying to recover from a blue screen error on my Dell Inspiron 1100.
On start up, I get a blue screen with a message as below:
=============================
A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer
...

Technical information:

*** STOP: 0x00000024 (0x001902FA, 0xF96E0814, 0xF96E0514, 0xF8E85BBA)
=============================
I tried the following:
1, On start up, I hit F8 to enter Safe Mode and this resulted in blue screen error before I got a command prompt.
2. I then tried booting from the Dell reinstall CD (after changing the boot order). I was presented with three choices: a) reinstall XP b) Repair installation of XP and c) quit install.
I tried both options a) and b) and both resulted in the blue screen with the same message.
Basically, I would like to get to Safe Mode where I can run CHKDSK, disable virus software, etc., to see whether I can recover from this error.Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Srini

tgsmith · Answer

Hsrini, If you haven't repartitioned your drive, you might try the Onboard Diagnostics test described here:   <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>   A corrupt NTFS system or data volume can cause this error.  You really need to get to the Recovery Console and run chkdsk /r.  Since you receive the same error attempting a repair or reinstall, your hard drive may have developed a bad spot.  If your 1100 was recently purchased, you need to contact Dell and get a Windows XP CD. Is your unit still in warranty?   Tony

hsrini · Answer

Tony,
My problem is that as soon as I choose Safe Mode either on reboot from hard drive or from Dell reinstall CD,
I get the blue screen straight away. Not sure how I can get to recovery console or try CHKDSK. All I can think of is to take the
HD out and mount it as a slave drive on another computer and see whether I can repair the disk and copy the contents out.
Looking for an easier way to resolve this without having to physically take the HD out of my laptop.
Thanks
Srini

tgsmith · Answer

hsrini,

To connect the 1100's hard drive to a desktop you'll need a USB adapter kit. If you have access to a genuine Windows XP SP2 CD, it would be much easier to boot up on that CD, Select R for Recovery Console, login to your Windows, and run CHKDSK /R. I think the newer Boot Floppy Disk Set you can download from Microsoft for WinXP SP2 only allows you to access your CD to Setup Windows. The older versions allowed you to get to the Recovery Console. If you want to try the one for SP2, they are all available for download here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q310994

Tony

hsrini · Answer

Tony,
I have the official Windows XP Reinstallation CD (SP1) from Dell that I received with the laptop at time of purchase (early 2004). When I boot from this CD, it brings up a "Windows Setup" blue window and then loads up all drivers, controllers, etc., from the CD. It then gives you an option to either a) set up XP or b) repair previous install. Choosing either of these options results in the blue screen error straight away without any control to run CHKDSK.
Do you think that Win XP SP2 will make a difference over SP1 disk for this situation? If so, I can see whether Dell will send me a SP2 reinstall CD. Thanks for sending me the Win XP SP2 link to create a bootable disk. However, I do not have a floppy drive in my laptop.

Thanks
Srini

tgsmith · Answer

Srini, Ok. You have reinstallation CD for XP SP1.  Thought you had SP2.  Wouldn't make any difference in your situation.  If you get the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) when you choose the r on the opening screen, I'm afraid you've got a serious problem in the boot partition of your hard drive.  I recommend the following.  Check the shipping invoice that came with your 1100 or go to Dell Support site and key in your Service Code.  Find the manufacturer of your hard drive (Most likely it's an IBM Travelstar).  Go to that manufacturer's web site.  Download a Bootable Dos Diagnostics CD ISO image.  Using Nero (or Roxio), burn that ISO image to a CD. Boot your 1100 on the Diagnostics CD and run non-destructive tests; i.e., read and seek.  If fatal errors are found, you're probably looking at drive replacement.  Do not do destructive tests.  Your only option to get your data off the drive may be to purchase (or borrow) a USB adapter kit for a laptop drive. If you don't have a source, let me know. You can then plug the drive into a USB port on a desktop running XP, and try to copy the data you need to the desktop's hard drive.  If you can't copy the data, do not be discouraged.  Tony

hsrini · Answer

Tony,
Thanks to you, I have made some movement although yet to resolve the issue.
The system information from dell.com shows the hard drive as:
Part No: 3T438
Description: HARD DRIVE, 30GB, I, 2.5" FORM FACTOR, 9.5MM, HIT-EUCL

"HIT-EUCL" did seem like a Hitachi/IBM HD in line with your expectations and so I went to Hitachi website and created a bootable DOS diagnostic CD. However, when I booted my laptop with this CD, it did not bring up the user interface that would have helped in running the "Drive Fitness Test". The README caveat did say that it won't work for Travelstar E drives, or Travelstar C4K Series. I can't tell from the description of the part from dell.com whether this HD is a travelstar or not.
Basically, when I boot from the CD, I get to a DOS command mode. I can certainly examine my C: drive and list the files. However, since I cannot run CHKDSK in DOS mode, I am not sure what command I could run to attempt repairing the HD. Any suggestions?

Thanks
Srini

tgsmith · Answer

Srini, The bootable DOS DFT (Drive Fitness Test) floppy disk creator is here: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#Drive%20fitness  If you don't have a floppy, you can create a bootable DFT CD with Nero (or Roxio) by downloading the bootable CD image on the same web page.  Create the bootable CD from the ISO image.  You can then use that bootable CD to run the Drive Fitness Test. It will give you detailed information on your drive.  It can test any hard drive. If it finds a non-Hitachi drive, it will ask for the serial number of the drive.     Hitachi 2.5' form-factor drives are Travelstars. Endurastar drives are used for harsh environments (Sahara to Antarctica). Microdrives are 1' form-factor.  Deskstars are for desktops. Ultrastars are SCSI or SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) drives.   If you can see the files on the C: drive, you can copy important files to floppy, ZIP or USB drives. Tony Message Edited by tgsmith on 01-03-2006 06:17 PM

hsrini · Answer

Tony,

As per my prev. posting, I did download the ISO from the Hitachi web site (same link as above) and burnt it as a bootable CD.. However, this CD boots to A:\Caledra DR-DOS prompt. The FAQ for downloading Knoppix (http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Downloading_FAQ)

covers what seems to be the same issue - apparently, the ISO should be burned as an image and not as a bootable CD. I am going to give this a try.

Assuming this works, I assume that my option would be to erase the desk or repair a sector after copying files and reinstall XP from the Dell reinstallation CD.

Thanks,

--Srini

tgsmith · Answer

Srini,

Yes, yes. ISOs are burned as images. You're right! So busy describing altenate ways to create bootable CD equivalent of a floppy that I didn't make that clear. Thanks for pointing that out. Will edit prior post and correct.

Tony

hsrini · Answer

I finally managed to burn Hitachi Disk Diagnostic ISO correctly on a CD. When I booted using the CD on my laptop, the HD was identified as "Toshiba 3MD7214T" and not as IBM/Hitachi. I ran the non-destructive diagnostics anyway and no errors were reported although I still have the blue screen of death. I was not able to find similar diagnostic test from Toshiba web site. Looks like I have to buy a laptop adapter or a 2.5' enclosure and mount the drive as a secondary drive and recover data and reformat and load up XP again.

My HD woes continue to mount no pun intended. My partner managed to power off our desktop (dell dimension 2400) while it was running and now I get a "Disk read error" on start up. Ran the same diagnostics on this HD which turned out to be a Hitachi IC35l090AVV207-0. The outcome was an "Excess Shock" error. This sounded really bleak. However, I rebooted using the erroneously burned bootable CD from last night and it took me to a "CALDERA-MSDOS" prompt and I am able to list files on C:. So, there is still some hope against hope that I may be able to recover some data ;)

tgsmith · Answer

Srini,

Looks like you're doomed. Chkdsk /r may fix 2400 problem. However you go about recovering your data, copy wpa.dbl and wpa.bak from c:\windows\system32 folder prior to XP repair or XP clean install. Once Windows is installed copy them back to the system32 folder. These are the Windows Product Activation files. These links should be helpful:

XP Repair Install: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

XP Clean Install: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Tony

hsrini · Answer

I haven't attempted to recover the data yet. Given that the odds are not good, do you have any recommendations for data recovery services or data recovery software that I can use as last ditch attempt to recover some precious data. Thanks Srini

tgsmith · Answer

Srini,

Yes. Restoration (rest2514.exe) is very good for recovering deleted files and its freeware. Available at: http://www.snapfiles.com/download/dlrestoration.html

BadCopy Pro 3.8 can be downloaded from http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tag=srch&qt=badcopy+pro&tg=dl-20&search.x=12&search.y=10

Cost is about $40US. Better than some of the $1000-$1500 packages. Will recover any type of media: hard drives, floppy disks, ZIP disks, USB thumb drives, compact flash, smart media, CDs, DVDs, etc. I give it a 10 Plus rating on data recovery. Well worth the money.

Tony

hsrini · Answer

Tony,

Thanks for your response. However, I am looking for recovery services or recovery software to recover data from my damaged hard drive.

Description for Badcopy Pro 3.8 says:

BadCopy Pro is a professional data recovery software for floppy disk, CD-ROM, CD-RW, and digital media cards.

No mention of recovering from a hard drive.

Thanks

Srini

tgsmith · Answer

Srini,

I have used BadCopy Pro 3.75 to:

Recover 16.8Gb of AutoCad drawings from a partially low-level formatted 60Gb Maxtor. Acronis ran 31 consecutive days and could only recover 24% of the drive. Powermax "failed" the drive.

Recover 96 aerial photos on a 128Mb Nikon Smart Flash Card.

Recover 68 Excel spreadsheets on an "unformatted" floppy disk. Did this yesterday.

Recover 100Mb of documents on a CD-R (the computer died 20 secs before backup completion).

If it's storage media, BadCopy will recover it. I do this for a living.

Tony

Windows General

Boot Problem (Stop 0x00000024)

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