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Reinstalling Windows XP
Because I cannot get Disk Defrag or System Restore to work in Windows XP Professional after many bug fix attempts ( thanks to those who have helped) , it seems my only option is to reinstall in the repair mode. As I understand the process:
1. I need to boot from the XP CD.
2. Select the ' Repair the selected Windows XP installation'
My question is this: will this only repair the background OS without affecting any of my applications or data? I do not want to reinstall all my applications over again. I once used a recovery disk on a computer, and I lost all my applications. I want to ensure there is a manner of repairing XP without wiping out the applications.
Brad
Although I'm not running XP Pro (I have XP Home/SP1), I recently did a repair reinstall to replace the audio codec files that Dell tech support told me to delete in the course of trouble shooting SB Audigy2 applet problems I was having. The reinstall did restore the deleted/missing codec files as I'd hoped. However, after doing the repair reinstall I ran into 2 "glitches". I had to remove and reinstall my ATI 9800 Pro graphics card drivers (experienced some display problems in some games) and, upon running defrag afterward I did find that the reinstall process established a second virtual memory allocation on the hard drive in addition to the original memory allocation, which, to my dismay, remains unchangable/unaccessible even when disabling virtual memory before running defrag. If you do a repair reinstall, based upon my experience, I would suggest disabling your virtual memory prior to beginning the reinstall. Other than the graphics driver and virtual memory issues, I've experienced no other system program issues in the 10 days since I did the repair reinstall. Oh, another thing to keep in mind is doing a repair reinstall removes all previous system restore points.
Message Edited by VCraig on 04-13-2004 05:09 PM
I did do a repair reinstall, and it did restore my System Restore capability. I also had to reinstall audio drivers, but other than that, I did get System Restore back. I still cannot defrag in normal startup mode, tho I can defrag in Safe mode.
Brad
If defrag works in Safe Mode - and assuming you haven't already done the following, to rule out the no-defrag problem is because of an installed program loaded during normal start up, you might try typing msconfig in the Start\Run box, then uncheck everything listed in the Start Up tab, reboot, and try defrag. If it works, then start adding (rechecking/enabling) everything in your list beginning with the first thing listed, reboot, and try defrag, and so on adding one program at a time between reboots until (hopefully) the offending program is identified.
Thanks for your tip. I tried it, and unfortunately - defrag does not work under normal startup even with all programs disabled. It might have something to do with Windows XP updates or some drivers. System Restore works again after a repair reinstall of XP SP1a, but defrag continues to be non-functional except in Safe Mode. If I install Norton Utilities, Speed Disk doesn't work, either. I uninstalled Norton in case there was a conflict between Speed Disk and Disk Defrag, but I still have the same problem with defrag.
Brad
- The fact the defrag executable program runs in Safe Mode indicates, in my opinion, that the Windows defrag executable program is OK. I would still lean toward a program - namely Symantec System Works Speed Disc - as the problem source. Uninstalling any Symantec product via Add/Remove Programs still leaves registry changes intact scattered all over your HD. If I were in your shoes I would try using the Symantec manual registry edit uninstall for System Works before launching into a complete, clean OS reinstall (and having to reinstall every app, patch and update....) to totally eliminate possible corrupted/conflicting Speed Disc files as the cause of defrag not runnable in normal mode. I don't have the direct link to post here but you can do a search for manual uninstall of System Works on Symantec web site. (I'll see if I can find it and post back..)
Here's the link to various Symantec product manual uninstall procedures:
Hope this helps.......
Message Edited by VCraig on 04-14-2004 06:12 PM
Thanks Craig. I'll definitely try that when I get home. I never had any problems before with Norton Systemworks or any of its components. I have it installed on several computers with no conflict between it and Disk Defrag. I definitely had a problem with my OS, because System Restore did not work before my repair reinstall, and it works fine now. I was surprised to find that Defrag still has a problem. It must be some conflict with a Windows Update or an applications driver. I must have done something to change the system along the way - maybe even Adaware or other Malware detector/removal tools .
I hope Control Panel/Add /Remove Software is sufficient for removing Norton, because it is my understanding that a BAckup cannot be done in XP if ANY Norton components are installed - part of their anti-piracy campaign. Norton recommends uninstalling its programs if a Backup is desired - then reinstalling them. What a pain.
Brad
Probably should've asked this at the get-go: Have you uninstalled all programs, utilities, anything else.. that have been added since the last time you know system restore and defrag worked OK - and was one of these programs System Works (with the Norton Utilities/Speed Disk component)? As for system restore, once the files are corrupted, as Denny and others have noted many times previously, the only option is to turn it off - which wipes out all exisiting restore points - and turn it back on, then establish a new restore point and try it. It's quite possible you may have been able to get sysytem restore functional again this way without doing a Windows repair reinstall. One other thing - I believe I read/saw among the Symantec manual program uninstall listings where one can uninstall individual components of System Works, namely, Norton Utilities with Speed Disk vs all inherent program components.
Message Edited by VCraig on 04-14-2004 08:50 PM
jmwills
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Posted April 13th, 2004 16:00