XP SP3 CD Now Available

Shouldn't make a difference.

At any rate - I don't know why the BSOD didn't save to that directory. Perhaps you rebooted your computer too fast before it had a chance to write it - it usually takes ~30 seconds to dump the memory then save to disk (when you set it to auto-restart and you turn off your PC then it's too soon).
 
No, I didn't shut down for quite a few minutes, I read the whole screen, then made a note of the code, counting the zeros, it took me a few minutes to do that and re check, then I shut down, and rebooted, getting the screen that says"last time Windows didn't load properly...." and the option to re-start Windows normally, which I selected.
The code was : -
STOP: 0x0000008E
(0xC0000005, 0x00000000, 0xF7B19B14,0x00000000)

Dont know if that helps

six-h
 
That stop error is related to a kernel crash. We would need the minidump zipped up and attached to be able to further help you.
 
Kernel crash!
sounds terminal!
What does it mean?
I'm having problems trying to find a minidump, been looking through the C:\Windows folder, but to no avail.
Could it have been stored elsewhere?
I've checked "Error reporting", and it is enabled for both system and programmes.
Done several "Windows searches" for "%systemroot%\minidump",but none found in the Windows folder.
 
Have you got your hidden files showing? the Kernel crash might not be that bad. Could be a driver issue. Did you update any drivers recently or install any new hardware?
 
Makaveli213 said:
Have you got your hidden files showing? the Kernel crash might not be that bad. Could be a driver issue. Did you update any drivers recently or install any new hardware?
Click to expand...
Hi Makaveli213, Yes my PC is set up to always show hidden files & folders.

Strangely enough, a couple of months back my PC started having dementia regarding my scanner.
It has been OK for 4 years up to then, and for some reason, it "found new hardware each time I re-booted.
Eventually, it resorted to the windows generic driver, and the scanner was christened "Slim USB Scanner #2" (It was originally unnumbered), I downloaded an updated driver from the Medion website who are the "manufacturers" of the scanner, and ever since, (approx 6 weeks) I've not been pestered by "Found new hardware", although I now have two scanners listed, numbered #2 and #3.
Presumably #3 is the updated driver.
I don't know how to get rid of the #2 entry which I presume is the generic driver version, or if that will invoke the dreaded "found new hardware" merry-go-round!
I've not fired up my PC since Tuesday, scared of what might happen, fortunately all was OK this evening.
 
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The issue where Vista/XP keeps re-installing the driver is one I experienced with my all-in-one printer when I was using just the orginal release of Vista. However, always make sure you are using the most up-to-date drivers.

Vista SP1 has seemed to fix this along with many other issues and XP SP3 should fix them. If you get a new hard drive and re-install Windows, make sure to apply it before you install any other applications to avoid installation problems.

Windows by design well give some of the names of devices numbers when you re-connect them to the computer if they are not connected to the same port they were removed from. It well also re-install the driver for the device to associate it with its new location on the bus.

I use a wireless usb adapter to access my network from my desktop and my connection is named: "Wireless Connection #6". As I plug the device into ports it has not been previously plugged into, Vista gives it the same name, but appends a number.
 
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Thanks Justin,
I'm running good old XP Home, SP2 at the moment!

Reading your comments, I can understand that if I had swapped the USB sockets around, (which I haven't) my PC might be convinced that there was a new scanner on the block, and assigned it a new number, but two entries for the one piece of kit I find a bit strange.

Your experience with the wireless connection made me check my own, and though this is via an internal "Prism" wireless card, that too is now named "Wireless connection #2", I don't know when this change happened!

Why do I always have these strange problems!!

six-h
 
The suffixing of "#2" also occurs when a new driver is installed for an old card without actually updating or removing the old one.

You can rename the LAN connection easily enough by right-clicking -> Rename.
 
Thanks Mahmoud,
I've noted that for when I've got my PC in a better state of health and I do some tidying up!
Still can't understand where that minidump can be!
I've been searching all over, and though reporting is enabled, it just doesn't seem to be anywhere!

six-h
 
Weird stuff happens - it looks like this minidump simply wasn't dumped!

Perhaps a cleanup utility got rid of it?
 
Hmm... I've not done any cleaning due to the tenuous grasp that my PC seems to have on the world at the moment!

Since my HDD has been found to have 2 bad sectors, I really think that I need to replace it and do a re-install of the OS, upgrade to SP3 and see if it is stable before re-installing my data, and software.

Trouble is it scares me silly!
I'm determined to fix this myself, in order to learn, and increase my confidence but there are so many things that I don't know about, I'm sure that once I've taken the first steps, I'll be cut off from the world and be unable to get any help to finish the job.
I've mailed "Medion" the PC manufacturer, to ask what the model No. of the HDD was, and their recommended replacement unit, so that I can get something that is as close as possible to the original to avoid any complications.

My disk is described in the original sales bumf as being a Seagate 7200rpm ultra ATA 100 capacity 160GB.
With the popularity today of larger capacity disks, I thought maybe I could pick up a compatible unit with say 320GB for possibly less than it would cost me to stick with 160GB

Hardware aside, the feat of partitioning a new disk, and doing a "Flat" install of the OS fills me with dread!

Sooo many questions!!!!!

six-h
 
Having a bad secotr or 2 isnt that bad. I have had hard drives with upwards of 10+ and the drives still ran perfect for years to come.

When it comes to hard drives you can get any make or model as long as the connection type matches. ATA is also known as IDE. So you can get a 500GB IDE drive if you wish and have even more space.

Partitioning and isntallign are nothing big. We have guides setup for them already.

Installing Windows XP - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
Installing Windows Vista - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki

If you have any questions do not be afraid to ask. Between the people on this site and all the years we have been working on PC's we break teh centuary mark easily. We are not afraid to guide you along and answer every question no matter how small or stupid you may think it is.

As i was told a long time ago. The only stupid question is the one not asked.

So if there is anything i can do to help ease your nerves and help guide you along i will be more than happy to do it.

Even if it is write up more guides on how to do stuff. Including installing a new hard drive. :wink:
 
Makaveli213, thanks for the link to installing XP.
Wow!
That's the kind of help that I can understand.
I've saved the page just in case it disappears in the future!

I am encouraged by your statement that a couple of bad sectors does not necessarily equal a failing disk.
In truth, I must admit to being a little miffed to be told that my barely used HDD was on the way out when only a couple of sectors out of 160GB were faulty, but hey, what do I know!

If we equate the disk to a highway, and the bad sectors are potholes in the road, is running "scandisk/r" the equivalent of setting up cones round the potholes, and would a future re-install of the OS avoid these sectors??

If you are serious in your kind offer to help me, I can post links to the threads in various fora that have tried to sort my problems, beware, there is much to read!!
I can also describe how my HDD is partitioned and the software/recovery disks that were provided when I bought the machine.

six-h
 
I think you mean "chkdsk /r"? If so, yes, that's exactly how it works.

BTW, glad you like the XP guides - a lot of effort went into making them easy to read and understand while not dumbing down their content at the same time :smile:
 
I think you mean "chkdsk /r"?
Click to expand...

Quite right, see what I mean, I'm a total numpty!!

Reason I ask about that is that the bad sectors were not discovered until after I had done a "Factory re-set" in an attempt to escape the problems I had.
It took me back to November 2003 and XP SP1, when I purchased the machine, The road back to the present day was long and hard!
First job, install SP2, no problem!
Next job, install 98 updates most of which refused to install time and again.
I spent 20 hrs at one stretch coaxing my machine to accept them all, and have no wish to do that ever again!!
However, all to no avail, as the problem was still there.

I now have an SP3 Network edition disk (Courtesy of the engineers who maintain the system at the school where I help out with PC Literacy classes) and believe this would ease the pain, if I did another factory re-set, as long as the bad sectors could be avoided, but I still need to understand the pro's and con's of a "Factory re-set" as opposed to doing a "Flat Install".
As I say, sooo many questions!

The guides are absolutely what is needed.
There are so many helpful and well intentioned people out there, and bless them for their efforts, but they all assume a level of knowledge that in many cases does not exist, and they skip over some points in their instruction that they may consider to be elementary, but to folk like me, it's like "uhuh, that shouldn't have happened, its not mentioned in the instructions. I must have done something wrong."
What I've been searching for is someone fairly local (in the same country) that would be prepared to "hold my hand" whilst I carry out the procedure!
Needless to say, no-one wants to give you their phone number in case you become the stalker from hell! lol.

I did have a time when doing the last re-set, when I could not get my PC to connect to the net afterwards.
I spent a couple of weeks going back and to to the library to use their computers for 30 minutes at a time trying to get help!!
that was awful - the problem, the wireless card would not release its IP address!
A simple thing, but hell on earth when you don't know.

sorry to rattle on!
Do continue to make more of the guides in the style that you are using, they're like diamonds in the wilderness!

Finally, I tried to log in to the wiki site using the details used here, but was unable, can I register there too?

six-h
 
The forums have one login and the rest of the site has another. Membership on the rest of the site is given on a case-by-case basis to people looking to contribute to the content (by adding articles, etc.). You don't need an account to access any of the content though.

The difference between an install and a restore is that when you restore an image of the disk is used, byte for byte, sector for sector. That overwrites the flags that tell the OS what sectors on the disk are damaged and which aren't.
 
The forums have one login and the rest of the site has another. Membership on the rest of the site is given on a case-by-case basis to people looking to contribute to the content (by adding articles, etc.). You don't need an account to access any of the content though.
Click to expand...
OK, I'll go explore later!

The difference between an install and a restore is that when you restore an image of the disk is used, byte for byte, sector for sector. That overwrites the flags that tell the OS what sectors on the disk are damaged and which aren't.
Click to expand...
So does "Restore" equate to "Factory Re-set"?
If so does that mean that I can't ever do a "Factory re-set" on my disk because of the flaws, even though they are now flagged?

Presuming that the only other option is to do a "Flat Install", and then add the drivers and bundled software that I wish to keep, (I presume that I can cherry-pick these from the factory re-set disk somehow) how does this method avoid the bad sectors?
six-h
 
Six-h,

I am glad you found that stuff useful. Glad that it can help you out. As Mahmoud said we try to make them as technical as possible with also making it understandable to the common user who doesnt hae the technical skills of us. :wink:

By all means create topics with your questions and get them asked. I am sure that Terry, Mahmoud and myself will be more than willing to help you along. With help from Sarge, Peter among the rest who pitch in on a daily basis.

All you have to do is let us know what kinds of things you would like to see as guides and either we will find them online already or create them for you. :grinning:

We aim to please.
 
Makaveli213
Thanks for that!
Dependent on the answers to my last post, I might need a similarly lucid guide to doing a flat install on a drive like mine which has bad sectors, with instructions on how to then load drivers and the bundled software from the original factory re-set disk.
Is there a limit to how many times you can re-install windows, presuming that you have to phone MS each time to register, or whatever?

I've just noticed another job that's needing to be done, my clock seems to be 2 minutes slow, so the BIOS battery is going to need changing soon!
Scares the wits out of me having to open the case!!

six-h
 
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