Win XP-Repair

[shan2009]

Hi mates,
looks like i am in a serious problem here.
My desktop PC was running on XP Prof with Sp3 till it crashed with a message that said:
Windows could not start...........
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM file missing/corrupt.

I have loads of data in the hdd that loosing them will be a permanent heartache!
I tried/searched for the best possible solution online but failed!

Finally, in an attempt to save the data, I put in my Xp cd and tried to run a repair programme.Things were fine till the xp files and drivers were loaded and it reached a point where I need to give yes/no answer......the dialog box with message,
"The Software you are installing for this hardware: Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller has not passed the............with Windows XP" appears...any answer yes/no will disable my usb mouse and keyword! the next will be the same message for the hardware ATI/HDMI and so on...without any input tools i am unable to respond and my installation will be halted without any help!

I tried using a PS2 adapter for both mouse and keyboard but the outcome is the same.the moment the files and drivers been loaded,the two devices would be disabled!

I need to save the data in my HDD as it contains thousands of family photos and important files!
My fault that I did not invest in any backups so far!!

I have another laptop running on Win7 starter, so thought of any ways to link the HDD to the laptop hard disk to copy the files if it is possible.Or any other possibilities??

Any assistance will be highly appreciated.I am not a pro with computer systems but a learner still! so any simplified ideas will help!
Anyway, my system is running on,

Win XP Proffessional
HDD: Seagate Barrcuda 7200rpm SATA 250GB
Memory: KVR800 D2N5 1GB KINGSTON
MOBO: GA-MA78GM-S2H running AMD Dualcore Athlon

Tq.

Shan

[jdeb]

Buy a usb/sata adapter, pull the drive, hook up to another PC and back it up. http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?inv...&CJPID=4169931

[shan2009]

hi jdeb,
thanks a lot.will get one to apply your idea.
Just hope that since it is via usb it can be transferred to a netbook.
tq.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by shan2009 hi jdeb, thanks a lot.will get one to apply your idea. Just hope that since it is via usb it can be transferred to a netbook. tq.

It should if it is a sata drive.

[Preston]

Originally Posted by jdeb Buy a usb/sata adapter, pull the drive, hook up to another PC and back it up. IDE to USB 2.0 Cable Adapter - Turn Your 2.5", 3.5" or 5.25" IDE Drive Into A USB Drive! ADA-2012 and we can go from there.

Definitely.

Those little gems are a "must have" for anyone's PC tool box. I just picked up a Rosewill SATA/IDE to USB adapter and it works great.

[glc]

Oops - that ADA-2012 adapter is IDE only - the 2020 from Geeks is my old standby:

IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 Cable Adapter - Turn Your 2.5", 3.5" or 5.25" IDE or SATA Drive Into A USB Drive! 2020

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by glc Oops - that ADA-2012 adapter is IDE only - the 2020 from Geeks is my old standby: IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 Cable Adapter - Turn Your 2.5", 3.5" or 5.25" IDE or SATA Drive Into A USB Drive! 2020

Thanks George for catching that, I was going by the picture instead of slowing down and reading the description. I edited my link

[shan2009]

Hi guys,
thanks a lot for your assistance.
I managed to get a SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 adapter cable as jdeb recomended.plugged the hard disk in and voila! the laptop recognise it! Was extremely relieved!
Instead of quickly transferring the files to the notebook HDD, because of my other urgent priorities, I postponed it to today and you know what,when i plugged it in today, suddenly a window poped up telling me that the HDD need to be formatted!
And, sadly in the file explorer, I can't see that the drive is recognised!
I wonder what's wrong?

Any help again? I am so sorry to ask this but I just have no choices!

Thanks.


Shan

[jdeb]

Download and burn a live linux cd.
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download
or
Download - Linux Mint

Boot from that cd, plug the adapter/drive into the USB and wait until it is recognized about 30 seconds. It should put a folder of the mounted drive on the desktop, copy the files you want to whatever storage medium you have, I assume a USB flash drive.

[shan2009]

Hi,thanks.
do i need to fully install the OS before i could read the files through USB?
If that is the case which one is more user friendly? Mint or Ubuntu? Mint looks great though!
tq.

Shan

[glc]

No, you can run Linux from the CD.

[shan2009]

Thats good.
I will try and if any inquiries will post here.
Thanks glc.
Anyway, on the Linux,it has been my long term interest to run a system with it.Are you using any? Which is more user friendly and trouble free for a beginner?
Thanks.

Shan

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by shan2009 Thats good. I will try and if any inquiries will post here. Thanks glc. Anyway, on the Linux,it has been my long term interest to run a system with it.Are you using any? Which is more user friendly and trouble free for a beginner? Thanks. Shan

I was just suggesting to run the Linux live cd in order to try and recover your files. This will also give you the opportunity to check it out. Just remember that you are running it live so it will not save anything, so get your files backed up while running live.

Linux Mint is a great choice for new users. Get your files backed up and we can go from there in terms of distro selection.

[shan2009]

Hi,
thanks jdeb.
I've got it clear.
Will post the result once done.

Thank you.

Shan

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by shan2009 Hi, thanks jdeb. I've got it clear. Will post the result once done. Thank you. Shan

Once your files are backed up. Start a new thread in the Linux OS forum. Thanks.

[Detonate]

Once you have installed the Linux OS, you can install a program called ntfs-utils, which will allow you to schedule your XP partition to run the disk check on next startup and repair any errors it finds and this may solve your problem with XP. All computers that run windows should, in my opinion be setup to dual boot with a Linux OS from which you can fix a lot of things on your Windows install.

[shan2009]

Thanks guys!
I am learning lots of stuff here.
Let me put it into good use and respond....
Thanks.

Shan


When a man stops learning.........,he starts to grow old!.. Henry Ford.

[shan2009]

Hi,i have installed ubuntu 11.10 Gnome in my laptop now (from live-DVD) but still it doesn't display the connection to my Sata 2.0 USB! I went to system settings to set it in a way that any removable media is displayed once connected.

The HDD on the Sata-USB adapter is powered but no info displayed as connected in the system....I dont see any difference with win7 and Ubuntu.BUT i am sure there is a solution probably I need to do some settings.

Tq.

Shan

[Detonate]

This is the desktop PC, correct? Then mount the drive directly to the PC using an available SATA connection.

[vali31]

Got the same message before. Check your connections. What I did was completely shutdown the laptop and rebooted. I did not install the software that came with the tool. Then I plugged in the power source to the socket than to the hdd. Then connect the USB sata/ide bridge adapter to the HDD, then plug in the usb connection to the laptop.

Photo of product:
ACW ONLINE

Where I purchased it from:
FRYS.com*|*Kingwin