Frequent Repair Installs Required!!

[chris935]

For the last couple of months I must have had to make 8 or 9 Windows XP (Home) repair installs due to errors on start up. The problem usually occurs when Windows fails to load - it just hangs before the User Account logon screen appears. On restart I get an error saying a file is missing or corrupt - it seems to be a different file each time. I then do the repair instal and 30 minutes later all is fine. I have done many virus scans and nothing comes up. I have also done a complete re-install of windows (and what a pain that is). The problem is still there and I have just completed my 3rd repair install in 3 weeks.

When the computer is up everything works fine so I don't know where to even start looking for the problem.

Any suggestions?

[TwoRails]

Have you run a memory tester? Does this happen with the fresh install only? (meaning before any programs are installed?) I assume this is a factory install disk? Do you install your motherboard drivers before installing any other stuff? Did you install all the latest-n-greatest drivers for your vid cards and the like?

[chris935]

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I have run memtest and it comes up clean.

It seems to occur randomly. I have only done a fresh install once (in addition to the original of course) and since this only occurs once in a hwile I cannot say if it related to a particular program or not. Motherboard drivers were th efirst to go in and as best as I can tell I am using the latest drivers for hardware.

[TwoRails]

Can you remember any more details of the errors? That would be handy. I take it you've run antivirus / malware / trogan scans, did a complete surface scan on the HD, and the like?

[chris935]

Done all the scans etc - I use PC-cillin - I suppose they are as good as the others. I thought it was a HDD problem but Windows and Western Digital scans come up clean.

The error message is different each time. It is usually just a windows message saying a file is missing or corrupted - the file name varies.

I'm not being much help but I appreciate your thoughts!

[TwoRails]

Well... I'm not being too much help either

Anybody else have any ideas??

[crjdriver]

If you are getting file corruption, check the hd. You may have a failing hd.

Also is the system overclocked?

[bailey]

I am going to take a differant point of view of your problem:
you run into a problem, so you do a repaire install instead of trying to find out what the problem is, or even doing a restore point to see if that corrects the problem,
well after doing that many install repaires and still not fixing the problem, it must be something else besides windows.
so based on everything you have done, I will suggest that you format the hard drive and start all over with a clean install of windows xp, and all the motherboard drivers you will need and then all the updates and service packs you want to have, then at that time run the system through its paces to see if any problems develope , before you install any software.
then if you get any kind of error post that exact error here and then we can tell you the best route to take at that point.

[chris935]

system is not overclocked - all hd checks have passed - but it could still be failing.

And in response to bailey - i was thinking just like you and did a complete clean install about a month ago - clean hdd, installed xp and all drivers - and then it was fine till last week.

UPDATE - just got b ack from dinner and had left pc on - it had gone into power save and then would not come back! wouldnt reboot so went into bios and found that hdd priority had been switched (not by me!) - switched it back and got two disk read errors and ctrl-alt-del. Now it has displayed the error message "windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install a copy of the abovefile."

I will do another repair install but I am at my wits end to figure out what is going on!!

I'm using my old computer - which never had this problem!!

[bailey]

go into power management and set everything to never,
then see what happens, your hard drive may be failing you.

power management is ment for laptops to conserve battery power, it is not needed on a desktop system at all.

[chris935]

i think it must be the hdd too - the reinstall has hung too. But wouldn't the chkdsk or western digital lifeguard scans i did have picked something up? And since it is under warranty how do I prove it is defective?

[crjdriver]

Originally Posted by chris935 i think it must be the hdd too - the reinstall has hung too. But wouldn't the chkdsk or western digital lifeguard scans i did have picked something up? And since it is under warranty how do I prove it is defective?

Before you rma the drive, check ALL of the hardware. It certainly seems like a hardware problem.

1 Download and run a memory tester like memtest86 If that passes the test, give the board a very close look; check the caps on the board. You may have a leaking one.

Ok, if everything looks ok pull all of the cards out except the video card. Now do the install. If it runs ok for a few days, install cards one at a time; you may have a bad add-in card also.

As far as rmaing a drive to WD, they have been very good with me. I have had drives that would not run the lifeguard app and just told them that. They sent me a new drive.

[crjdriver]

One more item, what brand and wattage of power supply do you have installed?

[chris935]

thanks for replies

well the latest repair install wiped out one partition which it is not supposed to do but all data is backed up! so a clean install is gonna happen anyway!

memtest comes up clean as does a deep scan of hdd. before i do the clean install i will do as you suggest and check the board and only add in the video card.

I wondered about cooling but temps vary from 39-44 only. I think power supply is Ok - I have an Antec neopower 480W.

[chris935]

just got back from a trip and when i boot up it now wont get to windows and when i go into the BIOS the boot HDD is not even listed. Is my hard drive the problem or the MOBO?

[crjdriver]

Did you eyeball the mb and check for bad caps?

You can try pulling the hd and slaving it to the system you are using now. See if it is detected and if you are able to access the drive.

[kev7555]

This keeps sounding more and more like a damaged sector on your hard drive. Hard drives are not horribly expensive. In my shop I would just install a used drive from my stock and see how the system performs. If the problem persists I would be looking at RAM or Motherboard problems, but this really sounds like the HD to me.

-Kev

[chris935]

checked mobo and as far as i can tell it looks like it did the day it arrived. the drives are sata so i just swapped the cables round on the mobo and now it works fine. Im at a loss - but maybe hurricane rita will solve my problems by sending a tree through my window and then i can get a new one!

[macko72]

It could be that your MBR is corrupted try runing Recovery console and FIXMBR command and CHKDSK /F , just idea!!!

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm

[kev7555]

>>>><<<<<<<<

Sorry! I should have mentioned to check that all the cables were seated properly. Sometimes that's all it is!


-Kev

[chris935]

well i am not sure that this is fixed - but i rfeplaced the sata cable to the drive and re-installed windows and all is ok - for now. i cant believe that its is as simple as that as the cable was only 7 months old and looked in good shape - but.....

thanks for everyones help