Please help!!!

[mattaggie]

After a few months of really sluggish performance, a family member's year old HP Pavillion a1000 says this when you turn the power on:

Windows cold not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
system32\drivers\pci.sys

I attempted to do a repair using the windows XP CD. However I could never get the PC to boot from the CD. I went into BIOS and changed the boot sequence, but still cannot boot from the CD. When I got the error message, it said to press 'r' at the first screen. When I do that, I get a system restore.

Sometimes when trying to boot, I get this message: Windows could not start because of an error in the software. Please report this problem as: load needed DLL's for kernel.

So before delving into fixing that problem, I thought it would be a good idea to copy all their important files to another HDD in case I have to end up doing a complete reinstalltion of XP. So I put the HDD into my computer as a secondary drive. Yet when I look at the HDD in 'My Computer' it shows only 7 GB of the 200 as being used. I am not sure what the total number of used BG should be, but there should be tons of music and pictures on it. I cannot find any of their documents, music, pictures, etc. I have done searches for *.jpg and *.mp3 and find only files that came on the HDD. In the program files I cannot find programs that did not come on the PC. There is no trace that anyone has actually used the HDD except for one case where within shared documents of "All Users" there are the last pictures they put on HDD. Other than that, the HDD looks like it just came from HP. Why they are in shared documents I have no idea as this family only has one computer.

I have done two previous things to the HDD, neither of them really knowing what I was doing. When the HDD was in its original system I created a system restore partition (which I think is something you do when the computer is healthy). The partition shows up as the G: drive and is about 7 GB. Then when I put it in my computer and booted up, my computer did some kind of scan of the HDD. It looked similar to when you do error checking.

So in doing either of these things could I have messed something up?

I realize I have mentioned many problems, but I would really appreciate any advice on any of them. My main concern is recovering all their family pictures.

[mattaggie]

I was able to boot from my Dell reinstallation CD. Do I have the right CD for HP reinstallation? On the CD it says Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP. This is the only CD they have that comes close to being the reinstallation CD. But as I said, the PC will not boot from it. Can I use my Dell CD to repair the missing or corrupt file?

In researching the system32\drivers\pci.sys error I found that RAM is often the culprit. I put different RAM in and got the same problem.

[YukonMaster]

I would run chkdsk on that drive. It sounds like the drive could be failing. And the next thing you should do, is call HP. They have an excellent customer support center and they are very knowledgable. Is your computer under warrenty? Because if it is, you can send it in to them with no charge for shipping or anything, they will attempt to recover the files off the HDD if you ask them, and if they cant they will replace all the parts that are having an issue. If your computer is not under warrenty I strongly suggest purchasing a warrenty from them. I have purchased an extended warrenty on a discontinued model and had no problem. Keep in mind they will do their best to help even if your computer isn't under warrenty via online chat or phone service.

What ram are you using? is it just the stock?

YukonMaster

[glc]

You cannot use any Dell CD's to work on a HP.

I have done two previous things to the HDD, neither of them really knowing what I was doing. When the HDD was in its original system I created a system restore partition (which I think is something you do when the computer is healthy). The partition shows up as the G: drive and is about 7 GB. Then when I put it in my computer and booted up, my computer did some kind of scan of the HDD. It looked similar to when you do error checking. So in doing either of these things could I have messed something up?

Yep. You may need to contact a data recovery specialist.

[mattaggie]

I ran check disk on the drive but it didn't change anything. I will contact HP. Can anyone recommend a data recovery company if it comes to that?

[glc]

Ontrack. Expect to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. You can try data recovery software - PC Inspector is free, if it doesn't help, GetDataBack and Ontrack Easy Recovery both offer demos, they will show you what you CAN recover, you buy it to do the recovery. If you are comfortable working in a DOS window, you can try TestDisk (free) to see if repairing the partition will fix it.

[ktkendall]

Sounds like you are seeing the hidden restore partition but the normal partition is all hosed up.