Cannot reinstall XP, clean install undesirable.

[Goodcoin]

I am quite an experienced computer user, so my friends and neighbors often bring me their "broken machines" to fix them. Usually I don't need extra help, as the problems are mostly simple. But sometimes I do and this appears to be the case.

Normally I would just reformat the hard drive and make a clean install, to avoid any wild guesses and complications. But this time I'll have to reinstall too many programs and games from the scratch and it will take some 3-4 days due to my busy schedule. Shortly, let's not consider a clean install as an option and see what can be done without it.

This is my very best friend's computer. The system has been installed by me, personally. It's been regularly checked and monitored by me through the remote maintenance with Anyplace Control. I'm telling this just to emphasize that it's not some unknown computer with tons of possible inexperienced-user-made-atrocities going on inside. Last time I checked (it was this Sunday) the machine worked perfectly.

Forgive the long introduction. Now to the point.

When they brought it to me and I switched it on, the Windows (WinXP Professional SP3) refused to start-up. After the logo there was a black screen with nothing going on. In a while the mouse pointer appeared (it was quite a while), then the hourglass (also after quite a while). That's it -- nothing beyond that. I left the machine in this state for more than an hour, but nothing showed it was going to boot in this century. First thing was to try the safe mode, naturally, but it froze on the list showing the loaded drivers. So I decided to reinstall the Windows (from the very same disk I used to install it).

At first it went as normal, but then it got stuck before beginning the installation. I restarted the process. Now the machine stops at the setup recovery screen, thinks for a long while, then shows the same black screen. Only there is a bit of a behavior change here -- it all ends now with a BSoD (Blue Screen of Death). Problem is, the BSoD reboots the PC and disappears so fast that I'm unable to even take a glance of what's written there.

I launched recovery console and had the system to rewrite the boot record, using both FIXBOOT and FIXMBR commands. No go. Checked both logical partitions with CHKDSK /p. I removed the sound card, then replaced the RAM chips. Nada.

Next, I decided to install another Windows in dual-boot, to make sure it's not a hardware issue. The new Windows (namely Vista Ultimate) installed properly on the second logical drive. I checked again the disk C: from within it, and it appears to be intact. Apparently, we can pretty much rule out any hardware issues.

So, what can be done now? I'm pretty confident that reformatting the drive will allow the proper installation, but it will also leave me with no clues as to what happened in the first place. I would like to make another effort to reinstall XP, this time with some extra help, prior to taking the radical measures.

I understand these kind of problems are extremely hard to troubleshoot due to the wide range of possible causes, but I'm not asking to detect or diagnose anything. I just need to force the reinstall, which refuses to proceed beyond a certain point. Any ideas, even vague, would be greatly appreciated.

I especially want to know, if there is a way to stop that BSoD from disappearing, so that I could read it. I tried the pause key, but it didn't seem to work. I know there's a setting within the OS disabling the instant reboot after crash, but I cannot access it right now, can I?

[andsome]

Sorry that I can't help with the problem, and I hope that someone else can. However, it would be good advice for them if once having got things up and running they invested in a plug in hard drive and Acronis, and made a mirror image, to enable an easier way out of this sort of problem in future. I would not be without mine. Best of luck. :D

[Goodcoin]

Sorry that I can't help with the problem, and I hope that someone else can. However, it would be good advice for them if once having got things up and running they invested in a plug in hard drive and Acronis, and made a mirror image, to enable an easier way out of this sort of problem in future. I would not be without mine. Best of luck. :D

Very useful suggestion, andsome, I might consider it as an option to avoid future troubles with at least this particular machine. Thanks!

The thing is, I never really expected something like this. I mean, inability to reinstall the Windows. Problems not solved by the repair installs? Plenty. But never even getting that reinstall done? Never. At least on my system. Maybe I was just lucky.

[Boris]

Presumably this PC had its

Startup and Recovery on System Failure

set as "Automatically Restart" ?

Can you get to System Properties in Safe Mode?

If so, click Advanced/Start up and Recovery Settings/System Failure, then uncheck Automatically restart.

[andsome]

I have been using a plug in hard drive for the last couple of years. It is 80GB, and the problem is that it can fill up quicker than I would like. Ready for use with my new computer I have just ordered this one. :D

1TB hard drive

[Goodcoin]

Presumably this PC had its

Startup and Recovery on System Failure

set as "Automatically Restart" ?

Can you get to System Properties in Safe Mode?

If so, click Advanced/Start up and Recovery Settings/System Failure, then uncheck Automatically restart.

Unfortunately, the Safe Mode is inaccessible, as I wrote in my first post.

But I can change it WITHOUT accessing the Safe Mode, because there is an option to "Disable Automatic Restart on System Failure" (or something like that) directly on the "F8 menu". Which I completely forgot! Thanks Boris, your reply caused a memory flash. That's what I call the power of brainstorming. :D

Well, here's what the BSoD says among other less important things:

atl01_xp.sys Address BA9A96A2 base at BA9A8000, DateStamp 45f8e3b2

Google says, atl01_xp.sys belongs to Attansic L1 Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000Base-T Adapter. I know that network card, since my own system has the same motherboard (ASUS P5KC) with this adapter onboard.

I'll try to disable the device from the BIOS and see what happens.

[Goodcoin]

OK, disabling the network card from the BIOS allowed the setup to continue, but there's a strange thing going on. There is no progress indicator and it shows "Setup will complete in approximately 39 minutes" for almost 20 minutes now, with no change. And one more thing -- in the beginning I heard quiet clicks from the HDD, as if it was trying to write something. Now the clicks stopped and the drive shows no signs of activity (at least I cannot hear anything).

I'm going to check it with HDD Regenerator to see if there are any bad sectors. The drive is only a month old, but it's Western Digital and I don't trust any HDD except Seagate.

[Goodcoin]

8 hour long bad sector testing has been finished. The hard drive appears to be fully intact.

Can it be a virus? Maybe I should check the drive with some kind of a bootable antivirus. The first thing that comes to my mind is Avast Bart CD. Does anyone knows a better bootable AV?

[andsome]

Try an on line scan here. :D

[Goodcoin]

Try an on line scan here. :D

I don't have an Internet connection on that PC, but it reminds me that I DO have a fully working second OS installed there. Stupid me -- all I have to do is install a descent AV in Vista and scan it from there.

I think I'm getting older. :lol:

[Goodcoin]

That's it, the mystery solved.

Viruses. Lots of them. Avast did its job and I was able to finish the installation.

Thanks. Case closed.