Can't boot into XP Pro SP2 past the logon screen, it goes dark. This
isn't the graphics issue that can do that, I already had that and this
isn't it.
Some history - I tried booting into safe, safe was fine. I ran chkdsk
in safe, or asked it to run on next boot rather, now I can't get into
safe either.

If I boot into normal etc. I get chkdsk running all the way through.
It finishes, reboots, says the disk's fine (phew!) and hangs.

If I try to boot into safe then it hangs after press "esc to not load
SPTD.EXE"

I have a boot thingy with FreeDOS on it, that won't run either so I
can't get to my files (sob!). I get error message PANIC mcb chain
corrupted.

Not too healthy, I'm thinking.

What do we think then, team, do I have to go for some kind of Windows
repair, get the XP CD out and hit repair, or maybe download that
recovery console microsoft have got, burn that onto something and try
it?

I'd welcome any advice. It might be of note that some weeks back I
installed a new graphics NVIDIA card and that the day the machine went
wrong was the hottest day of the year, humid etc. Um. I'm wondering if
some goodies aren't damaged in there. Mind, chkdsk does say
encouraging things about the disk so maybe not...

Many thanks,

BB






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Big Bill wrote:

The SPTD.EXE is from Daemon Tools or some other drive virtualization
program. It is well known that programs like this can cause major issues
because of their low-level drivers. And/or your hard drive may be damaged.

1. Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility downloaded from the drive
mftr. Obviously you'll need to download and create a bootable CD (with
third-party burning software since XP's built-in burner doesn't do this)
from a working computer.

If the hard drive fails any physical tests, it's dead. The only way to get
data off it will be to send it o a professional data recovery company like
Drive Savers (my preference) or Seagate Data Recovery. General prices run
from $500USD on up. Drive Savers recovered all the data on a failed laptop
drive for one of my clients and it cost $2,700. He thought it was worth the
money; only you know what your data is worth. I understand that some
insurance companies are now covering data recovery charges so check with
yours.

Drive Savers - http://www.drivesavers.com
Seagate Data Recovery Services - https://www.seagatedatarecovery.com/

2. If the hard drive tests OK, then I'd pull it and slave it in another
working machine to pull the data off.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

On Sat, 10 May 2008 07:19:54 -0700, Malke <malke@invalid.invalid>
wrote:

Aha. That does ring a bell.

Well I have a CD that boots into FreeDOS which won't work because of
the memory thing - ah, you'd be talking about a boot CD for windows,
yes - would that work? I have another plain vanilla XP machine, can I
make one from that? Or boot from the original XP disk if it surfaces?
I assumed that I probably couldn't because of the memory corruption.

You aren't impressed by the way it passes chkdsk with no problems? I
assumed that means it's ok.

Thanks for the link. It's a sata and I back up onto a transportable
hard drive, the type in a caddy you can pull the whole caddy with the
drive from the machine and put it into another machine. So I've only
lost a few files if that's the case.

I hear what you're saying but that won't be necessary I imagine.

Thanks for helping, any further comments?

BB

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Big Bill wrote:


No, I'm talking about using a diagnostic utility downloaded from the hard
drive mftr. You will create a bootable CD with the file you download, then
boot with it in the target computer. I don't know what you mean by "memory
corruption". Maybe the "bootable CD" you have just isn't working with that
particular computer.

I don't make assumptions when testing hardware and prefer using the
diagnostic utilities from the hardware mftrs.

Perhaps the drive is physically sound but your virtual drive software has
corrupted the partition table. If the drive passes its hardware test, use a
well-known rescue system such as Knoppix (Linux Live CD) or a Bart's PE to
see what's in there. If you can't boot to Knoppix, pull the drive and slave
it in a working machine. Now boot to Knoppix or a partition manager if you
have the skills to do that work. If you don't have the skills, bite the
bullet and wipe the drive after you put it back in the original computer.
Don't install virtual drive software again. There have been a rash of posts
about machines that will no longer boot because of Alcohol 120 and Daemon
Tools.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

On Sat, 10 May 2008 18:49:28 -0700, Malke <malke@invalid.invalid>
wrote:

That'd be Maxtor in this instance, this is a Maxtor Sata drive.

Which I've done with the latest version of Memtest, it's just started
running as we speak. Tell you what, Malke, I ran an earlier version on
floppy last night and it made 8 passes with no errors.

No, I tried NTFS4DOS from floppy and that had the same error message.
It won't let me load any kind of DOS, apparently. Try Googling for
"mcb chain corrupted". MCB stands for Memory Control Block. It looks
like recovery console is the only way to go.

So far it's ok. I'll let it run more passes with the Memtests and see
what that tells me.

I don't have one that will take it. I have an old mini-tower with 987
on it and a teeny desktop Dell that you couldn't fit a fag-paper into.

I've been looking in the forums, I know. OK.

BB

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On Sun, 11 May 2008 05:52:46 +0100, Big Bill <bill@kruse.co.uk> wrote:

The one I have is PowerISO, I just went and looked it up on my 98
machine. I don't have it on this one. I'll bear this in mind for the
future, thanks. Meanwhile Memtest continues to do its thing and it all
seems to be fine.

It's very quiet here now, do most people use forums these days?

BB
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Big Bill wrote:

(complete snippage)

Memtest is not a hard drive diagnostic. Nothing you've used is particularly
geared toward solving your issue. On top of your reluctance to try anything
that would actually help you, you've multiposted in at least two other
places. Bad behavior.

I'm through responding to your posts. My last bit of advice to you is to
either start your troubleshooting the way you should - using the methods I
already suggested - or take the machine to a professional computer repair
person (not your local equivalent of BigComputerStore/GeekSquad). The
alternative is just wipe and do a clean install.

EOT and plonk from me.

Malke
--
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Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

"Big Bill" <bill@kruse.co.uk> wrote in message
news:i4sc24h4adu8o5qet2qq6lrbefqidsgpq4@4ax.com...
As Malke stated, you need to rule out hardware problems. Go to this
page...

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.js...00dd04090aRCRD

so you can use SeaTools to test your Maxtor SATA drive.

If it's fine, Malke recommended booting off a Knoppix live Linux CD. It
certainly won't hurt, but at this point I'd just attempt a System
Restore to a point before you started experiencing problems (if it
exists). Otherwise, just perform a repair install (Recovery Console may
be an option, too, but frankly I'm not too familiar with it). And check
your drivers, especially for your graphics card and Daemon Tools.

Finally, try Googling. For instance, I found the following at:

http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/sptd...-t9327p13.html

<quote>

When you first boot your PC you will hang so you have to restart your pc
in safe mode. (after bios boot screen rapidly press F8)
! Let the Sptd.sys driver load. ! (Dont press ESC)
In order for this to work you do need Sptd.sys dirver to be in
\Windows\System32\drivers\

Once in safe mode load daemon tools.

Next Right click the icon and go to Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Then
Go to Set number of devices... and set it to Disabled.

Next restart your pc. Once back in windows u can set the number of
devices back to what it was before.

I think there was some conflict with windows loading the emulated CD-ROM
drive at start up. Not the Sptd.sys file. By removing the Sptd.sys file
we were just disabling Daemon tools from working, thus disabling the
messed up drive.

</quote>

If you wind up opting for the repair install, this is a good guide:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

On Sun, 11 May 2008 11:02:59 -0400, "Daave"
<dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote:

I did that and it comes up ok. No problemos, which is encouraging.

I don't believe I can burn one though. The thinking is so I can get at
the files, I gather. I'll try on my Windows 98 machine.

System Restore hasn't been working from a normal boot for some time.
It worked ok in Safe though.

However, it wouldn't do that either earlier in this current crisis.

Don't have the original disk, not to hand anyway. Logic would indicate
it's here somewhere. It might not be a "full" version though anyway, I
gather there's two varieties and only one has the right stuff.

I had PowerISO, so very likely that's where the unlovely sptd.sys came
from. I gather I probably also have to delete dtscsi.sys too if it's
lurking in there somewhere.

I did :-)

Ah, well, I can't get into it any more :-( I'm wondering if I ever
had DT on there, don't think so but it's possible.

Thanks, I already had that one. I've been working my way through

http://tips.vlaurie.com/2006/05/23/r...ut-an-xp-disk/

but got hung up on trying to burn the cd as opposed to messing with
all those floppies.

I'll try that linux thing on my 98. There's something called Puppy
that's Linux too, I think, that some repair guy I read of used a lot
to get out of troubles like this.

Thanks.

BB

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On Sun, 11 May 2008 23:13:25 +0100, Big Bill <bill@kruse.co.uk> wrote:

OK this is me replying for interested parties. My buddy came round
with his XP Pro disk and after some futzing around with it I
remembered where mine was. We used the repair function and it
installed a new copy of Windows XP Pro. We didn't particularly ask it
to, we wanted it to repair the existing version, it decided to install
a new one instead. That means I had two versions of Windows, the new
working one and the old corrupted one. We tried again, hoping to see a
recovery option but there wasn't one. It tried to install yet another
new version but we interrupted that and deleted it.

So, now I have a virgin copy of Windows that functions and a corrupted
one that doesn't. I shudder to think of the registry. What I'd like to
do is combine the best of both versions of Windows. I still have all
my programs and files, both copies in fact. Any ideas, peeps? My
thanks to those who've helped so far.

BB

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"Big Bill" <bill@kruse.co.uk> wrote in message
news:i0se24thm6hck8seburul8h0uipboc72tf@4ax.com...
"I have two installations of XP on the same partition........"

Boot to the desired version of Windows XP you want to keep. Making note
of the position in the boot menu. This will be important when you edit
boot.ini.

Open a command prompt * and type " echo %windir%" without the quotes.
This will give you the current Windows folder you are using.

From Explorer, delete the folder containing the installation you want to
remove. The original install folder is usually called Windows and
subsequent folders will be derivatives of Windows or Winnt.

From System Properties [Winkey+Pause/Break] > Advanced Tab > Startup and
Recovery > Settings > Edit.

Select the Edit button and from notepad, first backup boot.ini, by going
to File; Save As and rename boot.ini. to something like boot.inibak.

Remove the line referencing the installation not chosen; you made note
of in step one.

Set timeout=0 so the system boots directly into Win XP (you will not get
the boot menu).

Save As boot.ini & Exit.

Reboot.

* To access the command prompt: Start>All Programs>Accessories>Command
Prompt or from Start>RUN>Type "CMD" without the quotes, then press OK.

(from http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/xpfaq.html#020 )

On Sun, 11 May 2008 19:38:09 -0400, "Daave"
<dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote:

The one I want to survive is the one that doesn't actually boot. When
I say I have all my programs etc., I'd have to reinstall them all for
them to work right in the new virgin Windows. You got that though, am
I right? I think I'm with you but I just want to make sure before I go
doing something this mission critical. What we want to come out of
this with is the new booting version but with all the properties (bar
the corruption) of the old, so all my programs will be working and my
settings as they were.

Or, transfer the ability to boot properly to the old version. That
might be easier. Would that involve substituting a new boot.ini, the
one from the new windows, for the boot.ini in the old corrupted
windows? Or something similar? You see where I'm going with this? I'm
not what you could call technical as you'll gather :-) There must be
like a startup configuration file that's working in the new one that
we can copy over to the old one to get it to work.

The subsequent one is Windows.0. We'll actually be running in
Windows.0, you see, we'll have to be to get that far and I don't
believe we can delete that folder when we're using it.

I kept all this info.

BB

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"Big Bill" <bill@kruse.co.uk> wrote in message
newsoif24905hbtffki2fptle9hf4c5c9kmpe@4ax.com...
You know, Bill, at this point, just salvage the data (now that you are
able to) and perform a clean install.

On Mon, 12 May 2008 01:41:06 -0400, "Daave"
<dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote:

Couldn't I just switch something like the win.ini files? I'm in dog
with a bone mode here :-)

BB
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On Mon, 12 May 2008 07:22:26 +0100, Big Bill <bill@kruse.co.uk> wrote:


And while I remember, there was a time earlier in the thread when I
was trying to boot into something that would let me delete or rename a
couple of files to do with virtual drive programs. We were talking
about DOS or linux. Well, now I have another copy of Windows I can use
to acccess the files in the other one. I can do it with that then.

I must busy myself with other things first though.

BB
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Big Bill wrote:
1. If you have not done so already, salvage your data, settings,
e-mails, bookmarks, etc.

2. If you want to avoid a clean install, try a repair install first. If
you get lucky then you could remove the newer parallel install. Here's
another guide for a repair install:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm

3. If number 2 doesn't work, perform the clean install.

On Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:05 -0400, "Daave"
<dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote:

Thanks, I'll check it out.

BB
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Big Bill wrote:
YW.

Note that the above link is for the parallel install! Here's a link for
a repair:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm

And here's one for clean:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm

This last one is for a clean install on a pristine drive:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm