Solution #2
posted on Nov 23, 2008
Rank: Guru
Rating: 91%, 846 votes
This appears to be a problem with your hard drive and cross linked files or corrupted security descriptors or it could a combination of several and even the result of a virus you aquired.
When you boot with the XP CD, choose the Repair option as it comes up at the bottom of the window. I think its F8 or F5, I can't fully recall at the moment. But look for the prompt in the white highlighted area of the bottom screen as your machine boots up from the CD. Wait until you are finally in the Repair Command Window.
Now, what you want to do is a few things, but first you must check the integrity of your hard drive. At any time, even when you first get into this mode type: "help" without the quotes. You will see a list of commands, you'll have to press spacebar to see a second page of help commands.
In this list, take note of 'chkdsk', you may type "help /chkdsk" without the quotes and you will get detail on variations on entering this command in this repair mode.
However, type this as I have written it below, I won't use quotes this time.
chkdsk /r /x
This commands Windows to check the integrity of your drive and fix bad blocks and lock the drive for the action of this action only.
If you get an error message, you have not formatted your drive for NTFS, but FAT32 (which is probably why you have the problems, should this be the case.). Instead of chkdsk type: scandisk and let that program check your drive. Allow the programs, chkdsk or scandisk to run their tests and then reboot your computer without the CD in the drive.
As you computer restarts press F8 as if tapping a piano key, you will get a boot source choice screen, CD, Floppy, C OR you will get the Safe Mode boot options menu. If you get the boot source screen, tap escape and immediately, immediately press F8 thereafter, and you will get the Safe Mode boot screen. The purpose here is to boot into Safe Mode. There are a lot of reasons just to do this and then shut down that will take too long to explain here. But booting into Safe Mode and then shutting down will repair a lot of problems. Make a note of that for later. At this point with your computer the need is the same, but you will want to get into Safe Mode for XP, as you're prompted for which OS to boot, XP or Vista, in your case. Choose, XP. Once in the Safe Mode Desktop, go to Start Menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and there is an entry there for System Restore. Run System Restore and attempt to restore your computer to a date prior to this problem starting on your computer. If you can't or it fails, go back to my instructions to starting the Repair Console with your Windows CD and this time type format and choose NTFS.
If however, you find you have formatted your drive before as FAT32, and do get to System Restore and it succeeds, then let me know and I'll explain later how to convert your comptuer to NTFS from FAT32.
Any questions along the way, or now, use the comment text box below to ask away.
Regards,
Worldvet
