I’m galled by the fact that my system needs to have XP re-installed. Then I discover that all the news is about Microsoft. Sigh.
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Sheesh, John, don’t you ever backup? 😉
John, I took your advise a long time ago and I’ve never regretted it. I save all valuable files from my office apps, pictures, drivers, e-mail contacts, bookmarks, and anything else of value on a drive other than the “C:\” drive. I also back up the folder I put all this in once a month by burning it to a DVD with the date and put it on a spindle. I also keep the original disks for all my programs near the PC they are installed on. When it craps out I re-install and I’m up and running in a couple of hours. The hardest part is waiting for all the updates from the Vole. A good USB drive might work great for this and a laptop.
All this thanks to you. God bless and good luck.
John,
My experience is that most people have to reinstall Windows every year or so. The only exception is if you NEVER install, try, or fool around with the system (i.e. don’t cut on your computer but 1 hour per week). Supposedly according to the EULA, you cannot reinstall WINDOWS from a bought CD, but must buy the program every time you install it. (Just to make your day even sunnier).
Frankly I got fed up of losing or not being able to find all my original CDS, my passwords, etc.
So my solution was to buy an extra 80 GB harddrive, make a folder called REINSTALL, and start copying ALL of my software CDs into that folder as a subfolder. Every program I have installed has a copy of the original CD in that folder. Some folders here will have 600MB in it. From there every upgrade version is saved there also with a “version 1.3” on the folder name unless the program does it behind my back (hidden like Firefox addons).
I also have a folder in there for all permissions, passwords, and other miscellaneous junk that makes a program NOT WORK without it.
Every email with a password, every card with a user ID and password, etc. either gets made into a PDF, a jpg scan, or something in that folder so that I can search through it to find the stupid passwords and numbers to make the thing work. In some cases I got upgrades, so I have to install the older version and register the password, then run the upgrade version. A pain. Those programs either get a new version bought, or I go hunting for a better competitor’s program, and dump the pain.
After that I have a notebook with a listing of all my software that I have installed (including the order of which program gets installed first, second, third, etc) and in this list I scratch through some when I dump something I had on my system and took off. This is the place to put what system settings are and how to get to them to change them again.
If you reinstall Windows (at least a week lost for me), then you will swear by this system.
I also have Mozy.com backup for data files and constantly changing files (like email client database). Here you have to tract down where the stuff is being kept which is a pretty difficult thing in itself. Windows in recent years has used a scatter insignificant but essential files all over creation, well hidden from anybody but the most geeky tech guy.
The bad news is that you simply will miss a lot of stuff even so. But getting back to 95% of where you were instead of only 50% is very acceptable. What happened to Windows roll back? False security. If you can’t boot the computer, what good does a roll back do?
I will mention that with Windows 3.1 for comparison, I used ARJ (zip knockoff) to make a single compressed copy of my WINDOWS folder (back before it was impossible to handle). Anytime anything went wrong, I ran that zip and got back instantly to a state of when I saved it (a 5 minute wait). I now wait 8 minutes just to book XP every day.
If I remember right, every program kept all of its files in its own folder, and there was a single shortcut to it in the Windows system folder.
Aaaah for the simpler times. You could delete a program or restore a program with a ZIP compression program. The Windows registry is better than that? Don’t think so.
Good luck. Take a week’s vacation from work, and sit down with a coffee pot, and join the real world. Complain about that more on your blog. That is where the real world is every day.
Oh by the way, I forgot. If you do this “backup storage Gigabyte drive” thing, it is the fastest way of installing programs. These installs are way faster than a DVD or CD. You will cut an install down from 15 minutes of reading the CD or DVD to about 4 minutes.
Windows XP should be on this drive and install from this folder and not the original DVD. If Windows later needs the installation disk for a file, it will find it without asking you to insert it.
2) Moving everything to a new computer? Disconnect this drive and reconnect in the new computer and install from it.
They also have the added advantage of access to their original CD (it’s copy on your Backup GB drive which the program will remember as its original installation drive) so they can find extra files not installed originally but later needed. Just don’t confuse stuff by changing the drive letter of that drive (i.e. switching the HD cables around so it becomes a different drive).
ok john when are you gonna start using linux??? i switched about 3 years ago, and havent looked back Not once have i had the need to reinstall.. or worry about a virus, spyware….
come on!!! it’s time to switch! 😛
These 2 programs work wonders with very quick reinstalls with XP. 5 mins tops for a decent equipment setup. You should make the snapshot as soon as you are done reinstalling or once you have all the windows updates and virus software installed. Basically anything you don’t want to install every time you redo it. It will keep the authorization of Windows but not many of the pesky ones like Adobe.
Bart PE
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/#used
Drive Snapshot
http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/index.htm
Other than that I would say Vista 64. I don’t know what the hell people are doing but I haven’t run into a single problem. I heard all sorts of stories about the programs I run and I encountered none of those problems. I run some pretty picky software too. I think a majority of the time it is user malfunction.
why not just ghost every week or two.
John,
The file that was giving you trouble is one of the files that actually makes up the Windows registry. That should probably tell you a lot about your problem.
Wow, classic hard disk failure.
Absolutely shameful that none of the “experts” here caught it.
Doh! John,
Have you tried to do a repair install? And no, I’m not talking about the Recovery Console or a New Installation. You can do a Repair Installation that does not destroy all your program settings. If you don’t know how to do it, get in touch with me and I’ll walk you through it (you should have access to the email associated with this post).
Regards,
Thad
Follow Option 3 at:
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It worked for me!
[Please use TinyUrl.com for overly long URLs. – ed.]
Time to drive some sheet metal screws through that laptop and move on to OS X. The only switch that needs toggling on Vista is OFF. Time machine would have you back up and running quickly. I’d also suggest epoxying those screws.
As far as Gates “next decade” comment, look for Vista ME.
#13,
Last I checked the hard drive failure that caused this problems affects all current laptop brands, regardless of the installed operating system…
Or is there some magic OSX feature check box that you check somewhere titled “invulnerable to hard disk failure” that I am unaware?
(Also shhhhh, this is a bad time to bring up OSX because OSX’s halflife is much worse than windows)
A chkdsk would have fixed this. I’ve seen it a hundred times.
XP.. Easy, run CHKDSK /F on the drive and reboot.
That file is part of the registry, so it is loaded when windows loads. Likewise, if it is corrupt you cannot boot windows.
Boot you machine from a livecd (Ubuntu, BartPE, MiniPE, whatever) and copy the backup of the file located in c:\windows\repair back into c:\windows\Config
Ghost, an automated backup schedule, and an external hard drive are your friends. (For really critical data, obviously you need to backup up to multiple media, for really critical data you need off-site backups, etc.) As of Ghost 12+, Ghost works pretty well (the bugs that plagued versions 9-11 are worked out), can do hot backups (no need to boot into DOS/whatever), etc. It easily does incremental backups, so there’s no reason not to have your drive backed up every night or two.
I’m with MotaMan. Keep a Ghost image and you’ll be back up and running in 10 minutes.
#14 – Time Machine, continuously backs up OS X, at least on Leopard. I can’t recall the last time I booted my iMac.
(Also, shhh – this is a bad time to bring up the half death of Vista because Vista’s half death is much worse than OS X, maybe we should call Vista near death).
Seriously?! Hasn’t anyone here ever done a repair install? 🙂
LOL
People who have problems with Vista at this point are either A. Retarded. or B. Running crap hardware. I have Vista 64 Ultimate running on 5 different machines Some with different Graphics cards some with different motherboards and memory. I have had 0 problems with any of them. I am running both 32 bit and 64 bit apps on all of them. All of the apps installed and ran without any issues other than running them in XP compatibility mode.
As far as Norton’s Ghost? Why pay for something you can get for free in Snapshot? Not to mention something that doesn’t need to be installed and fill up your registry?
1) 1st thing to try is chkdsk /f from the repair console when you boot from your WinXP CD. This often works.
2) Next try a repair re-install from the WinXP. This leaves all your setting intact.
3). You mentioned not being able to copy the file. That’s because the file is labelled as a “system” file (and is “read-only”). To view this and change it, use “Properties Plus” shell extension. It expands the WinXP “Properties” feature set quite a bit.
#21 – Couldn’t you have just shortened that to people who run Vista are retarded? Can we assume you wear a helmet and ride a short bus? Since you were throwing out pejoratives…
John, John.
Do you have any idea how many of us are laughing at you?
I remember a couple of years ago you were BRAGGING about how you had never had a BSOD. Now you have.
Welcome to the real world.
I see your problem on computers EVERY week. Listen to the advice others have given you.
Run CHKDSK /R off the CD
Run SPINRITE if you have it
Run a repair on your install
Try moving the File from your Repair directory
Oh, and if you have one of those lovely laptops that didn’t come with a Windows CD, see if you can go borrow one from someone!
Think of this as “Technical education”
# 24 Judge Jewdy
“Couldn’t you have just shortened that to people who run Vista are retarded?”
No because that would have a different meaning. Perhaps a few more classes in English as a second language for you.
#26 – For you!
http://tinyurl.com/y7ho7x
i think on the next cranky geeks you should have steve gibson on so he can slap you one for not using spinrite on your system john….
😛
i might even pay to see that episode!!!!!!
# 27 Judge Jewdy
Wow that’s really nice that you find it ok to make fun of the truly mentally handicap.
#29 – Thank you! It was tough finding your picture.
# 30 Judge Jewdy
I would be proud to be that courageous young man.