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Installing Windows
jamestr1
Posts: 185
I have a computer that has a hosed up Windows Installation. It won't boot, it says to run repair, but that doesn't do anything. I don't have the Windows XP cd for that computer, I have them for another computer, might be an upgrade. The computer with hosed Windows, or broken windows, has the Windows activation sticker on it, can I use that number with my other copy of Windows? Will it activate?
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maybe try calling microsoft if it doesn't work...
OR -> try some open-source (and thus free) OS, like let's say Linux
j/k
- Antwerp '06, Nijmegen '07, Werchter '07
but seriously,..
Windows botched so,.. here is what you do.. or what I'd do
take the drive out of the one computer (the botched HD)
Hook it into the other computer and reformat it (I'm assuming windows is on the other PC).
Stick the reformatted HD into the orginal computer.
Install.
Or..
Just get UBCD use the reformatting tools and install from there
This is what you do . Do you have any data you need on the disk? If so... install the drive on another computer and copy all your data off it.... or Just reinstall Windows into a different directory like c:\windows2 or c:\winnt so you have a parallel installation that boots. You can then boot windows and access all your old data. It's messy but it works for data recovery. Make sure to use a dirrerent logon username like administrator2 as the default than or it might overwrite your stuff in c:\documents and settings
Don't redo the drive in another computer...not necessary you can redo the partition during the installation process itself.
What I would do is recover any data from the drive on another PC (or pop it into a USB housing - easier) if you have one...then put drive back in original computer the nuke the partition during the install....
If you don't have a spare PC parallel install it.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
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No one mentioned needing to recover data. I was just rebutting the earlier comment that suggested the drive must be placed in a different PC to format it... Besides, don't most of us keep our OS partition separate from partitions with critical or valuable data to avoid loss in an instance like this? =P I'm going to have to assume you were referring to the other poster when you said "people that don't know things". No?
Peace
Data recovery is 99% of the time a given if all the sudden the O/S doesn't boot. There's always something, if you do anything worthwhile on your computer that is.....namely the latest version of your pst file (i.e. all your email).
Windows sets mydocuments to the same partition as the o/s...(actually the entire user environment) so there's all your docs and favorited url's....lost..... who actually moves the mydocs folder location and redirects the desktop shortcut as well?! probably less than 1% of people in all reality.
Two pretty important things you don't seem to be sure about with real world environment. That would get you pretty screwed if someone was paying you money to fix the problem. Not only would you not get paid...they wouldn't call you back for additional work. When someone tells you their o/s does not boot the last thing you tell them is to nuke their drive as a first step! yikes...
.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
if the computer has an activation sticker on it, its an pc with an OEM version of windows, it most likely has a hidden partition with the windows installation files on it
if you boot up the PC, hold down F10 (on some PCs its F11) and see if you can run any recovery programs from there
if you do have a windows Cd, the only version that will actvate with out going through MS is the Corparate edition of XP
Thank you.
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