Hey Nick,I'm not challenging your expertise in this matter. I'm merely trying to gain a better understanding of what is going on in relation to what I am seeing. You appear to be the best man to handle such questions which is why I'm being kinda persistent if not tedious..lol!Prior to using PerfectDisk a couple of years ago I used Windows Disk Defragmenter and I used to see, and hear, a lot of HD thrashing activity during the loading phase of FS9 and FSX. This is now no longer the case, load times have improved significantly and the HD case light tends to wink much less than it used to. This suggests to me that the seek times have improved since I started using PerfectDisk and, as a welcome side effect, the wear and tear on the drive has diminished accordingly.Rest assured I do accept your comprehensive explanations just as I have accepted my system is currently set up suboptimally. This I don't wish to change, but that is a personal choice and I have to accept the downsides of making that choice."I assure you, that data on D is not at the beginning of the disk where rotation and geometry works for you at top efficiency. That is not a theory, it

Hi MikeI don

Hi Nick,Very informative and interesting procedure.One question. I have O&O but it's ver 8.6 Will that do any difference,or is 8.5 the only one that gives the expected results?ThanksGeorge DorkofikisAthens, Hellashttp://online.vatsimindicators.net/811520/1704.png

8.6 is fineits the same until you hit 10.0I never did update to 8.6 because the changes had nothing to do with operation.

Arghhhh! Just when you think it's safe to format and walk away! Ok, thanks for the warning Nick :-)

Some tools are ok, other may not be... I dont know what you are using so I just want you to be aware that those pre-set tools can have their issues.. what you are using may be fine

As I read the initial post on this thread I could not believe that someone else had just had my very same issue. Not 4 days ago I was going through Nick's XP tweaking procedure using O&O and following the instructions explicitly, Bang! The very same thing that happened to the OP happened to me. Could not access any of the "Services", had the same reload of Security Files, no task bar, etc. at all. Tried the MS Recovery/Repair console, no joy. Could not boot into Safe Mode either. Went through 3 days of trying every trick I ever learned from having done similar dumb things in the past. No joy! Finally ended up doing what Nick indicated would be one of the final options. I had to completely reformat both my HD's and do a complete re-install of everything. I am still in the process of re-installing my FSGenesis Terrain Mesh's as I write this. Very frustrating week as I'm sure many imagine. Did not have another computer on which to communicate my problem to those that might help.Must say that I still have a printed out copy of Nick's procedures and am sorely tempted to try them again, but after this most recent experience I think i can live with my FSX performance as it currently is and not risk another venture into the swamp.No dispespect at all of what Nick has provided to all of us regarding optimizing our systems for FSX (and other programs benefit as well). Simply too many different systems out there with too many small idosyncracies that can subtly lead to disaster. In all of the eleven pages of Nick's Tweaking and Flying tutorial, the one thing that kept jumping out at me as I went back over it step by step trying to figure out where I messed up was the statement at the beginning in capital letters ......USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.......Could not have said it better myself. Good flying and fair weather!

Chief1942It would help if you can tell me what type of WindowsXP install disk you have.. Does it have SP2 on it? It is an genuine XP SP2 disk or is it an older disk with Sp1 that you must apply the SP2 patchIs it a home made XP install disk? If so does it have SP2 slipstreamed into it and if so, how old is the disk?Sorry you had that happen... but if you could relay the specifics of you XP install disk I would like to keep track of issues and the circumstances around them.

Hi Nick, I'm STILL chasing the demons on this system. I now find I cannot boot into "Safe Mode". What's up with that?Had Digital Storm build this system for me back in 2005. It came with Windows XP Home with SP-2 Version 2002. I recently upgraded the motherboard, cpu, video card and bumped the memory to 4Gig. I'll give you my system specs:OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home EditionVersion 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600OS Manufacturer Microsoft CorporationSystem Name System Manufacturer Digital StormSystem Model System Product NameSystem Type X86-based PCProcessor x86 Family 15 Model 67 Stepping 3 AuthenticAMD ~3214 MhzProcessor x86 Family 15 Model 67 Stepping 3 AuthenticAMD ~3214 MhzBIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD ASUS M2N-SLI DELUXE ACPI BIOS Revision 1102, 6/20/2007SMBIOS Version 2.4Windows Directory C:WINDOWSSystem Directory C:WINDOWSsystem32Boot Device DeviceHarddiskVolume1Locale United StatesHardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"User Name Time Zone US Mountain Standard TimeTotal Physical Memory 4,096.00 MBAvailable Physical Memory 2.94 GBTotal Virtual Memory 2.00 GBAvailable Virtual Memory 1.96 GBPage File Space 5.34 GBPage File C:pagefile.sysVideo Card is GeForce 8800GT 512MB Bios Information: Version 62.92.1F.00.15Hard Drives are WD Raptor 10K RPMMy C:/ Drive is a new 150GB where my boot sector now resides.My D:/ Drive is 75GB and was the original disk that came with the system. I have all my FSX on that drive by itself. No RAID setup.Been having some flukey things happening even after all the pain of a total rebuild. Mt Internet Security (TrendMicro PC-cillin 2008) went all squirrly on me and I had to download and re-install that today and now the same problem that precipitated that redo seems to be randomly happening again. I can fix it with a System Restore but want to find the source of the problem and that was why I headed to the "Safe Mode" and then found out I can't boot into that mode. I get the window where I can select "Safe Mode" but when I highlight it and hit "Enter" I get a quick flash of the BSOD with some info on it but it flashes on and off so fast I have no way of reading what it says. Then it takes me back to the boot selection screen and I simply go back to "Start Windows Normally" and here I am. But the "bugs" are still there and they really are bugging me.Thanks for your interest in my problem. I don't expect you to be my Technical Support but at age 65 I really am muddeling through this technology. Seems as I screw things up, I learn while trying to unscrew them. Too bad I can't recall all the lessons. Thanks again and have a nice day.

Chief1942The WindowsXP Home SP2 2002 disk, falls under the original SP2 update issue and was prior to the later changes incorportated in the SP2 download. I suspect the disk was made in mid to late 2004 and you did not get it until 2005 with your purchase. The issue with O&O and the file problems were hit and miss with that type of CD. Not everyone will experience the issue but it can happen. If you did a full/clean installed Windows from your installtion CD, what you are experiencing right now has nothing to do with O&O. The application and all aspects of the problem were removed if that is the case.You cannot repair install Windows, it must be a full wipe and clean install of windows which means if you did that there is no system restore point to work with. You are starting clean.If you did a clean install, then I do not know what is going on at this point. I would suspect hard drive or other failure of some type. Not being able to get into safe mode on a clean install would suggest to me either a failure in hardware or a corrupt Windows install. Is your your install disk scratched in any way?Have you run a CHKDSK /R as I posted for Mike to do earlier in this thread? You may want to go back up to the posts I made to Mike about use of the recovery console and from the prompt, run a CHKDSK /R to confirm the disk has no errors or sector problems.

Thanks Nick. I had the Recovery Console installed as part of my attempt to fix things before the rebuild and I did read what you told Mike in that regard. I have not yet reinstalled the Recovery Console since the rebuild but looks like that is one avenue I will have to entertain. I did do a CHKDSK via the Tools tab under Disk Properties and it didn't indicate there were any problems. Does CHKDSK /R on the Windows Recovery Console do a more accurate and thorough job than the approach I used? I'm sort of befuddled at this point. Certainly do not want to give up the gains I have made in the last two days getting things back to almost fixed. If I get the nerve to pursue this further I'll let you know the outcome. Thanks again for your kind help and attention.

Nick,The automated tool I was referring to was setupmgr.exe I did the install w/o it (I'll try that next reload after checking for an update for setupmgr).I followed your instructions to the "T" this time i.e./including no interruptions of O&O and everything was smooth as glass (I'd say "buttah" but I don't feel like putting a wig on). Rick's "do all of it or none at all" just wasn't loud enough the first time to get my attention :-PI've already started to noticing differences in this install... biggest thing so far is that there are 2 .NET Runtime Optimization Services (one x86 and one x64) that were never starting *prior to this install*. And frankly, I was concerned about that because I remembered past ATI drivers stating .NET 2.0 had to be installed prior to installing the ATI drivers themselves. This I always did, but in the Services Applet, the .NET Runtimes "Status" was never started (to my knowledge) even tho the Startup Type was set to Automatic (and never messed with).This reinstall was certainly worth doing esp. from the standpoint of having SP2 integrated this time with the Initial Install. Was just a "few" hours this evening to format both drives and get to the point of completing your instructions. hal.dll version is 5.2.3790.3959 fwiw.So Nick... a lime wedge with that B&C?----------------------------------------For those of you who use XP and want a Replacement Disk with SP2 slipstreamed, here is the How To Link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326246%20#OEM (32-bit Users might want to wait for the release of SP3).It states there you should try to contact the OEM or System Builder, but if you have an OEM disk and want a replacement from Microsoft, it's $30 U.S. and you have to fill out a .doc based on the Continent you're in/on. The Links are there as is the Contact Information. You might want to call them first to ensure that the COA you have is eligible for replacement.Rob

NawI like it without the frills..make it a double though, tall glass, 2/3rds ice if small cubes, 1/2 ice if large cubes. And Pepsi instead of Coke if you have it. I prefer the sugar over the paint remover and brain tumors.Remember, with x64 there is a WOW64 emulator going on so it can run x64 and x32 but what you are describing is completely normal and that is the way they the services should be listed please do NOT mess with them, leave them on MANUAL start as they should be set by defaultAfter you get EVERYTHING installed, not before... rerun the Tool to shut DOWN the performance counters and verify they are all shut down with the exception of the 2 I listed. You may find more counters listed after a complete install of all your softwareSee, I told you the issue is SP2 and how it DOES NOT install correctly... Its not O&O and never was. They are the ones that get the blame... and me for listing the process,.... LOLJust make sure what you are using for setup is recent and you should be good to go.. some people try to use slipstream software that sets up Windows before the CD is even burned, and, they try to include ALL the service updates and IE7 so they do not have to go to Windows Update.. and thats a no-no in my book. Those software slipstream tool MUST be updated for ALL the installers, not worth the risk. Microsoft did not intend for Windows to be updated that way and patches/fixes should always be installed as WU lays out.Do make sure you go to Windows update and GET ALL the updates... WMP11 is not necessary though, or messenger... but do get everything else and return several times to make sure you have all the updates for the updates LOL

Chief1942You do not have to install the recovery console... just boot the computer with the Windows install disk and enter the recovery console by hitting "R" at the first screen where it asks you what you wish to doAfter the login screen and at the prompt typeCHKDSK /RYes, that repair scan when run FROM the recovery console off the Windows disk is much more comprehensive and it will attempt to repair bad sectors

Hi Nick, Did the CHKDSK /R on the C:/ drive and it changed nothing with the small issues I am having. I have ordered a product called Safe Mode Fixer and will see if that can resolve that issue. On a side note, I used msconfig and checked the Safe Mode boot option in an attempt to get into Safe Mode and since I cannot boot into Safe Mode normally for whatever reason, that approach put me in a virtual loop of boot -reboot. Used the WinXP install CD to enter Recovery Console and had to creat another boot ini so that I could get back into Windows. Once there I changed the boot string to remove the safemode entry and that now works OK. The question that I have is since I now have 2 operating systems displayed in my boot.ini tab is there any way to remove the un-necessary one without creating even more issues?Not a biggy since I can boot to my desktop Ok but was curious if that could cause problems down the road if it is not removed.Thanks.