Yikes! Help with Windows XP Home, please!

[gosta 0]

Hi Mark,>Earlier in this thread somewhere I pointed out that the Compaq 'Recovery CD' would not work on my ORIGINAL drive (which has that partition you refer to) because XP had gone really horrible for some reason. Thus if I simply transfer the files across, and try the same, it will do the same, surely?http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[Dark Moment 0]

<<>>This thread has become so long that I've almost forgotten myself; but both the above are correct. The repair option wouldn't work, I couldn't go back to "last known good configuration", Safe Mode would not work and I don't even know if I could have reformatted the entire drive - but I have been trying to avoid that, hence the thread.It's all been down to XP asking for an Administrator password which was never set, never existed, but XP wants to reinstall. It's been impossible to get beyond that point and apparently, according to Compaq at least, there's no way round the problem.When I finally sort this I shall post something separate in a useful format for others who may come up against similar issues.Thanks, Gosta.Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

[scott967 62]

>>From NT onwards MS created a new 'better' file system called NTFS, this system is used on Win NT, Win2000 & WinXP and this file system cannot be read by Win9x operating systems.I would suspect that your store bought PC uses the NTFS file system which would explain why Win98 can't read the original HD. However there may be a small partition on the original HD using the FAT file system to allow it to boot initially and read the recovery CD.<

[Dark Moment 0]

<<>>LOL, Scott. I have $1.50 left but with my luck if I try that I'll end up with the front end of my Lear Jet in one partition and the back end in the other.<<>>Now that IS good advice. I'm ATA 100 friendly so I'll certainly take a look at that.As of today, no QR disk from Compaq yet (shipped last Friday ... grrr) and no response from Customer Service, also promised last Friday. Ah well; maybe I just might buy the retail version in the morning. I'm fed up with looking at a dark and cold computer system in the corner and I'm getting way behind with the Avsim library .... Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

[Dark Moment 0]

Well, I'm back up and running; with a clean, fresh system and twice the HD capacity I had before. Couple of error messages on starting FS2002 afresh, so I may have to reinstall one or two add-ons, but it works. Have just taken Geofa's B33 down the strip in Las Vegas at 50' to celebrate.So what did I do? Firstly, ignore most of what the Compaq helplines told me, as if I'd listened to them I would have reformatted my disk and lost 3,000 aircraft by now. Secondly, listen to much of what is written above in this thread; you're a great bunch, you really are.At the end of the day, my chosen course seems so simple now. New, faster, main hard drive, slaving the old one cost me $100 but I needed one anyway. Compaq Quick Restore Disks cost me $10 which at least gave me Windows XP back for much less than retail, although I resent having to pay even that; Compaq's Recovery Disk that shipped with my product a year ago didn't work for me, and it should have done.So I was up most of last night reloading all my work programs, AV progs, drivers, updates, blah blah blah ... amazing how long it all takes. Then equally as long today loading a virgin and full version of FS2002, the latter built from 40GB of files copied across from the old disk. Took all day, no work done yet! But we're back in business, at least.So thank you, team. I am once more a happy camper and greatly appreciate the tremendous encouragement and good assistance I found here.Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

[gosta 0]

Hi Mark,excellent news! May I suggest you now crack a cold one and take one of your GA aircraft for a tour of some nice scenery... :).Glad it worked out in the end.Cheers,Gosta.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[Guest freequest]

good to know you got it up and running again windows can be such a dog at times

[Vulcan 14]

Glad you made it through Mark.Guess the next job is some CD backups or backup to a removable HD in one of those tray things :-) I wish I could sort out my FS crash when flying with Vatsim - or not as it is now ;( :-grr

[Dark Moment 0]

Thanks, all.Back up to CDs, Vulcan? Nahhh ... I have two hard drives now, besides which all my CDs melt when I try to put 43GB of FS on them. So I shall keep my aircraft hangar, scenery etc. backed up on the old drive, together with the odd work document, LOL.My only mistake in all this was that I should have bought a bigger disk, with FS2004 on the horizon ....Hope you sort your Vatsim prob.Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg