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#1
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Registery problem?
My system will not start. I power it on and all I get is what looks like a
DOS screen and a blinking curser. I can boot from floppy and get to the C drive. I'm not sure what I can do, Im hope I don't have to re-system my machine. Thank you |
#2
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If you can boot up to C: prompt, type screg/restore. You will then be
given a choice to restore to previous registry. If no joy, here is a 10 steps approach to fixing boot up problem. Follow one at a time and reboot. If one works, you don't have to go to the next one. Step 7 is for Windows ME only. 1. First, boot to DOS with a boot disk. If you don't have one, get one from www.bootdisk.com . From a: type "scanreg /restore" without the quotes and hit ENTER. Select a date before the problem occurred. Note the space between scanreg and /restore. Then reboot your computer. 2. From a: type "scandisk" and hit ENTER. Reboot. 3. From a: type "sys c:" and click ENTER. If successful it will say system transferred. Reboot. 4. From a: type "fdisk /mbr" and click ENTER. Reboot computer. 5. Delete temporary files. From a: type "del c:\windows\temp*.*" and click ENTER. Reboot. 6. Delete the swap file. From a: type "del c:\win386.swp" and click ENTER. Reboot. 7. If you have Windows ME, perform a System Restore from DOS. Otherwise skip this step. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];Q279736 8. Look at your bootlog.txt. From a: type "c:\windows\bootlog.txt" and click ENTER If it does not work, then type "a: c:\bootlog.txt". You can look at the last thing listed in log and most likely it is the item that caused Windows not to load. If the file is in windows you can rename it to old from whatever its was before, i.e., exe, txt, dll, etc. An example of renaming would be to rename windoz.dll to windoz.old you would use ren c:windows\windoz.dll c:\windows\windoz.old and click ENTER. Note the spaces. 9. As a next to last ditch way to open Windows if all else failed, on the C drive (where I am assuming Windows ME is installed) there should be a hidden file named system.cb. This is a "backup" system.ini that contains no third party drivers. Copy it to c:\windows and rename it to system.ini. Then see if you can boot up. If you can, you will have to install a bunch of drivers. Including video, sound, scanners, cameras, etc. But you should be able to boot to Windows. To implement the above, From a: type "c:" and click ENTER. Next type "cd\windows" and click ENTER. Next type "copy system.cb system.ini" and click ENTER. If it says there is already a file by that name and it will be over written. Click YES. 10. Finally, as a last ditch effort, reinstall windows over itself. Boot up with your Windows CD. If not bootable, boot to DOS with CD ROM support. While in DOS, put in your Windows CD. Type "setup" or "E:\setup" without the quotes and hit ENTER. If you don't have the Windows CD, the system files may be in the CABS folder. From a: type "c:\windows\options\cabs\setup" without the quotes and hit ENTER. ------- Warren For additional help, post in http://groups.msn.com/HelpforInterne...owsME/homepage Paul wrote: My system will not start. I power it on and all I get is what looks like a DOS screen and a blinking curser. I can boot from floppy and get to the C drive. I'm not sure what I can do, Im hope I don't have to re-system my machine. Thank you |
#3
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Lots of info here, you may want to print it out. If you can get to a C:\
prompt, you should be able to do either of the following. Try the 'scanreg /restore' procedure first, if that doesn't provide relief, you can put your old reg info back and try the System Restore from the command prompt. Heirloom, old and geeez.....big post How to back up the Windows registry Situation: You need to create a backup of the Windows registry before editing it. If the changes you make to the registry do not produce the desired result, then you can restore the registry from the backup. Solution: Windows 95/98/Me If you are running Windows 95/98/Me, create a backup copy of the registry and save it to the Windows desktop. To back up the registry: 1. Click Start, and then click Run. The Run dialog box appears. 2. Type regedit and click OK. The Registry Editor opens. 3. Click the Registry menu and click Export Registry File. 4. Verify the following items in the Export Registry File dialog box: Save in: Desktop File name: Registry Backup Save as type: Registration Files Export range: All 5. Click Save. 6. Exit the Registry Editor. 7. Verify that an icon labeled "Registry Backup.reg" is on the desktop. CAUTION: Do not double-click the Registry Backup.reg file on the desktop unless you intend to undo the changes you are making to the registry. NOTE: This method for Windows 95/98/Me will not work for Windows NT/2000. Windows NT/2000 has additional security protection that prevents this backup from being restored. To back up the Windows NT/2000 registry, see the Windows NT or Windows 2000 sections in the later part of this document. After making changes to the registry After you make the changes you want to the registry, immediately verify that the results are what you expected. If the results are what you want, delete the Registry Backup.reg file after you are finished troubleshooting the initial problem. Do not allow the file to remain on the desktop beyond the test period. Since double-clicking a .reg file imports the file's contents into the registry, deleting Registry Backup.reg prevents you from inadvertently restoring this version of the registry in the future when it may be out of date. If the results were not what you expected, and you want to restore the registry to its previous state, double-click the Registry Backup.reg file. Windows 98/Me - Scanreg Windows 98 provides an additional means of backing up the registry not available in either Windows 95 or Windows NT. This involves running the Scanreg command from MS-DOS mode. To run Scanreg: 1. Click Start and click Shut Down. The shut Down Windows screen appears. 2. Click "Restart in MS-DOS Mode" and click OK. Windows shuts down and restarts to a DOS prompt. 3. At the DOS prompt, type the following command and press Enter: scanreg /backup Scanreg will back up your registry and then return a DOS prompt. After you make the changes you want to the registry, immediately verify that the results are what you expected. If the results are not what you expected, you can use Scanreg to restore the previous registry. To restore a backup copy of the registry with Scanreg: 1. Click Start and click Shut Down. The Shut Down Windows screen appears. 2. Click "Restart in MS-DOS Mode" and click OK. Windows shuts down and restarts to a DOS prompt. 3. At the DOS prompt, type the following command and press Enter: scanreg /restore Scanreg will check your registry and display the list of available backups. 4. Select the backup at the top of your list. This is the backup you made earlier. 5. Press R to restore the backup. 6. When the restoration is complete, type win and press Enter to start Windows. Compressing the Registry Start, Run, type: Scanreg /opt /fix Note: In Win98 this must be done from the DOS Prompt. Command Line Switches for Scanreg Syntax MS-DOS Version: Scanreg.exe [/backup] [/restore] ["/comment=text"] [/fix] Scanreg.exe [/backup] [/restore] ["/comment=text"] [/opt] [/fix] Windows Version: Scanregw.exe [/backup] ["/comment=text"] [/autoscan] [/scanonly] [filename] Description of Switches The following table lists each command-line switch and its description: Switch Description ---------------------------------------------------------------------- /backup Backs up the registry and related files without displaying any prompts. /restore Displays a list of available backup files, sorted by the date and time the backup was created. "/comment=text" Enables you to add a descriptive comment to the registry backup. /fix Repairs any damaged portions of the registry, and optimizes it by rebuilding it without unused space. /autoscan Automatically scans the registry and backs it up without displaying any prompts if there is no backup for that date. /scanonly Scans the registry and displays a message if any errors are found. This switch does not back up the registry. filename Scans the registry file specified and displays a message indicating whether or not any errors were found. This switch does not back up the registry. /opt The /opt command-line switch causes the Registry Checker tool to optimize the registry by removing unused space. The Registry Scan Results dialog box appears only when you use the Scanregw.exe command without any command-line switches. If no registry errors are found when you run Scanregw.exe, you are prompted to create a backup copy of your current registry. The "/comment=text" switch can be used by itself or with the /backup switch. For example, you can type either of the following lines at a command prompt: scanreg.exe "/comment=this is a registry backup" scanreg.exe /backup "/comment=this is a registry backup" The first command line starts the Registry Checker tool graphical user interface (GUI) and prompts you to create a registry backup. The second command line creates a backup copy of your registry and adds your comment without starting the Registry Checker tool GUI. For additional information about the Registry Checker tool, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q183887 Description of the Windows Registry Checker Tool (Scanreg.exe) Q183603 How to Customize Registry Checker Tool Settings Q201655 Error Message: You Have Restored a Good Registry For additional information about how to use the Registry Checker tool, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type registry, and then double-click the "Registry Checker" topic. ================================================== ================= Windows Millennium Edition (Me) includes the System Restore tool, however, you cannot start the System Restore tool from a command prompt. Because of this, it may be useful to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows Me-based computer normally or in Safe mode. This article describes how to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows Me-based computer normally or in Safe mode. MS KB Q279736 - "How to Start the System Restore Tool From a Command Prompt" http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];279736 MORE INFORMATION To start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows Me-based computer normally or in Safe mode, you can temporarily change the Windows shell from Explorer.exe to Progman.exe: Start your computer by using the Windows Me Startup disk. At the Startup menu, choose Minimum Boot . At the command prompt, type edit c:\windows\system.ini , and then press ENTER. Edit the shell= line so that it looks like this: shell=progman.exe Press ALT+F, and then press S to save the changes to the System.ini file. Press ALT+F, and then press X. Remove your Windows Me Startup disk, and then restart your computer. When your computer restarts, Program Manager should start. If Program Manager does not start, repeat steps 1-7, being careful to follow these steps exactly, and then continue to the next step. On the File menu, click Run , type msconfig in the Command Line box, and then press ENTER. Click Launch System Restore to begin restoring your computer to a previous, functional state. NOTE : After you configure your computer to start Program Manager, you can start the System Restore tool by typing c:\windows\system\restore\rstrui.exe at a command prompt, and then pressing ENTER. For additional information about the System Restore tool, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q267951 Description of the System Restore Utility in Windows Me ================================================== =================== "Paul" wrote in message ... My system will not start. I power it on and all I get is what looks like a DOS screen and a blinking curser. I can boot from floppy and get to the C drive. I'm not sure what I can do, Im hope I don't have to re-system my machine. Thank you |
#4
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"war17" wrote in message ... If you can boot up to C: prompt, type screg/restore. You will then be Hey War!!! Haven't seen you around here in a while, welcome back!! Your post wasn't showing when I through mine in the hat, g. Just wanted to ask about the scanreg syntax you have posted above, is that correct?? If so, I have never seen it used....always used scanreg /restore (space between the g and the / ) Heirloom, old and whatever works |
#5
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heirloom wrote:
If you can boot up to C: prompt, type screg/restore. You will then be Haven't seen you around here in a while, welcome back!! Your post wasn't showing when I through mine in the hat, g. Just wanted to ask about the scanreg syntax you have posted above, is that correct?? If so, I have never seen it used....always used scanreg /restore (space between the g and the / ) H, Check Warren's post again and you will see that he said: 1. First, boot to DOS with a boot disk.snip From a: type "scanreg /restore" without the quotes and hit ENTER. Select a date before the problem occurred. Note the space between scanreg and /restore. Then reboot your computer. Perhaps your PC's filtering out spaces. :-) -- Mike |
#6
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Thanks Mike,
I was looking at the first line of his post where it says: "If you can boot up to C: prompt, type screg/restore. You will then be given a choice to restore to previous registry." The comment in step 1 clarified things, somewhat. I was just trying to find out if there was another command I was unaware of. Heirloom, old and no space filters here "Mike M" wrote in message ... heirloom wrote: If you can boot up to C: prompt, type screg/restore. You will then be H, Check Warren's post again and you will see that he said: 1. First, boot to DOS with a boot disk.snip From a: type "scanreg /restore" without the quotes and hit ENTER. Select a date before the problem occurred. Note the space between scanreg and /restore. Then reboot your computer. Perhaps your PC's filtering out spaces. :-) -- Mike |
#7
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heirloom wrote:
Thanks Mike, I was looking at the first line of his post where it says: "If you can boot up to C: prompt, type screg/restore. You will then be given a choice to restore to previous registry." The comment in step 1 clarified things, somewhat. I was just trying to find out if there was another command I was unaware of. Heirloom, old and no space filters here Ah, that explains it. :-) -- Mike |
#8
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"Paul" wrote:
My system will not start. I power it on and all I get is what looks like a DOS screen and a blinking curser. I can boot from floppy and get to the C drive. I'm not sure what I can do, Im hope I don't have to re-system my machine. Thank you What does the very last line on the DOS screen say? That may be relevant to solving your problem. There are several possible causes for your problem. The three most likely ones a - the hard drive has died. - the data structure on the hard drive has been damaged or corrupted. - the boot files needed to start Windows have been deleted from the hard drive. With this type of situation it is worthwhile taking a bit of extra time so as to figure out the actual cause of the problem. Then the correct cure for that specific problem can be used. Often applying the wrong cure (e.g.one for someo other problem with the same symptoms) can make things even worse and turn what was a simple problem into a disaster. Good luck Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada -- Microsoft MVP On-Line Help Computer Service http://onlinehelp.bc.ca "The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much." |
#9
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Hey Ron,
Was the answer I provided a potential hazard?? I surely don't want to be posting anything harmful, hope everyone knows that was not my intent. If it could have caused problems.....I hope he hasn't tried it yet!!! Sorry, Paul, if the info was bogus. Heirloom, old and humbled again "Ron Martell" wrote in message ... "Paul" wrote: My system will not start. I power it on and all I get is what looks like a DOS screen and a blinking curser. I can boot from floppy and get to the C drive. I'm not sure what I can do, Im hope I don't have to re-system my machine. Thank you What does the very last line on the DOS screen say? That may be relevant to solving your problem. There are several possible causes for your problem. The three most likely ones a - the hard drive has died. - the data structure on the hard drive has been damaged or corrupted. - the boot files needed to start Windows have been deleted from the hard drive. With this type of situation it is worthwhile taking a bit of extra time so as to figure out the actual cause of the problem. Then the correct cure for that specific problem can be used. Often applying the wrong cure (e.g.one for someo other problem with the same symptoms) can make things even worse and turn what was a simple problem into a disaster. Good luck Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada -- Microsoft MVP On-Line Help Computer Service http://onlinehelp.bc.ca "The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much." |
#10
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"heirloom" wrote:
Hey Ron, Was the answer I provided a potential hazard?? I surely don't want to be posting anything harmful, hope everyone knows that was not my intent. If it could have caused problems.....I hope he hasn't tried it yet!!! Sorry, Paul, if the info was bogus. Heirloom, old and humbled again The way I read the original post the system is totally unbootable, indicating far more than just a registry problem. Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada -- Microsoft MVP On-Line Help Computer Service http://onlinehelp.bc.ca "The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much." |
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