XP Home SP2 Nightmare

[Jubilee]

So after carefully following the discussions on SP2, reading the release notes, and looking at the known issues..I thought I was ok to update

WRONG!

So I start the process on Friday morning, then realised that due to traffic issues, I needed to leave before it was done. So I left the computer on, and asked my hubby to please make sure all updates were done before turning off my computer.

Come home about 10 hrs later, and my computer is still on. The screen is asking to reboot to finalize the update. Go to reboot and Windows won't load. I tried using safe mode and last known config, and same thing occurs, so I think maybe my computer just overheated since it was on all day, and I took the side of the case off, and applied a fan while I went to get some other things done.

Come back a few hours later, and windows still freezes when trying to load. Use my tech toolbox CD, no luck. Used Norton, no issues found. Tried Windows Recovery Console. Can't get my pass to work. Tried hubby's and his doesn't work either.

Go to bed.

Don't have the opportunity to work on it again till last night. Tried recovery console again to no avail. Found out through Knowledge Base articles that the SAM (security account manager) files were probably corrupted.

Go to do a reinstall, was given the chance to try repair again. This time it sent the computer through a never ending cycle of loading sys files, gets about 30 sec into it, and then reboots. Ended after 10 mins by booting from CD, and went to do the reinstall.

Was told that if I kept the same drive/folders/account names, that problems should be kept to a minimum, and the windows would recognize previously installed programs.

WRONG.

It seems that part of the update is to invalidate vague account names such as Guest, Admin, or Mom. I found this out when I tried to make my account name Mom like it was previously, during the reinstallation.

So after selecting a different name, and Windows XP finally loaded, I of course have no valid paths to any of my previously installed software.

Fine, so I try to save all my important documents. Well it seems like since Mom is no longer a valid account name, I can't access it either. I can not open it, I can not copy, rename, or move it to something else either. I get this message when trying to do soemthing with it:

Cannot create or replace Mom: Acess Denied

Make sure the disk is not full or write protected and that the file is not currently in use

So all my data for my Regional Gift of Sight happenings, and the homework for my Masters program are all in this document. The folders for my son and hubby are blank, except Microsoft samples. Though they shouldn't have had anything saved anyway. My husband normally uses his computer for most things.

Do any of you have any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions on how I may recover these documents? Actually I only really care for about 5, since they are the ones I worked on this week, and I don't have a current copy of.

Thanks,

Cassandra

[optispares]

if you log on as administrator can you not locate the files manually on your hard drive and right click to open them?

[Rich R]

I'm not familiar with XP, but on windows 98, I would shut down to DOS mode, see if you can find the files and copy them to another directory or backup to floppy, using the old DOS commands.
Rich R

[chip anderson]

Ya' shudda got XP Pro.

[Jubilee]

if you log on as administrator can you not locate the files manually on your hard drive and right click to open them?

I have tried through the document settings in XPs normally operating mode, plus I logged in through Admin using the safe mode with command prompt, and I still get all the access denied messages.

What is wrong having a "mom" account on a home computer anyway....

Cassandra

[mullo]

Did you format? If not try this......might work


Bypassing Windows passwords
Have you ever forgottin your windows password and have never been able to retrieve those files you've longed?
Well heres how to change your password without knowing the old one..........
1)when the computer boots keep pressing F8 until you get to a boot screen.
2)Select boot in DOS.
3)Get yourself into the windows folder by typing ....cd windows
4)next type .... dir *.pwl This will display the login password files.
5)after you found out the one thats yours (or anyone elses you want to get into) type del username.pwl
6)Reboot the computer
7)When you have to login, put in the username you deleted, and enter ne password you like.
8)The computer will say sumthin like "No password. Would you like to use this one? Confirm?
9)Put your password in, and voila!

[Sean]

Use a computer administrator account
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click User Accounts.
In the User Accounts pane, click the account that you want to work with.
Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password to start the Forgotten Password Wizard, and then click Next.
Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A, and then click Next.
In the Current user account password box, type the password for the user account that you chose in step 3, and then click Next.

Note If the user account does not have a password, do not type a password in the Current user account password box.

The Forgotten Password Wizard creates the disk.
When the Progress bar reaches 100% complete, click Next, and then click Finish.

On the Windows XP logon screen, click the user name that you want to use. The Type your password box appears. Press ENTER or click the right-arrow button. You receive the following error message:
Did you forget your password?
You can click the "?" button to see your password hint.
Or you can use your password reset disk.


Click use your password reset disk. The Password Reset Wizard starts. The Password Reset Wizard permits you to create a new password for your user account.
Click Next.
Insert the password reset disk into drive A, and then click Next.
Type a new password in the Type a new password box.
Type the same password in the Type the password again to confirm box.

[kjw1231]

I'm not familiar with XP, but on windows 98, I would shut down to DOS mode, see if you can find the files and copy them to another directory or backup to floppy, using the old DOS commands.
Rich R

NOTE: DOS does not exist on Windows NT or XP...thankfully...

[Sean]

NOTE: DOS does not exist on Windows NT or XP...thankfully...

XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT don't contain DOS, although XP can create DOS-bootable disks. All three OSs support the cmd.exe command shell, which lets you run NT-equivalent DOS commands. In XP, go to Start, Programs, Accessories or click Start, Run, then type cmd.exe to start the command shell. For older application support, you might want to try the command.com shell, which is more compatible with MS-DOS than cmd.exe . Command.com can call autoexec.bat and config.nt, both of which are located in the \windows\system32 directory, just as MS-DOS calls autoexec.bat and config.sys. If you're having trouble running your old DOS command-line programs from the cmd.exe environment, try running them inside a command.com shell.