Microsoft's Windows update has ruined my computer!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I'm so pissed!
Once every week I have a 'maintenance routine' for my PC's.
Update anti-virus defs, clean out crap files, run virus scan, defrag if necessary, etc, and run Windows Update.

This morning, Windows Update found 6 or 7 "Critical" security updates.
I told it to install them and it did it's thing. When the install was done, it said it was necessary to restart in order for the changes to be completed. I clicked the button to restart.
And it wouldn't.....
After the BIOS screen, it went to a black screen saying something along the lines of 'Windows can't start because the following file is missing or corrupt' and listed \windows\system32\c_1252.nls
I tried to restart again and it gave me the same message....
A call to their tech support resulted in a 3 hour long-distance charge and my PC is now more screwed up than when I called them!
After replacing several .nls files, the first tech gave up, told me to run chkdsk /r and that would solve the problem, said it would take about an hour and a half, and then she hung up. Bitch.

the check disk only took about 10 minutes and then when I typed "exit" after it was done, as per her direction, it tried to reboot and told me that there was yet another .nls file missing or corrupt....
so I called back and talked to a new "technician".
after replacing a few more .nls files in the recovery console and trying TWICE to repair the windows installation from my install disc, I get the infamous Blue Screen Of Death and dude tells me the problem can't be fixed and hangs up.
****!

a 3 hour long distance charge ("no sir, we don't have a toll-free number") my PC is soooooooooo screwed.
of course, the phone call probably wouldn't have taken anywhere near as long if the damned "technicians" could speak English worth a shit. Half of the conversations involved me asking them to repeat themselves or them asking me to repeat what I had said -- thank you Bill Gates for supporting your own country's economy by farming all your tech support to India...

so now I have to tear my whole damn PC apart to get a coupla hard drives out of it in the bleak hopes of saving some small portion of the 20 or 30 Gigs of crap that will be lost when I reformat and re-install XP


end of rant

[808smokey]

Did you try a repair with the Windows CD??

You can reload windows without loosing any of your data. I believe it's the option: "Do Not erase partition... Overwrite current windows installation..." Something to that effect in the XP install. This of course after you boot to the Windows XP CD.

I've done this before. Windows is still a little screwy but you can get all your info saved to CD/DVD or what ever. This is the long way of doing it. I would copy that hard drive to another computer

[guns1inger]

Did you try a system restore to the restore point set prior to the updates installing ?

[Xylob the Destroyer]

...and trying TWICE to repair the windows installation from my install disc...

yeah, tried that already smokey

and as far as system restore goes, you can only do that if you can boot to either the last known good configuration or safe mode
my PC will not boot at all
straight from the BIOS screen to the BSoD

[808smokey]

yeah, tried that already smokey

Missed that

and as far as system restore goes, you can only do that if you can boot to either the last known good configuration or safe mode
my PC will not boot at all
straight from the BIOS screen to the BSoD

Change the BIOS and boot to the CD-ROM. You can do that from the CD

[Xylob the Destroyer]

there are too many files missing
it just won't work.
reformat is the only option now.

[shelbyGT]

I had a friend who farked up MY computer by changing my OS partition to a different letter, and I have no idea how to fix that. So... put in the factory cd and go back to the start. It was okay timing, though, as I had just recently burnt all pertinent files to DVD's and I always download install files to a DVDRW so as if I need them again (in situations like this).
-Steven

[handyguy]

What about BartPE?
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

[fritzi93]

Why not do a clean install on a new hard drive? Put in the old one(s) as slave(s), and recover your files. Or am I missing something?

[Xylob the Destroyer]

yes.
actually, it's me that's missing something -- the money to buy a new hard drive.

[smearbrick1]

yes.
actually, it's me that's missing something -- the money to buy a new hard drive.

Why in the name of John Wayne's ass would you need a new hard drive? Just sounds like you have some missing files. Just insert your Windows disc into your CD/DVD Rom drive and reboot. If it asks if you want to install windows and delete everything else... say yes. If you want to back everything up first, take your drive to a friend's house (do you have friends?) and piggy back off of their computer just long enough to get your data. Not much of a problem if you ask me.

I still don't understand why the repair didn't work... odd.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

i don't get it either
a "Senior Technician" from Microsoft is supposed to call me tonite -- hopefully they will be able to figure out the problem and get it running again.
otherwise I'll pull the 160G out of the dead PC and the 40G C: drive out and put them in the PC at my desk and 'save' whatever data I can.
then it's time to reformat and re-install.
again.
i just did this 3 months ago!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

shit, i just thought of something...
does Win2K support 160G drives?

[BJ_M]

not without an update - you should use 120 or below for OS


why I dont bother with most service packs or updates for critical work systems ...

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I've got service pack 4 for Win2K, think that'll do it?

[Jester700]

Backup often. Once a week GHOSTing can be a lifesaver.

[fritzi93]

yes.
actually, it's me that's missing something -- the money to buy a new hard drive.

What, no extras lying around? I always save a few for backing up, others are intended for not-yet-built (or rebuilt) machines. Some new, some salvaged. Got TWO "masters" socked away with a clean install and all my apps, properly configured. Doesn't everybody? Yeah, I absolutely hate losing everything, never again.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

...Doesn't everybody? ...

nope, seems you're the only one with loads of extra cash falling out of his ass 8)
as soon as I start shitting either hard drives or dollars, I'll have a few spare drives laying around too.

[fritzi93]

...Doesn't everybody? ...

loads of extra cash falling out of his ass 8)

Not quite, but nearing retirement. I'm actually cheap, I squeeze a nickel 'til the buffalo takes a crap. I drive a truck with 100,000 miles on it and the OS currently in this machine is on a HD 5 years old, salvaged from the computer before last one. :P

[EDIT] On a more constructive note, got a friend with an old, unused computer, i.e. extra HD? Or a local shop that'll sell you a used HD? Or do like Smearbrick suggested.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I'm a cheap-ass too. but you're old, nickels don't have buffalo anymore
I squeeze Lincoln 'til he cries 'uncle'.
And now we're trying to buy our first house, so funds are extra tight until we get our shit figured out.
my beater is 20 years old, has almost 200,000 miles on it and is definitely on it's last legs! I'll be very surprised if it lasts past the end of September...

[dipstick]

Too late now, but this is a good reason to allways partition your HDD, especially if it's the only one you have.

I just got my new Notebook yesterday. Within 3 hours, I partitioned the HDD. I put the OS on a 10 GIG partition and left the rest to a second partition for all my files. I also created two Ghost images of diferent configurations and burned them to a bootable DVD+R. If anythings goes wrong with OS, I just boot up with the disk I made and in 10 - 15 min, everything will be well. The best part is all my files will be safe, provided the whole HDD doesn't fail.

[handyguy]

True, but most new PCs already come with a restore partition on the hd & it loads it automatically sometimes if needed.

Easier to have a second HD. Just clone to that one every now & then & youre all set.

[jollyjohn]

G'day
Try http://www.digitalwebcast.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=8658-0

[Xylob the Destroyer]

yup, tried all that too.
still get BSOD.
it's fucked.

[classfour]

xylob: Can you get into the BIOS and set the boot order to CD first?

Can you boot to CD?

Put your windows CD in after setting these & you should receive the option to repair an existing windows installation in W2K or XP.

I had one desktop recently that wouldn't initialize the XP disc unless I hit the delete key on boot: It wouldn't go to the "press any key to boot from CD" option, gave the NTLDR is missing message (couldn't find windows on the HDD). I don't know why it did - it was an older Gateway machine, an old K7. I had an old Dell that would not install XP pro without leaving out files, creating basically the same problem as yours. I had to install Win 2K, then do an upgrade. Go figure.

Good Luck.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

xylob: Can you get into the BIOS and set the boot order to CD first?

Can you boot to CD?

....

of course I can boot to CD!
otherwise I wouldn't be able to have replied to all the other suggestions saying that I've tried them and they failed...
I wouldn't have been able to replace all those files FROM THE CD with the recovery console, ran the check disk, or been able to go through the Installation Repair twice

from my install disc

.

it's a lost cause.
saturday morning when I have some time, I'm just going to pull the C: drive and stick it in my desk PC -- copy what I can save and then reformat the damned HD and reinstall XP.

damn Microsoft and they're "updates"!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

alright........
One of Microsoft's "Senior Technicians" called me tonite and after an hour on the phone with him, I have completed a "panel"(? I couldn't quite understand what he said, maybe 'parallel'?) installation of XP.
this has allowed me to access all my shit and move it to my other hard drives...
what a pain in the ass (the whole ordeal, not this specific "fix")
why the hell didn't the other techs think of this? it's so easy and almost obvious!
anyway, on Saturday I will reformat the drive and do a real installation of th OS.

[smearbrick1]

Did they recommend you reinstall XP in another directory of your hard disk without formatting?

[Xylob the Destroyer]

yeah, that's what we did.
the original install was in C:\Windows
the 'new' install is in C:\WinXP
but i'm still gonna reformat and reinstall, because none of my other programs will run now, as they were all installed with a different registry...