[SOLVED] A Members OS upload took over my computer.
August 6th, 2016http://www.google.com?t=16805303&highlight=
I downloaded and installed this and it took over my computer. Nothing I click on works. I cannot format my computer to get rid of it. It will not boot from disc. Every file I click on says: Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.
I tried taking control of the files and still got the message. It will not boot from CD. It will not let me run programs from a flash drive. It will not let me right click and run as admin. It will not let me click on anything in safe mode. No matter what I do I get the above message.
It did let me access command prompt from safe mode. When I tried to format C drive from there I got:
C:\>format c:
The type of the file system is NTFS.
WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON_REMOVABLE DISK
DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST!
Proceed with format <Y/N>? Y
Verifying 102430M
Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Format may run if this volume is dismounted first.
ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID.
Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? <Y/N> Y
Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use.
C:\>
I’ve been trying for 15 hours and I even called in sick to work. Can anyone help? I’ve been crying for two hours because nothing I tried works.
Format may run if this volume is dismounted first.
on C drive you need to format it from the CD/DVD
you D/L’ed the OS and burned it to a disk ?
the exact steps you took from there please
or
if you don’t need anything now on the PC get Hiren’s BootCD and burn it to disk
then boot from it and format the drive completely, deleting all partitions name the new partition and make it active, then run your install
you are sure you have a 64 bit compatible machine ?
you have the 64bit drivers for the PC ?
you are aware that 64bit XP sucks ?
what OS was on there to begin with ?
Check your BIOS settings first (pressing Del/Delete key when booting usually gets you in.) See if your HD/HD’s are showing there and make sure first boot is your CD/DVD drive ……… check all settings. You could try IDE compatibility instead of just SATA to see if that works.
Personally, I can’t see how any OS instal can totally blank access to a HD drive like that. If you have Hirens Boot CD and you can get a boot from CD/DVD drive use that to sort it out. If you have to download Hirens Boot CD try to get version 10.0 because it has commercial stuff on it that later versions don’t have and is much better than later versions for DOS usage. Hirens also has a mini live (you don’t need to instal it) XP you can use to sort things out.
If you have any USB sticks/drives attached, remove them before trying anything.
EDIT: Sorry ed, your post wasn’t there when I started writing this!!
winXP x64 is not worth even contemplating!!. other than that, you need to boot from a CD/DVD before windows starts, so it can’t lock the volume!!. another way is to install the drive as a slave on another computer, and format it there..
the exact steps you took from there please
I put the disc in and nothing happened. I clicked on My Computer and then clicked on the DVD drive and when I did I got that stupid message again.
Yes I have a 64 bit computer.
Yes I have the drivers but it will not let me install them. When I click on one I get the message.
I can’t format anything but the C drive because I didn’t back up my other drive. I didn’t know this would happen. I had XP Pro but was having problems and decided to format my C drive. My XP pro disc was lost so I downloaded the above one and installed it.
My BIOS is set to IDE compatibility. My first boot is my CD/DVD drive.
You cannot format the OS partition from within the OS itself!
You would have to boot from an OS disc (Or a 3rd party partition manager like gparted) for that.
For the record, Booting means restarting/powering up, Entering the BIOS
and setting up the correct device (Usually the optical drive) as the first boot device, Then insert
the disc, Save settings & Exit. With an OS disc, You’ll usually see a prompt like “press X to boot from cd” and you’ll only have a few seconds to do so (Otherwise it’d just boot from the HDD)
Not all discs are bootable of course, It’s mostly just operating system discs and various technical/diagnostic tools, And one does have to burn em properly (Using imgburn with the “write image file to disc” option is highly recommended) just wanted to put it all out there as your post
made me wonder if you actually understand the meaning of booting. If you did do it correctly with the BIOS settings/Burning the disc (And your 100% sure it’s bootable) then odds are that your optical drive has gone bad. They’re fairly cheap and easy to replace however. Another possibility is to install it from a flash drive as explained here:
http://myeeeguides.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/winsetupfromusb-install-windows-xp-from-usb-flash-drive/
If you currently have any important data that you would like to backup into a secondary partition or an external hard drive, You could use minixp from hiren’s boot cd or a Linux live cd (such as partedmagic) Also, Before you attempt a reinstall, Better make sure your SATA controller is
set to IDE/Compatibility mode from BIOS so you wouldn’t have HDD detection problems during setup. I’ll PM you with a direct link to an untouched copy of XP 64BIT SP2. if you don't need anything now on the PC get Hiren's BootCD and burn it to disk then boot from it and format the drive completely, deleting all partitions
While I too like using 3rd party partition managers, This can also be done from the OS disc (Which will surely be easier for a novice) set that aside, I don’t get why you recommend deleting all
partitions, It just doesn’t make sense! For an OS reinstall, You only need to format the C partition and that’s that! Deleting/Recreating the partitions is not really needed (And what if there’s important data on one of em?!) you are sure you have a 64 bit compatible machine ?
You think she would’ve managed to install it otherwise? you are aware that 64bit XP sucks ?
I wouldn’t go that far. XP 64BIT is very similar to the 32BIT version (Except that it’s
based on the server 2003 kernel, And has 64bit support obviously) but for the
most part, It has the same graphical interface and features. The only downside is the lack of driver support, But hey, If drivers are available for the particular hardware, It’s all good!
…. Installing xp on modern hardware is madness. Even if you get xp 64 to install the chances of you getting drivers for your hardware are slim to none
Install a modern os, If you want a light os use the embedded edition and just add the features you need.
the exact steps you took from there please
I put the disc in and nothing happened. I clicked on My Computer and then clicked on the DVD drive and when I did I got that stupid message again.
Yes I have a 64 bit computer.
Yes I have the drivers but it will not let me install them. When I click on one I get the message.
I can't format anything but the C drive because I didn't back up my other drive. I didn't know this would happen. I had XP Pro but was having problems and decided to format my C drive. My XP pro disc was lost so I downloaded the above one and installed it.
My BIOS is set to IDE compatibility. My first boot is my CD/DVD drive.
I put the disc in and nothing happened.
Do you mean you put the CD in the drive, rebooted your computer and you didn’t see a message when booting in DOS that says something like ‘Press any key to boot from CD’????????
.... Installing xp on modern hardware is madness. Even if you get xp 64 to install the chances of you getting drivers for your hardware are slim to none
Which OS to use is a matter of personal choice. Set that aside, Your making a lot of assumptions
there! We currently don’t know anything about the hardware used, And the OP did say that drivers are available(See above).
Do you mean you put the CD in the drive, rebooted your computer and you didn't see a message when booting in DOS that says something like 'Press any key to boot from CD'????????
Exactly!!!!!!!!!! And if I go to My Computer and click on the DVD drive I get the stupid message.
Also, Before you attempt a reinstall, Better make sure your SATA controller is
set to IDE/Compatibility mode from BIOS so you wouldn't have HDD detection problems during setup.
It’s already done.
I know what booting is. I know how to burn discs. I’ve had to reformat my son’s computer twice and I did it for a friend.
Could be your CD/DVD drive is broke or the CD is not autoboot ………….. you don’t have a CD/DVD stuck in it by any chance do you?
Also, try resetting the BIOS to default by taking out the mobo battery.
I know what booting is. I know how to burn discs
No offense intended by anyone here matey. Unless people tell us we have to assume they know little or nothing.
I've had to reformat my son's computer twice and I did it for a friend.
By reformat, we all assume you mean re-instal (formatting is something you do to a hard disc/USB drive, installing is something you do after the formatting )
Try downloading another copy of Windows XP. Personally, I wouldn’t download anything unless there was quite a few pages of thanks in the thread, at least then you know it is OK.
That apart, you have told us very little about what you did exactly, how you did it, what your hardware is, what is connected to it. The full story helps us to help you much more than us trying to squeeze information out of you.
anyone think that the bios may not have been configured to boot from the optical drive as “first boot device”? That would explain the “cd inside but nothin happens” part
The optical drive is configured as the first boot device.
The optical drive is configured as the first boot device.
If that’s the case and the OS CD doesn’t autoboot or you don’t see ‘Press any key to boot from CD’ on bootup then the disc you have is corrupt (or not autobootable) or your CD/DVD drive is broke. Erm, if you can click on My Computer it means you CAN boot to an OS on the HD ……… Yes or no?
Basically, you have messed up the instal process of the new OS and got it wrong. My advice to you is download Hirens Boot CD, format your drive in DOS, download a decent OS copy then reinstall. Don’t waste your time banging your head against a brick wall thinking you can sort it, I’ve done that far too many times in the past and believe me it ain’t worth all the wasted time and effort.
If your computer was OK before you tried reinstalling then the hardware should still be OK now.
And a bit of advice, install some software like EASEUS Todo Backup and do regular backups of your OS hard disc partition. If you do that you only have to use the backup software specific CD to reinstall your partition via DOS in about 20 minutes or so.
Erm, if you can click on My Computer it means you CAN boot to an OS on the HD ......... Yes or no?
No
I’ll try to format in DOS.
DOS does NOT support NTFS FYI! (Not to mention it’s oldschool)
You should do it either from the OS disc or from a 3rd party partition manager (I.E gparted)
You can get gparted from here:
http://gparted.sourceforge.net
Use this tool to put it on a flash drive:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
DOS does NOT support NTFS FYI! (Not to mention it's oldschool)
You should do it either from the OS disc or from a 3rd party partition manager (I.E gparted)
You can get gparted from here:
http://gparted.sourceforge.net
Use this tool to put it on a flash drive:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
I always thought all software that pops up from the DOS menu on Hirens Boot CD was DOS based with a GUI in some cases. I have always formatted my drives to NTFS using Hirens/Acronis. ………….. Explain please Roberto because you have got me confused here. Are the programs with a GUI loaded into memory and if so what ‘OS’ do they operate on?
DOS is a command-line based operating system. There are GUI-based apps that can run on it too (But these usually have very poor graphics) Just because you run an app from a boot cd/fd it doesn’t mean it’s DOS-based (In a lot of cases it isn’t, Acronis uses Linux for their boot cds for example) and either way, DOS does not support NTFS (This doesn’t mean that a 3rd party DOS app can’t support it by itself however) I made the above remark because the OP previously mentioned the format command (Which is a plain DOS command) and it’d definitely wouldn’t work on an NTFS partition!
…..you are amazing, wonderful, incredible, and terrific!!! After two days, an aching back, coffee jitters, and lots of tears, my computer finally accepted a disc, formatted my C drive and is right now this minute installing that wonderful copy of windows! Since I am using my sons computer I was unable to download from that link you gave me. He has no downloader, no burning programs, etc. Using several of the six XP discs I already had, I put it on a flash drive. It kept telling me the NTDLR was missing. I finally bit the bullet and downloaded the one you gave me. It took five hours to download! I used a portable version of Image Burn to burn it. I inserted it, and bingo!!!!! Thank you so much. Now I even know how to setup and boot from flash. Did I mention you are amazing, wonderful, incredible, and terrific? LOL! Thanks to the others for their help as well.
Glad to hear it’s sorted
Thanks for all the compliments btw!