I've done it now (PC won't boot)

[radhak]

I think you have reached a point where you could step back and take a second look at things : once you retrieve your files, do you need that old drive, or even the OS on it?

You could get a much bigger drive real cheap (ecost has a 400 GB Seagate at $57!) and even decide if Kubuntu serves you better.

Even if Linux is not for you, a clean HDD with a new XP sp3 installation might be a good start.

[dewi1219]

An 80 GB drive is plenty for Windows itself (heck, a 4 GB would do) so it's all the other stuff that's cluttering it.

No doubt. There was a ton of extra junk on there from Sony that I have never used, and we have added more than our share of other stuff as well. Right now, the majority of the space is being taken up by photos and music, which the upcoming external drive will help with.

I think you have reached a point where you could step back and take a second look at things : once you retrieve your files, do you need that old drive, or even the OS on it?

You could get a much bigger drive real cheap (ecost has a 400 GB Seagate at $57!) and even decide if Kubuntu serves you better.

Even if Linux is not for you, a clean HDD with a new XP sp3 installation might be a good start.

I completely agree, but the one problem I have is that there are several programs on it now that I need but no longer have discs for, MS Office being the main one and it's not cheap to replace

I think I could handle Linux fine, but I'm afraid my wife wouldn't be so open to it. She doesn't like change with things like this...

[pbui3057]

Hate to ask this but have you tried hitting f12 a bunch of times right as you turn the machine on? I think that is the key to get to the boot menu.

[dewi1219]

Hate to ask this but have you tried hitting f12 a bunch of times right as you turn the machine on? I think that is the key to get to the boot menu.

Yep, tried that too. Didn't work

[Nilt]

No doubt. There was a ton of extra junk on there from Sony that I have never used, and we have added more than our share of other stuff as well. Right now, the majority of the space is being taken up by photos and music, which the upcoming external drive will help with.

I completely agree, but the one problem I have is that there are several programs on it now that I need but no longer have discs for, MS Office being the main one and it's not cheap to replace

I think I could handle Linux fine, but I'm afraid my wife wouldn't be so open to it. She doesn't like change with things like this...

That's typical as far as space consumed. It'll take you a while to copy, too, I'd imagine.

You can get Office 2007 Home and Student for $80 or so at Costco around here. I think it retails for $100 or $120 but I could be off a bit.

Ubuntu (Linux) is great but it's not a panacea. Some users have a real hard time adjusting to it while others consider it the best thing since sliced bread.

[dewi1219]

Well, I put the HD from the desktop in the external enclosure and copied the winsrv.dll file from my laptop to the HD. Put the HD back in the desktop, but I'm still getting the same error and same reboot cycle.

The good news is that I was able to copy all of my photos, music, and documents from the HD (all 54GB worth). Salvaging these files was the most important thing.

Also, for some unknown reason now I can access the BIOS setup. So I should be able to boot from a CD now.

I'm now to the point where I am just about ready to admit defeat and do a reinstall. I'm still concerned about losing the apps that I don't have a disc for, but it looks like I have no choice now anyway. I am wondering though, if I do a reinstall, won't I lose all my drivers? I know most or all can be downloaded from the web, but will the computer be functional enough to get to the web to do this? I assume I will lose my DSL setup as well, and I'm not sure if I have the disc for that either. A lot of that stuff disappeared when we moved to the new house.

If there is a silver lining to this cloud, at least I am learning more about this stuff. Probably more than I ever wanted to know...

[Stytooner]

I caught my machine getting ready to download and install SP3 this AM. I canceled it. I want to look into it further. It's running great right now for all I do. I am leary of SP3. Should I be?

[crokett]

I don't think so Lee. I've had it running on my work machine for several months and at home for almost as long with no problems. I had it mandated at work so installed it and worked with it for a month before I considered installing it at home.

[pelligrini]

Same here on SP3 both at home and the office.

I don't think there was much new with it. It was mainly a rollup of all the MS patches and updates.

[Nilt]

Well, I put the HD from the desktop in the external enclosure and copied the winsrv.dll file from my laptop to the HD. Put the HD back in the desktop, but I'm still getting the same error and same reboot cycle.

The good news is that I was able to copy all of my photos, music, and documents from the HD (all 54GB worth). Salvaging these files was the most important thing.

Also, for some unknown reason now I can access the BIOS setup. So I should be able to boot from a CD now.

I'm now to the point where I am just about ready to admit defeat and do a reinstall. I'm still concerned about losing the apps that I don't have a disc for, but it looks like I have no choice now anyway. I am wondering though, if I do a reinstall, won't I lose all my drivers? I know most or all can be downloaded from the web, but will the computer be functional enough to get to the web to do this? I assume I will lose my DSL setup as well, and I'm not sure if I have the disc for that either. A lot of that stuff disappeared when we moved to the new house.

If there is a silver lining to this cloud, at least I am learning more about this stuff. Probably more than I ever wanted to know...

You may need to back up e-mail and address books also; how have you been checking mail on that in the past? If via a website then no biggie but if via a program then we can get that backed up also.

Most older systems come up with the network and such pretty functional if you have media slipstreamed with SP3. It never hurts to have all of that on hand first, though. Give me a buzz and I can probably find them rather fast for you. As far as DSL settings, unless the connection's shared off this system then you shouldn't lose any of that; it should be stored in your router anyhow.

I caught my machine getting ready to download and install SP3 this AM. I canceled it. I want to look into it further. It's running great right now for all I do. I am leary of SP3. Should I be?

Windows XP's SP3 isn't nearly as complex as SP2 was. SP2 actually changed a lot of basic stuff in Windows and added some new features dealing with security. OTOH, SP3 is simply an accumulation of updates. Now, if you're going from SP1 to SP3 then you'll also be getting SP2 at the same time so you may have issues there. Going form SP2 to SP3 really isn't so bad, IME.

[radhak]

Well, I put the HD from the desktop in the external enclosure and copied the winsrv.dll file from my laptop to the HD. Put the HD back in the desktop, but I'm still getting the same error and same reboot cycle. ...

Does it still show an error about winsrv.dll, or some other file? Maybe your laptop has an older version of the dll?

If you really need apps/programs on that disk, I'd not be in a hurry to re-install XP. There's a lot you lose in a re-install - settings (like your DSL), favorites, documents you forget to backup (like in My Docs or on the 'Desktop'), even more so if you had multiple logins to that machine. Would be best if you have a good backup program : I love Acronis - their migrate tool seems just what you need .

But first, now that the CD-rom is working, you should boot with a boot-cd; it should try to repair the installation, and even update drivers. Maybe that'd help.

[dewi1219]

You may need to back up e-mail and address books also; how have you been checking mail on that in the past?

I've been checking email through aol.com, and all of my saved messages are saved on the web, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Today I found a very low cost MS Office package so that shouldn't be an issue now either.

Nilt, I'll call you once I have the disc. I don't think there's much else I can do now until I have the CD. Thanks.

Does it still show an error about winsrv.dll, or some other file? Maybe your laptop has an older version of the dll?

It still shows the same error regarding winsrv.dll. The version that was on the hard drive was 5.1.2600.2751, and the version that I replaced it with (from my laptop) was 5.1.2600.5512. Maybe both are wrong(?) How do I know what version the system is looking for?

There's a lot you lose in a re-install - settings (like your DSL), favorites, documents you forget to backup (like in My Docs or on the 'Desktop'), even more so if you had multiple logins to that machine.

We only use one login, so everything is pretty much in one place. I already copied all of my favorites, documents, photos, music, etc. That said, I'm sure there will be something I missed somewhere. I've got some time before the CD gets here to search some more, so hopefully I'll capture all of the important stuff.

[pelligrini]

I found the .2751 version in my C:\i386 folder on my XP hard drive, it was dated 8/31/2005.

I also found the .5512 version in my *\system32 folder and also in my *\Servicepackfiles\i386 folder with a date of 4/13/2008.

You might still have a good copy of the old version, if that was the problem. If you want the one I have I can get that to you too. Might be worth a try.

[dewi1219]

I found the .2751 version in my C:\i386 folder on my XP hard drive, it was dated 8/31/2005.

If you want the one I have I can get that to you too. Might be worth a try.

If you don't mind, please email it to me at dewi1219@aol.com. It's worth a shot I guess. Thanks!

[KenBurris]

Office

MS Office being the main one and it's not cheap to replace

Have you looked at Open Office (openoffice.org) ?-

OpenOffice.org 2 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.