My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I thought
I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis TrueImage. During the
installation of the program the computer restarted. Now I can't get it to
complete a bootup, not even in Safe Mode.

Can anyone help?

 

Tim Walters wrote:
> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I
> thought I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis
> TrueImage. During the installation of the program the computer
> restarted. Now I can't get it to complete a bootup, not even in Safe
> Mode.
> Can anyone help?

Your mistake was installing a program onto an "unstable" system.

Your best bet is to copy the data off the hard drive and then perform a
Clean Install of Windows XP. You may copy the data by physically
removing the hard drive or booting off a CD like Knoppix, Ubuntu, Bart
PE, or UBCD4Win.

 

Tim Walters wrote:
> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I
> thought I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis TrueImage.
> During the installation of the program the computer restarted. Now I
> can't get it to complete a bootup, not even in Safe Mode.
>
> Can anyone help?
>
>

Try http://forum.acronis.com/

Be aware that factory support for TI is weak however you will receive
help from some experienced users on this forum.

Be sure to state which TI you installed and details on what windows is
installed on the computer.

If it had been me, I'd have booted the TI boot CD (Linux) and done the
backup from it. This completely avoids installing TI on the unstable
computer.

Sardine

 

"Daave" <daave@example.com> wrote in message
news:eIIf$c4xKHA.4492@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Tim Walters wrote:
>> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I
>> thought I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis
>> TrueImage. During the installation of the program the computer
>> restarted. Now I can't get it to complete a bootup, not even in Safe
>> Mode.
>> Can anyone help?
>
> Your mistake was installing a program onto an "unstable" system.
>
> Your best bet is to copy the data off the hard drive and then perform a
> Clean Install of Windows XP. You may copy the data by physically removing
> the hard drive or booting off a CD like Knoppix, Ubuntu, Bart PE, or
> UBCD4Win.

I've managed to boot in Safe Mode. I suspect that the problem with Normal
Mode is that the installation is in mid-install. Is there a way to shut down
the process in Safe Mode?

Thanks for yr help.

 

Format the HDD then do a clean install of WinXP & get the computer
fully-patched before creating an Image.


Tim Walters wrote:
> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I
> thought
> I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis TrueImage. During the
> installation of the program the computer restarted. Now I can't get it to
> complete a bootup, not even in Safe Mode.
>
> Can anyone help?

 

Tim Walters wrote:
> "Daave" <daave@example.com> wrote in message
> news:eIIf$c4xKHA.4492@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Tim Walters wrote:
>>> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I
>>> thought I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis
>>> TrueImage. During the installation of the program the computer
>>> restarted. Now I can't get it to complete a bootup, not even in Safe
>>> Mode.
>>> Can anyone help?
>>
>> Your mistake was installing a program onto an "unstable" system.
>>
>> Your best bet is to copy the data off the hard drive and then
>> perform a Clean Install of Windows XP. You may copy the data by
>> physically removing the hard drive or booting off a CD like Knoppix,
>> Ubuntu, Bart PE, or UBCD4Win.
>
> I've managed to boot in Safe Mode. I suspect that the problem with
> Normal Mode is that the installation is in mid-install. Is there a
> way to shut down the process in Safe Mode?
>
> Thanks for yr help.

YW.

It has already been shut down.

Rather than try to fix this unstable system, just follow my advice from
above. As Sardine pointed out, you can also boot off your Acronis CD
(not too late to do this). *Don't* make an image; rather copy the
important data onto an external hard drive. If you have the proper XP
installation CD (and matching Product Key), perform the Clean Install. A
Clean Install should always be done after obtaining a used PC. If you
don't have this CD, perhaps there is a hidden restore partition on the
PC's hard drive. What is the make and model of the PC? What license does
it have? XP Home or XP Pro? Retail or OEM? Is there a Certificate of
Authenticity sticker on the case?

 

"Daave" <daave@example.com> wrote in message
news:%238CVz34xKHA.1796@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Tim Walters wrote:
>> "Daave" <daave@example.com> wrote in message
>> news:eIIf$c4xKHA.4492@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Tim Walters wrote:
>>>> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I
>>>> thought I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis
>>>> TrueImage. During the installation of the program the computer
>>>> restarted. Now I can't get it to complete a bootup, not even in Safe
>>>> Mode.
>>>> Can anyone help?
>>>
>>> Your mistake was installing a program onto an "unstable" system.
>>>
>>> Your best bet is to copy the data off the hard drive and then
>>> perform a Clean Install of Windows XP. You may copy the data by
>>> physically removing the hard drive or booting off a CD like Knoppix,
>>> Ubuntu, Bart PE, or UBCD4Win.
>>
>> I've managed to boot in Safe Mode. I suspect that the problem with
>> Normal Mode is that the installation is in mid-install. Is there a
>> way to shut down the process in Safe Mode?
>>
>> Thanks for yr help.
>
> YW.
>
> It has already been shut down.

Absolutely right! Thanks a lot.



>
> Rather than try to fix this unstable system, just follow my advice from
> above. As Sardine pointed out, you can also boot off your Acronis CD (not
> too late to do this). *Don't* make an image; rather copy the important
> data onto an external hard drive. If you have the proper XP installation
> CD (and matching Product Key), perform the Clean Install. A Clean Install
> should always be done after obtaining a used PC. If you don't have this
> CD, perhaps there is a hidden restore partition on the PC's hard drive.
> What is the make and model of the PC? What license does it have? XP Home
> or XP Pro? Retail or OEM? Is there a Certificate of Authenticity sticker
> on the case?
>
>

 

On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:49:59 -0000, "Tim Walters"
<timwalters@DROPTHISterra.es> wrote:

> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I thought
> I had better make a mirror image


Of an unstable system? Why?


> and I used Acronis TrueImage. During the
> installation of the program the computer restarted. Now I can't get it to
> complete a bootup, not even in Safe Mode.
>
> Can anyone help?


If I acquired a used computer, no matter who previously owned it, the
first thing I would do with it would be to reinstall the operating
system cleanly. You have no idea how the computer has been maintained,
what has been installed incorrectly, what is missing, what viruses and
spyware there may be, etc. I wouldn't want to live with somebody
else's mistakes and problems, possibility of kiddy porn, etc., and I
wouldn't recommend that anyone else do so either.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

 

Tim Walters wrote:

> My late uncle's computer was passed to me. It was pretty unstable. I thought
> I had better make a mirror image and I used Acronis TrueImage. During the
> installation of the program the computer restarted. Now I can't get it to
> complete a bootup, not even in Safe Mode.
>
> Can anyone help?

Since this was someone else's computer, none of the data files on it are
yours so there is no concern with losing that data. When receiving a used
computer, it is wise to flatten and rebuild (reformat the drive(s) and
install a FRESH copy of the OS.

You just proved how unstable was this used computer in the condition in
which you received it. It will take far less time to install a fresh copy
of Windows and all the applications (that you legitimately own and for which
you have their installation media) than of trying to repair a broken OS.

 

PA Bear [MS MVP] wrote:

> Format the HDD then do a clean install of WinXP & get the computer
> fully-patched before creating an Image.


Very dangerous to go online to get any updates from M$ website. Install
XP and SP3 only then create an Image then install MSE and update for it
then and only then go online after "Windows Firewall is configured Not
to Allow any Exceptions." In fact you don't need any updates post SP3
unless you want to make your system unstable once again!

Pig-Bear is very much behind time in his own way!

hth

 

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:

>If I acquired a used computer, no matter who previously owned it, the
>first thing I would do with it would be to reinstall the operating
>system cleanly.
>

But you don't know how to do this? You have told us many times that you
haven't done anything of that sort since Windows 3.1? You are lying now!

 

Ability to boot in into Safe Mode but not "normal" mode indicates a driver
problem When in Safe Mode run System Restore - afterwards determine reason
for instability.