I have no problem with the complexity of what your taking me thru my main
goals here are to A: fix a friends computer and B: to learn. I'm willing to
try your suggestion after I back up the system reg file in case something
goes south.
I am at C:\Windows\System32\Config. Is this where I find the system registry
file and if so, what is it called? Why can I not import from my backup on
the desktop?
Thanks again,
Rip
"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message
news:%233RbnGI3IHA.4500@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Backing up the System registry file is extremely simple: You
> locate it with Windows Explorer, then copy it to some safe
> location. Exporting it to the desktop will not do the job -
> you won't be able to import it in case you need to.
>
> As I said before, I am by no means sure that your drive letters
> are incorrect. If the problem machine was networked then it
> would be a one-minute job to find out. Since your machine is
> not, it's considerably more complicated. Here is a way that
> I believe should work. While the problem disk is connected
> as a slave disk, do this:
> 1. Click Start / Run / cmd {OK}
> 2. Type this command: mountvol {Enter}
> You will get a number of lines such as this one:
> \\?\Volume{5b21c8e0-b18f-11dc-afb6-806d6172696f}
> H:\
> 3. Pick the line above drive letter H: (which you previously
> reported to carry the folder c:\Windows) and jot down
> the stuff between the curly brackets.
> 4. Run regedit and load the System hive of the problem disk,
> as previously described.
> 5. Navigate to HKLM\SYSTEM\MountedDevices of the
> problem hive.
> 6. On the right side of the screen, under the word "Default",
> locate the string you jotted down in Step 3.
> 7. Jot down the hex data on the far right side. It is of the form
> 4a ac 4a 8c . . . .
> 8. Scroll down to the bunch of DosDevices\ values.
> 9. Locate the hex data you jotted down in Step 7.
> Which is the drive letter that uses this data?
>
> I'm aware that this is getting quite complex. It might help
> if you stepped back and considered your options:
> a) Persist with your repair effort.
> b) Ask a computer-savvy friend to help.
> c) Take the machine to a computer shop.
> d) Forget it and reload Windows from scratch.
>
> "RipperT @nOsPaM.nEt>" <<RiPpErT> wrote in message
> news:OBFIj1G3IHA.2424@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Following your instructions, I've accessed ProblemPC and
>> H:\Windows\system32\config\system shows entries for \DosDevices\A:
>> as well as C: thru K:. Since C: already exists, it seems I should not
>> rename the D: to C: Is this correct? Also, I am unsure how to backup the
>> System Registry file. After loading the system hive of the problem disk
>> per your instructions, I exported the whole reg file to the desktop of
>> the host machine as a backup. Is this correct? I'm fumbling in the dark
>> here more than you know and I appreciate your help very much.
>> Thanks,
>> Rip
>>
>>
>> "Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message
>> news:uWENVG02IHA.2336@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>I don't know if or why the drive letter might have changed - it's
>>> not my machine and I don't know anything about the events that
>>> led up to the problem.
>>>
>>> When slaving the disk to another machine then you don't know
>>> anything about the original drive letters. The drive letters you see
>>> are assigned by the other machine and are irrelevant for the
>>> normal operation.
>>>
>>> When you wish to edit the System hive of the problem disk
>>> then you can do it with regedit.exe like so:
>>> 1. Click HKLM.
>>> 2. Click File / Load Hive.
>>> 3. When prompted, type H:\windows\system32\config\system to
>>> load the System hive of the problem disk.
>>> 4. When prompted for a key name, type ProblemPC.
>>> 5. Double-click the key ProblemPC and navigate to MountedDevices.
>>> 6. Check the values DosDevices\...
>>> You can now rename any of these values. Unfortunately you're
>>> groping in the dark: You don't know if these values are correct
>>> or not unless you can access the problem machine via a networked
>>> PC. This is why it is essential to create a backup copy of the System
>>> registry file so that you can restore it if things go wrong.
>>>
>>> When finished, click the key ProblemPC, then File/Unload Hive.
>>>
>>>
>>> "RipperT @nOsPaM.nEt>" <<RiPpErT> wrote in message
>>> news:Oo4EWFx2IHA.2524@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>>> Thank you for taking the time to respond. I would like to understand
>>>> the why of this solution before I do it. How is the drive letter
>>>> incorrect? Slaving the drive to another machine shows that it has two
>>>> logical drives: G and H. How could it be set up this way if it is
>>>> incorrect? Please explain. Also, I have already attempted to edit the
>>>> registry of this H drive using a host machine. I searched the H drive
>>>> for the Regedit.exe program, double clicked it and I navigated to
>>>> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
>>>> NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\. Upon viewing the entries in the right hand
>>>> pane, I see my name and the name of the host machine. Does this not
>>>> mean I am editing the registry of my host machine and not the H drive?
>>>> Thanks again,
>>>>
>>>> Rip
>>>>
>>>> "Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message
>>>> news:%23hoUKwu2IHA.2064@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>> See below.
>>>>>
>>>>> "RipperT @nOsPaM.nEt>" <<RiPpErT> wrote in message
>>>>> news:%233rV%23Uu2IHA.2064@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>I have an HP Pavillion desktop w/ XP (don't know if it's Home or Pro)
>>>>>>that logs off as soon as it logs on. I get welcome screen, logon
>>>>>>screen, desktop wallpaper, then logoff. This happens with the only
>>>>>>account on the machine, the same account in safe mode and the admin
>>>>>>account in safe mode. My research points to a corrupt userinit.exe
>>>>>>file in Windows\system32.
>>>>>
>>>>> *** It's rare that this file gets corrupted. In most cases Windows
>>>>> *** is simply unable to locate it.
>>>>>
>>>>>> I removed the HDD to another computer and replaced the userinit.exe
>>>>>> file with a known good one, then returned the drive to its host
>>>>>> machine, but no change.
>>>>>
>>>>> *** This is entirely expected.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Further research suggests that a registry key may still point to a
>>>>>> wrong userinit.exe file or wrong path, and I would like to check the
>>>>>> registry to see if this is true. The key is supposed to be:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
>>>>>> NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
>>>>>
>>>>> *** It is actually HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows NT/Current
>>>>> Version/Winlogon/Userinit
>>>>>
>>>>>> The value is supposed to be (on a machine with Windows installed to
>>>>>> C): C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,
>>>>>
>>>>> *** Yes.
>>>>>
>>>>>> This computer is not on my network, so I can't connect to it's
>>>>>> registry via the network. I've booted into recovery console and it
>>>>>> asks me to choose between these two installs:
>>>>>> 1. H:\MiniNT
>>>>>> 2. H:\I386
>>>>>> I am confused by this because I think there is usually a C:\Windows
>>>>>> option here, or in this case, an H:\Windows.
>>>>>
>>>>> *** Here is your answer: The system drive letter is incorrect, hence
>>>>> *** Windows cannot find userinit.exe.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Looking at this drive's folder structure on another computer, it has
>>>>>> a G:\ drive and an H:\ drive. The H drive has a Windows folder with
>>>>>> an I386 folder inside that. The G drive I believe is the recovery
>>>>>> partition and has the MiniNT folder and an I386 folder at it's root.
>>>>>> No Windows folder.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't know which installation to select and I don't know what
>>>>>> commands to enter to open or check the registry values to see if the
>>>>>> key is correct. The HP recovery utility says that I will have to
>>>>>> reinstall all apps that didn't come with the machine if I use it and
>>>>>> I'd like to avoid that. Can anyone help?
>>>>>> Many thanks,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Rip
>>>>>
>>>>> Editing the registry from the Recovery Console, if at all possible,
>>>>> would be painful. It's much easier to connect the problem disk
>>>>> temporarily as a slave disk to another WinXP PC, then to edit
>>>>> the "System" registry file with regedit.exe on that machine.
>>>>> Simply rename HKLM\SYSTEM\MountedDevices\H: to
>>>>> HKLM\SYSTEM\MountedDevices\C:
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>