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XP Repair - problems

onthelimit1
Resolved

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Posted May 1, 2011 at 9:56AM

Not looking for an answer, really, but wondering if others have had the same problem.

On three different computers, I've tried a repair install following a variety of problems. Not one has worked - results varied from failing to complete the install, numerous messages 'couldn't copy file *, check CD in drive', when answering 'yes' to 'activate now', just get a blue screen with hourglass. Sometimes different problems when trying again on the same computer with the same disk. Full reinstall has worked without probelms in each case.

Any thoughts, please?

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robinofloxley

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Posted May 1, 2011 at 10:21AM

Being a bit unsavvy a few years back, I bought XP Retail from PC World for £170.

Due to the expense, I cloned it twice.

I am glad I did. While I only made full reinstalls a handful of times, the disc stopped with errors after about the 3rd or 4th time I used it. (Cyclic Redundancy check Abort/Retry/Fail)

This handily allowed me to pop one of the other discs in and continue. Later installs sometimes had problems with the copies (different files) and would then require a disc change again.

However, sometimes no errors were displayed. I put it down to minor scratches and how clean the lens was.

I have recently used it again when messing with an old laptop and also on various Virtual machine try-outs on new laptop and desktop.

XP has always run correctly apart from getting it installed in the first place as above.

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PcTestCard.com

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Posted May 1, 2011 at 11:35AM

Yes, this seems truth that the full reinstall will succeed on XP. We have many computers with the same problem.

Maybe the XP is a hardware "binding" OS that is quiet picky.

Cheers~! Bill Tech Manager

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onthelimit1

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Posted May 1, 2011 at 11:40AM

It is odd as I've used 2 or 3 different disks, and they all seem to throw up some problem or another on repair, but all work perfectly on a full install.

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Fruit Bat /\0/\

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Posted May 1, 2011 at 12:00PM

Have used some disks several times over the years but get different faults on different machines. Have changed drives and used same disk to overcome.

Put it down to a combination of the CD and the drive.

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onthelimit1

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Posted May 1, 2011 at 2:39PM

Thanks FB. Think I'll not bother with repair in the future and go straight to reinstall!

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PcTestCard.co.uk

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Posted July 7, 2011 at 3:09PM

Full install will load the correct HDD controller driver and xp is more chipset binding OS, if there is any info not matching the hardware serial, the install will fail as well. Full install will probably erase all such hardware serial info previously saved on the HDD.

Hope this helps! Bill Tech Manager

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gengiscant

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Posted July 7, 2011 at 3:38PM

I have always found that a repair install causes more problems than it solves. Now that I use a 60GB SSD which just has my OS and progs on,it is a simple process to reinstall Windows & the SP1 and whatever updates are needed then install my programs. This saves a lot of time, ninite

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