Win 200 Pro Problems

numanoid

Hi All, hope someone can help. I recenrtly tried to install a bad 128k of RAM in my PC (without realising it was broke) and since then she's given up the ghost. I got through to where windows bbegan to start and then the dreaded blue screen appeared. Th system ran a chkdisk and rerported nothing wrong but now I can't even get to this stage. A
After reading a few forums on the net I have tried booting from my Win 2000 CD to get to the recovery console but the system runs through setup to the point where it downloads all the files and then the blue screen reappears again without giving me the option to load or repair.

I'm slowly going bald over this and would appreciate any advice you have.

Numanoid

Static M.e.

Easiest solution would be do a fresh install ? but you will lose everything

also try checking the bios to see if its reading everything correctly
CPU, disks, Ram etc, you could also try and see if everything on your mobo is still connected properly. make sure you anti static yourself first before you do this and pull the power lead, wait for a minute and that kind of thing just to be safe.

numanoid

Thanks Static but I can't seem to get to the option to install before the blue screen appears. The error quotes something about a Page Error in a non-paged area. Reinstalling wouldn't bother me as I did a complete back-up @ two weeks ago.

ChRoMe

OMFG your running some old school kit. Windows 200 and 128k sticks of ram.

Quickest fix. I know you said you had backed up recently if needs be take out the HD put it in another machine take off what you want. Plug it back into old pc and reformat. done

MogwaiFearSatan

try a slipstream setup, it'll upgrade win2000 to win 2000 and all yopur files and setting will be kept.
boot to the cmd prompt using a floppy (select the option of CD support), go to the i386 folder on the CD and just run setup.exe

numanoid

ChRoMe - OK OK - I'm in work and trying to type too quickly. Apologies.

MogWaFearSatan - I'm an idiot. What's the actual commands I use at the cmd prompt to access i386 and then run setup.exe?

Thanks both of you for the help anyway.

ChRoMe

haha your allright mate I was just taking the piss

You happy you have it sorted or need more help?

numanoid

Happy I've more directions to take. I've been at it for the last four nites solid but I have to wait to come to work try the net if it doesn't work. As I said though, I do appreciate the help. I should've stayed at my A+ course instead of bunking off to watch Battlestar Galactica on Monday nites.

I'm a bit rusty on DOS though, hence the reason I've asked for the idiot's guide.

Thanks again.

stevenmu

The problem sounds like both windows and the setup program are trying to access memory that isn't there or is faulty. Is the BIOS reading the amount of memory you now have correctly ? Try the memory in different slots or i you have more than one stick currently in, try each one seperatly in each of the slots.

SwampThing

Chrome, Static, why are you suggesting a re-install without even trying to diagnose the problem? It has to be the lamest answer anyone can give on their first reply to a post. You're not being helpful. If it's a hardware issue, he'll just have wasted a ****-load of time arse-ing around with hard-drives for nothing. Anyway, if he can't even boot the bloody thing, how's he going to re-install?

Numanoid, as Stevenmu said, the BIOS is a good place to start. Are there any POST beep-codes that might signal something? If so, you can check the sequence of the beeps on the mobo manufacturers website or in the manual to get an idea of what it's complaining about. Try re-seating the remaining memory, just in case.

astrofool

a blue screen means he's getting to windows booting, but it crashes, so bios isn't going to fix it.

What does the blue screen say ?

If you want to reinstall, set the cdrom as the first boot device and boot off the cd. You cannot install windows 2000 from DOS.

You can also go to the ms website and get setup disks for win2k, takes about 4 floppies, and it then loads the cd driver and reads off the cd.

Saruman

hmm... he gets NO option to repair.. maybe he does not have a windows 2k cd? maybe its an OEM restore CD. If so and that still fails.. perhaps he simply fecked up his memory with the faulty one.

Oh and the fact its a blue screen does not mean its software.. If the bios is set to something bad it can and WILL blue screen.. trust me.. i know.

Re-set bios defaults.. might help.

Here is a stupid question but since NO ONE suggested it, i guess its not.. have you tried SAFE MODE???? as in press F8 on boot. If you cant get into safe mode then you are arsed. You will need to make sure its not hardware then do a full reinstall..

Oh if you cant see the blue screen.. as in it only appears for a moment then reboots then its possible its saying there is a missing file.. could be bad mem corrupted a windows file.


We need more info on the blue screen if you can give it. Usually its rubbish but sometimes it specifies a file causing prob.

numanoid

Thanks so far folks. I believe I have an OEM version. I have tried reseating the chips and adjusting the BIOS sequence to boot off the CD but it invites me to load the CD and then begins to download the files. It just about reaches the option to reinstall and fix etc but blue screens before it gives me any option. If I try to boot normally, I get as far as the starting windows (white) screen and then the same thing happens.

The message on the blue screen is as follows:

STOP: 0x00000050 (0xc0c7b098, 0x00000000,0xbfb66c66,0x00000000)
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
Address BFD66c66 base at BFD1D000, DateStamp 391963da - ntfs.sys

If any of you can make sense of the above, I tip my hat to you.

I have tried safe mode but it blue screens as well and the blue screen stays put. Have tried BIOS defaults also but same again. And I'm not getting any bleep codes when the RAM is properly seated.

I near think it's time for a PC burial.........

I appreciate all the advice so far.

astrofool

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA is usually memory, or video card causing problems. Though it cites ntfs.sys as one of the files involved, meaning it could be hard drive.

Have you got more than one ram stick? if so, try another if possible, or one at a time. What are the specs on the machine?

numanoid

I have four chips on the machine. 2x32mb, 1x64 and 1x128. (unsure of RAM type as I bought all second hand and there is no indication on the chips themselves). It has an 8-gig Seagate HDD and I was also trying to add a 4-gig (not sure of make) to it. It runs on a Pentium II (400 Mhz) processor and unfortunately that's as much as I know about it.

It's old by todays standards so I may just have bring forward my new PC date.

kleefarr

Saruman wrote:

Re-set bios defaults.. might help.

Have you tried the above?
It's possible that the BIOS has memorised the RAM settings from the BAD ram you last had in. Restoring the default BIOS setiings should clear this.

numanoid

Thanks Kleefar - I'm at endgame here so when I get home from work, I'll give it one last rattle whilst I still have hair.

Appreciate the help so far.

de8o

numanoid. The option I would take is remove all RAM from your PC. Insert the 64 megs and boot. If that doesn't work, remove the 64 and put in the 128 and see does it boot again if that isn't working try the 2x32. If any of these options work for you it means you have some dud memory. Just leave out the dud memory and it should work. Dud memory can cause PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.