jaclaz

Good ol' BOOTVIS? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BootVis http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/System-...k/BootVis.shtml Creating a bootlog? /BOOTLOG in BOOT.INI: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb963892.aspx jaclaz

Links are given in the already referenced thread: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=91907 On this topic: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=70301 There is a link to the Dell one: http://vbdotnet.home.comcast.net/~vbdotnet/XP_SP2.htm And to a "generic" howto: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16381 jaclaz

Don't double post, there is no need for it. http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=18408 I replied to you on your other thread: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=130693&hl= jaclaz

PXE booting and CD booting are (slightly) different. Unless you describe with some detail HOW you are PXE booting that image, and how the image is built, it would be difficult to troubleshoot problem/help you. Are you using RAMDISK booting? http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=4952 Which are the contents of your WINNT.SIF? jaclaz

Really? OP actually is booting from the (bootable) USB device by using the right boot option in BIOS. What happens, it happens ONCE booted. @manuel892 The problems seem connected to a missing "tag" file. You do not "create a usb bootable winxp sp2 and it's ok with USB_Multiboot_10", you do so by choosing in USB multiboot_10 a number of options, if you don't report EXACTLY which one you chose, and some more details, it will be difficult to help you. jaclaz

WindowsGate should work on 2008 too: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21204 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4070 jaclaz

Happy you are once again among the happy bunnies : http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...128727&st=9 jaclaz

WinsetupfromUSB: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=120444 Works with the mini12: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=130809 it should as well work with the mini9. jaclaz

Are you sure driverpacks include a driver compatible with a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo SA 3650? Namely, are these drivers (inside driverpacks): http://driverpacks.net/DriverPacks/devices.php?pag=m the ones needed/wanted? jaclaz

And which was the first? You fixed it how? Was the hard disk UNPARTITIONED/UNFORMATTED? The "cannot read disk" error should be caused by the EXACT opposite of what you report : internal hard disk (unpartitoned/unformatted) having higher priority in boot device that USB stick. The error (on the same machine) should be the same whether you have the USB stick inserted or not. It is also possible that you are falling in one of the reported behaviour in FAQ #10 here: http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.n...SB/USBfaqs.html (first three points) jaclaz

DOS or PE based? See these: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=19230 http://forum.winimage.com/viewtopic.php?t=248 Alternative (Freeware): http://ping.windowsdream.com/ jaclaz

Can you please elaborate on this unbalancing or give some links with more detail about it? Remember, you actually asked for it : http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5924 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...c=6165&st=0 http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21914 http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21136 http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21702 particularly here: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...1702&st=129 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2959 http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=22016 jaclaz

Well, really cannot say. I would guess that HP assistance technicians know their manufactured hardware slightly better than the guys from Geek Squad...., and they should be more "dependable" ........of course if they actually looked at your PC , but for all you (and me) know, they could have diagnostics programs sophisticated enough to check a laptop without an actual need to open it up.... ....no offence intended to the Geek Squad "category", but I have reasons to believe that while there are among them very good and prepared technicians , there also some kids that actually know nothing about PC's, and expecially hardware troubleshooting, they can only run their pre-made CD/DVD (of which they know just some bits and pieces). Besides, their CD is necessarily "generic" and may misdiagnoose a problem. FYI: http://www.google.com/search?&q=geek+squad+ranting jaclaz

What you can try doing, depending on the type of data you need to recover, is to run PHOTOREC (companion app to TESTDISK). While TESTDISK attempts (and usually succeeds ) to recover filesystems (partitions), PHOTOREC attempts to identify files bypassing actual filesystem, attempting to recognize them from RAW data. It may be able to recover at least the "main" data. jaclaz

@mg.eggink Yes, there is something still not fully documented, about FAT32 not booting. Basically it is due to "unbalancing" between CHS and LBA data. Try again using my batches (link above) or fuwi's batch: which does use the HP utility, but adds some (hopefully) fixes. http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21702 When something like what you describe happens, best thing is to wipe first, say 100, sectors and start from scratch: http://www.msfn.org/board/USB-Booting-issu....html&st=13 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=3453&st=8 jaclaz

@HarryKane This one seems allright. Simply try, after running WinsetupfromUSB, to manually copy the TXTSETUP.SIF from CD to the stick, overwriting the one already there. Then insert, after line: startoc.cab = 2,,,,,,_x,,3,3 These lines: undoren.cmd=1,,,,,,,2,0,0 binifix4.cmd=1,,,,,,,2,0,0 presetup.cmd=1,,,,,,,2,0,0 setupORG.exe=1,,,,,,,2,0,0 Make in a directory a copy of the TXTSETUP.SIF on the stick, renaming it to TXTSETUP1.SIF, and copy to the same directory the TXTSETUP.SIF on CD, renaming it TXTSETUP2.SIF, then open a command prompt, navigate too that directory and run: FC TXTSETUP1.SIF TXTSETUP2.SIF or use an utility like this one: http://www.prestosoft.com/ps.asp?page=edp_examdiff more here: http://www.thefreecountry.com/programming/...omparison.shtml you'll see that the only differences are the 4 lines above (inserted by WinsetupfromUSB) and the missing lines at the end of the file. I have no idea what can corrupt the file during the copy. Could it be due to some running Antivirus or similar app? It is possible that, for the same reason (whatever it might be) some other files get corrupted/truncated during the copy. You should check with an utility like this: http://www.xs4all.nl/~lploeger/TreeComp3.htm That files on stick have the same size as those on CD. @ilko_t WinsetupfromUSB does not somehow "process" TXTSETUP.SIF, apart from the above listed lines, right? If yes, please list the other changes it does.... jaclaz

See if this thread is "for-dummies" enough : http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=127593 jaclaz

If there is a BIOS update for your specific motherboard, you should use it to update. The procedure is less risky than probably a few things you do daily or weekly. Newish motherboards (meaning anything produced since 1998 or 1999 ) have Bios Boot Recovery Block, thus even a bad flash (as said unlikely) can be recovered from. If you need help on carrying on a Bios Flash, post a link to the motherborad page and/or Bios update, the procedure might be slightly different depending on the type of BIOS. More info on the 137 Gb limit/LBA48 barrier: http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/bios/size.htm http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/bios/sizeGB128-c.html http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/bios/sizeHandling-c.html http://www.48bitlba.com/ jaclaz

And a US$ 0.00 copy of PING: http://ping.windowsdream.com/ would have done the same, and you could get some 30 dollars of pizzas and cokes while the imaging took place. Or are you a pepsi kind of guy? Real programmers drink Coke! http://uranus.chrysocome.net/ http://uranus.chrysocome.net/coke.htm End of the advertisement section.... jaclaz

Maybe because they tested the hardware and didn't find anything faulty? It's easy to prove that. Simply, install a second copy of XP from scratch (in dual boot) and see if the problems remain with the new "clean" copy (with a "kosher" Registry and no third party app installed). jaclaz

From what has been reported, it is likely that there is something "wrong". The "symptoms" are those or similar to those of the "recycler.exe" virus/Worm: http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6142_102-0.html?threadID=247496 or a derivative of some kind. It is tagged as either: W32/Usbalex worm W32/SillyFDC-Y http://www.threatexpert.com/report.aspx?md...cc1c8a4db958f2e But this one is also similar: http://www.threatexpert.com/report.aspx?md...6bc5a3b6bca8701 It's strange that tools don't detect an infection. It is also possible that something is triggering settings about hidden files/folders/folder view, and Recycler folder and desktop.ini may be "legal" windows files. More details are needed to try to understand which is the cause. The use of Autorun eater may be advised ANYWAY: http://oldmcdonald.wordpress.com/ http://www.download.com/Autorun-Eater/3000...4-10752777.html jaclaz

How are you unhiding it? I guess that you are in a similar situation user Nutter123 was, see here if the same that he did to solve the problem applies to your case: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=128727 jaclaz

Haven't you got a friend or a relative which is a bit more geekish/expert than you? The idea, more or less, is that a connector of the LCD is somewhat not making contact properly if not connected to the LCD by some pressure. Refer to 3rd picture here: http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/cate...-screen-repair/ On the left side you can see something "orange" that is a flat cable connecting the PCB to the LCD. (your actual LCD may be different) These kind of connections are usually glued in factory, I don't know of a procedure to re-glue it "at home", but if there is enough space around the connector and eenough "thickness" over it, you can try the previously described fix. You haven't much to loose don't you? In any case, you may want to check e-bay for anotherwise broken laptop similar to yours to salvage....or for a spare part, examples: http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=toshiba+L...a&_osacat=0 http://cgi.ebay.com/TOSHIBA-EQUIUM-L20-197...%3A1%7C294%3A50 http://cgi.ebay.com/TOSHIBA-SATELLITE-L20-...%3A1%7C294%3A50 jaclaz

First, main thing: DON'T PANIC (assume the above to be written in large friendly letters) Doing data recovery when not perfectly calm and relaxed is a shortcut to failure. Get TESTDISK, here: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk READ carefully the docs and online tutorials on the site. Get familiar with the app. Then read here: http://mypkb.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/how-...to-basic-disks/ Everything should go well. jaclaz

Yep. You do not need glue of any kind if you replace the LCD screen with a new one. As a standard comparison: 1 (one) scrap (aluminium) tin piece € 0.01 1 (one) new dual component epoxy glue € 3.50 Total amount (if applicable) € 3.51 A new replacement LCD screen for Toshiba L20 (example): http://www.tdcomponents.com/shop/tdc_searc...otebook_id=7502 € 143.66÷169.00 I am cheap , I know , but before parting from some € 150.00, I would at least try fixing it..... jaclaz