Uh oh... not again Windows!! AHH!

standard235

standard235

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Ok, so my Windows is probably corrupt. I can't have multiple logons anymore, which isn't good. Also, I can't switch my control panel back to classic view.


No spyware, no viruses. I'm admin.

So I have 2 partitions, one storage, one OS.

I was going to just format the OS, but my computer won't boot into the XP disc. It did it just fine 2 days ago to fixmbr after getting tired of Linux.

I can boot in just fine, I'm just getting a little irritated by this. I will be getting an ISO of Windows Vista Ultimate soon so meh.
 
Is Windows Vista an GUI, like Windows XP?

I don't really know what it is.
 
standard235
Ok, so my Windows is probably corrupt. I can't have multiple logons anymore, which isn't good. Also, I can't switch my control panel back to classic view.


No spyware, no viruses. I'm admin.

So I have 2 partitions, one storage, one OS.

I was going to just format the OS, but my computer won't boot into the XP disc. It did it just fine 2 days ago to fixmbr after getting tired of Linux.

I can boot in just fine, I'm just getting a little irritated by this. I will be getting an ISO of Windows Vista Ultimate soon so meh.
Click to expand...

Won't boot XP disc: Have you checked your BIOS to make sure boot from CD/DVD drive comes before boot from HDD in the boot order?

ISO: Good luck with that. Unless Microsoft is going to get more leniant with getting their software pirated, you probably won't be able to get any updates. Trust me, I had an illegal copy of XP on my main PC and laptop for way too long (I didn't put it on there, I now have official MCE and XP Home). It was a pain in the ass to not be able to update. I'm now saving up for a retail version of Vista Ultimate ($400...grr) and three 74GB Raptors for a RAID 0 array (also around $400...). Looks like I'm gonna have three OS's since I'm going to keep XP for backup use.
 
Ok. I should have clarified. I'm not doing anything illegal. My dad's friend owns an Open License from Microsoft and he is going to give me a key for Vista.

In my BIOS, my Boot Order is CD ROM then HDD. The disc boots in my friend's drive so I think my drive is going bad. It just spits it out. It's a Windows XP Home Disc, before both Service Packs. It reads other silver backed discs. This is a 6 year old burner so I can imagine it dying.

It also boots into my Linux disc. I think I will just get Vista Ultimate. I'm getting a gig of Corsair soon anyways. Only $75 for a 1GB stick. After that, I'll get a drive and HDD and my gma is getting me a monitor from work. Then I'll save another $230 and go to 4GB because I can. :)

Secondary Logon and Fast User Switching are both on automatic in Services.


I used Safe XP, Game XP, and Speed XP. I think GameXP did it, but I went back to the first backup and it didn't fix it.
 
standard235
Ok. I should have clarified. I'm not doing anything illegal. My dad's friend owns an Open License from Microsoft and he is going to give me a key for Vista.

In my BIOS, my Boot Order is CD ROM then HDD. The disc boots in my friend's drive so I think my drive is going bad. It just spits it out. It's a Windows XP Home Disc, before both Service Packs. It reads other silver backed discs. This is a 6 year old burner so I can imagine it dying.

It also boots into my Linux disc. I think I will just get Vista Ultimate. I'm getting a gig of Corsair soon anyways. Only $75 for a 1GB stick. After that, I'll get a drive and HDD and my gma is getting me a monitor from work. Then I'll save another $230 and go to 4GB because I can. :)

Secondary Logon and Fast User Switching are both on automatic in Services.


I used Safe XP, Game XP, and Speed XP. I think GameXP did it, but I went back to the first backup and it didn't fix it.
Click to expand...

I think that is still illegal on a technicality. Open licenses like that are usually given to businesses and the like. If he bought it for business use its probably only supposed to be used for the business' computers.

About that RAM: You should probably look into getting some 800Mhz RAM if you are going to be putting that much money into RAM.
 
It's only DDR. Not DDR2...

More likely than not, if I get ahold of $210 anytime soon, it won't be purchasing RAM. I wanna go C2D and get a nicely overclocking board.

He said that Microsoft said it was fine. I'm not sure the exact license he has. It could be Action Pack for all I know.
 
standard235
Ok. I should have clarified. I'm not doing anything illegal. My dad's friend owns an Open License from Microsoft and he is going to give me a key for Vista.

In my BIOS, my Boot Order is CD ROM then HDD. The disc boots in my friend's drive so I think my drive is going bad. It just spits it out. It's a Windows XP Home Disc, before both Service Packs. It reads other silver backed discs. This is a 6 year old burner so I can imagine it dying.

It also boots into my Linux disc. I think I will just get Vista Ultimate. I'm getting a gig of Corsair soon anyways. Only $75 for a 1GB stick. After that, I'll get a drive and HDD and my gma is getting me a monitor from work. Then I'll save another $230 and go to 4GB because I can. :)

Secondary Logon and Fast User Switching are both on automatic in Services.


I used Safe XP, Game XP, and Speed XP. I think GameXP did it, but I went back to the first backup and it didn't fix it.
Click to expand...


A Microsoft Open License is not a license to freely copy and distribute the program. If he's giving you a key that's already been used, then it's illegal.

It's common for a key to be valid for, say, 10 installs, but if he's not the one who paid for the license or makes he decision about where the licenses get used, then it's illegal.

A company that buys a certain number of Open Licenses is buying those licenses for use on their machines, or perhaps for their employees at home. They are NOT allowed to just distribute keys to whomever they like.
 
Well, I kinda work for him so I guess it could count.

He bought the key.


Enough about that please. Anyone know of any way to fix my problem?
 
As for the CD boot problem, reading a disc and booting it are two different things. You said it reads other silver discs, and you said it boots the LNUX disc. Once you get the OS loaded, does it read this Windows CD? Can you explore files on it? If not, it's just a bad disc. If it reads, but doesn't boot, then I don't know.
 
Ok. It reads the Linux disc and brings the browser up in Windows. Will not boot from it. I can explore the files on Linux in Windows. Not the Windows disc.


The Windows disc and Linux disc boot on my friends comp and the disc is exploreable. He has an HP LiteScribe drive. I have a Lite-On CD R/W
 
I'm calling it your drive, then. One of those cleaning discs might help (the kind with the little brush on it, you play that track for 20 or 30 seconds. . .)
 
Did the cleaning disc. I am calling my drive too. Thanks guys.


Still. I would think I could restore my appearance and everything to default and start over with that.
 
Simply restoring appearance has NOTHING to do with what's running, starting up, lurking in the registry, malware, trojans, whatever. If you need to reload, you need to get your CD booted.
 
Lol. Of course it was.


In Safe Mode, it wasn't. That enabled multiple logons.

But no go on the Control Panel. Back to Safe Mode I went!


Told Folder Options to display everything in Classic View. That did it. :-D


Of course, I have to do that to go Category... but I won't do that anyways. Thanks for everyone who tried helping me.
 

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