| Author | Message | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1174 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.127.101 Rating: N/A |
A week or so ago I asked for some help copying over Outlook Express files to my new computer. Thanks to all for your help and suggestions, the task was completed. Now another interesting glitch has arisen. Before I was able to copy all my other files off the old system, it hung up. Frozen screen, no response to keyboard or mouse. Only way to shut off was to kill the power. Now when it boots, it locks up at the welcome screen. Hmmmm. . . OK, so boot in Safe Mode. Locks up when you try to click on Administrator. Hmmmm. . . OK, so boot in Safe Mode with command prompt. Back to good old DOS! In this mode, was able to access both hard drives, view the directories, programs, etc. (Took awhile for the operator's memory to remember the various DOS commands to do this kind of stuff - forget how spoiled we've become with the GUI interface!) So, the hard drives are working fine, seems to be a problem with Windows itself. A phone call to the B-I-L, who's a techie-guru at Intel, and the suggestion is to pop the old drives out and plug them into the new machine, copy off the data, then reinstall Windows with the recovery disks that came with the unit when it was new. Oops. . . old drives are ATA, new machine has SATA, no ribbon cables inside at all. Solution to that was an external ATA HD case, into a USB port. Bingo! We're in business! EXCEPT: In "Documents & Settings", the folder for all of my stuff was password-protected. All the other users were not, so their data was easily transferred. When I try to access my folder, I get the "Access Denied" message. Hmmmmm. . . So, I'm stuck right now. Can't access any of my files, both important data or, even more important, my saved bus pics and bus conversion BBS's conversion tips. Can't seem to find a password log-in screen, but there's got to be a way around that. Any ideas? Any work-arounds? Would going back into DOS possibly be the answer? Suggestions are VERY welcome. Can either be posted here, or PM me by clicking on my name above. Thanks!!  | ||
| Glenn Williams (Glenn)
Registered Member Username: Glenn Post Number: 30 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 207.179.92.18 Rating: N/A |
Hmmmmm... Pick up computer, put under/behind dualies, back up hard drive/bus. LOL. | ||
| Kurt C Wagner (Kcld)
Registered Member Username: Kcld Post Number: 3 Registered: 9-2006 Posted From: 68.82.204.199 Rating: N/A |
If it's Win XP or W2K I would put it back into the old chassis, boot to a Linux Boot Floppy (if you know someone around who can provide you one), then blank the password for this account. Then put it back in your external drive enclosure and try to access the files. You are welcome to email me offline if I can give you more details. Kurt at KCCompany dot net. | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 257 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
seems to me right mouse click/properties/ownership/take ownership as an administrator would do it with much less pain. if you had drive encryption turned on you've got worse problems. "replace all changed os files" from the xp recovery should have fixed it though. -dd | ||
| Gary Belonga (Mb53)
Registered Member Username: Mb53 Post Number: 17 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 71.115.128.71 Rating: N/A |
One suggestion I would offer also if your using XP is as you first turn on system power hold down space bar. This should take you to the system restore screen. If this does not work then restart system and hold down the F8 key and hit power button. You should see a black screen with white dots that will go across bottom of screen this it the point where you can access the restore system point of winXP. Now if for some reason dell has modified the start up sequence on your machine it maybe different but this should allow you to pick a date to restore prior to the time that your system crashed. You may have to enter the password also. | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 162 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.105.102 Rating: N/A |
RJ - If you go here: http://www.dialup4less.com/~aabn/extra/ and download each of the three zipped files, you can use one or the other to reveal your lost passwords. (I'll be removing the files from the site by 1-27-2007) Lotsa' luck!! | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1175 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.127.101 Rating: N/A |
Glenn - Thanks for the chuckle, I needed that! Kurt - Don't know anyone around me that works with Linux, but will PM you for more info. Thanks, all, for the tips. Forgot to mention that both machines are running XP Pro, fully updated. Understand that I have NOT forgotten my password, just cannot get to a screen to log in. Before pulling the hard drive out of the old machine, I tried using System Restore. Same problem as mentioned earlier - computer would freeze keyboard and mouse before allowing access to log-in screens. It seems that the WinXP boot program is corrupted or something, since this where it always freezes. Does not freeze if I boot in Safe Mode with Command Prompt (which takes you to DOS). Any and all other choices available when using F8 at power-up freeze the keyboard and mouse. OK, so now here's another couple of questions: 1. When working in Windows (any version), when you create a folder, be it for pictures, data, or a program, does it create a directory in DOS underneath the GUI interface? 2. Does anybody know if, when you have a password, the files become hidden? I know where the data files I'm looking for are located, so I'm thinking that by using DOS, I can simply use the copy command - if they're not hidden. Thanks again for all your help, it's greatly appreciated. With it, I will get this thing figured out!! | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 258 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
the problem is that dos isn't really dos anymore. xcopy from the command prompt should do what you need though. personally, if it were me i would reinstall the entire machine and just copy over your documents and call it a day though. sounds like a failing harddrive to me, and i wouldn't want to trust that there has not been some data corruption... -dd | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 163 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.107.160 Rating: N/A |
RJ - The #2 zip file can provide the exact location(s) of each password. (Didja' try booting w/out the mouse? The wrong driver can wreck havoc.) | ||
| Tom Dessert (Mci5er)
Registered Member Username: Mci5er Post Number: 59 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 68.186.96.115 Rating: N/A |
RJ- Where are you with your problem right now? There are certain files that you can't just drag and drop from the "Documents and Settings" folder on Windows XP, even if the drive isn't the boot drive (USB'ed into system).The ntuser.dat file (which is hidden)is one of them. If you try to move/copy say the administrator (profile) which is everything under the administrator's account you will get an access denied error due to the ntuser.dat file. If you selectively grab say the administrator's My Documents folder which contains your pictures, docs etc, you should be able to copy it without a security response. If you can't I'll gladly help you off-line. I do this stuff for a living and even after thirty years in the business I still enjoy the challenges. Tom | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1176 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.127.101 Rating: N/A |
Tom - Check your private email for a message. John - Unfortunately, none of the three programs you shared worked for me. . .  Got a couple more ideas to play around with. . . will keep everyone posted. Thanks all, for your help, 'tis appreciated. | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1178 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.127.101 Rating: N/A |
Everyone - Got home late Sunday, so didn't have as much time to play with the machine as I wanted, but here's the latest: Took the original HD out of the external case, and re-installed it in the old machine. Plugged in a known working mouse and keyboard, and turned on the system. System booted to welcome screen, albeit very slowly. No mouse function, but was able to scroll to my user name using the arrow keys on the keyboard. Was also able to log in, and bring up my desktop, again, very, very slowly. Using the arrow and tab keys, was able to get into Control Panel, and User Accounts. Removed my password, and exited. Went back to Start, and shut down the machine. Again, very slow process. . . Gave machine a minute (actually timed it!), then restarted. Same situation: No mouse function, system very slow, response to keyboard extremely slow. Hmmmm. . . Shut system down. Popped HD out of machine, and put back into external drive case. Plugged it into USB port on new machine, and went surfing with WE. OK, found my folder under "documents & settings" , but when clicking on it to access, got the "access denied" message again. By the time this took place, it was time for bed, so I called it a night. Now, an interesting tidbit: When the HD was in the old machine, and between the Welcome screen and my Desktop screen, an error message box pops up, saying "Access Denied, Drive C:" Now the weird thing is that this message box has a Norton Utilities heading on it. Yes, I have Norton SystemWorks on the drive - wonder if it's the culprit? I'm going to try a couple of other things, too. First, I've got another HD here that has Windows ME on it (it resides in an external drive case too - use it for temp storage - was the "C" drive on the system I bought in 2000). I'm going to pop it into the old machine and see if the machine boots ME and operates normally (as normal as ME can operate! LOL) The other thing I'm going to try will have to wait until the weekend. I'm going up to Roseville, CA for my mom's 90th B'day. My B-I-L is a techie-guru at Intel. We're going to pop this problem-child HD into one of his spare computers, and see if it boots normally in that machine, or still glitches. So that's the latest. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome! | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 259 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
boot it up login click start / run type cmd hit enter type this in the black box: chkdsk /f c: (replace c: with whatever drive letter your old drive is) hit enter tell it yes. reboot. alternatively, i have a remote access application i can use to reset the security on your old drive so your new drive can read it. norton sucks. uninstall it. -dd | ||
| Tom Dessert (Mci5er)
Registered Member Username: Mci5er Post Number: 61 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 68.186.96.115 Rating: N/A |
RJ - I've got to agree with sylverstone on removing the Norton. I've gotten more service calls to repair machines and networks as a direct result of using Norton Internet Security and SystemsWorks. These products can cause a world of problems on user systems. If your going to re-install your drive back into your original machine, I'd un-install Norton first thing after you system comes up. I realize you said it takes forever, but hopefully it will be worth the wait. Tom | ||
| Luke Bonagura (Lukeatuscoach)
Registered Member Username: Lukeatuscoach Post Number: 213 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 71.251.140.53 Rating: N/A |
Hi Tom & Folks: I have Norton on this machine & it seems that every time we add updates this thing just bogs down more. I am getting older by the day and don't have time for this. Additionally and more importantly, I bought my wife a lap top with all the bells & whistles for Christmas. Just received what we needed from Verizon, but before we set up, what is your sugestion for protection, as an alternative to Norton??? Thanks in advance for your HELP!!! Happy & SAFE!!! Bussin' to ALl. LUKE at US COACH | ||
| Tom Dessert (Mci5er)
Registered Member Username: Mci5er Post Number: 62 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 68.186.96.115 Rating: N/A |
Luke, Most of my corporate clients use the corporate versions of Norton Internet Protection or Anti-virus. It works well in that environment, however I personally wouldn't recommend it for home use. In today's market just about every new computer dealer has Norton's software bundled with their computers. It doesn't necessarily make it the best software available. It's just the best marketed one. I use Trend Micro Internet Protection on all my machines and have for the past four years. I would strongly advise anyone that has Norton/Symantec (whatever) installed on their machines, and are considering a to change some other AV program, completely remove the Norton first, including their installer, and all folders let behind after the un-install before installing your new choice. Tom | ||
| jim morrison (Jim_morrison)
Registered Member Username: Jim_morrison Post Number: 74 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 72.142.29.218 Rating: N/A |
so whats good out there and who do ya trust?? | ||
| Tom Dessert (Mci5er)
Registered Member Username: Mci5er Post Number: 64 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 68.186.96.115 Rating: N/A |
Jim, Hopefully, someone else will chime in with their favorite. I don't want to give the impression that what I use is the only thing out there to get. I will say, I'm not the sharpest tac in the shed when it comes to buses, but computer geek stuff.... I do ok with that. Tom | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 261 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
i own an internet provider. we specialize in bulletproof business networking. on my personal machine, and all of my clients machines, are the following: 1) spybot search and destroy. i have a "best practices" installation instructions file if you want it. 2) norton corporate antivirus (totally different animal than the retail end user version) *or* e-trust antivirus. (this is what used to be called "innoculate i.t.) clam av / avast / or avg if you need a free one. as tom said, trend micro is also good. 3) eudora pro for e mail. 4) trillian freeware if they need an instant messenger. (it does all the networks, and it's not a huge resource hogging spyware bloatfest like yahoo instant messenger has become) with the above you really don't need a personal firewall, in spite of the hype. if you insist on having one, kerio personal firewall, tiny firewall, and / or zone alarm are all okay freebies. i prefer outpost firewall myself for a situation where i feel it's necessary (accounting machine running win 98 on an ip address that does *not* start with 192.168 or 10. for instance) absolutely *none* of the following: norton *anything* (with the exception of corporate antivirus) this is a shame, because back in the early days, peter norton saved all our butts repeatedly with a little gem called disc doctor. about 10 years ago he sold the whole thing to symantec, and it' been crap ever since, worse every year. he's an art collector now. symantec *anything* (see above) real networks products (spyware and resource hog) quicktime (resource hog, there's a freeware replacement available) windows media player (media player classic does all of the same things, and doesn't randomly crash and burn the entire machine.) outlook *anything*. we charge 10 times as much for our service contracts if the customer insists on outlook. it sucks, it's a machine killer, losing years worth of e mail because microsoft can't fix this piece of junk is not acceptable. when you buy a new computer and get it home, the first thing you should do is uninstall *everything* that came with it. all of it is garbage, and much of it doesn't work with other junk that was also installed. i personally wipe it and start over, but you may not have the media for a reinstall without the added on junk, so you may not be able to. also, don't bother installing all of verizon's crap software, you don't need it, just configure your router with the web interface. tech support can tell you how. and luke, i kinda owe ya one, so if you want to get it connected and run a remote connection tool, i'd be happy to set it up for you. -dd | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1181 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.127.101 Rating: N/A |
Tom & Sylverstone - Is it OK to run Norton's Speed Disk off a CD, or is WinXP's Disk Defrag just as good? Droopy eyelids, time for sleep. . . | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Registered Member Username: Sylverstone_pd4501864 Post Number: 263 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 216.173.223.253 Rating: N/A |
yeah. speed disk was the other thing peter wrote that rocked, and it's not horribly invasive. xp's defrag really isn't very good. -dd | ||
| airless in Mississippi (Airless_in_mississippi)
Registered Member Username: Airless_in_mississippi Post Number: 124 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 70.3.54.250 Rating: |
Man the volume of computer techs on here... This of course is me... www.nationwidecomputertech.com | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1813 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.87.155 Rating: N/A |
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=3176.0 This is a link with some good information. Richard |
