Troubleshooting XP

[DevgruSeal]

I'm helping a friend repair his PC, but I've tried pretty much all I can think of.

So far I've ran CHKDSK /R /P, the results of which were no errors...

His description is that it runs a CHKDSK, then tries to boot, but never does. Same goes for Safe Mode, Run Last Good Config. It just freezes on spot.

It's almost as if it is stuck performing CHKDSK, but never actually completing it. (Aside from the Recovery Console) It completes it, but leaves me at the end message: "Windows has made corrections to the file system."

"Various data storage numbers ...

And a single period at the very end, and that's where it freezes.

He doesn't want me deleting any data on his hard-drive either.

Any further suggestions I can try?

Oh, I've also tried testing the memory modules, tested to see if it had sufficient power (Removed the CD ROM power, etc), all checked out fine.

I feel so newbie for asking , but I'm stumped. :dork:

 

[ktimekiller]

format

 

[function9]

Try a different cable for the HDD, try a different HDD in the computer and try the current HDD in a different computer.

Also you could check what brand the HDD is. Manufacturers have more extensive disk utilities than what Windows will have. You can burn the utility to cd and run the diagnostic tests.

 

[Shasta]

Take his HDD out, plug it into your PC, take whatever he wants to keep off the drive and store it all on your PC or burn it onto disk(s), then format the sh*t out of it. Put it back in his PC, install windows, and chuck all stuff back on his PC.

Simple, easy, takes less time than you have already spent on it, and unless there is some kind of hardware issue, it can't go wrong.

 

[Stigmata]

Basically what Shasta said. It worked for me once.

 

[Flamin-h]

Simple assuming you have SATA drives, if not make sure the hard drive is not master when you connect it. It must be slave. edit: or 'cable-select' may work too.

 

[Barney Fife]

If your friend did not encrypted data on that HDD your fine, you can install that drive as a slave into your PC retrieve all data from it keep it your drive temporarily while he installs fresh OS like Shasta said or if he has second drive he can swap drives Master<--->Slave and retrieve data. if he did encrypted data then its gonna be tough to retrieve.

Good Luck.