BleepingComputer.com: Windows not loading even after clean install

This could be a long post but I'm at my wits end!

I have a very old HP with Windows XP Professional. It has 2 hard drives on it; one is sectioned into 4 partitions (one with OS, one for paging file, one for documents, one for music), the other (non-boot/OS) is the original and used for backups.

I've re-installed windows 3 or 4 times in the past week but can't get it to load. It gets to the Windows logo screen & says it wants to run a check on the 2nd HD. If I let it, it fails for all kinds of different reasons and freezes. If I cancel, the machine reboots. I've lived in the Recovery Console and done everything except delete a partition, which I won't do!

I got a couple BSOD's, but can't diagnose them. I moved 5 files from windows\repair to system32\config when safe mode got hung up at mup.sys. I copied urlmon.dll from the install disk back to the windows\system32 folder. I'm starting to see errors about files in the backup and partitions and am ready to panic over losing my data.

I don't understand how/why a clean install isn't working. Any help/thoughts?

Thanks.

Run the appropriate HDD diagnostic for your hardware and see if you find anything.

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.as...id=30〈=en

Please post back with your results and note any error codes produced by the software.

Also, bad memory can produce symptoms like this and bad writes to the HDD, but you would have noticed during the install of XP.

Another thought is to disconnect the second hard drive and see if the problem with booting is resolved...

Sorry for the dummy-headedness, but how do i run either of these when i can't get into windows? I have a disk that came with the newer HD - Data Lifeguard Tools (Drive Installation, Diagnostics, User Documentation). Is that that same thing I'm downloading?

This post has been edited by o1darcie1o: 08 December 2009 - 08:11 AM

Not sure if I should edit my original post or not, but I was mistaken above - the third partition on the new HD is where the problem is, not the otder HD. Sorry about that!

I tried the Data Lifeguard disk I have, but couldn't find anything about testing or scanning the drives or partitions.

Who is the manufacturer...of the hard drive you are trying to test?

That's the location where you obtain the appropriate diagnostic...there is no diagnostic for all hard drives available at any one particular manufacturer's website.

If a short test and a long diagnostic test is offered by any utility, always run the long test.

Louis