Tag Archives: repair install

repair install of xp: Windows cannot load the users profile

Computer Aid Posted on by

Another repair install of XP (due to a motherboard failure)

But once windows starts, I get:

Windows cannot load the users profile.
Windows logged you in with the default profile.

And after I’m logged in, I get a few error messages like:

Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

I can already guess that this is a file permission problem with the original user account.

So I restart in safe mode, see that the permissions and owner settings don’t look right. So I change them, and apply the change to the whole c:Programs and Settingsuser folder structure

But after restating in normal mode, things are not quite right… so as the normal user, I start windows explorer, go to c:Programs and Settingsuser, then go to properties, and change ownership of the whole folder structure (again).

After that, I’m still getting errors.

So I figure a restart is worth trying.

Sure enough, after a restart, everything is back to normal.

Repair install of Vista SP2

Computer Aid Posted on by

Its strange, but I’ve not encountered this type of problem before.

A PC has a failing motherboard, so I agree to install a new motherboard/CPU/RAM, and do a repair install of Windows so that no data is lost.

My first problem is that it appears that its not possible to do a repair install of Vista if it has SP1 or SP2 installed.

That shouldn’t be a problem, just create a slipstreamed Vista DVD, with SP2 included… But it seems that Microsoft have somehow prevented people from creating Vista SP2 slipstream DVDs…

Next step: download an ISO image of a standard VISTA SP2 DVD… But these disks seem very rare, and are usually “cracked”, which leads to other potential problems, despite me wanting to use the image legitimately.

Somehow, I stumble upon the windows sysprep command.

Since the motherboard is still mostly functional, I’m able to start the old Vista hardware, run the sysprep command (I use the GUI, and select the generalize, shutdown, and oobe options).

This tells Vista to forget any hardware specifics (which is what stops it from starting if the motherboard is changed), and to ask the usual questions that happen when the PC is started for the very first time (OOBE = out of box experience).

I now transplant the generalised hard drive to the new hardware, and the system now starts up, and allows me to install the new drivers.

The only problem with this, is that it won’t work if the motherboard fails completely, as its then not possible to “generalise” the Vista installation… In that case, its a backup, and clean install scenario.

Xp repair install problems. Copy error

Computer Aid Posted on by

I need to do a repair install of an XP system.

But partway through, I get an error message:

Copy error. Setup cannot copy the file aaclient.mu_
Ensure that the disk labeled ‘windows xp home edition service pack 3 cd’ is in the drive
I decide to tell it to ignore the file and continue anyway, and soon after I get another similar error:

cannot copy file tscdsbl.ba_

and then:

cannot copy Tscinst.vb_

This continues for a while, until I decide that there is no way XP will run properly with all these files missing.

I plug the drive into my workshop PC, and a scan picks up an infection… once I clean up the infection, I try again, but alas, I still get the same errors.

So I try new IDE cable… in case there is a cable fault, but that doesn’t help.

I do some more searching, and eventually find a possible cause (and solution):

The windows folder: “softwaredistribution” only had limited access rights for the System user… and no other user had any rights to the folder.

So, I once again put the disk into my workshop PC, and change the file permissions on the folder: softwaredistribution… so that anyone can have write access.

Another re-run of the XP repair install, but this time, no errors!

I find it strange that windows setup will not override the folder permissions of folders that it needs to write to… during setup, It should have the power to override any such obstacles.

repair install of XP (SP2 or SP3) without uninstalling IE7

Computer Aid Posted on by

This is a mistake that is so easy to do, that I have done it twice 🙁

It seems that the internet is littered with victims who have done a repair install of XP (SP2 or SP3), only to find that internet explorer 6 no longer works, and upgrading back to ie7 is nearly impossible. Thanks again, Microsoft.

I’ve found that ie 6 will usually load the home page, but any further browsing results in 2 blank ie6 windows appearing, and then ie6 stops responding.

Its easy enough to avoid this: uninstall ie7 BEFORE performing a repair install of XP.

Of course many of us find we cannot uninstall ie7 because XP is stuffed in some way (hence the need to do a repair install in the first place!)

Or if you are like me: oops, I just forgot to uninstall ie7

The reason is that after a repair install, you are left with system files that are a combination of ie6 and ie7

Anyway, microsoft have a page that explains what to do if you didn’t uninstall ie7 before the repair… but its only after you have read half way down the page, that you realise that the instructions are for fixing the ie6/ie7 problem with the repair install.

Basically, if you have XP SP2 or SP3, then you need to start the XP recovery console (you normally need an XP installation CD to boot from).

Boot from the XP CD. When prompted, press “R” to enter the recovery console

Enter the Administrator password when asked (for most people, its blank, so just press enter).

Now, enter the following commands:
CD ie7spuninst
batch Spuninst.txt

You might get a few errors (permission denied)

Once its all complete, enter:

exit

to restart the PC.

After this, I still had a damaged ie6, but I got around it like this:

– run the ie6 internet options (either from ie6->tools, or from the control panel)

– change the home page to microsoft.com

– start or re-start ie6 (so it goes to microsoft straight away

– on the MS website, go for the update option, and you will find all the MS updates will work (including ie7 !!!). Note: at first, I installed all the updates except ie7. I rebooted, then installed ie7.

– after a restart or two, the PC will finally be “fixed”.

I wonder if microsoft are trying to make XP worse, so that more people will consider “upgrading”…