Monday, May 28, 2007

USB SAMSUNG external floppy drive

Unzip the image...

To speed up the windows start up.

To speed up the starting of Windows XP or Vista
http://www.dabcc.com/article.aspx?id=4589
To speed up firefox
http://www.cnettv.com/9710-1_53-26667.html

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Windows XP boot floppy discs

Windows XP Home Edition Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install

Windows XP Professional Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

Create the Setup disks

When you download the Setup disks, the download contains only one large program file. When you run the downloaded file, it extracts the files. You receive the following prompt:

This program creates the Setup boot disks for Microsoft Windows XP. To create these disks, you need to provide 6 blank, formatted, high-density disks.

Please specify the floppy drive to copy the images to:

Type the drive letter for the floppy disk drive (this is typically drive A). After you type the floppy disk drive letter, you receive the following prompt:

Insert one of these disks into drive drive letter:. This disk will become the Windows XP Setup Boot Disk.

Press any key when you are ready.

When you press a key, the downloaded file starts to extract and copy the files. Continue to insert the blank disks as you are prompted to do so until all six disks are created. If the process is interrupted, you must run the downloaded program file again to create all six disks.

Make sure to label each disk appropriately with the number that is specified by the program. You must use the disks in the correct order during the Setup process.

How To Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP

View products that this article applies to.

Article ID	:	305595
Last Review	:	May 7, 2007
Revision	:	1.6

This article was previously published under Q305595

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to create a boot disk for Windows XP to access a drive with a faulty boot sequence on an Intel-processor-based computer.

NOTE: The procedure for RISC-based computers is different and not documented in this article.

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Requirements

•	A blank floppy disk.
•	The Windows XP CD-ROM or an operational Windows XP-based computer.

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Create a Boot Floppy Disk with a Windows XP-Based Computer

1.	Format a floppy disk by using the Windows XP format utility. For example, with the floppy disk in the floppy disk drive, type format a: at a command prompt, and then press ENTER.
2.	Copy the Ntldr and the Ntdetect.com files from the I386 folder on the Windows XP Setup CD-ROM, Windows XP Setup floppy disk, or from a computer that is running the same version of Windows XP as the computer that you want to access with the boot floppy.
3.	Create a Boot.ini file (or copy one from a computer that is running Windows XP), and then modify it to match the computer that you are trying to access. The following example works for a single-partition IDE drive with Windows XP installed in the \Windows folder, but the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends on the configuration of the Windows XP computer that you are trying to access: [boot loader] timeout=30 Default= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows="Windows XP" If your computer boots from a SCSI hard drive, you may need to replace the multi(0) entry with scsi(0). If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer to the root of the Setup disk, and then rename it Ntbootdd.sys. Change the disk(0) number to represent the SCSI-ID of the hard drive you want to boot to. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini file, you do not need to do this.
4.	Start your computer by using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows XP.

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Create a Boot Floppy Disk Without a Windows XP-Based Computer

1.	Refer to the article Q310994 for directions to download and create the Windows XP Setup disks by using a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me): 310994 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994/EN-US/) Obtaining Windows XP Setup Boot Disks
2.	Delete all the files from the newly created Setup disk 1.
3.	Copy the Ntdetect.com and the Ntldr files from the I386 folder on the Windows XP CD-ROM to the new disk.
4.	Rename the Ntldr file to Setupldr.bin.
5.	Create a Boot.ini file. The following example works for a single-partition IDE drive with Windows XP installed in the \Windows folder, but the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends on the configuration of the Windows XP computer that you want to start: [boot loader] timeout=30 Default= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows="Windows XP" If your computer starts from a SCSI hard drive, you may need to replace the multi(0) entry with scsi(0). If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer to the root of the setup disk, and then rename it Ntbootdd.sys. Change the disk(0) number to represent the SCSI-ID of the hard drive you want to start to. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini file, you do not need to do this.
6.	Start your computer by using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows XP.

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Troubleshooting

If the path that points to the system files is incorrect or includes the drive letter, you may receive the following error message:

Windows XP could not start because of the following ARC firmware boot configuration problem:
Did not properly generate ARC name for HAL and system paths. Please check the Windows XP (TM) documentation about ARC configuration options and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed.

If an incorrect SCSI driver has been selected or the Ntbootdd.sys file does not exist, you may receive the following error message:

Windows XP could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could not read from selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware. Please check the Windows XP (TM) documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed.

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Resolving Boot Issues with a Boot Floppy Disk

You may be able to use a Windows XP bootable disk to start the operating system on a computer running Windows XP. Use the procedures in this article to work around the following boot issues:

•	Damaged boot sector.
•	Damaged master boot record (MBR).
•	Virus infections.
•	Missing or damaged Ntldr or Ntdetect.com files.
•	Incorrect Ntbootdd.sys driver.
•	To boot from the shadow of a broken mirror. Please note that you may need to modify the Boot.ini file to do this.

You cannot use the Windows XP boot disk to help resolve the following issues:

•	Incorrect or damaged device drivers that are installed in the System folder.
•	Boot issues that occur after you see the Windows XP startup (Osloader) screen.

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APPLIES TO

•	Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
•	Microsoft Windows XP Professional

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kbacwsurvey kbenv kbhowto kbhowtomaster KB305595

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305595

MBRFIX as a substitute of FIXMBR

Unzip the image to get the file.

MbrFix.exe

http://www.sysint.no

Usage:

    MbrFix /drive   { /yes } { /byte }

Requirements:

The program is made for Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows PE.

You need administrative privileges to make it work!

Commands:

    MbrFix /drive  driveinfo              Display drive information
MbrFix /drive  listpartitions         Display partition information
MbrFix /drive  savembr          Save MBR and partitions to file
MbrFix /drive  restorembr       Restore MBR and partitions from file
MbrFix /drive  fixmbr                 Update MBR code to W2K/XP/2003
MbrFix /drive  clean                  Delete partitions in MBR
MbrFix /drive  readsignature {/byte}  Read disk signature from MBR
MbrFix /drive  generatesignature      Generate disk signature in MBR
MbrFix /drive  readstate              Read state from byte 0x1b0 in MBR
MbrFix /drive  writestate      Write state to byte 0x1b0 in MBR

Drive numbering starts on 0.

Commands restorembr, fixmbr, generatesignature, writestate and clean will ask for confirmation unless /yes is included.

If the /byte option is given for the readsignature command, the signature is returned as a byte array instead of as a DWORD.

Return codes:

The program reports an errorlevel as 0 for OK and other values for errors.
The exception to this is the ReadState command which returns the state as a return code as well as printing to stdout. Any errors for this command are returned as negative values because of this.

Why do I need this utility?

Well, I was testing Windows Embedded XP using a virtual PC, and was booting Windows PE from a CD-ROM to partition a brand new harddisk (quite cheap, since it was virtual !). Using the diskpart.exe utility (found in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, available as a download for Windows 2000), I created the partition, made it Active, assigned it a drive letter. I then used the format.exe utility to format it to NTFS (format C: /fs:ntfs).

DISKPART> detail part
Partition 1
Type: 07
Hidden: No
Active: Yes

Volume ###  Letter  Lable       Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info.
----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------   ---------  --------
* Volume 1     C    WinXP        NTFS   Partition    149 MB   OK        System

I then mounted a network drive to my physical computer and copied the boot.ini, ntldr, ntdetect.com, windows folder, program files folder, etc. from the Windows Embedded XP image directory. Everything to make it boot.

Well everything should be OK, so I rebooted the (virtual) computer and expected it to boot up Windows Embedded XP.

But not so! It just sat there with a nice black screen. No error message at all.

Some investigation later on the Internet, I found this very informative page by Daniel B. Sedory: http://www.geocities.com/thestarman3/asm/mbr/MBR_in_detail.htm, containing a wealth of MBR info. The info on one of the pages states that the MBR code is installed on the drive when the Windows setup program runs and no MBR code exists already. Hmm.., seemed to be right on the mark.

I searched further on the Internet, but the only utilities I found which could install MBR code was for other operating systems, like FDISK.exe /MBR for DOS (but I wouldn't boot to DOS...) or the fixmbr command in the Windows 2000/XP/2003 Recovery Console. Didn't want that either. Wanted something to work on a Windows 32 bit platform, to be able to fix the problem in other cases when using Win PE and just plain copying in the operating system files. So, then I was left to make the utility myself!

Problem solved: After booting up Windows PE from CD again, the command MBRFix /drive 0 fixmbr /yes solved it all. Embedded XP booted like a charm.

Samples:

C:\> MbrFix /drive 0 listpartitions
# Boot Size (MB) Type
1  Yes     151001    6  DOS 3.31+ 16-bit FAT (over 32M)
2          1623   12  WIN95 OSR2 32-bit FAT, LBA-mapped
3             0    0  None
4             0    0  None

C:\> MbrFix /drive 0 savembr Backup_MBR_0.bin

C:\> MbrFix /drive 0 restorembr Backup_MBR_0.bin
You are about to Restore MBR,
are you sure (Y/N)? Y

C:\> MbrFix /drive 0 fixmbr /yes

Readstate and Writestate:

The commands readstate and writestate use a byte at offset 0x1b0 to store state. The commands are only useful in a scenario where you use Windows PE to roll out other MS operating systems, and you have no other place to store information about where you are in the installation process. This location in the MBR is unused as far as known.

Credits:

Daniel B. Sedory, for his compilation of information on http://www.geocities.com/thestarman3/asm/mbr/MBR_in_detail.htm and for his feedback on the program.

User License Agreement:

The program is delivered AS-IS, that is without any form of guarantee. You may freely use the program for any legal purpose, and you may freely distribute it as long as this file is distributed along the program file.

Incorrect use of this program may cause loss of all data on your disk-drives. All use of this program is at the risk of the user. Systemintegrasjon AS does not accept any liability for any damage the program might cause.

If you do not accept these terms, you must delete the program, MbrFix.exe, at once!

Developed by Kåre Smith, 29. november 2004

http://www.ambience.sk/fdisk-master-boot-record-windows-linux-lilo-fixmbr.php

Computer stops responding with a black screen when you start Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/KB/314503

Computer stops responding with a black screen when you start Windows XP

View products that this article applies to.

Article ID	:	314503
Last Review	:	May 7, 2007
Revision	:	2.3

This article was previously published under Q314503

SYMPTOMS

When you try to start Microsoft Windows XP, the computer may appear to stop responding (hang) with an empty, black screen immediately after the power-on self test (POST) is complete and before the Windows XP logo typically appears on the screen.

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CAUSE

This issue may occur if one or more of the following elements are corrupted:

•	Master boot record
•	Partition tables
•	Boot sector
•	NTLDR file

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Create a Windows XP boot disk to start the computer.

For additional information about how to create a Windows XP boot disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

305595 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305595/) HOW TO: Create a boot disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition with Windows XP

If you can start the computer from the boot disk without receiving an error message, the damage is limited to the master boot record, the boot sector, or the NTLDR file. After Windows XP is running, immediately back up all data before you try to fix the boot sector.

Use Disk Management to view the partition information and to verify that the disk partition (or partitions) is correct. To use Disk Management, follow these steps:

a.	Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
b.	Expand Storage, and then click Disk Management.

If invalid partitions are present or you cannot start your computer with a boot disk, consider reinstalling Windows XP on your computer and restoring your data and configuration information from a recent backup.

If you do not have a current backup copy of the data on the computer, contact a computer specialist to determine the best method of data recovery and configuration.

Run a current virus scanning program to verify that no virus is present.

Repair the master boot record by using the FIXMBR command from the Windows XP Recovery Console.

For additional information about how to use the Recovery Console, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307654 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654/) How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

Note For additional information about an error message that you may receive when you use the FIXMBR command, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

266745 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/266745/) Error message when you run fixmbr command

Warning If your computer is infected with a virus and you use the FIXMBR command, you may not be able to start the computer. Before you use this command, make sure that the computer is not infected with a virus.

If the primary boot partition is a FAT partition, use the FIXBOOT command from the Windows XP Recovery Console to write a new boot sector on the system partition, and then use the FIXMBR command to repair the master boot record.

You may also use the Windows XP Setup program to repair the installation. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer. On the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to set up Windows XP.
2.	Press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
3.	Use the ARROW keys to select the Windows XP installation that you want to repair, and then press R. Windows XP Setup repairs the installation files, Windows XP automatically restarts, and then the Setup program finishes the repair of your Windows XP installation.
4.	Follow the remaining steps to set up Windows. Note You must have your 25-character Product Key to complete these steps.

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MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about the Recovery Console, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

229716 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/229716/) Description of the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

235364 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/235364/) Description of the SET Command in Recovery Console

310497 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310497/) How to add more power to Recovery Console by using Group Policy in Windows XP Professional

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APPLIES TO

•	Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
•	Microsoft Windows XP Professional

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kbvirus kbenv kbfaq kbprb kbusage KB314503

Windows XP issues

Monday, May 28, 2007

USB SAMSUNG external floppy drive

To speed up the windows start up.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Windows XP boot floppy discs

Windows XP Home Edition Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install

Create the Setup disks

How To Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP

How To Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP

On This Page

SUMMARY

Requirements

Create a Boot Floppy Disk with a Windows XP-Based Computer

Create a Boot Floppy Disk Without a Windows XP-Based Computer

Troubleshooting

Resolving Boot Issues with a Boot Floppy Disk

APPLIES TO

Keywords:

MBRFIX as a substitute of FIXMBR

Usage:

Requirements:

Commands:

Return codes:

Why do I need this utility?

Samples:

Readstate and Writestate:

Credits:

User License Agreement:

Computer stops responding with a black screen when you start Windows XP

Computer stops responding with a black screen when you start Windows XP

SYMPTOMS

CAUSE

RESOLUTION

MORE INFORMATION

APPLIES TO

Keywords:

Blog Archive

About Me