Still got no download ability. MSI crashed

[ImnoGuru]

Hi thanks for having a look at my post today.

I have a Dell computer with a service tag from Dell. A 500 gig Drive. The O/S is Windows XP SP 3 and a Pentium4 CPU 3.00GHz using 1.5 Gig RAM.

Some months ago my computer had always had automatic updates from Microsoft and installed them successfully, then I started to have problems with the Microsoft Installer failing to be accessable.
I posted in Computer Hope, here.
The result has been that no further updates or scans from Microsoft Essentials were possible and this (my main desktop computer) has become in my opinion, unsecure for use on personal things like banking and other financial transactions and potentially an easy target for a hacker to get information. So I stopped using it for most of this time while I try to resolve my MSI problem, just using my laptops instead.

That is still the case today. Currently AVG fails as well as Adobe and anything that I try to download to install, such as programs, PE, Hotfix links, quickfixes, patches and any other name you might care to give as a solution.
I have read the previous posts and links at length, trying each solution that I am able to, only to come back to the current "MSI fail" problem.

Can anyone help me resolve this problem please. I have tried to my ability to make the previous posts make sense and resolve the problem but have "hit a brick wall" as it were as to what to do to fix it. 

Thank you ImnoGuru.  ( pity you dont have a "FRUSTRATED" smiley.)

Does anyone know if these "FREE SCAN" things are of value?  msi repair UniBlue RegistryBooster

[quaxo]

1. NEVER use a registry scanner. They make more problems than they fix.

2. It sounds like you might have a virus. Have you been over to the malware section and let them help you?

[ImnoGuru]

Thanks quaxo, yes I had a session of possible results to go through from CH post "Trying a restore, but not winning.".

Logs and posts all led to virus cleansing and potentially cleaned... however the msi still comes up as "Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the windows installer is properly registered."

When I was about to move house, I did take a "Macrium Reflect", Image of the drive while everything was OK, but apparently I need PE to get that working to do a repair. Which, of course will not install on this drive.

Although I dont have the original install disk for this build of XP PRO SP3, I do have a new unused copy of XP PRO 2002 SP #2 that I was given, if that information might help. I also have other copies of XP that are earlier to this drives O/S.
I have also tried to ring Dell Support but they have never come back from lunch as far as I can tell.

I would really like to get this computer fixed as it has most of my computer, internet sites, bookmarks, passwords, photo's, documents etc etc, and I am not certain that I can backup all of this information and put it on another computer at all.

Well thats my story. Hope I can get some help with this problem.
Thank you. ImnoGuru

[quaxo]

I'd do a repair install of Windows to see if it can fix whatever was broken during the infection.

[ImnoGuru]

Quaxo, I would certainly love to do that.

1, if I had a disk from which this O/S was created.
2, if Dell would be kind enough to give a return call to discuss just exactly that.
3, if I had this other disk earlier. (Providing this other disk is compatible with a reinstall.)
4, if I could get my "Macrium Image" of the drive to do its job. (Apparently I need to have PE installed to do that and this drive wont install anything.)

So if, if, if, and as we know, "if" is the center of Life.

I am at a loss as to where to go next.

Most techies I know say to format the drive and reinstall a new copy of Windows XP on it.

So I found this, but dont understand what it is they are saying. Can some one try to explain what it is I would be buying if I did buy this or similar please?

NEW WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL SP3 32BIT FULL VERSION ENGLISH

KEY NEVER USED, NEVER ACTIVAITED

PACKAGE INCLUDING :

1 : Install Windows XP Professional 32bit SP3 English Install Disc, Disk new never used, disk label dell, full version for clean install on all systems.

2 : Genuine Windows XP PROFESSIONAL SP3 License COA, never used, never activated.

3 : Since this is an OEM install CD, to comply with Microsoft and (Name removed) Policy they will come with a working non-peripheral piece of hardware from the original PC "AS IS".

AND THIS

This software is licensed as oem software. Microsoft's distribution agreement for system builders states that the system builder software packs are not intended for distribution to end users unless the end users are acting as system builders by assembling their own PCs. A system builder is anyone who assembles, reassembles or installs software on a new or used computer system.

Then there was this one advertised with 5 X units for less cost, but what would i want 5 of them for?
 

[Geek-9pm]

You have another computer that works and can download stuff. You can create a PE disk if your laptop has a CD burner.

Here is a method I often use when I get stuck. I find a spare hard drive in my tool box and put nit into the trouble machine and install windows XP on the spare drive. After that, I connect the original drive, but make it the secondary. Then I can do scans for virus and tings like that. And it should be possible to do a restore from the backup device by using the new install as host but making the old drive the target for the restore.

You don't need to buy a new retail XP. Your Dell has a COA for a Dell
OEM CD, winch is available in the grey market. Legal, but not endorsed by Dell. I  got them off the internet for my Dell PCs.

These were made by Dell, I believe, but somehow got into the grey market.
Here is one such that claims to be real.
http://www.ecrater.com/p/9191286/dell-windows-xp-professional-sp3
Do not try and use these on a non Dell unit. Fore Dell only. If it is the same OS as on your Dell, you should be able to do a repair install.

[ImnoGuru]

Thank you Geek-9pm for your reply.
What you say here makes great sense. I can do all of that, mostly (I hope) without outside help. What a great idea. I have approached this all from the wrong angle.
I have been focusing on just fixing this drive alone.
I should make it the slave and use the master to scan and try to repair whatever went wrong. Sensational thank you.

It just goes to show you that sometimes you cant see the forest for the trees.

I can get right on to that method and thank you also for the link to the Dell products that are available out there.

ImnoGuru 

[Geek-9pm]

Well.. You can buy hard drives pretty chap now. Is that a Desktop? If so, you can put two  drives in it and dual boot. On Dell there is some option you hit a f key at boot time and you can choose either drive. So you could install your XP on the second drive, find drivers on the first drive. Even copy some files across fix  the thing. Or at least recover your documents and stuff link that. If it is a desktop.

[jason2074]

Have you tried this support? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315353

[ImnoGuru]

Yes Geek-9pm it is a tower type desktop that has the issue with the MSI failing. The drive is a Western Digital 500 GIG SATA and I tried your previous suggestion but I might have had the jumpers set wrong or the new drive on the wrong cable as it didnt even see the other drive.

I set the newer drive (an 40 GIG IDE) with XP Pro SP2, as a master and connected power to it in the box, but when I booted up, the SATA drive (WD 5000AACS) booted as the normal primary drive and no second drive in Windows explorer.

Is it a compatability problem with mixing the sata and an IDE drive, or just my not connecting things properly?

The SATA drive doesnt have any seperate configurations to set it as a slave that I can tell?


Thanks too jason2074 for your reply, that is definately the issue I face. I wil read through the pages to see if that might resolve my issue.
I'll do the registry back up first then and follow through with the rest of documents referrences.
I cant thank you enough for searching for this referrence to my problem from microsoft. I looked through (googled) the problem and the details in the screen, but couldnt find anything that would help, even from the microsoft site pages that I went to.
Your support link hit the mark dead centre, like a lazer beam to a bulls eye.

It seems to be the way to resolve the problem. Others have suggest some very focused methods that would each, help resolve my problem and I thank them also.

[Geek-9pm]

You have to set boot order in the BIOS. Get familiar with the BIOS.
Or, just undo the second drive and get things working right.
I recall a BIOS that had a mind of its own. If I repeatably booted from a certain hard drive, it would remember that drive. Or so it did seem.

[ImnoGuru]

Thanks Geek-9pm. I thought it might have been incompatability between SATA and IDE? See I really dont know a lot about Sata drives at all or even why they talked me into buying one. Just that it was better....or some such.      Oh bugger it was cheap and I wanted one just to say I had a Sata drive.


SOooo. set the bios eh. Good idea that one. I'll do that.

Hehehe my day off today can you tell. I might have over indulged in the intake of alcohol tonight. I'll do it tommorrow.
Thanks again Geek-9pm.

[ImnoGuru]

Well I had a little nap and got back into it and tried jason2074's link to microsoft. As per their instruction I went to the regedit and found that the "SYSTEM" already had the permissions set. Both boxes ticked. I unticked them and restarted so that I could tick them again.

WELL that was scary

It appears unfortuneately that method didnt work. Lucky I actually read the instructions before jumping right in. Good effort though jason2074, for the research link. Thanks.

So, to the change bios, again equally scary. First the sata drive was recognised then it wasnt, then when it booted up couldnt find ANY drive, the boot sequence changed, so I changed that all back to where it all works, removed the IDE and boots normally. Phew "wipes brow". (Maybe I'll take that challenge in the morning when I,er, wake up)


Ok then, what about this CD I was given. It appears to be a builders CD so they can set up a drive with the same CD over and over, just enter a new key for the build?
Maybe I can do a reinstall and cure this problem using that.

[Geek-9pm]

Windows XP does not dramatically have SATA drivers installed.
The must come from the OEM, ell in this case. The user can download them from the site.

The common workaround is to set the BIOS to allow ATA emulation.

The CD-ROM drive must be the first in the boot sequence. **

Editing the MSI is not a goo idea.
How you read this already?
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=8483

** Ignore this if it does not solve the problem.  Failure to do this can result in hard drive not being recognized. In some instances. Or else replace the drive.

[Geek-9pm]

Windows XP does not automatically have SATA drivers installed.
The must come from the OEM, ell in this case. The user can download them from the site.

The common workaround is to set the BIOS to allow ATA emulation.

The CD-ROM drive must be the first in the boot sequence. **

Editing the MSI is not a goo idea.
How you read this already?
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=8483

** Ignore this if it does not solve the problem.  Failure to do this can result in hard drive not being recognized. In some instances. Or else replace the drive.