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START Menu and Icons MIA!

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by emz_hunnybee

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I don't know what's wrong with my computer or how to fix it, Please help!

At first my computer would prompt to a black screen saying there was an error Hard drive S.M.A.R.T. BAD or something like that and I was prompted to hit F4 where I was given the options to Start in Safe Mode or restart from last known working settings or start Windows normally, However it didnt work from any of these. So I tried to reinstall Windows XP... Now it computer loads all the way to my Desktop ( I still have the same background as I did before) but there is no Start menu all my Icons are gone and I cant put anything on the desktop (cant drag and drop photos or files/make shortcuts) Any Files I'm running was accessed through Windows task manager. Oh and when I tried to install the Windows XP it kept giving me the error saying a number of files couldnt be coppied from CD2 (and 3 from CD1)

Currently There is no Start menu and no Icons of any sort... and when I run(or try rather) explorer I get an error saying "Explorer Data Error (cyclic redundancy check)"

6 replies

by boxfiddler Hot topic

we can only guess-and badly at that-what your troubles may be.
How old is your system?
Are you attempting to reload from an actual operating system CD or a restore set that came with your computer?
Who manufactured the machine?

While I am not the best person out here for helping via a forum, the above questions will be things others will want to know anyway.

It appears at first glance though re: the S.M.A.R.T. BAD message that your hard drive may be shot, or if not shot then quite close to it.

Below is a link that offers some information about S.M.A.R.T. technology.

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000184.htm

edit typo

by emz_hunnybee

It was bought in 2005 and the version of XP was the same one that was one it before (yes the one that came with it), It's by MDG. I no longer get the S.M.A.R.T. BAD message, now it just prompts to the page where you hit F4 and it asks the way I Would like to start up

However, when you put the CD in the disc drive it does nothing, I have to open it through windows task manager using RUN....

by boxfiddler Hot topic

the model number of your computer? Is it a laptop or desktop?

I will try to do a bit of looking into this.

Also, please describe for me the manner in which you tried to reload XP?

by emz_hunnybee

No clue what the number is its a desktop and i was just trying to repair xp

by rob miners

The MDG site has instructions for installing XP. Warning! You will lose any information on your PC if you follow their insructions. Obviously the way that they have setup the CD's will not allow a repair. I hope that you have backups. Here are their instructions and a link that explains CRC Errors. There is also a small program that may help extract the data from the CD's.

Note: Before installing Windows, download the drivers for your system board.
1. Locate the F2 key on you keyboard, after turning on the computer keep tapping on the F2 key (some system
boards use F1 or DELETE to enter the BIOS SETUP UTILITIES). A DOS screen should show (BIOS SETUP
UTILITIES).
2. In the BIOS SETUP UTILITY, you would move with the right arrow on the keyboard scroll right to the Boot
menu. Do not press ENTER.
3. With the down arrow scroll down to BOOT DEVICE PRIORITY and press ENTER
4. Highlight the FIRST BOOT DEVICE and press ENTER
5. Highlight ATAPI CD RW/ DVD RW or (SM-HL-DT-ST-GCE-xxxxx) in the blue menu and press ENTER. This
will make the CD or DVD drive the first boot device.
6. Make sure that the MDG Windows XP SP1/SP2 disk is in the CD/DVD drive
7. Press F10 on your keyboard and then select OK and EXIT. Please make sure if you have an F-Lock button
on the right hand side of your keyboard above the NUMLOCK that you press that down first and the light stays
on. THEN press F10.
Read carefully for a message stating ?Press any key to boot from CD ?? and as soon as you see that, press
ENTER quickly to enter a windows setup. If you are too late please restart the system and start from this point
on.
8. When the windows setup appears, press ENTER to install (DO NOT do the REPAIR)
9. Press F8 to agree to the license. (If you have an F-Lock key on your keyboard you will have to press that first
before pressing an F8).
10. At the next step you may get a window that prompts you as following ?If one of the versions of Windows is
corrupt setup can attempt a repair, ?..? At this screen please press ESC.
11. The next step will show you a list of partition(s) i.e. c:\windows partition 1... Press D to delete the partition
(C:\windows\XP Home edition)
12. Press ENTER to continue and then press L to confirm. Repeat this again now for the second partition if you
have one. If not, skip this step
13. Highlight the new RAW partition and press C to create a partition. Press ENTER for the maximum size.
14. Press ENTER to begin format.
15. Press ENTER to format the partition with the NTFS file system (DO NOT USE THE QUICK OPTION).
Follow instructions as prompted
Note: you will have to install drivers and all applications after windows installation.

CRC link
http://www.softwarepatch.com/tips/cyclic-redundancy.html

Forgot to add.
Make sure that the CD's are clean.

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