Accessing diff user files or fix XP SP1 install (WXP)

[Kazeneko]

It seems that one of my clients decided to try to fix an install of XP after SP1 was installed using the original XP disc and it gave him the following errors:

Cannot remove IEEXCEP.EXE, SP1.EXE, mm12ex.cat, catalog should contain more information

Signature error fffffb40

text for message 0xfffffb40 in syssetup.dll is missing.

The system reboots and tries the same thing all over again when OK is clicked.

When he got those errors, he decided he'd try to install a new copy of XP on the same partition to access the exsisting files and back them up. He installed XP in C:\WINDOWS2 (old XP is in C:\WINDOWS) and got the system running again. Well, the files he wants to backup are giving an 'Access is denied' error popup.

They're at: C:\Documents and Settings\UserName

I know you can do an install over the original XP using the XP disc, but it does give the distinctive message that the user files associated with the exsisting XP install MAY be erased.... deffinately something I don't want to risk!

I'm hoping someone on these forums knows how to fix one of these problems so I can retrieve the files.

Oh, I posted this here, as I figured the 'Access is denied' error is some sort of security measure.

[Paul S]

Hello,

If the machine has a FAT32 file system then you will be able to boot from a Windows 98 bootdisk and access the files from DOS.

Have you tried accessing the files from within Safe Mode and the Command Prompt?

I expect someone else will be able to come up with a more qualified answer.

Hope this helps...

<font color=green>Paul</font color=green>

<font color=blue>mailto:paul@winguides.com (paul@winguides.com)</font color=blue>

[Kazeneko]

Unfortuneately, it's NTFS :/

Oh, and I tried safe mode, no help.... goes back to Windows XP Setup.

Gonna go see if command prompt works...

I knew I was forgetting a few things.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Kazeneko on 10/09/02 15:48.</FONT></P>

[Kazeneko]

Bah, seems it won't start in Safe mode either, giving the error "Windows XP Setup cannot run under Safemode. Setup will restart now."

[Jama]

If you are running Windows XP Professional then open Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer), click Tools then Folder Options.
Click the View tab. Under Advanced Settings, you’ll see a list of tick boxes. Go to the very last one by pulling the slider all the way down and then un-tick the box to the left of “Use simple file sharing [Recommended]”

Next time you right-click an object (a file, folder or a shortcut) and click properties, you’ll see the “Security” tab which you need to modify the NTFS permissions of the object.

Once you have done that, follow the steps in <a target="_blank" href=http://www.winguides.com/forums/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=genwinxp&Number=50458&page=&view=&sb=> this post</a> to take ownership of the objects.
Tip: take ownership of and modify the permissions of the root folder (Documents and Settings) and have the new permissions propagate to child objects by ticking the (Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects) box.

If you are running Windows XP Home Edition, you’ll have to boot into safe mode to see the Security tab.
To boot into Safe Mode, hit F8 when you see the list of Operating Systems (The WinXP Boot Menu).
Or from within XP, click Start - Run type msconfig then select BOOT.INI and tick the box next to /SAFEBOOT. Click OK and then Restart.

Jama

[Kazeneko]

OMG! THANK YOU!

I appreciate the help! Talk about saving me from a horrid nightmare!

Not only am I a happy camper, now my client doesn't have to reproduce loads of work!

I doubt it'd be possible to get this kind of support from a company.

Thanks again!!!

[Jama]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

"Windows XP Setup cannot run under Safemode. Setup will restart now."

<hr></blockquote>
Setup needs to restart the computer a few times during windows installation.
To insure that setup will resume after a restart, setup adds itself to the WinXP boot menu and makes itself the default option with a timeout of 4 seconds.
I think your client is doing the right thing by hitting F8 and selecting Safeboot which takes him back to the list of OSs. He then makes the mistake of selecting the instance of setup that did not finish. By doing so, he is instructing the boot loader to boot setup in Safe mode, which obviously is a no starter.

If he’s running the Professional Edition, then he won’t need Safe mode.
If he’s not, then he should hit F8, select Safe Mode and then select the working installation of XP.

All this talk about NTFS permissions gave me an idea that will bypass all this security nonsense. I’ll look into it tomorrow (its 03:18 now!). I’ll post it in this forum if I can make it work.

Jama