Ah, computer help

[Tbone]

So I tried to install some updates last night for Windows (Media Center Rollup 2, mainly) and started running across all these errors (DrWatson, media player, etc. etc.). After running into a brick wall for a while, I decided to just repair Windows.

Turns out my Windows XP Pro Media Center Edition 2005 CD is bugged out. During the repair, I started getting all of these errors of files that couldn't be copied. I wrote a few down:

clbcatq
comuid
comsvcs
catsrv
mscoree
mscoworks
IEXPLORER

That's just a sample. I've discovered this pretty much bugs out my vid driver, .NET framework, and Microsoft VM.

I've had the driver problem before, so fixed that right off. .NET was trickier, but I think I finally was able to install it. Microsoft VM simply won't work. There are no downloads of it available due to a suit filed by Sun, so none of the patches for it work (says it can only patch over an existing version of Microsoft VM).

My biggest problem now, however, is Windows Update. After having to restart over and over due to Windows Update stalling and giving error messages, I've finally patched about to the point where I left off. Now I'm once again trying to patch the Rollup 2 and it won't work. I've researched and it has said to remove Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1 hotfix, but even after trying to remove it (every time I try, my system starts to lag out and I get error messages), I can't get it to patch. So now .Net seems to be bugged, Windows Media Rollup is bugged, my installer is bugged, IE is pretty unstable...many many problems that I believed stemmed from a corrupt install CD.

Postmortem, WMI, Generic Win32 errors...they are all abundant. Windows Logon UI failure even. Gahh...I don't even know where to begin.

[Styan]

You don't even know where to begin...

I don't even know where to begin!  Sounds like your system is pretty fudged there T.

[Avzeke (Khr0n1k)]

Alright you have had tons of problems and you keep telling us to not tell you to reformat.............well im sorry boss but i think it is now time for a reformat, you systems is FUBAR.

[Anonymous]

I had this same problem before and though I forced a fix through I had no end of other problems.  Reformat, go Vista.  Flame up!

[Tbone]

Well, I got .NET working...I'm just ignoring VM since it isn't used anymore.

I'm still having a problem with installing new updates. I still have Windows Media Player 11 and a few updates to go. When I try to install, I usually get a DrWatson Postmortem error or a WMI error. Then the install just stalls. After tinkering around, now the install just automatically fails before it even starts.

I don't have the money for Vista and that just brings a lot of other headaches. I don't have the time or storage to reformat.

[Bellthazor]

I had the same issue at work with a user. How did you do the repair?...was it using the repair console?...

If so I have an alternate repair method.

Also Is your Windows disk SP1 or SP2?

[Anonymous]

Try creating a new profile, I have a feeling that's how I fixed it, and then discovered all the issues you get when copying files from one profile to another

[Styan]

Good idea Destyn, new profiles often work wonders...

[Tbone]

It's SP 2 and I didn't use the recover console but booted from CD all the way until it showed my partition. For some reason my recovery console requires an admin password and I don't know it.

I contacted Dell and they are going to send me another Windows CD that hopefully isn't corrupt. They said I should be able to repair from the new CD and hopefully not get the errors.

How does creating a new profile help? This problem seems to be in my system files and those should remain the same for each profile, no?

[Anonymous]

I doubt if the Windows CD is corrupt, more likely your system is randomly losing files, as it often does when it's FUBAR.  That said a new profile can often fix many of the shared file problems you'll get.

As for the admin password, that's something you can set in the Admin Tools snap-in once you're back in Windows.

[Tbone]

First of all, the CD is a burn copy of an original. My guess is that something with the burn went wrong. If I am repairing and it tells me "Error - this file cannot be copied" and then gives me the option to browse and try and find the correct file, isn't that the CD's fault? There also seemed to be misnamed files on the CD.

For instance, the repair was looking for "clbcatq dl_" and it showed me a file that was like "clbcatq.dll" or something very similar but slightly different. Why would that be my computer's problem and not the CD doing the repair?

[Anonymous]

I've had this happen many times before, normally when I get bad sectors on the HDD.  The only difference between dl_ and dll is that one is compressed and the other isn't, the computer will still read and find both.  I used to have a whole bunch of wmz files missing which were clearly there, but which Windows said wasn't.  I'd do another reinstall, different missing files, same install CD.  Sometimes it just doesn't like compressing.  If I were you, and I know you're not going to like it, I'd buy a coupl of $30 4-gig USB memory sticks, backup, and reformat.

[Tbone]

Holy crap I think I just fixed it.

I finally got the idea to look in event viewer. I took some of the error logs and googled them and I came across people having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

Boy was I surprised when I figured out what was wrong. It was a freakin Logitech Cam driver. Sure enough, my problems first started when I ran out to the store and got a new webcam. My other one was so old and this girl wanted to cam it up so...you know.. Anyway, after I installed the cam I decided to run the updates for my computer. I assumed it was the updates that screwed things up and didn't even think that it could be the cam.

These people found that going on Logitech's site and following the directions for a clean install fixed all of their problems. Sure enough, as soon as I deleted the Logitech cam software and drivers, there was no lag, no errors, and I could even install updates! It was like magic!

Now I'm going to finish up doing this clean install and then I should be set! I'm so happy you don't even know! I thought for sure I'd have to eventually reformat! I can't believe it was the freakin cam! Stupid girls!

[Anonymous]

tmi