A+ Guide to Software, 4e

Chapter 5 Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup

What Happens When Windows 2000/XP Starts Up

The procedure applies to an Intel-based PC Programs involved in the initial steps
Startup BIOS (firmware) MBR program Boot sector program Ntldr

Table 5-1 describes the steps in detail

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Table 5-1 Steps in the Windows 2000/XP boot process for systems with Intel-based processors
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Table 5-1 Steps in the Windows 2000/XP boot process for systems with Intel-based processors (continued)
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Table 5-2 Files needed to boot Windows 2000/XP successfully

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Table 5-2 Files needed to boot Windows 2000/XP successfully (continued)

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Important Folders Used in the Startup Process

List of key folders used by Windows 2000/XP:
C:\Windows: the Windows XP installation C:\Windows\System32: core system files and subfolders C:\Windows\System32\config: registry hives C:\Windows\System32\drivers: device driver files C:\Documents and Settings: user account information C:\Program Files: installed applications

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Figure 5-2 A sample Windows XP Boot.ini file

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Figure 5-4 You can access startup and recovery options from the System Properties dialog box
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Troubleshooting Tools to Solve Startup Problems

Sources of information about troubleshooting tools:
Microsoft Knowledge Base at support.microsoft.com Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation (a book) Table 5-3 in the text Help files for a command tool

Examples of the many tools available:

Last Known Good Configuration Safe Mode System Information (Systeminfo.exe)
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Figure 5-7 The System Information window displays important information about the systems hardware, software, and environment
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Advanced Options Menu

Used to diagnose and fix boot-related problems Press F8 key to display Advanced Options menu A list of the options
Safe Mode: boots OS with minimal configuration Safe Mode with Networking: includes network access Safe Mode with Command Prompt: text-based only Enable Boot Logging: records files used during boot Enable VGA Mode: substitute for regular display Last Known Good Configuration: stored in the registry
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Advanced Options Menu (continued)

A list of the options (continued)
Directory services restore mode: for domain controllers Debugging mode: for moving system logs to another PC Disable automatic restart on system failure: stops reboot

Blue screen of death (BSOD)

Also called a stop error or system failure

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Recovery Console
A command-driven OS for serious troubleshooting Functions performed with the Recovery Console
Repair a damaged registry, system files, or file system Enable or disable a service or device driver Repair master boot program on hard drive Repair boot sector on the system partition Repair a damaged Boot.ini file Recover data when the Windows OS is beyond repair

Recovery Console is protected from illegal access Table 5-4 (partially reproduced) lists commands
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Table 5-4 Commands available from the Recovery Console

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Recovery Console (continued)

Use the recovery console to fix hard drive problems
Fixmbr: restores the master boot program in the MBR Fixboot: repairs the OS boot record Diskpart: used to view, create, and delete partitions Chkdsk: repairs file system and recovers data

Restore the registry following steps in Table 5-5 Disabling a service or device driver
Listsvc: lists all services currently installed Disable: disables a service Enable: shows current status or reinstates a service
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Table 5-5 Steps to restore the Windows 2000/XP registry

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Recovery Console (continued)

Use the Recovery Console to restore system files
Map: displays the current drive letters Systemroot: sets Windows directory as default directory Delete: deletes a file CD: changes directory Copy: makes a backup of the current Ntldr file Bootcfg: lets you view and edit the Boot.ini file Expand: extracts files compressed in cabinet (.cab) files

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Recovery Console (continued)

Use the recovery console to recover data
First step: change some Recovery Console settings Second step: copy data from hard drive to other media

Optional installation of the Recovery Console

Open a command window Navigate to \i386 folder on Windows 2000/XP CD Enter the command winnt32 /cmdcons
The Recovery Console is installed at this step

Restart your computer

Recovery Console should be on the boot loader menu
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Strategies for Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup

Topics to cover
General guidelines for troubleshooting How to respond to startup errors How to clean up a sluggish startup How to restore system files Methods to use as a last resort

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Guidelines for Troubleshooting Boot Problems

Ask the user what happened before problem started Back up data before trying to solve an OS problem Determine what point in boot the system fails Check the simple things first; e.g., loose cables Boot to Advanced Options, select Last Known Good Configuration

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Respond to Any Startup Errors (continued)

Errors that occur before the windows load begins
Startup BIOS is still in control All core startup components must work for success Essential hardware: CPU, boot device, power supply Example: BIOS cannot find a hard drive

Stop error
Drastic error that causes Windows to hang or lock up Search Microsoft support site for help with problem Example: a bad USB device causes BSOD to appear
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Respond to Any Startup Errors (continued)

Program not found error

Entry in the registry or a startup folder, but no program Cause: uninstall routine leaves entry behind You can use Msconfig to identify orphan entry If the entry is in registry, delete entry to eliminate error
Use Device Manager to update the driver Uninstall and reinstall the device Boot from Last Known Good Configuration Try Safe Mode, System Restore, Recovery Console
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Errors from when a device or service has failed to start

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Cleaning Up Startup
Locations to check for cleanup
Startup folders for startup processes Unwanted scheduled tasks Group Policy startup entries Installed fonts

Msconfig: used to find other startup entries Services Console: used to disable unwanted services Check startup folders
Move unwanted programs or shortcuts to another folder
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Cleaning Up Startup (continued)

Look for unwanted scheduled tasks
Tasks launched at startup are in C:\Windows\Tasks Inspect folder for unwanted or malicious tasks

Check Group Policy for unwanted startup events

Group Policy scripts are placed in one of four folders Malicious software is sometimes placed in these folders

Check for too many installed fonts

Fonts stored in C:\Windows\Fonts folder Install or uninstall a font: move font into or out of folder Make sure folder does not hold more than 260 files
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Cleaning Up Startup (continued)

Use Windows XP Msconfig to limit startup events
To access utility, enter Msconfig in the Run dialog box Click Services tab to view all services set to start Click Startup tab to view/edit list of startup programs Deselecting a startup item is not a permanent solution

Check for corrupted or unneeded files

Service: support program running the background Identify services from the Services Console Investigate the service on the Internet
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Restore System Files

Return to a previous Windows XP restore point
Try Driver Rollback before System Restore If using System Restore, select a close restore point Accessing System Restore when Windows GUI is down
Try booting into Safe Mode

Use Windows 2000/XP boot disk to verify boot files

If OS boots from disk, problem is in root folder of C drive To create boot disk, copy boot files from PC or setup CD A repair suggestion: replace Ntldr, Ntdetect.com, Boot.ini

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Recover or Repair the Windows 2000/XP Installation

Recovery partitions and recovery CDs
If provided, use a recovery CD instead of a setup CD
Recovery CD has drivers specific to system and OS build

Hidden partition may also be used for recovery

Windows XP Automated System Recovery (ASR)

Recovers system from time of last full backup of drive C Access ASR backup from setup CD (press F2) Follow directions onscreen to restore drive C

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Recover or Repair the Windows 2000/XP Installation (continued)

The Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Process
Method of last resort (all changes to system are lost) Process uses Emergency Repair Disk (ERD)

In-place upgrade of Windows 2000/XP

Software/hardware are reinstalled, user data preserved Use repair utility on Windows 2000/XP setup CD

Clean installation of Windows 2000/XP

First step: copy data files to a safe place Destroy current Windows 2000/XP installation Reinstall the OS from the Windows 2000/XP setup CD
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