XP Issue | Help Required Please

**Grey Wolf** · October 5th, 2016, 01:41 PM

G'day All

My request to those of you have knowledge of the MS XP Operating System:

A good friend of mine who runs his business on an old HP workhorse using XP had a never seen before issue tonight...
He sat down and clicked the mouse, his Desktop page appeared but without:

Any Icons
No Taskbar
No use of ctrl alt del
CPU would not turn off at button

When seeing all was frozen my advice was to un-plug the CPU from power wait a few minutes, then turn on:
When the machine went through the boot up stage there were no stops or warnings....
Screen appeared, User Requested, Selected first (Only 2) "Owner" which is "Admin" ....
Same deal as before, all 5 of the issues...
Tried the next user, had to do all as before, same result...

To assist with helpful replies:

He has no external hardrive
He has never made a back up disk/s
He can't the original install disks for XP
Would not remember who or what he registered XP under nor the Email address he may have used
Everything is on the the big black box ...

Any help would be appreciated, He's a good guy and his whole business is tied to this......

Thanks in Advance
Grey Wolf

**Gladys Allova** · October 5th, 2016, 04:30 PM

This may not be possible if it is his only machine but with help from a friend ?
First thing I would do is take out the Hard Drive & read it from a HD caddy to another computer, salvaging the precious files & data.

From there it may require a complete re-install, but maybe someone else has a suggestion

**Ninjaturtle** · October 5th, 2016, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gladys Allova

This may not be possible if it is his only machine but with help from a friend ?
First thing I would do is take out the Hard Drive & read it from a HD caddy to another computer, salvaging the precious files & data.

From there it may require a complete re-install, but maybe someone else has a suggestion

Yes, Gladys Allova is right. First you have to save all important data from the Hard Drive. When the PC has a Floppy Disc Drive you can download a Boot Disc from the net. Well, and you need a Windows XP CD. Put the Boot Disc in the floppy drive and start the system and choose repair the system....Good luck brother

Stroking_it · October 5th, 2016, 10:54 PM

I'd see if it starts up properly in Safe Mode as a first step.

**rotobott** · October 5th, 2016, 11:13 PM

If his business depends on it then I would get professional help to recover the data, and move it to a new computer, then tell him to back everything up regularly.

I get pissed off when I lose porn, when my various computers have crashed, relying on xp for business these days is not wise

Stroking_it · October 6th, 2016, 12:00 AM

I think XP is still alive and well in the business sector, but any OS can suddenly decide not to play ball. The Achilles heel here is having only one copy of your data and only one PC in a business environment. Not that a lecture on disaster recovery is probably what the OP wants to hear (but one they should hear after this episode is resolved).

I saw "no task bar and no icons" many times when I use to run XP. The odd thing here for me is being locked out of CTRL-ALT-DEL (which would otherwise enable you to manually launch explorer.exe to bring the taskbar back) and also the no power off button thing. This sounds possibly a bit "virus-y" to me.

If the machine boots and the desktop actually appears then I reckon something that loads at startup has got corrupted which is why I would try Safe Mode first.

Shylock · October 6th, 2016, 12:39 PM

The CTRL+ALT+DEL issue is indicative of a keyboard or motherboard failure. Change the keyboard when the machine is shutdown and see if this solves that problem. If not it could be a motherboard problem.

The no taskbar is a simple driver issue, but you need a mouse to be able to fix it. More than likely it has been moved and minimized by the mouse. You need to find it to restore it.

If you can right click with the mouse after you boot and get the blank screen make sure there is a checkmark besides "Arrange Icons By > Show Desktop Icons". Then shut down the machine and restart. (Do not reboot or with XP it may return with the same issue!) If you are not able to right click on the blank screen after you boot, shut down, change the mouse (to one you know works) and boot again. If you still can't right click then it could very well be the Dell's motherboard. If this is the case then he should get another computer and clone the existing HD, then add the required new drivers to make everything work.

Bill derBerg · October 7th, 2016, 07:50 PM

If he finds his original XP disc or if someone else has a copy he can use the Windows repair function to analyze and repair the OS, if indeed that is the problem.

Has he ever opened the case and simply cleaned the inside of the PC? It sounds trivial, however, dust and hair can complete a circuit. I've has some odd experiences with computers that simply needed to be cleaned. A can of compressed air, isopropyl alcohol and sterile cotton swabs should be all he needs. Tell him to be especially careful regarding static. A static mat and/or wrist band are well worth the cost.

Has he tried going into Setup and checking its settings? The computer will show him which keys to press to enter Setup when it is first powered on. My computer uses either F1 or Alt+F10.

Does the computer beep when it boots? These are known as beep codes and will give him an idea which part of the computer is having a problem. For example, one short beep at start up means the PC can't detect the keyboard and one long beep and two short means no RAM is detected.

Good luck.

**9876543210** · October 14th, 2016, 12:46 AM

Grey Wolf,

Have to agree with everyone else. Since this is a business computer, your friend needs to take it to someone that knows what the heck they are doing. If the machine was in front of me I could probably tell you the problem within a couple of hours or less. But its not in front of me and there are too many possibilities for any one of us to make a definitive analysis.

I especially agree with Gladys Allove, get the hard drive out of the case and see if its OK. If it is, then I would probably scrap the old machine and look for a business class Dell with Win 7 on it. Depending on where you are in the world, a Latitude or Optiplex can be found on Craigslist for $200 or less (sometimes far less). Then just stick the old drive in the new machine and designate it as the D:\ drive.

Then, before going a step further, either back that drive up or clone it. For a business person there is no excuse for not having valid backups. That should be done, at minimum, once a week (for a very small business). In reality, it should be done daily.

Hopefully, your friend will now understand why backing up is so damn important.

Stroking_it · October 16th, 2016, 01:05 PM

I must say really don't understand the obsession with taking the hard drive out unless the very basic steps have been covered first. Its unlikely there is anything wrong with the hardware as the machine repeatably boots up and gets as far as the desktop.

If you have a second machine laying around, and you want your data back as an absolute first priority, and you are confident enough to take on the job yourself then yes. But I don't think the OP's friend fits into that category.

October 5th, 2016, 01:41 PM	#1
Grey Wolf Rat Catcher Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 18,944 Thanks: 360,265 Thanked 481,937 Times in 19,976 Posts	XP Issue \| Help Required Please G'day All My request to those of you have knowledge of the MS XP Operating System: A good friend of mine who runs his business on an old HP workhorse using XP had a never seen before issue tonight... He sat down and clicked the mouse, his Desktop page appeared but without: Any Icons No Taskbar No use of ctrl alt del CPU would not turn off at button When seeing all was frozen my advice was to un-plug the CPU from power wait a few minutes, then turn on: When the machine went through the boot up stage there were no stops or warnings.... Screen appeared, User Requested, Selected first (Only 2) "Owner" which is "Admin" .... Same deal as before, all 5 of the issues... Tried the next user, had to do all as before, same result... To assist with helpful replies: He has no external hardrive He has never made a back up disk/s He can't the original install disks for XP Would not remember who or what he registered XP under nor the Email address he may have used Everything is on the the big black box ... Any help would be appreciated, He's a good guy and his whole business is tied to this...... Thanks in Advance Grey Wolf

October 5th, 2016, 04:30 PM	#2
Gladys Allova Vintage Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: A man's gotta chew what a man's gotta chew.. Posts: 4,990 Thanks: 67,890 Thanked 89,740 Times in 4,990 Posts	This may not be possible if it is his only machine but with help from a friend ? First thing I would do is take out the Hard Drive & read it from a HD caddy to another computer, salvaging the precious files & data. From there it may require a complete re-install, but maybe someone else has a suggestion __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

October 6th, 2016, 12:00 AM	#6
Stroking_it Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 406 Thanks: 718 Thanked 3,231 Times in 387 Posts	I think XP is still alive and well in the business sector, but any OS can suddenly decide not to play ball. The Achilles heel here is having only one copy of your data and only one PC in a business environment. Not that a lecture on disaster recovery is probably what the OP wants to hear (but one they should hear after this episode is resolved). I saw "no task bar and no icons" many times when I use to run XP. The odd thing here for me is being locked out of CTRL-ALT-DEL (which would otherwise enable you to manually launch explorer.exe to bring the taskbar back) and also the no power off button thing. This sounds possibly a bit "virus-y" to me. If the machine boots and the desktop actually appears then I reckon something that loads at startup has got corrupted which is why I would try Safe Mode first. Last edited by Stroking_it; October 6th, 2016 at 12:09 AM..

October 16th, 2016, 01:05 PM	#10
Stroking_it Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 406 Thanks: 718 Thanked 3,231 Times in 387 Posts	I must say really don't understand the obsession with taking the hard drive out unless the very basic steps have been covered first. Its unlikely there is anything wrong with the hardware as the machine repeatably boots up and gets as far as the desktop. If you have a second machine laying around, and you want your data back as an absolute first priority, and you are confident enough to take on the job yourself then yes. But I don't think the OP's friend fits into that category. Last edited by Stroking_it; October 16th, 2016 at 08:12 PM..

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October 5th, 2016, 10:54 PM	#4
Stroking_it Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 406 Thanks: 718 Thanked 3,231 Times in 387 Posts	I'd see if it starts up properly in Safe Mode as a first step.

October 5th, 2016, 11:13 PM	#5
rotobott Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 32,103 Thanks: 174,766 Thanked 634,543 Times in 31,424 Posts	If his business depends on it then I would get professional help to recover the data, and move it to a new computer, then tell him to back everything up regularly. I get pissed off when I lose porn, when my various computers have crashed, relying on xp for business these days is not wise

October 6th, 2016, 12:39 PM	#7
Shylock Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 54 Thanks: 5 Thanked 313 Times in 51 Posts	The CTRL+ALT+DEL issue is indicative of a keyboard or motherboard failure. Change the keyboard when the machine is shutdown and see if this solves that problem. If not it could be a motherboard problem. The no taskbar is a simple driver issue, but you need a mouse to be able to fix it. More than likely it has been moved and minimized by the mouse. You need to find it to restore it. If you can right click with the mouse after you boot and get the blank screen make sure there is a checkmark besides "Arrange Icons By > Show Desktop Icons". Then shut down the machine and restart. (Do not reboot or with XP it may return with the same issue!) If you are not able to right click on the blank screen after you boot, shut down, change the mouse (to one you know works) and boot again. If you still can't right click then it could very well be the Dell's motherboard. If this is the case then he should get another computer and clone the existing HD, then add the required new drivers to make everything work.

October 7th, 2016, 07:50 PM	#8
Bill derBerg Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: My own little reality. Posts: 1,257 Thanks: 17,648 Thanked 18,325 Times in 1,256 Posts	If he finds his original XP disc or if someone else has a copy he can use the Windows repair function to analyze and repair the OS, if indeed that is the problem. Has he ever opened the case and simply cleaned the inside of the PC? It sounds trivial, however, dust and hair can complete a circuit. I've has some odd experiences with computers that simply needed to be cleaned. A can of compressed air, isopropyl alcohol and sterile cotton swabs should be all he needs. Tell him to be especially careful regarding static. A static mat and/or wrist band are well worth the cost. Has he tried going into Setup and checking its settings? The computer will show him which keys to press to enter Setup when it is first powered on. My computer uses either F1 or Alt+F10. Does the computer beep when it boots? These are known as beep codes and will give him an idea which part of the computer is having a problem. For example, one short beep at start up means the PC can't detect the keyboard and one long beep and two short means no RAM is detected. Good luck.

October 14th, 2016, 12:46 AM	#9
9876543210 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 4,044 Thanks: 24,638 Thanked 34,288 Times in 4,008 Posts	Grey Wolf, Have to agree with everyone else. Since this is a business computer, your friend needs to take it to someone that knows what the heck they are doing. If the machine was in front of me I could probably tell you the problem within a couple of hours or less. But its not in front of me and there are too many possibilities for any one of us to make a definitive analysis. I especially agree with Gladys Allove, get the hard drive out of the case and see if its OK. If it is, then I would probably scrap the old machine and look for a business class Dell with Win 7 on it. Depending on where you are in the world, a Latitude or Optiplex can be found on Craigslist for $200 or less (sometimes far less). Then just stick the old drive in the new machine and designate it as the D:\ drive. Then, before going a step further, either back that drive up or clone it. For a business person there is no excuse for not having valid backups. That should be done, at minimum, once a week (for a very small business). In reality, it should be done daily. Hopefully, your friend will now understand why backing up is so damn important.