"Unable to validate product ID"

[Bjorne]

Hello,

When I loginto XP it says: "Unable to validate product ID" and logs me out.

This started yesterday after an accident, I removed my Linux partitions in order to create new ones, and when I reboted GRUBB prevented me to boot Windows, There was nothing else to do than go to bootdosk.com and download a MS DOS 6.22 boot disk, I botted with that disk and wrote:
fdisk /mbr
After that the computer booted, but it won't login!

I inserted the Win XP insall/repair disc and it claims Windows XP is on drive F:, but it has always been on E:! Besides, shouldnt the Windows Bootloader refuse XP to boot if it changed partitions, and E: has a folder with WinXP in it! The vommando prompt/dos mode on the repair disc says I have no access to that fodler though.

What have happened?

Thanks,
Bjorne

[NooNoo]

You fdisked /mbr with the wrong type of fdisk.

You need to boot from your xp cd and go to the first repair option - recovery console, type fixmbr and hit enter, then fixmbr and hit enter.

[Bjorne]

thanks for replying,

Windows still won't work, I have used fixmbr and it restored the mbr.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Bjorne

[Bjorne]

by the way, I just noticed WinXP partition is still called "F:"

[Bjorne]

I just noticed, the new MBR is correct, but it has corrupted the patition names like this:

New Partition name | Old Partition name
C: | C:
D: | D:
E: | U:
F: | E:
G: | Z:
--------------
Thnx,
Bjorne

[Bjorne]

I managed to boot Windows ME in fail-safe mode, when I booted Partition Magic it said:

"Warning, partition's driveletter can not be identified"

I've also run Norton Disk Doctor from Me and it made a new partition table...

[NooNoo]

Did you run fixboot?

[Bjorne]

yes, it didn't help :(

[NooNoo]

Then you will have to do an inplace install...sorry, but it sounds like you have mucked your partitions around just too much.

[Bjorne]

I think it might work if I find a way to turn F: back to E:
do you know anyway of doing this?

Thanks,
Bjorne

[Matridom]

Drive letters are assigned by the computer based on there location, both physicaly on the ide Chain and what type of partition it is.

Primary partitions get priority, logical go next. so the process goes from IDE0 through to the end, with primary partitions being assigned drive letters, in the restarts and does logical drives.

say you have 2 hard disk, with each having 2 partition, one primary, one logical (say 1a 1b and 2a 2b)

your drive letters will go likes such

1a = C:
2a = D:
1b = E:
2b = F:

if the second drive only had logical partitions, then it would look like this

1a = C:
1b = D:
2a = E:
2b = F:

So the only to "fix" it is to do an inplace install as NooNoo said, or recreate a partition that will replace all the drive letters correctly

[Bjorne]

isnt it possible to set the drive letters from my Win ME installation?

Thnx,
Bjorne

[Matridom]

Originally posted by Bjorne
isnt it possible to set the drive letters from my Win ME installation?

Thnx,
Bjorne

No. they are assigned by the computer. WindowsXP, 2k and NT can change the drivers letters WITHIN that windows install ONLY, it will not affect other operating systems. Also, even withing XP, you can't change the driver letter of the operating system.

[Bjorne]

ok, how do I do an inplace install?

Thanks,
Bjorne

[Matridom]

Originally posted by Bjorne
ok, how do I do an inplace install?

Thanks,
Bjorne

Repair install (http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm)

that will allow you to keep your OS intack, and may fix the issue, may not...

otherwise, do a normal install and choose the same partition that it's currently on, when it askes you "do you wish to leave the current file system intack" choose yes.