who stole device manager?

[ringo2143z]

Basically, device manager is empty. Here's what happened...

ACPI wasn't workingc(it wasn't auto switching off) so I changed the computer type in device manager to a standard PC. Restarted and installed some stuff and still it didnt work right. Read some things on the m$ site and did them and it didnt boot right. Set it to last good config and then had to re-activate XP. Did that and then I couldnt view anything in device manager. Any ideas? My computer takes ages to load the drives as well. Have tried a BIOS update but that didnt help. PNP is enabled.

Will post any other info requested 2moro.

[TripleRLtd]

ACPI wasn't workingc(it wasn't auto switching off) so I changed the computer type in device manager to a standard PC.

But why would you do that????
There were other ways to work around that problem.
You might have to do an in place reinstall/repair.
Give us info on your PC:
Motherboard,etc.
Check the following:
HOW TO: Start the System Restore Tool from a Command Prompt in Windows XP

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

This article was previously published under Q304449
<A class=bookmark name=toc>IN THIS TASK

• SUMMARY
  • Starting System Restore Tool from Command Prompt
• REFERENCES

<A class=bookmark name=1>
SUMMARY

Windows XP includes the System Restore tool, but you cannot start the System Restore tool from a Recovery Console prompt. Because of this, it may be useful to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows XP-based computer normally or in Safe mode. This article describes how to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows XP-based computer normally or in Safe mode.

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<A class=bookmark name=2>Starting System Restore Tool from Command Prompt

1. Start your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
   
   NOTE: You must log on as the administrator or a user that has administrator rights.
2. At the command prompt, type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, and then press ENTER.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to begin restoring your computer to a previous, functional state.

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<A class=bookmark name=3>
REFERENCES

For additional information about the System Restore tool, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 302796 Troubleshooting System Restore in Windows XP

306084 How to Restore Windows XP to a Previous State


For additional information about the Safe Mode with a command prompt, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 315222 A Description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP

Plus:
How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional

This article was previously published under Q315341
SUMMARY

This article explains how to perform an in-place upgrade, or reinstallation, of Windows XP. This is also called a repair installation.

When you perform an in-place upgrade of Windows XP, you reinstall Windows to the same folder. You may want to do this if you need to repair your installation of Windows XP. To reinstall Windows XP, use either of the following methods.
MORE INFORMATION

Before You Perform an In-Place Upgrade

IMPORTANT:

• If your computer came preinstalled with Windows XP, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base before you follow the steps later in this article: 312369 May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling Windows XP
  
• If you perform an in-place upgrade of Windows XP, all existing restore points are removed and a new System Checkpoint restore point is created after the in-place upgrade is complete. Do not perform an in-place upgrade if you may need to use System Restore to roll your system back to a previous state.For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 301224 System Restore 'Restore Points' Are Missing or Deleted
  
• Backup copies of your registry files (in the %systemroot%\Repair folder) are also replaced after the in-place upgrade is complete. The registry files in the Repair folder are either from the first time you started Windows XP or the last time you used the Backup utility to backup your System State. Copy these registry backups to another location before you perform an in-place upgrade if you may need to use them after the in-place upgrade is complete.

Method 1: Reinstall Windows XP from Within Windows XP

To reinstall Windows XP from within Windows XP, follow these steps:

1. Start your computer.
2. Insert the Windows XP compact disc into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
3. On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP page that appears, click Install Windows XP.
4. On the Welcome to Windows Setup page, click Upgrade (Recommended) in the Installation Type box (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
5. On the License Agreement page, click I accept this agreement, and then click Next.
6. On the Your Product Key page, type the 25-character product key in the appropriate Product key boxes, and then click Next.
7. On the Get Updated Setup Files page, select the option that you want, and then click Next.
8. Follow the instructions on the remaining pages of the Windows XP Setup Wizard to reinstall Windows XP.

Method 2: Reinstall Windows XP by Starting Your Computer from the Windows XP Compact Disc

To reinstall Windows XP by starting your computer from the Windows XP compact disc, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Windows XP compact disc into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP compact disc.
   
   NOTE: Your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. For more information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, please see your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer.
2. The following message is displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen that appears: This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft Windows XP to run on your computer: To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER. To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R. To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3. Press ENTER to set up Windows XP.
3. On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
4. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press R to repair Windows XP.
5. Follow the instructions on the remaining screens to reinstall Windows XP. After you repair Windows XP, you may be required to reactivate your copy of Windows XP.
   
   For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 310064 HOW TO: Troubleshoot Windows XP Setup Problems When You Upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Me
   

For additional information about how to troubleshoot specific Windows XP Setup issues, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 312369 You May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP

312368 Data Loss May Occur After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP

For additional information about Windows XP Setup, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 286463 Release Notes for Windows XP Setup Contained in the Pro.txt File

306824 Release Notes for Windows XP Setup Contained in the Home.txt File

286647 Windows XP Read1st.txt File Contents

[confus-ed]

Bloomin' 'eck ! That's a long way of saying do either a repair install or inplace re-install, having of course set bios back to use ACPI first (which I can't see anywhere, but the answer is soooooooooooooooo long !) but I think either should fix things up

(Just a thought,tripleR but wouldn't just the links make the answers a bit shorter & probably more comprehendable ... note to self - light blue touch paper & stand well back ...)

Changing HAL on XP just generally isn't advisable, once its installed, if you want to change it at any time the safest way is to do a full backup, create a fresh install (with whatever HAL you want) & then restore everything to that fresh install (there are quicker ways, but they often go wrong!) - in 9x this was a relatively painless procedure - in any NTFS based system the procedure is more 'fraught' because with ACPI on windoze directly handles bios allocation of devices etc.

Once you get your install back 'alive' maybe we can look at your not shutting down issue ....

[TripleRLtd]

Bloomin' 'eck ! That's a long way of saying do either a repair install or inplace re-install, having of course set bios back to use ACPI first (which I can't see anywhere, but the answer is soooooooooooooooo long !) but I think either should fix things up

(Just a thought,tripleR but wouldn't just the links make the answers a bit shorter & probably more comprehendable ... note to self - light blue touch paper & stand well back ...)

...

You are absolutely right, -ed.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
Thing is, I got lazy.
I copied MSKB articles from my own database rather than look them up and provide the suitable links.
I get a little lazy on weekends.

[ringo2143z]

Well I changed the HAL as you called it after reading an article somewhere in here...I'll start taking them with a pinch of salt now!

Computer is: Athlon XP2600, Abit KD7-G M/b, 512MB PC333 RAM, Leadtek A250 graphics, SB Audigy, SupraExpress Modem SUP2670, 3xWD HDDs total 400Gb...Boot is 80Gb WD drive, Leadtek TV card.

Haven't a clue why ACPI stopped working. It was enabled as such in the BIOS. The computer wasn't turning off when I shut it down so read some articles and got to where I am. One thing I would say is that the board/CPU are new ones having fried the last ones. I swapped them out and didn't reinstall as I'm not a believer in reinstalls...too much hastle and I don't learn anything that way. Had been getting a lot of BSODs but I was gradually resolving them. The new hardware does work though as I'd been previously testing it with prime95 and sandra.

I think once the OS is working again I won't need to sort the ACPI issue as it will be working anyway. Any ideas for a non-re-install solution? I'm running CHKDSK at the moment. Says it has some errors to fix.

[confus-ed]

Well I changed the HAL as you called it after reading an article somewhere in here...I'll start taking them with a pinch of salt now!

Computer is: Athlon XP2600, Abit KD7-G M/b, 512MB PC333 RAM, Leadtek A250 graphics, SB Audigy, SupraExpress Modem SUP2670, 3xWD HDDs total 400Gb...Boot is 80Gb WD drive, Leadtek TV card.

Haven't a clue why ACPI stopped working. It was enabled as such in the BIOS. The computer wasn't turning off when I shut it down so read some articles and got to where I am. One thing I would say is that the board/CPU are new ones having fried the last ones. I swapped them out and didn't reinstall as I'm not a believer in reinstalls...too much hastle and I don't learn anything that way. Had been getting a lot of BSODs but I was gradually resolving them. The new hardware does work though as I'd been previously testing it with prime95 and sandra.

I think once the OS is working again I won't need to sort the ACPI issue as it will be working anyway. Any ideas for a non-re-install solution? I'm running CHKDSK at the moment. Says it has some errors to fix.

HAL= Hardware Extraction Layer - how windoze controls all your devices etc - There are two, either standard HAL (without ACPI on ) or ACPI HAL (with it on).

Mmmm if you changed both CPU & m/b you may very well have changed 'chipset' too, which may very well explain all your BSODs.

I'm lost as to where you are 'at' .... at the moment ACPI is on in bios & windows & you re-installed/repaired it & everything shows in device manager just funky ? Or is it all still broke ?

Do you need advice on how to reover your install ? In which case wade your way through TripleR's post ... EVERYTHING is there somewhere... , briefly either re-install windows from inside it by re-running the setup from the windows cd OR start from the windows cd & re-run setup from that each time choosing your current windows installation directory as target... (be aware, you 'lose' service pack info - a quick trip to windows update will sort that).

After all that then go check out
http://www.viaarena.com/ & get the latest 'Hyperions' which are chipset drivers & 'adjust' windoze to work with your hardware hopefully correctly.

We might still want other patches to finally resolve this but all those steps will most probably fix you up