who stole device manager?

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.

Quote:

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

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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.

back to the top
<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.

back to the top
<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

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 ....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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 ...)

...

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https://forums.windrivers.com/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.https://forums.windrivers.com/

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.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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... :D, 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 ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by confus-ed

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... :D, 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 ;)

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Let ME be picky now.....

Although your explaination is correct, it's Hardware ABSTRACTION Layer...... :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DocPC

Let ME be picky now.....

Although your explaination is correct, it's Hardware ABSTRACTION Layer...... :p

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:grin: Confus-ed yet again !

I've done some messing about with system restore and the registry and I now have a populated device manager at the expense of some files and another activation session. You are correct to say the chipset has changed...from KT333 to KT400. It's running the latest drivers but I'll reinstall them in case.

I knew how to reinstall, I just don't like doing it because it takes days to get it the way I like it software-wise and I see no net gain other than a working PC. Thanks for that info all the same.

What I'm looking for is a method to get rid of all the info from the registry about my old kit (and also some old software while we're on the topic). I think once I clear that out and get some updated drivers for the rest of the parts my BSODs will be solved. The main BSOD I get is 0x0000000A. It seems to occur mainly on boot when the FDD seeks. I get other ones during normal use when I try to start up the TV card say. I'll try and push the computer to give me more BSODs and I'll note them and post them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ringo2143z

...I knew how to reinstall, I just don't like doing it because it takes days to get it the way I like it software-wise and I see no net gain other than a working PC. Thanks for that info all the same..

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Oh hum ...this is why you are in a mess !

IMHO your install is now so 'messed up' that the only sure way is starting again, or else this thread may be very long indeed ... however its your choice.

If I was still on holiday and had a fast net connection I might consider a reinstall but no such luck. We'll try and keep it short though.

First, can anyone recommend a GOOD registry cleaner that will get rid off all the old stuff that doesnt relate to anything that is installed (hardware or software)? I've been using RegCleaner and RegSeeker to kill some of the old entries. Alternatively, can someone give me a walk through on how to get rid of hardware entries from the registry? I have edited the registry before but I don't know enough to safely delete things.

Second, I have some stop errors that need sorting. I've had a read of all the pages I can find relating to these but there's nothing that really stands out for fixing.

1. 0x0000000A IRQ_NOT_OR_LESS_EQUAL (occurs every couple of days)
2. 0x0000007E in kmixer.sys
3. 0x0000004E PFN_LIST_CORRUPT


Cheers

you have a bunch of very unhappy drivers

Very unhappy ide and kmixer is your sound.

So first thing you do is reload the motherboard (ide) drivers, followed by the video drivers then sound drivers.

Then go to windowsupdate and make sure your updates are up to scratch.

Do you have Zone Alarm, if so what version?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NooNoo

..So first thing you do is reload the motherboard (ide) drivers, followed by the video drivers then sound drivers...

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Errr um, does the 'delete e-num reg key trick' work in xp ... I forget ? I think, but am not sure...

So he wants to do that, having got himself all his drivers handy somewhere first ?(to rid ourselves of any chipset confus-ed-ness, which is of course a bad thing ! :) here ... ) then do a re-tard and windows will try and detect everything again, as it finds stuff he can then point it at new drivers, finally killing all his driver confus-ion with the correct chipset patch? (they should be on your motherboard manufacturers site) ... probably all 'safest' done in safe mode ...?

I'll try and gather some new drivers for my kit...it might take a couple of days though as my ISP insists on using compression and it's screwing up downloads (yes I have tried turning it off). All updates are installed for windows at the moment.

I don't use ZoneAlarm, I use BlackICE V3.6.

Can someone confirm if confus-ed's fix works before I try it please and give an explanation of where to find this e-num thingy? It won't result in another re-activation request will it? They say I'm out of re-activations and I can't get the work-around to work.

Thanks again.

There is no limit to reactivations. You may just have to phone ms to get a new number... but if that is your copy on your machine, reactivating is not a problem.

confus-ed's ENUM regedit suggestion will work, IF you know what you are doing!!

Geez, Ringo:

Quote:

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I knew how to reinstall, I just don't like doing it because it takes days to get it the way I like it software-wise and I see no net gain other than a working PC.

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Other than a working PC????
Is that not our goal here?
You have already been messing with this for a couple of days as it is!
If you did the repair installation in the first place, all would have been well by now.
And, NooNoo is correct, you may just have to call to reactivate.

fair enough response, but i'm not spending long periods of time on this at the moment. i can still work with the thing, it just crashes sometimes...hopefully they will be fixed soon. besides, i'm learning at the same time, so next time this happens i don't have to ask!

can someone please give me details on how to do this ENUM thing so I don't screw it up more? i'm confident that i can do it, i just need to know where to go in regedit and what to delete.

I've had a wee look for this enum key and I've found 4 of them in regedit - in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/(ControlSet001, ControlSet003, CurrentControlSet) and also in HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet.

Which of these should I remove to get the desired effect confus-ed mentioned? Should there be a ControlSet001 and a ControlSet003? Can I delete all of the ones in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE?

I have all the new drivers for my kit, so after setting a restore point and backing up the registry I'll be ready to try this.

Since nobody bothered telling me how to do this 'delete enum reg key' trick, I gave it a punt myself. Here are my findings for anyone who ever tries this in XP.

All the entries named enum in HKLM (in System/ControlSet001, System/ControlSet003, System/CurrentControlSet) cannot and I'm guessing should not be deleted. I tried and I think I managed to delete ControlSet003 and then had to do a Last Good Config boot, system restore and a reactivation - the registry got corrupted. The only enum key that can be deleted is in HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG/System but I'm not sure that there's any benefit in deleting that...or at least I didnt see any.

To close, I ended up clearing everything from device manager in safemode and letting it redetect when I rebooted; still getting some BSODs though. If anyone has ideas as to how to do this enum trick, please post. An explanation on how to do it from Confus-ed would be nice since he suggested it in the first place.

By the way, thank you NooNoo for your help.

This is what you want to be able to do

I explained to you in PM that the enum trick is for 9x os's. I explained that I have not done the enum trick on XP.... haven't needed to. Most people do an inplace install to resolve hardware mismatches.

What are you actually trying to achieve? Avoiding having to reactivate? If so, why not just backup the reactivate files as shown here

What is the problem with reactivating anyway? Is it a personal beef about having to activate or what?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NooNoo

This is what you want to be able to do

I explained to you in PM that the enum trick is for 9x os's. I explained that I have not done the enum trick on XP.... haven't needed to. Most people do an inplace install to resolve hardware mismatches.

What are you actually trying to achieve? Avoiding having to reactivate? If so, why not just backup the reactivate files as shown here

What is the problem with reactivating anyway? Is it a personal beef about having to activate or what?

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The reason I posted the previous post was to see if anyone else knew how to do something like what I was needing to do. It had been suggested previously that it could be done in XP and since you had said you only knew that it worked with 9x/ME and had only ever done it with them, I decided to see if anyone knew how to do a similar thing in XP. That is all. If something more than "yeah that'll work" had been said in the first place, we wouldnt be arguing over this at the moment.

If you read back, I am trying to solve a number of BSOD issues caused by a new m/board and CPU, but I am not one for reinstalls unless the thing won't even start.

As far as reactivation goes, there is no problem as such - Windows is legal. The problem is with my extreme dislike for microsoft...not the software, as I've grown up on it, but more the companies attitude to customers. I dont like having to do things to make a product I've paid for work, especially if it's costing me more money.

No offence is or was intended by this. I just want my computer to run without BSODs and a reinstall.

Well apologies ... seems I caused more confus-ed-ness, by not being certain which key you delete in xp to do the 'e-num delete trick', you seem to have the key though ! ... so just back up your reg if you ain't sure & give it a whirl ! (you want the master key not the control set ones, they indicate the various hardware combinations your machine thinks its had over time)

Seems to me that you ( ringo2143z ) are the one ignoring 'stock' advice, i.e do a clean install ... I merely made a suggestion, this 'trick' ain't 'windoze proof' ! ... try at your own risk !!!!

Generally I try to make only known 'sound' suggestions that won't break things !! ... this one could break everything ... ;)

Oh bloody edit !!!! :rolleyes:

Turn off system resore, before you do this !

I know I'm ignoring the stock advice, but as I have said I use every problem I have with my PC as a learning curve so I can increase my knowledge of them.

By what you said, are the ControlSet00x keys ok to delete if they'll go? Is there a way to find out which one windows is using? I dont see the point in 2 of them. The enum keys only exist within the ControlSet00x and CurrentControlSet keys.

Why turn off system restore? Will this not just affect recovery chances?

Another thing, I'm not exactly sure how to restore the registry with the backup file if things do go wrong...I've tried before and it wouldnt let me do it in windows or safemode...is there a command method or repair console method?

Thanks

Please bear in mind we are in 'uncharted terroritory' here ;)

If you don't turn off system restore windoze will very helpfully load up your 'last known good' registry & so replace the one you just 'tweaked', because only 'on setup', should have a 'no hardware' set, and unless you add the reg key that fires that bit up it'll decide some corruptions taken place & start doing its 'thing' - but we don't want to add that key because we don't want it to zap all our previously installed proggies ...

Here's some registry backup/restore instructions (I only had a very quick glance!)

The console tool for registry revovery is Bill's brother 'reg' :)

I really think we could have done a complete fresh install & added back all your proggies by now, AND BE SURE IT WOULD WORK !

All this may very well not, infact I'm pretty sure its gonna break!

Doing this enum thing just does dirty things to my PC...so I've come to a compromise. Am I correct in thinking that if I do an "over the top" reinstall it will reset the hardware config? Will this keep all the appropriate entries for my other programs in the registry? Finally, it will get rid of SP1, correct or not? I have it somewhere anyway. Is there not a way of integrating SP1 to the install as well?

I also couldnt find the backup util that is mentioned in the link Confus-ed posted. Doesn't matter too much though.


ta

The big problem is that you have changed the board and cpu, Everytime I change my board I reinstall to avoid the stop errors , I know it is a pain but then I don't spend time trying to fix something that is broken
Now for a good cleaner , Try crapcleaner, It is a nice little program that cleans your system out
http://www.ccleaner.com/update/?v=1.14.072
Click the link download install and enjoy