Shoutbox

For all those with the same problem...as I did I found out what the problems is:


MICROSOFT!!!!!!!!!!!!


Windows XP Service Pack 3 has caused this problem!

If you have this problem restart your machine and before XP boots in press F8.  Then go to "Last Known Good Configuration", select Windows XP (Home or Professional depending on OS yo have) and then your PC will restart and hopefully allow you to log back in.

However once you are in it will try and reinstall the same Service Pack....DON'T LET IT DO IT other wise you will have the same problem.


Good luck!!!!

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Further advice----

If your system won't let you login there is only one other thing to do....reinstall the OS.

This can be done without overwriting any of the files you have personally saved.


Restart your machine with your XP OS disc in the CD drive and make sure that it reads this before reading the HDD (hard-drive).

Once you ask the CD to load XP again let don't choose "fresh copy" choose "repair".  This will remove the "nasty" files that Service Pack 3 installed and then reinstall the original files you need.

quote:

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Originally posted by ShakyTech
Further advice----

If your system won't let you login there is only one other thing to do....reinstall the OS.

This can be done without overwriting any of the files you have personally saved.


Restart your machine with your XP OS disc in the CD drive and make sure that it reads this before reading the HDD (hard-drive).

Once you ask the CD to load XP again let don't choose "fresh copy" choose "repair".  This will remove the "nasty" files that Service Pack 3 installed and then reinstall the original files you need.

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I just realized something:

I have a dell with XP media edition. I don't have an OS "disc". The operating system is stored internally. Anyone know how to access it?

Sorry to be a pain...

quote:

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Originally posted by ShakyTech
Windows XP Service Pack 3 has caused this problem!

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no, you're definately 100% and completely wrong.

you should *always* install service pack 3. it isn't provided for you to choose whether to install or not -- it has many important security updates and bug fixes that you don't want to go without.

quote:

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Originally posted by ShakyTech
If your system won't let you login there is only one other thing to do....reinstall the OS.

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this isn't true. from Recovery Console to BartPE (and the windows recovery environment on Vista,) there are tonnes of ways to fix a windows installation without being able to log in.

quote:

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Originally posted by 5hundo
I have a dell with XP media edition. I don't have an OS "disc". The operating system is stored internally. Anyone know how to access it?

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well, if you want to repair windows, you need the CD. if you want to erase everything and start from scratch, though, dell might have some recovery thing that restores your computer to factory defaults.

but there may be an easier way to fix your computer -- you just haven't provided a lot of information about your problem. what did you do before it stopped working, etc?

If I am 100% wrong about Service Pack 3 why are there so many threads from people who have had the same error?

Also if I am so wrong why did microsoft need to give the following webpage http://support.microsoft.com/kb/156669/en-us ?

If you look at this page it CLEARLY states that a "service pack installation has failed"?

Most threads have had this problem directly after XP tried to automatically install Service Pack 3.

I suggest you do some research, like I did before you comment on what others know to be wrong.

quote:

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The STOP 0xC000021A error occurs when either Winlogon.exe or Csrss.exe fails. When the Windows NT kernel detects that either of these processes has stopped, it stops the system and raises the STOP 0xC000021A error. This error may have several causes. Among them are the following:
•    Mismatched system files have been installed.
•    A Service Pack installation has failed.
•    A backup program that is used to restore a hard disk did not correctly restore files that may have been in use.
•    An incompatible third-party program has been installed.

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There are a few different causes, not just a "failed service pack". do you know what that means anyway? It means the installation was not successful. I know loads of people with SP3 installed so how is it specifically SP3 that is the problem? It is because the installation didn't complete... (maybe some files were still in use for example)

It's people like you going on MS rants that gives the company a bad name, when the haven't done anything wrong. Yes MS makes lots of mistakes, but to be fair, they have pioneered a lot of things and get slated for them when they go wrong =/

5hundo

There are a few ways to get to the C: of your drive to try and repair it.

The first thing to try is to get to the C prompt, when the computer starts press F12 to get to the "safe mode" commands on a dell.   If this fails then you can go to
http://www.moonvalleysoft.com/product_info.php?pr...4JUCFQ1gQgodnxAzXA

which will let you download free boot recovery disks that you can then use to gain access to your machine.  Once there look for the i386 folder in windows which can then be used to repair windows.

If all else fails get an XP cd which will allow you to repair Windows, or you can try and use the setup of XP from a Dell recovery disk by exploring it.

Try these and if they still don't work then put up another post and I'll try and help you out.:

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You say Microsoft are soooooo good?

Do you work for them?

IE 7....a rip off of Mozilla Firefox.
Windows 98...so bad at the beginning they had to bring out Version 2.
Windows ME....so many bugs.

They don't get it right everytime.  If they did they would never need so many support pages for when their software goes wrong.

I use Microsoft products all the time, but spend more time helping people who have problems with Microsoft software.

BTW I have been working with computers for 20 years....have you?

Just a quick question about the service pack 3. I dont want to instal it on my computer but i have atomatic updates. So its downloading it automatically and bugging me to instal it. Everytime i cancel it a minute later it re-downloads it again and asks me to instal it. It doesnt matter how many times i cancel it keeps going. Its making my CPU hit the roof and my computer barely usable.

Is there any way to just leave automatic updates on. But stop my computer downloading just the service pack update?

"Don't notify me about this update again"

its automatic updates. it doesnt come up with that at all. it just comes up saying theres new updates to instal. And when you click it, it just instals the updates.

[B]roken.[H]earts...

Yes there is...

Go into Automatic Updates in your control panel and select "Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them".

When they download you will get a yellow shield in the task bar (beside the clock).

When Service Pack 3 downloads again, double click the shield and this will pop up a box.  Instead clicking "install automatically" choose "manual install".

Another box will pop up with all the updates to be installed.

Uncheck the one for SP3 and before you press "continue" or "install" (I forget which one), click on the blue message which should say something like "Do not notify me about these updates again".

That should sort the problem.