Member Avatar for westman2k

So I think that I have picked up a nasty virus which has crashed my laptop. It is in an endless loop of trying to reboot.

I have read many of the previous posts on this site and I am still stuck.

Basically I load in my XP CD. I get to the set up screen that asks

Install

Repair

or Quit

I choose install. I accept the End User License Agreement'. Then I get to the list of partitions. Sometimes.
and sometimes it says Unknown Disk. (I have tried this a few times to no avail)

If it does show a partition i have tried to delete it and it says i can not and then reboots me.

If i try to set up Windows XP it gives me a blue screen error and then reboots me.

I would like to just clean everything off and start from scratch but the setup disk is not helping.

any ideas? :!:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by gronk

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Generated

Quick expert recap tied to the thread: ’s loop, the XP setup showing “Unknown” partitions and the BSOD STOP 0x0000008E naming setupdd.sys point to a kernel‑mode exception during the text‑mode portion of Setup. That error commonly traces to hardware or low‑level driver/BIOS problems (bad RAM, disk/controller issues, or corrupt setup media) rather than a random user file. Microsoft: Bug Check 0x8E (KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED). (learn.microsoft.com)

Start by isolating memory: remove extra modules, reseat DIMMs and try one stick at a time (this echoes and ). Run a dedicated bootable tester (Memtest86 / Memtest86+) from USB or CD and allow multiple full passes — even intermittent single‑bit errors mean replacing RAM. Download and boot instructions are on the memtest sites. Memtest86+ / Memtest86 info and downloads. (memtest.org)

Next, verify the hard disk and partition table: boot a rescue/live ISO or a diagnostics CD (Ultimate Boot CD or a Linux live image) and check whether the drive is detected. Run SMART and surface tests (GSmartControl or the drive maker’s utility) and copy off any data by connecting the drive to another PC with a USB adapter if needed. Reallocated/pending sectors or failing SMART tests warrant drive replacement. GSmartControl for SMART tests. (gsmartcontrol.com)

If RAM and disk pass, suspect install media or the optical drive. Try another XP disc (or a freshly burned image at low speed) or a USB installer. For a full wipe (no data recovery planned) a secure wipe like DBAN will remove MBR/boot‑sector nasties before reinstalling, but it irreversibly destroys data. DBAN — Darik’s Boot And Nuke. (dban.org)

Triage summary:

  1. Test RAM with Memtest86+;
  2. Run SMART/surface tests and back up data;
  3. Try alternate install media or optical drive;
  4. Replace any failing part or use the vendor recovery method noted by @richh0323. (memtest.org)

Recommended Answers

All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for richh0323

What is you're laptop specs, some of them have a restore partition that is on the harddrive.

Member Avatar for westman2k

What is you're laptop specs, some of them have a restore partition that is on the harddrive.

it is a Jettbook 2300A Pentium4

Member Avatar for westman2k

This is the error message i get once i try to install XP or delete any partitions

STOP: 0x0000008E (0xc0000005, 0xf84d6cfd, 0xf8085800, 0x00000000)

setupdd.sys - address f84D6CFD base at F84AD000, DateStamp 3d6dd67f

Member Avatar for BinaryMayhem

can you get back into windows at all? did you make any changes to your laptop?

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315335

CAUSE
This behavior may occur if one of the following conditions is true:
• One or more of the random access memory (RAM) modules that are installed on your computer are faulty.
• The RAM configuration is incompatible with Windows XP.

Member Avatar for westman2k

I have not made any changes that I know of. It just shut down on its own and I have yet to be able to reboot.

Member Avatar for richh0323

Not too much info on Jetbook out there, but maybe this will help. Get a bootable 3.5" floppy with Windows 98 on it. Boot up with it and format the hard drive(format C:) without the ( ) not startup with CD ROM support, and put in the XP CD. and type setup. This may work, or once formated the XP CD is bootable too.

Member Avatar for BinaryMayhem

Not too much info on Jetbook out there, but maybe this will help. Get a bootable 3.5" floppy with Windows 98 on it. Boot up with it and format the hard drive(format C:) without the ( ) not startup with CD ROM support, and put in the XP CD. and type setup. This may work, or once formated the XP CD is bootable too.

what? I fail to see how this is going to help, since he can't even really select a partition... and, who wants to install XP on FAT 32. uck! floppy boot disks are depreciated. (note: win XP is the last MS OS that will have a floppy boot disk. and if you want the setup disks, you need to dl them from MS directly)

honestly tho, this sounds like a hardware problem... its either a hard drive problem or memory problem... but with out exact error messages it will be alot harder to troubleshoot...

Member Avatar for davidredwine

You got bad ram or motherboard or cpu. no doubt about it. if it is a desktop, strip all the add in cards out of it, take it down to 1 DIMM, 1 cd drive, 1 hardrive. try to install again. if it fails, swap out the 1 dimm with a different one. If it fails again, get a new MOBO-CPU (motherboard and cpu combo) from Tiger Direct www.tigerdirect.com then rebuild your machine. You'll probably want new DDR ram to go with it.

Member Avatar for gronk

first time user here. i am studying at tafe college and have pc doing same. took hard drive, optical drives, floppy and cpu out and ran with another pc, all good. ram was touchy but it always was. had to reinsert it every time it was moved cause it would start beeping. we isolated as much as we could but it seems the m/board is to fault. cant load more than first 60 secs of xp. any1 have similar exp?

Member Avatar for gronk

n/b prior to blue screen message was coming up as load needed for dlls kernal

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