Acer 1640Z crashed XP help to restore.

cp928
cp928 Member Posts: 16 New User

Spare laptop as above running Windows XP. Three days ago I entered Acer e settings, and inadvertently pressed a wrong button.  It started to wipe everything. I switched off after 6-7 seconds, and on restarting the laptop would not boot. 1st message : NTLDR missing;  then 2nd message : file missing or corrupt <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll   and to reinstall that file.

I have downloaded Lazesoft Recovery Suite (recommended by a UK computer magazine) hoping to recover lost files, etc.

 

I have also been informed that I can restore the Acer laptop to its factory setting by using Alt + F10.  I have not tried this as yet.  Should I use Lazesoft Recovery first, hoping to recover missing files, and then load them onto a CD/DVD, or USB stick ? THEN restore to factory settings, and hopefully load contents from CD/DVD, etc back onto the laptop ?

 

With the Lazesoft Recovery on a DVD I am able to boot up, but at the moment I am still studying its menus before attempting to recover files.

 

I am a relative novice with laptops - self taught on a Windows Vista for 5 yrs, and my age ? -70+ 

Best Answer

  • cp928
    cp928 Member Posts: 16 New User
    Answer ✓

    laurent_14,  Thanks very much for your assistance.  Yesterday, I still could not get out of the 'loop' and did factory restore 7 times.  In then end I booted from a DVD on which I had made a backup using Macrium Reflect.  I had made that backup sometime last year.  From the Macrium backup I have got things working again, and everything looks fine.

    I did try the Macrium disk last week, but had no success with it, so that was possibly due to my inexperience.

     

    Anyway, Thanks very much, once again, and I will certainly bear in mind Acer Community for any future problems.

    Regards,

    Fred.

Answers

  • laurent_14
    laurent_14 ACE Posts: 10,300 Trailblazer

    Hello,

     

    I advise you to watch this video: Acer eRecovery Management - Restore Windows from the Recovery Partition.

    You could also read this documentation: Acer eRecovery Management documentation page 9 and 10(Windows XP). 

    France
  • cp928
    cp928 Member Posts: 16 New User

    laurent_14, Thank you very much for your reply.  It looks promising, and I will have a look at your links and suggestion tomorrow when I have more time.

    Thanks, and I will post to let you know if I have been successful.

  • cp928
    cp928 Member Posts: 16 New User

    laurent_14, Thanks for your links.  Partial success after 2 hours.  I managed to get into Acer e-recovery buy using a rescue disk I created last year.  I have done a 'factory reset', and also a reset from a backup I had made using Acer several months ago.

     

    However, when I now boot up I get the Windows XP screen for 1-2 seconds, and then it reverts to Acer e-Recovery management.  It is a continuing 'loop', and as I say I have used the recovery management, and I did let the program take its time, sometimes almost 1 hour.

     

    Is there any way I can escape that e-Recovery management 'loop' ?? 

  • laurent_14
    laurent_14 ACE Posts: 10,300 Trailblazer

    Hello,

     

    Have you changed settings in the bios setup utility?

    France
  • cp928
    cp928 Member Posts: 16 New User

    laurent_14,  "Have you changed settings in the bios setup utility ?"  Please explain,bearing in mind I am a novice !!

    But after the initial success, I entered F2, and > boot options> F12, and entered so that I could boot from hard disk, rather than the CD/DVD option.  But still without success.  (The Acer XP laptop does not boot from USB sticks)

    I will keep a lookout for any suggestion from you.  It looks like I am halfway there to mending the XP laptop, so I will not give up. 

  • laurent_14
    laurent_14 ACE Posts: 10,300 Trailblazer

    Hello,

     

    As I don't know the exact content of your disks, I prefer that you restore your system from the hidden partition [Alt]+[F10] showed in the video:

    "The hidden partition main page offers three options to restore the system: restore to factory

    default settings, restore from user's backup, or restore from backup CD/DVD."

     

    The default password is normally six zeros (000000).

    France
  • cp928
    cp928 Member Posts: 16 New User
    Answer ✓

    laurent_14,  Thanks very much for your assistance.  Yesterday, I still could not get out of the 'loop' and did factory restore 7 times.  In then end I booted from a DVD on which I had made a backup using Macrium Reflect.  I had made that backup sometime last year.  From the Macrium backup I have got things working again, and everything looks fine.

    I did try the Macrium disk last week, but had no success with it, so that was possibly due to my inexperience.

     

    Anyway, Thanks very much, once again, and I will certainly bear in mind Acer Community for any future problems.

    Regards,

    Fred.

  • laurent_14
    laurent_14 ACE Posts: 10,300 Trailblazer

    Hello Fred,

     

    You're welcome

    France
  • cp928
    cp928 Member Posts: 16 New User

    Everything now back to what it was.  Today, I have installed 135 Microsoft updates.  One of which was Internet Explorer 8 and things are running smoothly, a bit faster, and the Internet Explorer screen is what I was used to.

  • laurent_14
    laurent_14 ACE Posts: 10,300 Trailblazer

    Hello,

     

    Good news!Smiley Happy

    France