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[Hijpo]

It reboots on XP loading screen. Tried booting to safe mode and it hangs at gagp30kx.sys. It has a recovry partition so tried to get to that and it tells me i dont have a working HDD. I got to boot into ubuntu with a boot.disk and the hdd is accessible and seems to be fine.
Tried renaming gagp30kx to a .bak but then it hangs on mup.sys
iv gone through google with a fine tooth comb.
Any of ye brain box,s got any ideas?

[Wooster]

There's a lot of this about at the moment for some reason, the recovery partition doesn't work, the recovery CD's were never created after it was bought and the vendor wants to charge £60 to send you some (if you are planning on trying this).
(Glamdring tried to format his using the recovery tools on the partition on his, and it couldn't even manage that.)

You could maybe look for boot disks (someone's bound to have come up with the files for a bootable USB with the files on it by now) and run chkdsk /f on reboot (fixmbr might be worth a pop as well).

Failing that, wipe it, pinch 7 and bung that on it.  (you can use your bootable Linux disk to copy you stuffs over to a USB drive first).

..just thinking, if you are a student you can pick up Win 7 cheap.

[Splinter]

Sticking my boot in here, but do you have an XP bootable CD? (don't know the history, sorry)
I've used these often and boot to the CD, but don't go straight to the repair console; just keep going to the end F8 eula to actually install XP.
You should end up with the option to do a repair install at that final stage as it will have found a previous version of windows.
Also I have used 'NTFS boot' very frequently, which you can dl as an ISO and burn to cd.
It does as woost suggested and has corrected corrupt files and recovered the system many times.
This is a very useful resource:
http://www.bootdisk.com/ntfs.htm

This may help also
http://michaelstevenstech.com/repair_install_warning.htm

[Hijpo]

Thanks for the tips lads. I dont have an xp home boot disk but have found ways to make one but the trouble with that is it still needs a genuine product key even to just do a repair? And like most home users she cant find hers. I was just wonderin if i used any valid key would it work without causing issues with the OS?
The other thing is getting the system to see the HDD. It shows in the bios and post but the third party recovery tool doesnt seem to recognise. I got bestbootdisk and managed to get a windows recovery screen so i got the controller drivers from the mobo website to install an see if.it sees the drive but i cant get the drivers onto a floppy to press f6 at the recovery screen.
also noticed that when i changed gagp30 it froze on mup.sys so its actually the driver after gagp30 thats the issue but cant find what gets loaded after gagp30 to see what happens if i change that.

[Splinter]

afaik, the product key is locked to the particular install cd. I may stand corrected, but I have tried with other keys without success.
Your best bet mate is to do what Woost suggested and boot to Linux and copy what you need to a safe place, then format and start again with a new install.
I've wasted so many days with similar problems (I have a pc shop) and usually reverted to what has just been suggested if all other options fail.
Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[Thermalsig]

If you are looking for a way to retrieve the windows key. Use magic jelly bean key finder and then reformat. All you have to do then is find the right reinstallation media. That should be easy.

Sent by  Droid X while sniping squirrels from my roof.

[Hijpo]

I didnt think the key was tied to each individual disc :-\

so jelly bean finder thingy and i can use ANY XP home disc and use that key?

[Thermalsig]

The let has to match oem, retail, or service pack 1, etc. The key its tied to the version of the install. It won't work with the incorrect media.

Sent by  Droid X while sniping squirrels from my roof.

[Hijpo]

She said she got the machine from a chap she knew. Fuckin people!
She has no discs, no key, no clue.

Its becoming more hassle than its worth.

Woostys option it


edit-
Sorry splint, readin back over your post it just clicked with me you didnt mean each and every disc.

[Thermalsig]

I agree on the reformat once you bounce out her data. That's a given. If you reinstall windows you want to make it legit, and if you have copies of the right versions out makes it easier in the future. I take it you don't know anyone with a technet subscription?

Sent by  Droid X while sniping squirrels from my roof.

[Hijpo]

Nope

[Thermalsig]

Nope

Shit. That makes two of us!  Srioulsy, I bought a one year subscription and DL'd most of what I need. That will fail soon and I'll be scroungin' 8 disks.

[Wooster]

I've never managed to find the right media to go with an OEM licence (apart from those OEM copies that have leaked onto the interweb with their keys), it's like trying to match two snowflakes.