Montempeaux

AAHHHHHHHH! Brilliant - I thought I had done this but I can see where I had gone slightly wrong. It's all working now. Thanks to everyone for their help in resolving this issue. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have managed this without the help provided here. Thanks again M

Hi RandyL, I am already taking ownership of the folders as described but then I am having to do the same for every individual file within the folder, one at a time. Is there a way to do them in batches? M

Thanks for all the help - I have been partially successful in copying files using an external hard drive caddy. The files in my partners profile were copied by a simple drag and drop - her XP profile did not have any administrator privileges which I guess is why I can copy her files with no problems. My XP profile was the administrator level and I suspect is the reason why I cannot copy the files easily. To copy files from my My Documents file, I am having to go through and reset the security on every single folder and file. If I don't, it won't let me copy anything. Is there a way to set an overriding security change to all files at once - if not I'll be at this for days. Any suggestions would be appreciated M

Danzil, thanks for the advice - I forgot to mention that I suspect the problem was self inflicted. That last time I used the computer I had a bit of a purge and removed a load of old software that I never use. I did this in the foolish assumption that I could roll-back to an old recover point if I had problems. I never considered that I wouldn't be able to log in. Anyhoo, to summarise: The drive with the issue is SATA running a now corrupted version of XP. HD is formatted in NTFS. I just need to get in to recover a few files (precious photos, last up to date copy of CV etc etc) then I'm happy to do a full re-install. I need to fit the drive into a SATA compatible caddy? I am intending to connect the caddy to my laptop via the caddy's USB connection - the laptop is running Vista, not XP - is this a problem? As the drive is NFTS, and I understand Vista is all NFTS there should be no compatibility issues there. But is there likely to be any other compatibility problems? Do I need to change the jumper settings on the faulty drive from master to slave when it is in the caddy? If anyone knows of a problem surrounding these questions I'd love to know ASAP so I can get on with ordering either a new drive or a caddy. Thanks again for all the help M

The drive with the fault is a Seagate Barracuda- not sure whether it is SATA or IDE. I also have a Samsung R700 laptop running Vista, it's less than a year old , again I'm not sure what it is but I can check both later (This is an area around which I am particularly clueless!). I am liking the sound of the USB caddy so what do I need to consider in terms of cross compatability between the two comupters? Thanks M

RandyL, I was starting to suspect a full re-install was the only way. I do indeed have files that I would like to recover beforehand. One suggestion I've had is to get another hard drive, Install XP on that one and copy the files over. If there is an easier way I'm all ears. Thanks M

In safe mode it does exactly the same. The message comes up on the blue "Welcome to Windows" screen that you get just before the login prompt appears. Given the error message, it seems that it may be the actual login process that has the problem. Once the messge appears, the computer will either freeze completely or allow the OK button on the message to be clicked - if this happens the computer will restart immediately and load up to the same point where the message reappears. M

Wolfeymole, Thanks for the reply but I need more details. I cannot login - it hangs before this point, so how can I install the patch? I've already set the computer to boot from CD before HD to run the Windows repair - will this also work with the patch? Is there anything else I should be aware of to make it work? Thanks M

When I startup my PC I get the following message before I get to the login screen. It then freezes here or automatically restarts and hangs again at this point. The PC is running XP. The Error box says: Buffer Overrun Detected! Program:\??\C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe A Buffer overrun has been detected which corrupted the program's internal state. The program cannot safely continue execution and must now be terminated. I have tried to start in safe mode and I have done a repair with the XP disc but with no success. The next step unless I get advice to the contrary is to do a full in stall on XP. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks M

T'was the graphics card. I poached the one out of my old PC and it is working. Thanks for the help M

I didn't get a chance to test the card or monitor last night but I did fire up the machine and I'm now a bit more concerned about the Mobo. All the fans and lights seem to be working but there is no beep on start-up. With my limited knowledge I recall this tells you what the Mobo is up to. No beep indicates total failure? Is this correct? Is there any way to test this theory? Thanks M

I can probably borrow the bits I need from work. The main problem is that I can now only access the internet at work so I was trying to build up a list of things to try after swapping the monitor and GC (assuming they don't work). M

I turn on the mains - monitor comes on with message no signal - all normal. Then when I turn on the PC, nothing changes. No input from the PC at all. M

I was using my computer last night and had to restart it due to a problem with the internet connection. When I restarted the computer it was no longer communicating with the monitor - it helpfully says it is getting no signal. Everything else appears (and sounds) to be normal, connections/cables were not moved but I checked than anyway - seem fine. Mobo has lights on it which suggest it is fine. Fans and internal mood lighting (funky:D) all operate. So my first guess is the graphics card. My Mobo doesn't have a connector for the monitor (no on-board graphics?) so I'm not sure if I can bypass the card. How can I tell if it is the graphics card? If I install a new card, how can I install the drivers considering I cannot see the screen? (do they operate with basic functions without the driver?) Your help and expertise is greatly appreciated. Thanks M