Problem after partitioning Optiplex 745

Hello,

On a new Optiplex 745 with Windows XP, I tried to partition the Hard
Disks with the Partition Manager from Paragon. During the partitioning
I made sure not to use the formating function. But even though, as the
computer is new, there are no data to lose. And if it goes wrong, I
can reinstall Windows.

Now, after the partitioning, the computer started, and I got a blue
screen with the (small) Windows XP sign. No way to get to the desktop
(at least, none that I know.) Then I tried to reinstall WindowsXP with
the CD supplied by Dell. Pushed F12 during the start up session,
chose the CD reinstall, typed the administrators password, ......, but
the computer still goes only to the same blue screen, and not to the
dektop. What do I do wrong? This blue screen seems to be rather
permanent, no screen saver function, nothing.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Mark

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:26:25 -0300, M.Muller
<> wrote:

>Hello,
>
>On a new Optiplex 745 with Windows XP, I tried to partition the Hard
>Disks with the Partition Manager from Paragon. During the partitioning
>I made sure not to use the formating function. But even though, as the
>computer is new, there are no data to lose. And if it goes wrong, I
>can reinstall Windows.
>
>Now, after the partitioning, the computer started, and I got a blue
>screen with the (small) Windows XP sign. No way to get to the desktop
>(at least, none that I know.) Then I tried to reinstall WindowsXP with
>the CD supplied by Dell. Pushed F12 during the start up session,
>chose the CD reinstall, typed the administrators password, ......, but
>the computer still goes only to the same blue screen, and not to the
>dektop. What do I do wrong? This blue screen seems to be rather
>permanent, no screen saver function, nothing.
>
>Any help is appreciated.
>Thanks
>Mark
>


Mark, I'm not that familiar with Paragon's software but do you have a
dell restore partition and can you use it to go back to the original
state? I don't know if this will help but perhaps for starters:
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm .

>
>
> Mark, I'm not that familiar with Paragon's software but do you have a
> dell restore partition and can you use it to go back to the original
> state? I don't know if this will help but perhaps for starters:
> http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm .


Thanks for your answer.

I read the site you indicated. I will download the DSRfix. But I will
have to reread the site several times to fully understand (and see if
DSRfix can help me).

Trying to boot with Ctrl+F11 (which I learnt from the site you
indicated) leads me to the same blue screen with the WindowsXP logo.

Mark

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:32:53 -0300, M.Muller
<> wrote:

>>
>>
>> Mark, I'm not that familiar with Paragon's software but do you have a
>> dell restore partition and can you use it to go back to the original
>> state? I don't know if this will help but perhaps for starters:
>> http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm .
>
>
>Thanks for your answer.
>
>I read the site you indicated. I will download the DSRfix. But I will
>have to reread the site several times to fully understand (and see if
>DSRfix can help me).
>
>Trying to boot with Ctrl+F11 (which I learnt from the site you
>indicated) leads me to the same blue screen with the WindowsXP logo.
>
>Mark
>

Mark, let me think a bit more on this. Meanwhile see if you can go
back into the Paragon software and see if they have any undo
function?? If not, I wonder if it is worth your while to try to
re-partition it again using either Paragon's software or Fdisk? I
suppose you will lose your OS but I'm thinking the dell cd will allow
you to reinstall the OS. Think about this and I'll do the same.
Hopefully someone else will jump in here too, to help.

I'll do some digging around and see if I can post some other type
help. Stay tuned (maybe late tonite).

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:32:53 -0300, M.Muller
<> wrote:

>>
>>
>> Mark, I'm not that familiar with Paragon's software but do you have a
>> dell restore partition and can you use it to go back to the original
>> state? I don't know if this will help but perhaps for starters:
>> http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm .
>
>
>Thanks for your answer.
>
>I read the site you indicated. I will download the DSRfix. But I will
>have to reread the site several times to fully understand (and see if
>DSRfix can help me).
>
>Trying to boot with Ctrl+F11 (which I learnt from the site you
>indicated) leads me to the same blue screen with the WindowsXP logo.
>
>Mark
>

Mark, quick question... can you tell if you still have the restore
partition or did you some how wipe it out?

"RnR" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:32:53 -0300, M.Muller
> <> wrote:
>
>>>
>>>
>>> Mark, I'm not that familiar with Paragon's software but do you have a
>>> dell restore partition and can you use it to go back to the original
>>> state? I don't know if this will help but perhaps for starters:
>>> http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm .
>>
>>
>>Thanks for your answer.
>>
>>I read the site you indicated. I will download the DSRfix. But I will
>>have to reread the site several times to fully understand (and see if
>>DSRfix can help me).
>>
>>Trying to boot with Ctrl+F11 (which I learnt from the site you
>>indicated) leads me to the same blue screen with the WindowsXP logo.
>>
>>Mark
>>
>
> Mark, quick question... can you tell if you still have the restore
> partition or did you some how wipe it out?


I'm butting in, but I'm guessing both the utility partition and the hidden
DSR partition are pretty much up for grabs at this point - basing that upon
his posted results after attempting the hotkeys to reach the UP.....

That would've been a nice quick fix for his issue had it worked.

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 21:43:28 -0500, "S.Lewis" <>
wrote:

>
>"RnR" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:32:53 -0300, M.Muller
>> <> wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Mark, I'm not that familiar with Paragon's software but do you have a
>>>> dell restore partition and can you use it to go back to the original
>>>> state? I don't know if this will help but perhaps for starters:
>>>> http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm .
>>>
>>>
>>>Thanks for your answer.
>>>
>>>I read the site you indicated. I will download the DSRfix. But I will
>>>have to reread the site several times to fully understand (and see if
>>>DSRfix can help me).
>>>
>>>Trying to boot with Ctrl+F11 (which I learnt from the site you
>>>indicated) leads me to the same blue screen with the WindowsXP logo.
>>>
>>>Mark
>>>
>>
>> Mark, quick question... can you tell if you still have the restore
>> partition or did you some how wipe it out?
>
>
>I'm butting in, but I'm guessing both the utility partition and the hidden
>DSR partition are pretty much up for grabs at this point - basing that upon
>his posted results after attempting the hotkeys to reach the UP.....
>
>That would've been a nice quick fix for his issue had it worked.
>


Yeah, that's why I'm struggling to help here because if they are
trashed and he doesn't have a good OS install cd, I'm not sure how
much more I can help.

One last idea tho...

--> Mark, if you can't get the dell cd you already have, to install a
OS, call Dell and see if they will send you another OS cd to allow you
to install a new OS on your pc. Sometimes I read other posts where
Dell is helpful in that way and it might be worth your while to talk
to them !!!

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:26:25 -0300, M.Muller
<> wrote:

>Hello,
>
>On a new Optiplex 745 with Windows XP, I tried to partition the Hard
>Disks with the Partition Manager from Paragon. During the partitioning
>I made sure not to use the formating function. But even though, as the
>computer is new, there are no data to lose. And if it goes wrong, I
>can reinstall Windows.
>
>Now, after the partitioning, the computer started, and I got a blue
>screen with the (small) Windows XP sign. No way to get to the desktop
>(at least, none that I know.) Then I tried to reinstall WindowsXP with
>the CD supplied by Dell. Pushed F12 during the start up session,
>chose the CD reinstall, typed the administrators password, ......, but
>the computer still goes only to the same blue screen, and not to the
>dektop. What do I do wrong? This blue screen seems to be rather
>permanent, no screen saver function, nothing.
>
>Any help is appreciated.
>Thanks
>Mark
>

Just another idea... go into the bios and make sure the cd/dvd drive
boots first. Then put in the dell cd and reboot and see if you can
force the pc to read the cd and begin to install the dell supplied OS.
Hopefully you don't need to push F12 this way.

At this point I'll have to sleep on it as I'm outa ideas. If I think
of anything else I'll post it here. And Mark if you don't mind
follow up here so we know what worked for you. Also when you get it
working, I suggest making a backup asap.

If you have re-partitioned your disks, changing the partition size and
layouts from what was there before, you will have destroyed the existing
disk contents. Unless you have a backup taken before your
re-partitioning, you will need to format you new partitions and
re-install your operating system from scratch.

If you are being prompted for the administrators password, you are not
doing a clean install, but perhaps trying to do a repair install.


On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:26:25 -0300, M.Muller
<> wrote:

>Hello,
>
>On a new Optiplex 745 with Windows XP, I tried to partition the Hard
>Disks with the Partition Manager from Paragon. During the partitioning
>I made sure not to use the formating function. But even though, as the
>computer is new, there are no data to lose. And if it goes wrong, I
>can reinstall Windows.
>
>Now, after the partitioning, the computer started, and I got a blue
>screen with the (small) Windows XP sign. No way to get to the desktop
>(at least, none that I know.) Then I tried to reinstall WindowsXP with
>the CD supplied by Dell. Pushed F12 during the start up session,
>chose the CD reinstall, typed the administrators password, ......, but
>the computer still goes only to the same blue screen, and not to the
>dektop. What do I do wrong? This blue screen seems to be rather
>permanent, no screen saver function, nothing.
>
>Any help is appreciated.
>Thanks
>Mark
>

After the night is over, let me explain a little bit more in detail,
what I have been doing during the partitioning and how I have been
trying to repair the problem that appeared afterwards.


I did only resize the partitions, I made sure that the formating
function was not enabled. Did the occult partitions disappear because
of this process? I do not have the slightest idea.

When the computer boots now ( or tries to boot!) I get a black screen
with a logo from Dell with an excecution bar, showing that the work
being done. Under that bar it shows Bios 2.2.0. Thereafter comes a
big logo from WindowsXP, still on a black screen, with a small
excecution bar underneath. In the excecution bar there small blue
lines, that show that the computer works. After a very short while I
get the blue screen, two narrow dark blue lines: one on the top of the
screen, one on the bottom of the screen. In between a light blue
screen with a small WindowsXP logo.

I have four CD from Dell:
CD for Reinstallation Windows XP Pro, Service Pack 2
CD for Reinstalling Dell Optiplex Compurter Software
+ CD Roxio Creator
+ CD for Dell Monitor

Using F2 and F12 works.
After using F12 I tried to reinstall Windows. (no problem if some data
are lost)
Somhow I got to some tests from Dell (a long one, and a short one).
Both tests came out ok, and did not show any problems. It is mentioned
that the long one may take hours, but after a little over one hour it
was done. The short one takes about 10 min.

With F2 I get a screen with a narrow colum on the left: System,
Drivers, onboard Devices Video, Performance, security, Power
Management, Maintenance, Post Behaviour. The large column explains
these items.

Ctrl+F12 gets me to the blue screen.

I cannot get into any program (including Partition Manager) to
eventually reverse the partiioning. When the big blue screen appears,
I get out of it only by cutting the power.

At one point I got into DOS (right now I do not remember the exact
steps, probably after F12). In this mode I might be able to run DSFfix
from a disk. I have to read more about it.

Sofar, I have not contacted DELL, because of the WE. Might do it on
Monday. I expect them to be helpful, the computer is not even 1 month
old. Because I knew of the prossible problems after a partitioning, I
had asked them to do the partitioning before delivery. But they would
not do that, saying this is a software item.

Thanks for your help.
I will have to be persistent, the problem has to be solved, even if I
have to sent the computer back to Dell, or someone from Dell has to
come to the house.

A good Sunday to everybody!
Mark