My Windows XP OS Keeps Crashing...

[Rish]

Everytime I've installed Windows XP on a fresh hard drive, or even on top of windows ME, I keep having the SAME problem.

What happens is, when I'm browsing the Internet using IE, my system suddenly freezes and I cannot do anything other then restart.

So anyways, when I restart and scandisk automatically runs, I keep getting the message:

"(Whatever file) - first allocation unit is not valid. The entry will be truncated."

For example: "\Documents and Settings\Rish\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\0NSFOZCZ\audio_on[1].gif first allocation unit is not valid. The entry will be truncated."

Does anyone else have this problem and/or know how to sort it all out? I woulda thought that by updating my OS with all the latest patches woulda solve the problem, but no luck...

[ROMANTICGUY50]

Originally posted by Rish
Everytime I've installed Windows XP on a fresh hard drive, or even on top of windows ME, I keep having the SAME problem.

What happens is, when I'm browsing the Internet using IE, my system suddenly freezes and I cannot do anything other then restart.

So anyways, when I restart and scandisk automatically runs, I keep getting the message:

"(Whatever file) - first allocation unit is not valid. The entry will be truncated."

For example: "\Documents and Settings\Rish\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\0NSFOZCZ\audio_on[1].gif first allocation unit is not valid. The entry will be truncated."

Does anyone else have this problem and/or know how to sort it all out? I woulda thought that by updating my OS with all the latest patches woulda solve the problem, but no luck...

It shouldn't do that. My HP computer came with ME(Uck) It sucked big time. I also had some trouble at first, where I after a time I would have to reformat my harddrive put ME back in (with my HP I have to use two CD'S with ME on it I didn't have a CD with just ME) I did have reformat my computer many times. This last time it seems to be better (I sure hope so) your not the only one that had problems. So far so good this time. When you do a restore Don't put any of theME updates in. One tech support guy told me not to put SP1 in so I didn't. Don't know what that's worth. I did put all the other updates in however.. For some reaason the cumputer tech didn't like SP! I haven't had any trouble since. For what's that's worth

[moshsandwich]

What do you expect from ME and XP, they're bad builds of previous operating systems (98 and 2000 respectively).

[Malakai1911]

Yeah, XP is... well... Just because it's newer, doen't mean its better..

If you wanted stability, Windows 2000 SP2 is rock solid. SP4 is out, but I'm waiting for some more opinions on that before I upgrade.

[Krell]

Ok then, heres my opion on that


Your opinions are all a bunch of rubbish


You have a compound problem

The first is that your PC freezes, and I suspect that it is hardware related

Secondly, when your pc freezes, and you have to hard reboot, the names of temp files for the pages that you are viewing get corrupted. (symptom not problem)

If you want know me to examine your system for flaws, you can use the Aisa32 app, gather some info, and I will look at it. It willtake you maybe an hour to do everything on your part, at least that for me.


All I need to know at this point is : Yes I can follow about 5 simple instructions, or No, I love crashing, it gives me somethig to do.


.

[nasrules]

I agree with Krell. Those who have nothing useful to say, don't say anything at all.

As you are continually having problems, it's got to be a hardware problem. Take Krell's advice.

[blady]

i saw a similar problem on a friend's PC. he would visit yahoo.com, access his mail, and his computer would hang needing a reboot. He had a backdoor trojan in his windows\system 32 folder which i had to remove in safe mode. Then, he had hundreds of spyware products in his computer that adaware 6.0 personal removed. then i added tiny personal firewall 4.5 and upped his privacy slider in internet properties, and the computer now runs fine.

[The Hunter]

Just as a note folks, I installed XP on this piece of junk of a computer, after doing the compatability test at PC World, and most important, using Aida32, and sending the info to Krell. Both gave me a clean slate to do the install, and the sys hasnt crashed once. When he says do your homework, it does pay off.

[Rish]

Originally posted by Krell
Ok then, heres my opion on that


Your opinions are all a bunch of rubbish


You have a compound problem

The first is that your PC freezes, and I suspect that it is hardware related

Secondly, when your pc freezes, and you have to hard reboot, the names of temp files for the pages that you are viewing get corrupted. (symptom not problem)

If you want know me to examine your system for flaws, you can use the Aisa32 app, gather some info, and I will look at it. It willtake you maybe an hour to do everything on your part, at least that for me.


All I need to know at this point is : Yes I can follow about 5 simple instructions, or No, I love crashing, it gives me somethig to do.


.

Thanks a lot Krell, I appreciate your help. I've downloaded Adia32 - what do I need to do to create the report?

[PiRaNeTuS]

To generate report:

1. Click on report up at the top, next to 'file', 'view', etc.

2. Click Report Wizard

3. Click Next

4. Make sure "all pages" is selected, and click Next

5. Choose whatever format you want, and click Next ( I usually checked HTML)

6. Click Finish, there you go

[Krell]

lol you beat me to it !

Good directions, I like to name them with a user name like Rish.MHTML

Save to the desktop
.................................................. .................

next project, go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer

There are two events that I want the logs of

Click on Application:

Action > Save Log File As > Rish-application

Click on System:

Action > Save Log File As > Rish-system

Save these to the Desktop also.


Enable your PM in the Zero Paid control PaneI, I will PM you, then email these 3 things to me as attachments, be sure to include all 3.



.

[dacaveman]

i used winXP before. crashes every now and then. sp1 for xp was not available then.

i switched to win2k, installed sp3, my system ran for days without reboots and no crashes. i recently installed sp4 and so far it hasnt caused me any problems [i recommend sp4 upgrade to all win2k users].

my suggestions are 1) install sp1 for xp and instead of the individual updates
2) switch to win2k and get sp4. its so stable

[vikram_mohan]

Well whoever says XP keeps crashing either has a sad comp or is a newb who cant tweak his system.......... first off listen to Krell, second try downloading a decent copy of Windows XP 8 in 1 or Windows 2000 4 in 1 (They are worth it rather than downloading one copy of a OS on one cd) and yes they are the FULL os'es not with stuff removed ......... uses a technology called cross linking.... anyway..... id recommend #betas on irc.ufnet.org they rock and are helpful.................

If installing a working copy doesnt solve the problem its a hardware problem .... also before u try these try using another browser.............

Why i suspect browser and OS is u said when run IE so prolly ur installation of XP had IE all messed up......................

Try these and open to feedback..............

[Malakai1911]

Krell, a fucking google search would have revealed that this problem occurs with Windows XP.

http://www.newbie.org/help/messages/5696.html
http://x220.minasi.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3807
http://forums.zonelabs.com/zonelabs/board/message?board.id=win_za_msgs&message.id=254

Two of them mention they run ZoneAlarm.
Those two also have formatted with FAT32.

He upgraded from Me. Fat32.

Does he run ZoneAlarm? Maybe we see a pattern forming.


And about the 2000 comment. Once again, 2000 is more mature, and is 3 service packs ahead of XP. As far as I am concerned, that maturity translates into stability.

[PiRaNeTuS]

Originally posted by Malakai1911
Krell, a fucking google search would have revealed that this problem occurs with Windows XP.

http://www.newbie.org/help/messages/5696.html
http://x220.minasi.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3807
http://forums.zonelabs.com/zonelabs/board/message?board.id=win_za_msgs&message.id=254

Two of them mention they run ZoneAlarm.
Those two also have formatted with FAT32.

He upgraded from Me. Fat32.

Does he run ZoneAlarm? Maybe we see a pattern forming.


And about the 2000 comment. Once again, 2000 is more mature, and is 3 service packs ahead of XP. As far as I am concerned, that maturity translates into stability.

"a fucking google"

hmmmmmmmmmmmm, did you actually read the sites you linked? They DON'T even deal with the same problem that Rish is having. Some of the symptoms are the same, but others are not. Read before you post something that doesn't even have anything to do with the original post.

Yes, Krell knows what he is doing. He has helped me out a few times with problems that NO ONE else solved.

And your biasness on "Win2k is better" has, again, nothing to do with helping Rish out. You know what? I have Win2k on my work comp. And it SUCKS. It crashes all of the time. I have XP at home. It NEVER crashes. Others I know say the same thing. Still others say XP crashes and Win2k is stable. So you know what? It's much more than just OS. It's how well that OS works with your unique hardware setup. So don't respond to something if you can't help the fellow out.

[Malakai1911]

"first allocation unit is not valid. The entry will be truncated - When seeking past the end of a file, you have not properly allocated more space, in the case that the file has a start cluster of 0 and a size of 0. Make sure to adjust the file size field and find a suitable cluster to place the allocated space in the file, so that the file no longer points to cluster 0. Then properly update the directory entry. "

I take that to mean things are fubar. A reinstall is probably in order. If he has problems with XP, what seems to be the problem with trying 2k?

[Krell]

MY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE


When you encounter an error message that blatantly states, that your web page gif is not available, PLEASE REINSTALL WINDOWS.

Thank you, I have enlcosed thsi example for your benefit.

"\Documents and Settings\Rish\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\0NSFOZCZ\audio_on[1].gif


I would also like to thank Malakai1911, for sending the IT field back to the Dark Ages. I now purpose that we resort to guessing, tarrot, or voodoo.


.

[Malakai1911]

"The two basic principles of Windows system administration:
For minor problems, reboot
For major problems, reinstall "
- unattended.sourceforge.net

That's the easiest way to deal with Windows problems. And having a slipstreamed w2k cd, with setup answer file (which automatically formats and installs windows), and automated application installation... makes things even easier.


Maybe I am in the dark ages. But your idea of the cause of the problem is "I think its a hardware problem". OH MY GOD, LETS ALL BOW DOWN BEFORE YOUR 1337 SKILLZ!!

[grab]

Originally posted by Malakai1911
"The two basic principles of Windows system administration:
For minor problems, reboot
For major problems, reinstall "
- unattended.sourceforge.net

That's the easiest way to deal with Windows problems. And having a slipstreamed w2k cd, with setup answer file (which automatically formats and installs windows), and automated application installation... makes things even easier.


Maybe I am in the dark ages. But your idea of the cause of the problem is "I think its a hardware problem". OH MY GOD, LETS ALL BOW DOWN BEFORE YOUR 1337 SKILLZ!!

did you actually read what the original poster said? he said EVERY TIME he reinstalls he hits the same problem. So what the hell kind of good is renistalling (your suggestion) going to do?

Krell is simply saying lets examine your hardware for possible causes of the problem.
Which is likely to be more succesful than your idea of just throwing on another OS.

[Malakai1911]

But did he have these problems with Windows Me?

The title sure does say "My Windows XP OS Keeps Crashing... ".

He states "Everytime I've installed Windows XP " not "Even when I had Windows Me".

I assume he DID NOT have the problem with Windows Me, which would rule out a Hardware issue, which would then point to the GLARING obvious... a software one.

To which I say, Install Windows 2000 this time. SP4 even.

[Krell]

Man you still just cant see the forrest for the trees cant you?

Lets hope he has better intuition and is more common sense friendly, and follows some simple suggestions.

You feel free to post on how your right, or like pudding, or whatever makes you happy, k?



btw . . . the fact that he has ME probably indicates that he has a Compaq, HP etc etc, and he may simply need to install the correct Chipset drivers, but I guess that sort of basic diagnostic work is beneath you huh? Or didnt you find that on google?

[Malakai1911]

Hmm... I doubt that IE problems are somehow related to chipset drivers. In my humble experiance, I've not had an issue where lack of chipset drivers were the problem.

You keep posting whatever you want, and if you somehow resolve his issue via PM, let me (and everyone) know in this thread.

-kai

[Wallo]

Look, if you dont want your computer to crash, you should buy a Mac. Otherwise, if the problem is only in IE, then you could try using netscape?

[Rish]

Woah, I didn't expect this thread to explode with THIS many replies...

To Krell: Thanks for all the help - I'll get done what you said as soon as I can...

Btw, just to try and prevent more arguments from exploding into action, I've only had this problem with Windows XP. I'm actually running a dual-boot at the mo (XP and ME) but only use XP mainly.

I have had simply windows ME installed and I never had this problem then......could suggest that it is not a hardware problem but don't take my word for it.

[PiRaNeTuS]

Originally posted by Rish
I have had simply windows ME installed and I never had this problem then......could suggest that it is not a hardware problem but don't take my word for it.

That still doesn't mean it's a software problem. XP and ME are built differently. They interact with hardware differently. A driver for some hardware you have could work fine with ME but not XP. And that's just one example. There are many, many ways in which you could have incompatibilites. Just listen to Krell and take his advice. He WILL solve your problem. Always has helped me. And don't just do another "reinstall." If that hasn't worked in the past, it won't now. Whatever the problem is, I hope you get it resolved. Computers can be such a bitch sometimes.

[nasrules]

Malakai1911: You said install Win2000 instead of XP, due to him not having the problem with ME. Surely a better idea would be to install Win98, ME or any Windows that doesn't use the NT kernel.

Just because he didn't have the problem with ME doesn't mean it's not a hardware problem. As mentioned above (and as I'm sure you know), the Windows NT and 9x families are completely different.

[Malakai1911]

Hmm.. PiRaNeTuS might be onto something there.

Hardware Compatibility Lists -
Windows XP (4.95MB) -
https://winqual.microsoft.com/download/hcl/WinXPHCLx86.txt
Windows 2000 (6.74MB) -
https://winqual.microsoft.com/download/hcl/Win2000HCL.txt
Windows Me (3.84MB) -
https://winqual.microsoft.com/download/hcl/WinMeHCL.txt

Download them, and find your hardware. They are large, so if you are on 56k it will take a second.. or two...

Then, if your hardware is listed on one and not another, well, there's that.

(edit:minor correction)

[Malakai1911]

nasrules: Okay, I posted the HCL's at the same time you posted that.

NT and 2000 is sufficiently different. And as far as I'm concerned, so is 2000 and XP.

Notice the difference in size beween the XP and 2000 HCL's? Windows 2000 has been tested and confirmed working on more hardware. Possibly his.

[Krell]

Originally posted by Malakai1911
Hmm... I doubt that IE problems are somehow related to chipset drivers. In my humble experiance, I've not had an issue where lack of chipset drivers were the problem.

You keep posting whatever you want, and if you somehow resolve his issue via PM, let me (and everyone) know in this thread.

-kai

Who said it was an IE problem? The error is right in plain sight. And dont misquote me, that too is in plain sight.

It may not be a hardware problem, but when an O/S uses Plug and Pray to assign resources for the devices, which I am certain they will not be the same for both O/S then its possible that theres an IRQ assisgnment problem. Never the less, it takes some basic examination to determine this, not not some snake oil "run back to ME" or W2k answer.

And whats your point with the HCL ? I state that people should refer to it all the time, but ist doesnt mean its the final word. Do you suggest he goes back in time to an unsupported O/S because no one helped him find the right driver for his NIC? Are you insane? Yes W2k is stable, and the hardware list has been worked on, for 4 years! And Sp4 . . . they dont call it "4" for nothing. Do you not think that much of this is BUILT in to XP?

NT and 2000 is sufficiently different. And as far as I'm concerned, so is 2000 and XP.

Notice the difference in size beween the XP and 2000 HCL's? Windows 2000 has been tested and confirmed working on more hardware. Possibly his.

So you agree that could possibly be a hardware issue? Or software . . Which is it ? . . . we've lost track already. The primary reason I asked him to make the ADIA32 report, was to examine the hardware list and configuration.

I've been multibooting probably as long as youve even touched a computer, so it's not like many of us have not had this same issue. I honestly cant count how many PCs that I have wiped and upgraded, or just upgraded. Most of us faced the same woes when going from W98 to W2000, and got out systems running.

And speaking of GLARINGLY OBVIOUS . . . you now infer that the XP that everyone else here uses just fine, some how just doesnt work on his system? Why would that be? What exactly do you suppose it is about the O/S . . . that pukes out, if not somehow driver related?

I will read the logs and the report, and look for what needs to happen, and if he needs to turn off Plug and Play and let the BIOS manage assignments, that pretty easy for him to do.

As far as posting in this thread, any time I can resolve an issue that someone else has over hyped, I will. I have solved more problems here than you know about, and 1/2 of it all is behind the scenes.

Hey janett999 . . . hows that W2000 working out for you?

D'OH! It wasnt, she had to go to XP . . and it was a breeze.

[Brian94725]

Has the guy who originally posted the question that started all of this back and forth bickering actually got his problem solved yet? Just curious. I lost track somewhere in all of the B.S. If not you can try to find help here: www.windowsbbs.com (http://www.windowsbbs.com) . There has been a lot of questions answered here and the people are great. Some of you are just ridiculous in the way you have acted and have done little more than scare people away to somewhere else to find answers to their questions. If you are really here to help, then do so. If not then shut up. I'd sure hate to see how some of you are in "real life". I have two pre-teen boys who act more grown up than some of you here have. Some of the responses are just ridiculous and prove nothing other than what kind of idiots some people can be. No two computers are alike and there are many things that could be contributing to the original poster's problems. Some people have found that a total reinstall fixes their problems. A little extreme but what a learning experience! Some have found other ways to solve their problems. Good for them! Allow the person who asked the question to make up his own mind as to what approach they want to take based on the responses to his question. It's their computer, not yours. I'm sure that if they have any intelligence they can make their own decision, whether it be the right one or not, as to what approach they want to take to solve their problem. Hopefully, based on the responses presented here, one of those decisions included searching for the answers elsewhere.

[Rish]

Ok Krell, I've done everything you've asked and have the 3 files ready to send to you.

My PMs have been enabled so I'm just waiting for your address...

[Krell]

ok thx, I dont want to continue to offend Brians delicate senses, we were afraid we had scared you off to somewhere else to find yor answers. .. . NOT.

I will mull over the info after caffiene, and the voices go away.

[Brian94725]

Actually Krell, you WEREN'T one of the people that I was referring to. I may have to change my opinion now...