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How do you write a boot-time utility for Windows 2k / XP?
By this I mean tools like chkdisk, partition magic and some defragmentation tools – that appear in a console-style window before the logon screen, allowing them to move around system files and do things without the system having many locks on files.
I’ve hunted around a bit and can’t find any guides, set of apis or anything open-source that would help. It would make great fodder for an article if anyone could see there way to writing one.
Specifically I think it would be quite an interesting exercise (!) to be able to write a defragmenter that runs at this time.
Really I would like to know how to write this kind of utility because I believe it would be a useful thing to know really!
/**********************************
Paul Evans, Dorset, UK.
**********************************/
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You must use the native api. Look for some explenation on sysinternals[^]
Wout Louwers
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That seems to be a post-logon-time defragger, rather then a while booting one. Nice link though.
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AH I see - didn't look hard enough. Sorry about that.
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/info/native.shtml
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/info/ntdll.shtml
Many thanks!
I rated your message 5.
/**********************************
Paul Evans, Dorset, UK.
**********************************/
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Thanks for the five Paul.
The two links in your post with this[^] one should answer the original post...
All three of them from sysinternals.
Wout Louwers
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hi every 1,
i am trying to inistall IIS on my operating system ( XP Home Edition ) using the add/remove programs then add windows components but the IIS does not show in the list , and i need to run ASP.Net and i can'nt
please help me
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Sakkijha wrote:
inistall IIS on my operating system ( XP Home Edition )
Sorry man, IIS is distributed with winxp pro not winxp home edition.
A thousand mile of journey, begin with the first step.
APO-CEDC
Save Children Norway-Cambodia Office
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You need XP Pro to have IIS - that and other networking things are the differences between Pro and Home editions.
You can try a freebie alternative called "XSP". It's an off-shoot of the "mono" project.
http://www.mono-project.com/about/index.html
/**********************************
Paul Evans, Dorset, UK.
**********************************/
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hi again, thanx 4 ur help
If I download this XSP can i create an ASP.Net project ?
please help
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Yes you can. Probably not suitable for production level high-volume stuff, but it should do.
http://www.mono-project.com/contributing/asp-net.html
/**********************************
Paul Evans, Dorset, UK.
**********************************/
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My son's old PC (AMD 800MHz with 512 RAM) which he used to play games and have music s/w on it is a bit messed up.
No sound and the floppy drive does not work, I have replaced it but still not working.
The PC also runs very slow and lots of disk access taking place.
Someone said format the hard drive and re-install windows - i.e. start again. I have run Norton Systems Works on the PC but makes no difference when things have been cleaned up.
My question is as the floppy drive is not working whats the best way to format the C: drive and re-install Windows?
Is this the right way tp proceed?
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Before you format the hard disk, have a look at Sysinternals There are lots of utilities there e.g.
Montoring all file activity
Check what programs load on startup, 'Autoruns'
monitor all processes
They are are excellent and freeware and are usually very small, now you just need to get them onto your son's PC, I would suggest using a floppy disk
If it is not networked you can always us ethe serial port and a null modem cable.
"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Neils Bohr
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Before you start, adaware, "spybot search and destroy", and "hijack this" often work wonders. (warning, get the real thing, there are look alikes out there to confuse you. I don't know how to tell the difference) If you can't get to the correct web site from that machine, you can be sure they will help!
That done, either boot from CD, or steal a floppy from a different machine. Not being sure how the system is configured I can't say what will work.
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According to my expirience, try to do the following method:
1. If you are running winxp, winme??? or win2k, scan for corrupt file, Go to Start menu and click on Run... command and type CMD and press enter. MSDOS will appear and type the following command at SFC/Scannow and press enter. This command will scan the file in windows system for the currupt file and might as for windows CDROM to replace the file that its corrupt.
2. Check your system property whether something disable the floopy disk drive or sound card. To do this step right click on My Computer icon on the desktop and click on Property from the context menu. Then go to Hardware tab and press Device Manager button. The list of your hardware will appear, note that your floopy drive or sound card is not mark with a red cross sign. If one or both of its has/have the red cross sign it mean that the hardware is disable. If your hardware is disable then right click on it and choose Enable command.
3. Try to run windows update, office update, anti-virus update or any anti-spyware application to scan for the currupt file. Try to check here[^] for free anti-spyware software.
Try to do it and let me know if you could fix the problem or not.
Good luck
A thousand mile of journey, begin with the first step.
APO-CEDC
Save Children Norway-Cambodia Office
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Thanks for all the posts, did try most of them, but PC still runs very very slow. It takes about 6 min for Word to run-up.
The utilities sorted out many problems, but reported could not sort out some as files in use.
I was going to bit the bullet and format the C: drive, but could not!
As the flopy drive is not working - no system disk and Windows is using some files on C:.
So question, how do I format the hard drive? As I think this is the only way forward.
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If all else fails move it to another PC to format it, providing you can load Windows on your son's PC without using the floppy drive.
You have checked the BIOS to make sure the floppy is not disabled?
"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Neils Bohr
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OK thanks for that, but just wondered if a USB memory stick could be used in place of a floppy?
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Maybe. Some machines can boot from USB, some can not. Check the bios, in the boot order settings. If USB is an option, then you can boot from a memory stick. Otherwise you cannot.
Gettting a machine to boot from memory stick is left as an exercise. In no small part because the only people I know of doing it are hard core hackers who enjoy doing hard things with their computer. Search the web, you might get some information.
It is more likely that you can boot from CD. So just get a windows CD, and stick it in the drive. You have to consider what you will do once you get the drive formatted, and you don't seem to have considered that at all. Once you know what your next step after the format is, the answer to your question will be easier.
If you can't find a windows CD, try a knoppix http://www.knoppix.net/ CD. It can format your harddrive. Again though, you have to consider what you will do after the format completes.
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Thanks for the info. I reloaded WIndows, just need to install the rest of my programs.
So far programs are running OK and disk access seems normal; i.e. not a continual access.
The problems with the sound and floppy drive remain, so I assume these are hardware problems.
If anyone knows of any good diagnostic utilities that would be great.
I have Norton SystemWorks 2003 but it cant find the problems. Standard Windows diagnostics cant determine the problem either.
I will check the connections inside the case later, but the BIOS settings look OK.
I think one of the problems with the sound was that my son had a Audigy Sound card installed (the one with the breakout box). He took that out for his new computer; thats why I am trying to use his old PC (this one) for e-mails/Wordprocessing.
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like some one else suggested, use something like knoppix, which is a linux live cd, to boot up your machine, and try to access the floppy and the sound. then you'll know for certain whether it's a hardware or a software problem.
and check your BIOS settings... sometimes that is where the problem lies...
--
Raoul Snyman
Saturn Laboratories
e-mail: raoul.snyman@saturnlaboratories.co.za
web: http://www.saturnlaboratories.co.za/
linux user: #333298
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Thanks for your post.
I did try and download knoppix but did not know where it went; not given the option to save it.
But would like to try it, but every site I have been on seems to do the same (download it - somewhere).
I thought I just needed to download it and burn it onto a CD.
Am I missing something?
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you should be able to download a .iso of knoppix from www.knoppix.net (there's a list of mirrors at http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-mirrors/index-en.html). then just burn the image to a CD. once you've done that, reboot your machine with the CD in the drive, and if your computer is configured properly it should boot off the CD.
--
Raoul Snyman
Saturn Laboratories
e-mail: raoul.snyman@saturnlaboratories.co.za
web: http://www.saturnlaboratories.co.za/
linux user: #333298
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Any sys-admins care to share their strategies for preventing users using the google image search to display pornographic images - without blocking the entire google image search.
Michael
CP Blog [^]
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As far as I know, I found a software that will analyse the pixel of an image that will load on the webpage. If it found the picture is pornography it will block the pictures, I need to return to my house and check this software in the magazine and will let you know.
A thousand mile of journey, begin with the first step.
APO-CEDC
Save Children Norway-Cambodia Office
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