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Atlanta Mat
4 Posts
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176697
September 5th, 2003 21:00
STOP: c0000221 Unknown Hard Error
Hello,
Recently I tried to reinstall Windows XP Professional on my Dell Inspirion 8200, and when inserting the disk, after installing drivers but right before the welcome to setup and Liscence agreement screens, it popped up with a blue screen with this message at the top:
STOP: c0000221 Unknown Hard Error
\SystemRoot\System32\ntdll.dll
I figure that it is just some random error, so I try to reinstall again, but this time, I format and fdisk before running the disk. Unfortunately, it still came up with this error using the Dell Disk for reinstalling the OS.
One of the classes I am currently taking in college had a 120 day evaluation copy of XP Pro, so I try to install that to make sure if it is my computer, or the disk, and it installs just fine with no hitches. But, it is only good for a limited amount of time, and I would really like to have the OS that I payed 200 bucks for to work. I searched the forum for that error code, and a few others have had the same problem, but I have not seen a resolution besides "reinstall xp", which I have tried to do with that disk many, many times.
Also, I tried using your telephone number to get live tech support, and I never got thru in the hour that I waited, even though I have an express service tag (not very express if you ask me).
Hopefully I will get a resolution using this forum, I don't want to go buy a non OEM version of XP when I already bought a copy that should work fine.
Thank you,
Mat
5832
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Posted September 6th, 2003 22:00
Thanks for the reply,
The thing is, is that answer makes no sense, since it happens WHEN I am trying to reinstall the OS. And by me installing the evaluation copy of XP fine, and that not working before Or after the install, no matter if the disk is clean (formated and fdisked with everything being raw data) or if there is already a NTFS partition on it.
Me thinks there is something wrong with the disk that Dell gave me, and I have a 3 year warranty on my PC, so I would hope that someone from Dell will be able to help me out here.
Thanks,
Mat
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Posted September 8th, 2003 02:00
Don't reinstall - remove all partitions, make a partition, format it, then load your Windows.5853
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Posted September 8th, 2003 23:00
John,
That is exactly what I did, still get that error with the Dell disk. Just to try something, I tried to install Redhat Linux, and it came up with some sort of error, not letting me install linux either, (with a clean drive of course), so I am starting to think there is an error on the hard disk. Maybe it needs a low level format? And who should I go to for this, Dells telephone service is useless, and it looks like noone from Dell ever checks this forum, so what do I do?
5853
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Posted September 9th, 2003 01:00
Go to the manufacturer's website support for diagnostics and formatting routines.5853
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Posted September 11th, 2003 12:00
Thanks, but I do not have a floopy disk drive, and that is the only way they can give tools for my drive. Does anyone who works from Dell ever check these forums? Is there a phone number I can call that actually puts me on the phone with someone, because so far, I have had no luck in that department.5853
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Posted September 12th, 2003 00:00
have you tried booting to the Dell Dianostics disk and run the tests? If you have a defective component, it should fail the corresponding tests.5853
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Posted October 22nd, 2003 07:00
Matt,
I'm experiencing exactly the same problem you described, on my DELL Dimension 4550 with XP Home pre-installed on it. Hardware is fine; I checked it several times, including the hard drive using special software from Western Digital.
For some reason the mbr-record is destroyed, so I want to use the (OEM) DELL WinXP CD to re-install XP, or try a repair install first. The system boots, starts loading drivers, and then stops with the c0000221 error message.
I used another (Microsoft) XP Pro CD, and it seems that installation gets beyond the point where installation using the DELL CD stops. So I suspect the DELL CD. But when I use this DELL CD on another computer (an older Dimension XPS T450), it also goes further then on the 4550
So it seems that only the combination DELL WinXP CD and the DELL Dimension 4550 will not work.
Now DELL says that it is a software problem, and that I will only get software support during 30 days after purchasing the system. This s*cks !! You never expect to do a re-install of a new system within 30 days. In my opinion it must always be possible to re-install the software you payed for.
I hope some DELL Tech reads this too, or other people who had this problem. I want to know how they solved it.
Regards, Ger
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Posted October 22nd, 2003 10:00
Express Service Tag has nothing to do with the level of support your pay for...all Dells have this EST. Pay for the Gold Tech Support and they connect you faster.857
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Posted March 2nd, 2004 23:00
Daniel_sg
1 Message
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Posted September 6th, 2003 19:00
Try the following microsoft Link
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q101/0/96.asp&NoWebContent=1
Unfortunately, this site too suggests what i wanted to: reinstall the OS
All the best