Blue screen

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dannyp32

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I was defragmenting with defraggler and after it finished i restarted the computer, then right after the microsoft windows xp boot logo came up i got this blue screen. This computer is pretty old, and it wont boot from any of my cd's or usb's. i tried last known good configuration, and i got the same error. Also, safe mode isnt working either because I get the same blue screen.
STOP: c000021a {Fatal System Error}
The Windows Logon Process system process terminated unexpectedly

If there's no way I can fix it, what do you suggest I tell my client. I'm really worried because it was working when he gave it to me and it's like if I left it worse than before. This is the first time this happens to me and I feel real bad. I'm not going to charge anything
please help i would really appreciate it
 
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If you can't boot from cd or usb then you're going to have trouble fixing it. But why not?
 
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What other steps have you taken to diagnose this error, apart from posting in here?

I had the exact same error message yesterday on a clients machine, whilst I was on site. I had to bring the pc back to the workshop, slave the drive to my a/v test bench, and run all manner of av's etc. Turned out it had over 100 virus infections.
 
Oh sorry - I thought your post was a reply to the previous posters question about what else had been done. Putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5! :)
 
Thanks for the quick replies, I have only tried last known good configuration, since safe mode isn't working and booting from discs/USB is not working either. yes I set the cddrive to first boot device but it doesn't prompt me to boot from cd on startup and it doesn't have a startup boot menu.
Dannyd thanks I have already read the article on this error code though
I'm a beginner so I don't have enough equipment to put a laptop harddrive on another machine.
Edited:
Do I just need one of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...top_hard_drive_adapter-_-12-119-245-_-Product
 
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dannyp32 said:
Thanks for the quick replies, I have only tried last known good configuration, since safe mode isn't working and booting from discs/USB is not working either. yes I set the cddrive to first boot device but it doesn't prompt me to boot from cd on startup and it doesn't have a startup boot menu.
I'm a beginner so I don't have enough equipment to put a laptop harddrive on another machine.
Click to expand...
In that case, I would give the machine back to the client and tell them that you don't have the resources to properly troubleshoot their machine.
 
Ok, If I buy a laptop to desktop IDE adapter and put the hard drive on my computer, then format the drive and install xp (that's what the client originally asked me to do but I told him I couldn't because his laptop couldn't boot from cd, so I asked him if he would like me to to give it a tune up and he agreed) then put it back on the clients laptop will it work fine even though xp was installed with my components?
 
dannyp32 said:
Ok, If I buy a laptop to desktop IDE adapter and put the hard drive on my computer, then format the drive and install xp (that's what the client originally asked me to do but I told him I couldn't because his laptop couldn't boot from cd, so I asked him if he would like me to to give it a tune up and he agreed) then put it back on the clients laptop will it work fine even though xp was installed with my components?
Click to expand...
Depends on the HAL used by your machine and his machine, as well as the mass storage requirements. If you do want to try to get it working, then you're better off figuring out why it won't boot from CD.
 
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What's the laptop model? I don't think I've ever seen an XP machine that wouldn't boot from CD. The last time I saw any such machine was 10+ years ago. Are you sure this isn't a hardware issue with his CD drive?
 
I believe the machine is 10+ years old, its a gateway solo 5300 which originally came with a floppy drive and it was upgraded to a cd drive, so i think the boot issue is a bios problem, and i cant update the bios because i cant boot into windows due to the blue screen.
 
If it still has a floppy or you have a usb plugin, you may be able to get a cd boot by starting with a W98 floppy. If I remember right once you started with the floppy it really didn't matter what cd system followed.
 
The STOP 0xC000021A error occurs when either Winlogon.exe or Csrss.exe fails. When the Windows NT kernel detects that either of these processes has stopped, it stops the system and raises the STOP 0xC000021A error. This error may have several causes. Among them are the following:
Mismatched system files have been installed.
A Service Pack installation has failed.
A backup program that is used to restore a hard disk did not correctly restore files that may have been in use.
An incompatible third-party program has been installed.

To troubleshoot this problem, you must determine which of these processes failed and why.

To determine which process failed, register Dr. Watson as the default system debugger (if it is not already the default debugger). Dr. Watson for Windows NT logs diagnostic information about process failures to a log file (Drwtsn32.log). Also, you can configure this program to produce memory dump files of failed processes that you can analyze in a debugger to determine why a process fails.
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Why the did the client bring a working computer to you? What was wrong with it in the first place.

Time and money spend on this dinosaur will better spent on a new or second had model. Just be honest and upfront with your customer and they will thank you for it.
 
at this point i would recommend the client to get a new one. Im sure this problem can be resolved but more problems will come back very soon since it is a really old machine

recommend him a new laptop and offer him to move his files from the old machine to the new one. (which can be done using the IDE adapter or an IDE to USB adapter.
 
From my website actually:

My first step in such situations now is simple. I boot to a remote operating system of my creation, open up the system32\config directory, and copy the registry hive files to a backup folder inside of the config folder. The following files, of course, are the registry hives:

  • SAM
  • SECURITY
  • SOFTWARE
  • SYSTEM
  • DEFAULT

Once these files have been backed up, I navigate to any recent backup of the hives in the config folder (most often in the \RegBack subfolder) and simply copy those same files from that folder directly into the config folder. This essentially replaces the registry hives with older, working copies of those hives.

Generally, once this is complete, the PC is once again bootable. I highly recommend starting in Safe Mode next, however, as some of the drivers (whether filesystem or device) may not be accurately catalogued after this procedure. From there, repairs can be carried out to correct any remaining issues with startup applications or drivers.

It isn't technically necessary to replace all of the hives to correct boot problems, but it's good practice.
Click to expand...
Judging by your recount of what occurred here, it seems quite likely that a corrupt registry hive may be to blame. Strangely, Last Known Good Configuration will not always subvert this issue. Typically when I encounter this issue, this solution works.

I would next inspect any filesystem filter drivers, such as AV software components, very closely to ensure that none are installed which should not be. That can also sometimes lead to this issue, so if a corrupt registry hive is not the problem (and the steps above allow you to boot for the time being to the host OS), that may well be where the issue lies. Using a manufacturer's removal tool to rip out the AV and reinstall it will solve this.
 
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ATTech said:
In that case, I would give the machine back to the client and tell them that you don't have the resources to properly troubleshoot their machine.
Click to expand...

Agree.


Only ever had defragging cause problems once, when norton go back was installed, and never really bothered with defrag after that. Link posted above was quite good in various things to do but if you're unable to get it booting from usb/cd or mount it you're going to struggle.
 
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