Does a REPAIR INSTALL require a reboot/boot from a
COLD/DEAD machine?
I've been testing with WARM reboots........?
Can/will change!
Duncan
At 19:32 02/02/2009 -0500, you wrote:
John,
Thanks. I'll drill into your send.
I choose to wait to update the bios; I do not meet the minimum ATM.
mup.sys remains the stop for a boot to Safe Mode.
I'll find it in time. Time I do still have.
Yes, have a new bios also. Already discussed.............. :)
Really odd glitch; from my perspective. Have patience.
Can wait. winXP-SP3 is still AOK here ...
(as long as I don't drill into either mup.sys or "network'.)....... odd
I remain in this "Stuff Happens! Mode" right now; still digging.
Duncan
At 15:36 02/02/2009 -0800, you wrote:
Here are some more to try. :)
Here are some troubleshooting suggestions:
ESCD corruption, Try resetting ESCD and/or changing ACPI setting in
the BIOS. If there is no specific way to reset the
ESCD data via the BIOS you can force this by reflashing. For added
value check to see if there is a BIOS update available first.
If your system is overclocked, Try reverting to the original
standard spec.'s
If you have USB devices connected, including any hubs, try removing
them all before you boot
If you have devices connected to the serial or parallel ports, Try
disconnecting them, again before you boot
If you added any new hardware recently, including PCI,PCI-E, ISA
cards, Or memory DIMMs Try removing them one at a time, reboot
and see if this allows the system to boot correctly
If you have access to a DMM (Multimeter), Check all the power supply
voltages and try to watch each as you try to boot. If they are more
than 7% below normal and\or your PSU is over 5 years old, less than
350W and you have a 3D gaming graphics card with 128MB
or more of graphics memory. Consider replacing the power supply with
an upgrade of 500W or better.
For more information on troubleshooting PC Power Supplies see my
article on ATX PSU Troubleshooting
If you have PCI, PCI-E or AGP Graphics card and also have a video
connector on your motherboard try taking out the graphics card and
run off the motherboard video. Be sure to adjust your BIOS accordingly
Try moving around your System RAM DIMMs and/or try removing one
Try running an antivirus scan from CD or Diskette if you have that
capability. If needed boot the recovery CD to a prompt first
Try booting with as minimal a system you can. Remember to disconnect
optical and floppy drives. Also, try using a non-USB kybd and a
regular ball mouse that plugs into the PS\2 port in place of an
optical USB type
If all this fails to identify or fix your problem, Try Running
Chkdsk from the Windows XP\2000 Recovery Console.
If chkdsk fails to resolve the problem, at this point you may need to
reinstall windows but first ...
Try checking out my Windows XP Boot Issues article to find out how
to fix mup.sys hangs by manually restoring your registry. The process
I detail is reversible if you back up the original hives first as
instructed so it is worth a try ;) The fundementals of this procedure
should also work on Windows 2000.I can say from experience that this
absolutely fixes the windows XP mup.sys boot hang when the cause is a
corrupted registry!
The motherboard my have failed or was damaged in a particular way
such as from an excessive power draw by USB devices or AGP graphics
card.
One astute and observant reader provided this feedback:
"We actually found this problem (mup.sys hang) was bulging capacitors
on the motherboard" - Thanks MOH for the much appreciated feedback!On
Feb 2, 2009, at 3:08 PM, DHSinclair wrote:
Steine,
Thank you. That share is part of the print I have made and not yet
read thru.
Sometimes the Collective Mind is on the same track!
The bios ESCD business I can shortly fix, but I think I've already
done this. We'll see.
I will do this routine immediately! I do understand this from long,
long ago.
I did "go" from one asus bios to a brand new asus bios; across m/ b's,
but WTF!
Yet again, perhaps I still screwed up! LOL!
Thank you very much,
Duncan
At 14:45 02/02/2009 -0800, you wrote:
Found this after a google of mup.sys. :)
So, we started scouring the Internet looking for other possible
causes. We found quite a few instances of the "hung at Mup.sys"
symptom, but with a variety of fixes. Several administrators
solved the problem by replacing memory. Several others solved it
by replacing drive controllers or by simply moving the controllers
to a different slot. One administrator even replaced both
processors.
Then we found a posting by Sean Branham at the Annoyances.org web
site. See the full text of the thread at
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/t1047532372 .
Sean correctly determined that the cause of all these disparate
"hung at Mup.sys" failures were actually caused by problem with
the Extended System Configuration Data (ESCD) stored in the system
BIOS.
The ESCD maintains a static list of Plug-and-Play resource
allocations. This avoids recalculating all the allocations at each
restart. If the ESCD gets corrupted, then the operating system
cannot assign resources correctly. Windows makes this resource
decision just after it loads the Mup.sys driver because that's
when it loads the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
(ACPI) drivers.
You can download the (mercifully short) ESCD specification from
http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/6/1/161ba512-40e2-4cc9-843a-923143f3456c/escd.rtf
.
Once we knew that something in BIOS might be causing the problem,
solving it was a snap. We downloaded the most current firmware
revision from Dell's web site and flashed the BIOS and that was
that. (Some motherboards come with an ESCD rebuild option in CMOS,
so it would not be necessary to flash the BIOS.) The system booted
without a hitch and performance was right back to where it had
been before the problems started. If it hadn't been for Sean's
insight, we would have spent time and money replacing the PERC
controller, which unfortunately might well have solved the problem
because replacing the board would have refreshed the ESCD.
It's difficult to determine whether the system crash earlier in the
week caused the ESCD problem or vice-versa, or if some other
problem caused both. At this point, Anon is going to keep an eye
on the system and hope for the best.
I'd like to thank Sean both for solving this tricky problem and for
taking the time to post a detailed account. This was the first
time I'd visited the Annoyances.org web site, and it looks like a
great resource.
--
JRS steinie**[email protected]
Please remove **X** to reply...
Facts do not cease to exist just
because they are ignored.
________________________________
From: DHSinclair <[email protected]>
To: Hardware Group <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 2, 2009 2:37:03 PM
Subject: [H] ?small problem
Have what seems to be a small problem.
WXPproXP3......
Was an Upgrade from W2KproSP4.....
Otherwise works superb!
But,
Can Not boot to Safe Mode...........Hangs at "mup.sys".
Do have reading for this, but, am wondering if there may be
something else going on?
My network connection pointer in the CP is at #2.
In the past, I have found that #1 was never totally ripped
out............ :)
I do not recall how to fully erase net connections, if this is what
is going on...........
I have sat for 40+ minutes waiting, at the blue (Windows is
Starting) screen trying to do a Restore Install. Not yet.....
I really do NOT wish to erase/reformat my C: partition; UNLESS the
Collective convinces me this is the ONLY way. Hmmm.
Perhaps Windows CAN NOT really be Upgraded? Sure looks like it at
the moment.
This is NOT a call to Resurrect. I am not Down. WXP is fully
running (and I remain totally confused!)
If this is a "boot.ini" file trouble, I can read/correct. (?)
If this is a "mbr" partition error, I can read/correct. (?)
Where to start? Ideas? Suggestions? Opinions (except Vista) welcome?
Duncan
--
JRS steinie**[email protected]
Please remove **X** to reply...
Facts do not cease to exist just
because they are ignored.
