Parallel Installation

[Johnny]

This is the first time I have heard of a parallel install.

Microsoft recommends this if the operating system won't boot, but hangs
with a black screen with a cursor that can be moved around on the screen.

I was wondering if anyone has done this, and if files can be moved from
the installation that won't boot, to the parallel installation?

 

[JJ]

This is the first time I have heard of a parallel install.

Microsoft recommends this if the operating system won't boot, but hangs
with a black screen with a cursor that can be moved around on the screen.

I was wondering if anyone has done this, and if files can be moved from
the installation that won't boot, to the parallel installation?

It's highly depend on the cause of the problem. Parallel installation is
similar like using a bootable Windows PE where you can recover some files in
the broken installation. However, if the problem was due to incorrect
registry settings (this includes settings that was changed after driver
update but turned out that it was a bad driver), that would complicate
things significantly, but it's still recoverable using third party tools.

 

[Johnny]

It's highly depend on the cause of the problem. Parallel installation is
similar like using a bootable Windows PE where you can recover some files in
the broken installation. However, if the problem was due to incorrect
registry settings (this includes settings that was changed after driver
update but turned out that it was a bad driver), that would complicate
things significantly, but it's still recoverable using third party tools.

I have been watching someone try to solve a problem with a laptop
failing to boot. It's in The Avast Forum.
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=4.0

They have been using third party tools for several days with no success.

From what I have read, parallel installation is just installing the
same operating system on the same hard drive in another partition.

It looks to me like this would be a clean install, and not be affected
by the damaged installation. If important files from the damaged
installation could be moved to the new partition, then the original
installation could be removed.

If it turns out there is no problem with the hard drive, and they still
can't solve the problem, I was going to suggest the parallel installation.

I was just wondering if anyone has done this, and if it works?

 

[Bob H]

I have been watching someone try to solve a problem with a laptop
failing to boot. It's in The Avast Forum.
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=4.0

They have been using third party tools for several days with no success.

From what I have read, parallel installation is just installing the
same operating system on the same hard drive in another partition.

It looks to me like this would be a clean install, and not be affected
by the damaged installation. If important files from the damaged
installation could be moved to the new partition, then the original
installation could be removed.

If it turns out there is no problem with the hard drive, and they still
can't solve the problem, I was going to suggest the parallel installation.

I was just wondering if anyone has done this, and if it works?

I can't recall do this myself at anytime in the last 15 years, but I
don't see why it wouldn't work.
You install the OS on a new or different partition, then once into the
desktop, from windows explorer you should see the original partition or
installation of the os.
You can then copy or move any important files from that location across
to the new installation. Its no different from copying or moving files
across a home network.

 

[Philip Herlihy]

I have been watching someone try to solve a problem with a laptop
failing to boot. It's in The Avast Forum.
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=4.0

They have been using third party tools for several days with no success.

From what I have read, parallel installation is just installing the
same operating system on the same hard drive in another partition.

It looks to me like this would be a clean install, and not be affected
by the damaged installation. If important files from the damaged
installation could be moved to the new partition, then the original
installation could be removed.

If it turns out there is no problem with the hard drive, and they still
can't solve the problem, I was going to suggest the parallel installation.

I was just wondering if anyone has done this, and if it works?

I've done it, but not for a long time. If you install a new copy of
windows on a different partition it will usually be able to access files
on another. Do you have a suitable (empty?) partition? If not, there
are tools which can resize an existing partition and create a new one in
the released space - I use Acronis Disk Director or Paragon Hard disk
manager for this.

However, you may not need to do this. My first step would be to boot
the machine from a "live" CD, and access the files that way. You may
also be able to repair the broken installation. My first action is to
check the disk at a low level using Spinrite (bootable, mid-price), then
use another disk to provide a means of running chkdsk; I use UBCD4Win
for this but the Windows 7 DVD also has this available (command prompt
mode). Then, if the disk is crumbling, it becomes a matter of
recovering the data. If not, then you can find articles on the web
about how to fix a Windows 7 installation that won't boot.

I guess if you know the disk is physically healthy and you already have
a blank partition (or empty space in which to create one) then a
parallel installation is one way to get your files back, but using a
bootable CD is much easier and quicker, and doesn't risk pushing the
disk into failure quite so much.

 

[GlowingBlueMist]

I have been watching someone try to solve a problem with a laptop
failing to boot. It's in The Avast Forum.
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=4.0

They have been using third party tools for several days with no success.

From what I have read, parallel installation is just installing the
same operating system on the same hard drive in another partition.

It looks to me like this would be a clean install, and not be affected
by the damaged installation. If important files from the damaged
installation could be moved to the new partition, then the original
installation could be removed.

If it turns out there is no problem with the hard drive, and they still
can't solve the problem, I was going to suggest the parallel installation.

I was just wondering if anyone has done this, and if it works?

I wonder if the person you are thinking of helping is being hung out to
dry by the Microsoft update kb2823324? The update caused so much grief
that Microsoft recently released a boot disk just to fix the havoc the
update has created. Especially being hung in a boot loop or not being
able to complete a boot. Take a look at the info at this link.

http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsof...s-repair-disk-botched-kb-2823324-patch-216786

 

[Paul]

I wonder if the person you are thinking of helping is being hung out to
dry by the Microsoft update kb2823324? The update caused so much grief
that Microsoft recently released a boot disk just to fix the havoc the
update has created. Especially being hung in a boot loop or not being
able to complete a boot. Take a look at the info at this link.

http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsof...s-repair-disk-botched-kb-2823324-patch-216786

But there's a hint, who that boot disk is intended for. It's to
fix a problem in Brazil, with G-Buster. I didn't get a North American
specific version when I downloaded it. Based on looking at the download,
it appears Microsoft only expected Brazilian customers to be really messed up.
That download is a recovery CD (i.e. can boot to DOS window), plus it
has some canned stuff on it. I would expect all the prompts in there,
to be suitable for a Brazilian user.

Paul

 

[Johnny]

I wonder if the person you are thinking of helping is being hung out to
dry by the Microsoft update kb2823324? The update caused so much grief
that Microsoft recently released a boot disk just to fix the havoc the
update has created. Especially being hung in a boot loop or not being
able to complete a boot. Take a look at the info at this link.

http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsof...s-repair-disk-botched-kb-2823324-patch-216786

That's the first thing I suggested, but a person with more experience
than me said it didn't apply because the operating system was Vista 64 bit.

But not according to Kaspersky.


Microsoft urges Windows 7 users to uninstall 'Blue Screen of Death' patch
Gregg Keizer | April 15, 2013

Microsoft today urged Windows 7 users to uninstall a patch shipped
earlier this week that has crashed customer's PCs and crippled the
machines with endless reboots.

Cut!

"In a support note of its own, Kaspersky tied the CHKDSK issue to
Windows Vista or Windows 7 PCs, or Windows Server 2008 or Server 2008 R2
servers, that had its software installed and had received the flawed
Microsoft patch."

http://www.computerworld.com.sg/tec...sers-to-uninstall-blue-screen-of-death-patch/

 

[Stef]

I have been watching someone try to solve a problem with a laptop
failing to boot. It's in The Avast Forum.
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=4.0

They have been using third party tools for several days with no success.

From what I have read, parallel installation is just installing the
same operating system on the same hard drive in another partition.

It looks to me like this would be a clean install, and not be affected
by the damaged installation. If important files from the damaged
installation could be moved to the new partition, then the original
installation could be removed.

If it turns out there is no problem with the hard drive, and they still
can't solve the problem, I was going to suggest the parallel installation.

Why waste the hours (or days)? Have "they" do this:
Boot from a Linux or 3rd party Windows Recovery utility CD. Copy all
important user data to an external storage device. Then reboot the
system in Repair mode, and see if that fixes it. If not, try Recovery
mode. If that doesn't work, you're left with a clean install and
reinstalling all your apps. Finally, copy all the data back. Done!
Shouldn't take more than a couple hours.

This method is better than a parallel install as you end up with a
single functioning OS instead of one functioning one and one
non-functioning one that you need to get rid of and all the headaches
that will cause.

I was just wondering if anyone has done this, and if it works?

Yes, it works, but there are easier "fixes."

Stef

 

[...winston]

"Johnny" wrote in message This is the first time I have heard of a parallel install.

Microsoft recommends this if the operating system won't boot, but hangs
with a black screen with a cursor that can be moved around on the screen.

I was wondering if anyone has done this, and if files can be moved from
the installation that won't boot, to the parallel installation?
What kind/type of files would you wish to move from one Windows installation to another ?

 

[GlowingBlueMist]

But there's a hint, who that boot disk is intended for. It's to
fix a problem in Brazil, with G-Buster. I didn't get a North American
specific version when I downloaded it. Based on looking at the download,
it appears Microsoft only expected Brazilian customers to be really
messed up.
That download is a recovery CD (i.e. can boot to DOS window), plus it
has some canned stuff on it. I would expect all the prompts in there,
to be suitable for a Brazilian user.

Paul

Thanks Paul,
They now offer two ISO versions, one in English and the other in
Portuguese. I don't know if there is anything else specific to the
different ISO's themselves but I expect not.

 

[Johnny]

"Johnny" wrote in message
This is the first time I have heard of a parallel install.

Microsoft recommends this if the operating system won't boot, but hangs
with a black screen with a cursor that can be moved around on the screen.

I was wondering if anyone has done this, and if files can be moved from
the installation that won't boot, to the parallel installation?

What kind/type of files would you wish to move from one Windows
installation to another ?

I was trying to help a person in another forum. Her computer is stuck
in an endless reboot situation.

I was told it couldn't be the recent update by Microsoft because her
computer is Vista 64 bit, and the update only caused that problem on
Windows 7 computers.

I have my doubts about that.

I was just trying find an alternate way she could save her information.

I don't know what type or kind of files she wants to save.

 

[Ken Springer]

I was trying to help a person in another forum. Her computer is stuck
in an endless reboot situation.

I was told it couldn't be the recent update by Microsoft because her
computer is Vista 64 bit, and the update only caused that problem on
Windows 7 computers.

I have my doubts about that.

I was just trying find an alternate way she could save her information.

I don't know what type or kind of files she wants to save.

From what I've read to this point, I think I'd get an external drive,
boot from one of numerous Linux Live CD's, copy the data from the hard
drive to the external drive, and then reinstall the OS and software.

May or may not take longer, but at least you know all the other little
things that could be wrong are gone.


--
Ken

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