BSOD after attempting to install Dell auto update - Inspiron 6400

Hi LadyGold,

Try going into Safe Mode and uninstall the Dell auto update.

can you post the minidump ?   rename it to **.txt

I was not able to get to any version of safe mode.  If I had been, I could have run chkdsk and fixed the problem.

Where do I find the mini dump?

~L

c:\windows\minidumps

Since I can't get to Windoze seems unlikely I can get to that file.  I.d be happy if I could get to a DOS prompt to run chkdsk

>>  Since I can't get to Windoze seems unlikely I can get to that file   <<  why?  boot from your windows XP cd to recovery console, and you can access it, or run chkdsk...

Nobus:  I said in my initial comment that I could not restart my computer with a Windows CD.  

The answer is that I found a copy of the Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Tools.   That allowed me to get to a DOS prompt and running chkdsk /f corrected the bad sector and the mis allocated free space.  Once the HD was fixed, I could boot Windows and uninstall the Dell POS.

if you can start from that ( a cd - right ?) then i do not understand why you can't boot from a XP cd...

I don't know either, nobus.  But every time I tried to start up Windows, I'd get as far as trying to start Safemode and I'd get the BSOD; didn't matter what flavor - not even command prompt. I can only surmise that the Diagnostic CD wasn't affected by the issues with the HD.  When I did get to the DOS prompt and ran chkdsk there were errors that chkdsk corrected.  After that Window loaded and ran perfectly.

The CD I used is a MI$ product designed to fix problems...  and it did.

~L

strange- and the cd is working? ? you tested on another PC?

No I haven't tested it on another PC.  It isn't that it didn't boot the laptop; it did.  But the setup procedure failed to complete.  It started normally, loaded drivers, etc.  But when it came time to start windows, I got the BSOD. Since chkdsk found two errors, I'm assuming that they were what kept the system from operating properly.

I didn't set chkdsk to log and, in fact - it's been so long since I worked with DOS on a regular basis (yes - I am that old) that I'm not even sure how to do that or if I can do that.  I remember it found one file error and one case of free space that was incorrectly marked as allocated; but beyond that I don't know.

tx for the feedback - and don't forget to close the question then, or do you want more help ?

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions - I eventually solved my problem on  my own.

then what was the problem? or the solution ?

ok- tx for the feedback