Cannot Start Windows XP After Installing Service Pack 1 and Then Performing a System Recovery Operation (329450)

SYMPTOMS

If you upgrade a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion or a Compaq Presario 6300-series desktop computer that is running Windows XP to Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), and you then perform a non-destructive System Recovery operation, any of the following symptoms might occur:

When the System Recovery operation completes and the computer restarts, you receive an error message that is similar to:
File needed

The file c_20127.nls on Windows XP Home Edition CD-ROM is needed.

Type the path where the file is located, and then click OK.
When the System Recovery operation completes and the computer restarts, you receive the following error message, and the computer continually restarts:
Lsass.exe - System Error.
When you log on to Windows, your computer runs very slowly.
If you try to reinstall Windows XP SP1, the installation is unsuccessful.

Note For Presario 6300-series computers, this information applies only to computers sold in the United States.

CAUSE

This issue occurs because of the way in which the non-destructive System Recovery operation restores the Windows XP files.

When you perform a System Recovery operation with the format option (a destructive system recovery), the System Recovery operation erases the contents of the partition on which Windows is installed and then restores the original operating system files. However, if you perform a non-destructive System Recovery operation, the Windows XP files, including those files that have been modified by SP1, are replaced with the original Windows XP files, but all other files on the hard disk remain unchanged. This causes mismatched Windows XP files to remain on the hard disk, and might cause the issues that are described in the "Symptoms" section of this article.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this incompatibility on affected Pavilion and Presario computers, obtain and install the SP1RcvryFix.exe patch from Hewlett-Packard or Compaq. To obtain this patch and the instructions about how to install it, visit the following Hewlett-Packard Web site:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericSoftwareDownloadIndex?lc=EN&cc=us&softwareitem=pv-9155-1

Note that you can install this patch before or after you install Windows XP SP1 to correct the incompatibility problem with the System Recovery tool. This patch must be installed before you perform a non-destructive recovery and can be installed either before or after the installation of SP1 for Windows XP. If you perform a non-destructive recovery before you install the update, you can use this patch to recover your system without performing a destructive recovery. To do this, use the appropriate instructions on the Compaq and Hewlett-Packard Web sites.

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

MORE INFORMATION

If you use a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion or Compaq Presario 6300-series desktop computer and you visit the Microsoft Windows Update Web site (http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp), you may receive the following message:

Alert: Windows Update has detected that your computer is a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion desktop or Compaq Presario desktop PC with Windows XP pre-installed. After you install Windows XP Service Pack 1, you might encounter an issue with the PC System Recovery utility. If you use this utility to perform a non-destructive system recovery, you might be unable to start your computer. Recovering from this error requires a full destructive system recovery, which results in the loss of all user data. Hewlett-Packard will release an update to the PC System Recovery utility soon. When you install that update, this alert will no longer appear in Windows Update. Please refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Article Q329450 for additional information.

This warning message is changed or removed when an update to the Hewlett-Packard and Compaq System Recovery programs becomes available.