free downloads

Revision :2.1
SYMPTOMS
When your computer running Windows NT starts up, you may receive
on of the following error messages:
Windows NT could not start because the following file is
missing or corrupt: \%systemroot%\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMHardware
Profile/Last Known Good menu.
-or-
Windows NT could not start because the following are missing or corrupt:
\Winnt.sbs\system32\config\SYSTEMware profile/last known good menu.
You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows NT setup.
-or-
Windows NT could not start because the following are missing or corrupt:
\Winnt\system32\config\SYSTEMware profile/last known good menu.
You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows NT setup.
NOTE: %systemroot% is the installation directory for Windows NT.
CAUSE
Both the System and System.alt registry files are corrupted or missing.
RESOLUTION
Use the emergency repair disk (ERD) and select "inspect registry files" on the first menu selection screen.
On the second menu selection screen select "replace SYSTEM configuration." This will replace the damaged
System registry hive in the %systemroot%\System32\Config directory with the System hive on the ERD.
NOTE: Any system changes made after the ERD was last updated will be lost.
For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: 103280 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/103280/EN-US/)
TITLE : Using an Emergency Repair Disk Created by Windows NT
If there is no ERD, a restore from a tape that contains a backup of the registry will be needed.
If you do not have an ERD or backup tape, you can recover the System hive by expanding it from the
%systemroot%\repair directory using the following steps:
1. Install a parallel copy of Windows NT to an NTTemp directory.
2. From a command line prompt, go to the repair directory of the original Windows NT installation.
For example: CD \winnt\repair
3. Use Expand.exe to expand the System._ file to System.
Expand SYSTEM._ SYSTEM
4. Copy the expanded SYSTEM file to the %systemroot%\System32\Config directory.
Copy System c:\winnt\system32\config
5. Try to boot back into the original Windows NT installation.

After, weeks of trying and failing the best method i found for installing Mac OS X 10.5 with out the DVD is with the help of an old ipod anything from 4th generation downwards with firewire support.

I have 2 links 1 to the program called XAR if you intend to reduce the processor requirements level. A How to would follow bellow but if you don't intend to go through the trouble you can download the one i made which has a limit of 497mhz, which is the second link. Just download it and replace the file in your ipod with this path

/System/Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg


http://rapidshare.com/files/77763196/OSInstall.mpkg.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/77761804/xar-1.5.1.tar.gz.html


Dropping Installation requirements
If you are good with terminal, copy the following file from the mounted image (/System/Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg somewhere so you can work on it (Desktop works well), for those not so good, you can use this terminal command which is useful anyway! I have found that depending on the build version or dmg you have, it may or may not show the folders. If it does show it, you don't have to do this next step.

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles True

Killall Finder

cd desktop/package

./xar -x -v -f ~/Desktop/OSInstall.mpkg

 var minRam = 512;

 function checkSupportedMachine(machineType){
  // Fail on G3
  if (1 != system.sysctl('hw.vectorunit') ) {
   return false;
  }

  var badMachines = ['MacBook3,1','iMac','PowerBook1,1','PowerBook2,1', 'AAPL,Gossamer', 'AAPL,PowerMac G3', 'AAPL,PowerBook1998', 'AAPL,PowerBook1999'];
  
  if(machineType){
   var length = badMachines.length;
   
   // Fail if any of the compatible values match the list of badMachines
   for( var j = 0; j < length; j++ ){
    if(machineType == badMachines[j]){
      return false;
    }

   }
   
  }
 
  // require 867Mhz+
  if (system.sysctl("hw.cpufrequency") < 866000000) {
   return false; 
  }
   
  return true;
 }

if (system.sysctl("hw.cpufrequency") < xxx000000) {
return false;

./xar -c ./ -v -f ~/Desktop/NewOSInstall.mpkg

1. Reset your iPod and force it into Disk Mode - Press and hold Menu + Center until you see the Apple logo. Then Press and Hold Center + Play/Pause. The screen should turn to gray-scale and show “OK to Disconnect” (circa old old ipods).
2. Connect the iPod to your computer (do not use a USB hub if possible).
3. iTunes will launch automatically and probably start syncing. Make sure “Enable Disk Use” is checked on the settings for iTunes and press Sync one more time.
4. Quit iTunes and launch the Activity Monitor and quit the iTunes Helper.
5. You should still see the iPod listed on your desktop as a mounted drive. If you don’t see the iPod mounted on the desktop, return to step 1.
6. Open Disk Utility
7. Select the iPod (the top one, mine is labeled 74.5 GB Apple iPod Media) then select the Partition tab.
8. Change the selection from “Current Partition Scheme” to “1 Partition”. Click on Options and select GUID Partition Table and press OK. (NOTE: If you are going to use a PowerPC based Mac, ie G4 or G5, you need to select Apple Partition Map here. GUID is for Intel Macs ONLY)
9. Give the Partition a name and select Partition. The system will ask you to authenticate.
10. Click on the Restore tab and drag the iPod partition to the Destination field
11. Drag the Leopard image file to the Source field and press Restore.
12. Once complete, open System Preferences and go to the Start up Disk option. Make sure you see the iPod listed there. Select the appropriate drive and click restart.
13. Install Leopard!

** If you are using a PowerPC Based Mac (G4, G5), you must use the Startup Disk utility in System Preferences to select the startup volume and reboot from this tool. Notes:

• It’s really important the iPod stay in Forced Disk mode. If you try and boot up the Mac with the iPod connected but not in Disk Mode, it won’t do anything

Well I work in a Cyber cafe, so most definitely we have alot of pc's used by a wide variety of people. "Very Different" People, trust me. So every now and then we are faced with reduction in performance of the pc's during a short period. In fact the time it takes to reduce the performance is almost less than the time it takes to reinstall and reconfigure a new PC. Frustration thus sets in.

I have however decided to take it as a challenge to find a way to beat the deregulation of the PC's, both by reducing the time it takes to drop their performace and to increase the speed of reconfiguration, and in the whole increase efficiency.

The present state of the project for dropping performance is Deepfreeze which is a software that restores the PC to a formerly stored state everytime the system is restarted. Well this was a great idea until many people started losing their documents on both intentional and accidental restarts. The solution proposed is to have a 500mb space on each PC that wasn't frozen and notice to be put all over the hall that this is the strorage location.

The most tricky part of this project is the quick reconfiguration of the PC's in event of a necessity for a reload of OS and the likes. There were two options, either to complete an installation normally and back it up or to get an unattended installation. The first option has the disadvantage of being fixed to hardware so on event of change of hardware there would be some problem with the compatibility. I decided to use a shrinked and unattended version of windows and the programs needed by the customers.

Software used for streaming down windows is nlite. I have Almeza Multiset inview for this.
-Software put on each PC
-Java machine
-Office Lite
-Timer software
-Messengers
-PDF reader
-Internet Explorer
-.NET Framework
-DeepFreeze

All these were silenced and set to unattended mode. I intend to use an action copier to automate installation of the packages that dont support silent mode installation. I dont have the name of that software right now. WIth this method I would successfully strip the PC of all the unused services and packages in windows which would increase efficiency in all aspects. I would also get the PC's configured just by inserting the CD's and waiting. Mission accomplished. Increased efficiency, reduced installation time, increased security and maintenance..

This blog is going to be my little bank of procedures and steps i take to solve problems in my computer life. Its going to contain every single detail from fixing servers to fixing phones. It would also hold information like the contacts, links and quantities involved. Everything...

This is because I have come to realise this is the next best thing to do to preserve knowledge and to aid my growth in life. It will also serve as a repository for others later. Hey also i have always thought i had a big computer life lets see if am right.