trouble w/ fresh install of XP...esent97.dll???

[allen_shelton]

I've got an older laptop (maybe 2 1/2 years). It was working fine but I started having trouble starting up...for example...I'd get a blue screen and restart and it would run fine. Or maybe it would take two restarts, etc. I just figured XP was corrupted somehow and since I couldn't find the cd that came with the laptop I just bought a new copy of XP off of ebay and thought I'd be back in business in just a few minutes. But that isn't happening. The install freezes at the same place...it can't copy a file called "esent97.dll". If I skip that file then it'll stop on "gm.dls"...and then "infosoft.dll"...and then "jet500.dll" and then "main.cpl" (I stopped counting at this point). I suspected a bad cd from Microsoft so I attempted to install a known good cd...the very same cd that holds the copy of XP running on my desktop right now and I get the same problem. So it seems to me to be a problem with my laptop...but what? What kind of hardware problem would make you not be able to install esent97.dll? Since I get the same issue with two different copies of XP doesn't that point to a hardware problem? FWIW, this is an Averatec 4100 laptop with an AMD cpu. Any help would be appreciated.

[photolady]

It could be your harddrive is bad. If you know which one is installed, you should test it with the manufacturer's diagnostic software.

[Train]

Could easily be a IDE controller going out too.

Seen that happen 3 times.

[SuperSparks]

Also, try testing the RAM, you can run either or, better still, both of these from a floppy, without needing to boot into Windows:

Memtest86

Windows Memory Diagnostic

[allen_shelton]

I just ran the Windows memory diagnostic and fail every test. The diagnostic reports zero errors in one bank and around 13000 errors in the other one. I'm guessing that's bad? :-)

[Train]

Yes it is, remove the bad stick and retest the good one. But use the other program.

[SuperSparks]

That'll be the problem then, for sure. Bad memory is bar far and away the most common cause of computer hardware problems.

When you replace it, get a good brand - Corsair, Crucial, OCZ or Kingston are what I recommend.

[allen_shelton]

Thanks...I appreciate all the help. I'll get some new ram and see what happens.

[allen_shelton]

I got 1GB of Crucial RAM and nothing changed...it's still failing the memory tests. :-( Any other suggestions?

[jdc2000]

Did you check Crucial's memory configurator using your PC's make and model to verify the correct memory part number? It could also be the PC's memory controller that has a problem.

[SuperSparks]

Yes, unfortunately, if it is still failing with known good RAM then it means the memory controller is bad, or there is a physical damage problem with the motherboard. Either way it means a new mobo unfortunately