Microsoft KB Archive/312369

= You May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP =

Article ID: 312369

Article Last Modified on 5/7/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional

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This article was previously published under Q312369



SYMPTOMS
NOTE: The information in this article applies only to computers with Windows XP preinstalled by a computer manufacturer.

You may lose data that is stored in the All Users folder and default program templates and settings that are stored in the Default User folder after you reinstall, repair, or upgrade Windows XP. You may be missing Start menu shortcuts, items in the Startup group, and documents, pictures, or music files that are stored in the Shared Documents folder.

This problem can occur after you perform any of the following actions on a computer that has Windows XP preinstalled by a computer manufacturer (also known as an Original Equipment Manufacturer, or OEM):
 * You reinstall Windows XP in the same folder by clicking Upgrade (Recommended) after you run Winnt32.exe, or by clicking the Install Windows XP link on the &quot;Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP&quot; screen that appears when you insert the Windows XP CD-ROM. This is also known as performing an in-place upgrade or an in-place installation.
 * You repair Windows XP by starting your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, pressing ENTER to set up Windows XP, and then pressing R to repair the selected installation.
 * You upgrade the Windows XP Home Edition installation that was preinstalled by your computer manufacturer to the retail version of Windows XP Professional.



CAUSE
This behavior can occur if the Undo_guimode.txt file is present in the Windows\System32 folder on your hard disk when you perform any of the actions that are listed in the &quot;Symptoms&quot; section on a computer with Windows XP preinstalled by a computer manufacturer. This file is created by the wizard that runs when you first start a computer with Windows XP preinstalled by a computer manufacturer.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, restore the missing data and program shortcuts from a backup.

To prevent this problem from occurring, use any of the following methods before you perform any of the actions that are listed in the &quot;Symptoms&quot; section of this article:

Method 1
Install the latest service pack for Windows XP. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389 How to Obtain the Latest Windows XP Service Pack

Method 2
When you are prompted by Setup to get updated Setup files, click Yes, download the updated Setup files (Recommended), and then click Next. This option is not available if you are repairing Windows XP by starting your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, pressing ENTER to set up Windows XP, and then pressing R to repair the selected installation.

Method 3
Install the Windows XP Update Package, November 19, 2001, by using the Automatic Updates feature or the Windows Update Web site.

To install this update from the Windows Update Web site, click the following link and follow the instructions on your screen to scan and install the critical update:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

For additional information about configuring the Automatic Updates feature, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

294871 Description of the Automatic Updates Feature in Windows XP

An update for this problem is now installed via the Dynamic Update feature of Windows XP. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

311220 Description of the Dynamic Update Feature in Windows XP Setup

Method 4
Manually delete the Undo_guimode.txt file from the Windows\System32 folder before you perform any of the actions that are listed in the &quot;Symptoms&quot; section of this article. To do this in Windows XP, type the following command at a command prompt:

del /a /f %windir%\system32\undo_guimode.txt

NOTE: If you are using Recovery Console or an MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows boot floppy disk, the steps to delete the file are slightly different.

For more information about deleting files, refer to your MS-DOS or Windows product documentation, query the Help and Support Center in Windows XP, or see the following article about the Recovery Console:

229716 Description of the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

NOTE: If you use the Restore CD-ROM that is provided by your computer manufacturer to restore Windows XP, you may need to repeat the steps in this article to prevent this problem from occurring again.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows XP Service Pack 1.



MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about the availability of an update for computer manufacturers to include on preinstalled Windows XP systems and corporate administrators to incorporate into their Windows XP deployment, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

312368 Data Loss May Occur After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP

Additional query words: data loss

Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbenv kbbug kbfix kbsetup kbwinxpsp1fix KB312369

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