Instead of a 'blue screen', I am waiting for the blue screen

by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2005/04/15 07:51 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2005/04/15/408474.aspx

I was reading Mike Poulson's I feel your pain. My first Call to Microsoft PSS (and kb890859). And thinking about my own story about the VP who did the same thing, calling support for a technical problem. And having a degree of knowledge above a naive user.

Anyway, it got me thinking about how I see blue screens all the time.

Part of my job is to do some of the data updates in Windows, mostly to the collation bits. I am pretty much the person who authors all of the data changes that require no linguistic talent and I am the person who checks in the changes for the linguist that actually do require linguistic talent. This is because of some of the important rules related to being able to run all the tests and build and such. If you break the build, it is much better to have an answer to questions like "did you build the change?" and "Did you test it?" and so forth. The rules make sense, truly they do.

Anyway, when I making these changes, sometimes I mess something up. And the OS is not very forgiving about that sort of mess (any more than if you replaced kernel32.dll with a file resembling cottage cheese or something). So I get a blue screen like the one described all over the KB (like in 885523 and 839517). Of course in my case I am the one who corrupted the system, so it is my own fault:

                                                                                                                        
 A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer...                       
 Technical information:                                                                                                 
 STOP: c0000135 {Unable To Locate Component}                                                                            
 This application has failed to start because winsrv was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.  
                                                                                                                        

I was struck by the number of times that I am rebooting and hoping I will not get a blue screen. I want to boot into Windows normally, and see the logon dialog. And behind that logon dialog there is... (wait for it) a blue background. So I am hoping I do not see a blue screen because I want to see is a blue screen.

No one else seems to find that joke funny, but for some reason it appeals to me. Its like my own version of the multithreaded chicken joke, only not as funny.

I remember once when Cathy tried using a file she had just built for a Server sorting bug fix and replacing the file on her machine, and made it blue screen. We both had forgotten for a moment that the file format had changed between XP and Server so that the two were not compatible. She said it reminded her of the old days when that would happen all the time with data updates....

Now for the record I have never called Product Support about my own c0000135 issues because frankly I am not that mean. How on earth can anyone train for someone who modifies system files and breaks the OS, and calling PSS for assistance?

Though it might be amusing -- they could put together another "STOP: c0000135" KB article that had something like the following:

CAUSE

This problem may occur if all the following conditions are true:

RESOLUTION

You are a punk, Michael. Do not call product support again with this kind of nonsense.

MICROSOFT INTERNAL NOTE

Remind Michael that it is not wise to tease the Product Support Engineers. Contact Michael Kaplan's manager ASAP so that someone can have a conversation about Michael's apparent lack of focus.

Maybe just for the internal PSS web? :-)

 

No character was willing to sponsor this post. So it must be pretty far "out there"....

# Taylor on 19 Apr 2005 11:02 AM:

1. Insert the Windows XP startup disk in your floppy disk drive or insert
the Windows XP CD in the CD drive or in the DVD drive, and then restart your
computer.

Note When you receive the following message, press a key to start your
computer from the Windows XP CD:
Press any key to boot from CD

Note Your computer must be configured to start from the CD drive or the DVD
drive. For more information about how to configure your computer to start
from the CD drive or the DVD drive, see the documentation that came with your
computer or contact the computer manufacturer.
2. When you receive the Welcome to Setup message, press R to start the
Recovery Console.

Note Multiple options will appear on the screen.
3. Select the Windows XP installation in question.

Note You must select a number before you press ENTER, or the computer will
restart. Typically, only the 1: C:\Windows selection is available.
4. If you are prompted to type an administrator password, do so. If you do
not know the administrator password, press ENTER.

Note You will not be able to continue if you do not have the administrator
password.

5. At the command prompt, type: cd $ntuninstallKB890859$\spuninst, and then press ENTER.

6. At the command prompt, type: batch spuninst.txt, and then press ENTER.

7. After the Patch is removed, type exit

# Michael S. Kaplan on 20 Apr 2005 11:57 AM:

Taylor decided to quote the way to fix the problem for the 'user != <ME>' scenario? :-)

# Joseph M D Johnson on 12 Dec 2008 10:21 AM:

I had this Red screen problem first. It really bother me a lot for the several days. 1. I tried to get at the menu and run the 'Restore System.' NB: Only few computers can get to the menu to do this.

The secone time it occure, I inserted my XP startup disk and run Recovery Console. NB: You have to sometime use your common sense to solve some technical problem. The fact is: KNOW YOUR COMPUTER!

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referenced by

2012/07/12 Something old, something new, something repurposed, and something blue - ME!

2005/04/24 Free at last!

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