This might sound like a weird request, but does anyone know which files i should delete to cause Windows XP to crash (the more spectacularly the better) when i login.

I want it to (appear to) boot normally, but then go tits-up as i go into the desktop. Oh, and this is on a standalone laptop - if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance,

mb

can't help, but why on earth would you want to do this?

Darren

Run a batch file in startup to shut you down? Or run .bat as a service that automatically starts (then closes ;) )


In that way, your lappy would never be able to open! Or use the restart commands, so it just sits there cycling ;)

Can't you just delete windows\explorer.exe as that is the windows shell so it is running but you can't click on anything cos there is nothing there. You can always keep it on a floppy and run it by bringing up the task manager (I think you can still do that) and running it from the floppy.

Or just replace explorer.exe with something else renamed.

enable the large system cache. right click my computer, go to properties, then choose advance, then performance and select advanced again, and finally set memory usage for system cache. It wont crash but it makes it absolutely impossilbe to do anything...

Does userinit.exe exist on XP?

Remove that from Windows 2000 and you can logon, however, you don't get to the desktop and just get dropped back to the CTRl-ALT-DEL box.

darlodge,

i want to demo a system to automatically repair a corrupt PC, and i want to have a dramatic crash to introduce the thing in the first place!

Puff,

ideally i want a spectacular crash. For example, deleting winlogin.exe actually gets a nice blue-screen error, but it also disables C-A-D which makes re-booting a pain.

Hanslow,

deleting explorer.exe certainly works, but you still have the desktop wallpaper (and just the C-A-D task manager to play with). Interestingly, if you just rename explorer to something else, XP spots this and puts it back when you boot.

DJ Dunk,

Yup, this has pretty much the same effect as deleing explorer (i renamed clock.avi to it for a laugh!

swaussie,

Playing with the cache didn't seem to make much of a difference :(

ChrisB,

Deleting userinit.exe (when you manage it, as windows keeps putting it back) does indeed stop you logging in (you just drop out again straight away). However, i would prefer a blue-screen or similar!

Any more ideas??

Cheers,

mb

You can force Windows 2000 and XP to display the blue screen of death. In the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\ CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Parameters, find or create a DWORD value named CrashOnCtrlScroll. Double-click on the value and set its data to 1. Restart your computer. Now you can cause a crash by holding the right-hand Ctrl key and pressing the Scroll Lock key twice.

Edit: I'm sure you could automate the keypress if you really wanted to.

[Edited by DJ Dunk - 12/12/2003 3:59:09 PM]

DJ Dunk,

tee hee!

Funnily enough, i just found that "tweak" at http://www.tweakxp.com/display.aspx?id=2066

Just what where Microsoft thinking :confused:

mb

Odd one isn't it :D I assume its there for purposes such as yours, automated system recovery.

dead easy. this method is king!

delete or rename the LSASS.EXE or LSASRV.DLL file in your SYSTEM32 subdir of WINDOWS directory. The system will boot normally and then hang.

I had a server in work that had one of these files corrupt.. it was a b1tch to fix.

fastfrank,

that sounds promising - i'll give it a try at work on Monday!

Oh, and before anyone asks - i have pre-boot access to any file on any partition (whether FAT, NTFS or whatever). Normally, you can't delete or rename system files 'cos they are in use when the OS is running.

mb

You can repair a corrupt operating system using the Repair option by booting on the install disk, or does this system you are trialling do something more?

Normally I just have to try and run more than a few resource demanding program and that does the trick ;) lol!

I have been told that these http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/In...0000150155?a=b are good. Fitted four last week, time will tell if they are good or not.