Error message in FirstDefense pre-boot??

After using FirstDefense (the REAL and complete version that can do just about anything ) for almost four years now, I encountered a message that I have never seen before and I am wondering if it is of any concern.

I was rebooting between different Snapshots (those of you who have purchased the latest version of FirstDefense may not have a clue what I am even talking about) and received a message in the pre-boot BLACK screen, the message was in BOLD RED and it said: "$ISR File not found", or something very similar to that.

But still, everything continued to boot OK and work, and when I tried to boot back into my PRIMARY snapshot, I once again received the same error? message but still continued to reboot back into my usual reliable Primary.

What is going on here? Strange happenings?

Thanks all,
Acadia

 

No clue either, but it sounds like the Fall of the Roman Empire.
I'm not good in technical problems, I know FDISR well as long there are no technical issues like this one.

 

There's some discussion here...

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=158697&highlight=file

 

Interesting link that, WWS, thank you. Is it happens, I did indeed defrag my system using PerfectDisk 8 latest build 44, this morning. I did indeed do the pre-boot defrag but PerfectDisk for some reason ALWAYS recommends that I do the pre-boot defrag for some reason. Now I have this problem with the error message (but everything appears to still be working with FD). I have used PerfectDisk and FD together for almost four years without any problems. If given a choice between PerfectDisk and FirstDefense, I will happily go back to the built-in Windows defrag but my God, what a waste of money, and how ironic that both softwares were once sold by the same company.

I am open to all suggestions, and again, thanks WWS for that educational link.

Acadia

 

UPDATE: I played around with a suggestion, by Peter, in that thread, but it did not work, IF I UNDERSTOOD HIS SUGGESTION CORRECTLY. Have rebooted a gazillion times (ok, that is a mild exaggeration, a half-dozen or more) times between various Snapshots, turning pre-boot on and off, still getting that $ISR FILE NOT FOUND message.

Acadia

 

I only found this link :
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=146282

 

I ran into a similar problem some time ago and ended up reinstalling FD-ISR and recreating my snapshots from good archives but i hope you don't have to resort to that.

After reinstalling i noticed my tray icon for FD-ISR Manager no longer would show and Todd offered some suggestions that lead me to look over the FD Manager's settings and sure enough my tray icon WAS NOT checked as ALWAYS SHOW, and so it was fixed.

Todd is your best source for that issue right now i think when he chimes in to read this but i suggest at least go over your FD Manager and see if everything which is usually checked is indeed checked.

Other then that i'm sure Todd can remedy that issue for you along with an explaination on what might have happened.

Regards EASTER

Hope you get it corrected again soon.

 

running Vista by any chance? it runs CRAP on Vista regardless of what anyone else says. Also dont use a disk cleaner or any other utillity, it doesnt know how to cope with them. Something that should have been covered before they released this not so unbreakable program. a wise addage, which should be used cautiously is "Never take anything for Granted"

 

Sorry to break your predetermined (?) picture of Vista (I am one of the "anyone else") but I have never encountered that problem, FDISR works just fine in Vista, as do all the software I used in XP
I have had that "problem" in XP now and then through the years though. I have no clue of why it appears, but since it has never done any harm I have not bothered with it. It has always disappeared sooner or later, maybe I have reinstalled FDISR for some other reason and thats why, I dont know.

 

You´re not running Iolo´s System mechanic ? The reg cleaner (as well as some others) ruins $isr automatically...if so you have to exclude these keys...

 

Thanks for suggestions and thanks for link, Erik.

More info: I am using WinXP, I do not have System Mechanic and I never use any registry cleaners.

And, YES, I did delete some Snapshots that morning, both the bootable and archive type. (Erik, I'm down to just 13 Snapshots now ).

So I did both delete Snaps and a defrag (including pre-boot via PerfectDisk) in the same morning. I am tempted to simply leave this alone and not mess with it since FirstDefense appears to still be working even with the error message BUT I did not try an F1 boot yet.

Acadia

 

More info: I now have 5 bootable snaps if you count my Primary. When I go into my $ISR folder, besides the obviously needed stuff, I see seven folders named 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and A. Is this as it should be?

I'm not going to try anything until Todd chimes in. God, I hope I don't have to uninstall and reinstall, I have so many FirstDefense Updates thru the years I'm not sure where I would begin, would the last one from Raxco, whatever number it was, be complete and have EVERYTHING in it?

Acadia

 

Last time you told me not to use a Reg Cleaner Glary Utilities was the one in question I was using and having trouble with So its a matter of which one kills it and which leaves it alone then Did you figure out why Installing a XP snapshot from Vista produces that NTLDR not found error after XP has copied its files and rebooted

 

Peter, you know what? I forgot that I have that final 205, in fact, it was you who helped me to get it some time ago. Still, I think I will wait for Todd, unless I feel unusually brave today and feel like doing full uninstall/install routine. Would I need my original key or serial number or whatever. All I've been able to find is a customerID, is that enough to use the 205?

Acadia

 

No! the ID is just that its not a serial number unfortunately I tried it once myself and it got rejected

 

Might be a good idea to have a recent "image" available in case of any problem reinstalling FDISR.
One time my reinstallation didn't work, I got out of that jam using my Acronis image.
Turned out it was my fault on the reinstallation by not chosing to overwrite the installation files.
Wound up with an expired trial version.

 

Ok, fellows, here's the scoop: I went ahead and completely uninstalled FirstDefense except, of course, for all of the Snapshots. Then I reinstalled using the very last version that Raxco released, the 205 that Peter and I talked about up above. I had the install overwrite everything.

STILL GETTING THE ERROR MESSAGE. Now what?

Acadia

 

Peter, what do you mean by step 4, clean the disk up?

Acadia

 

He means format and start from scratch or doing a clean install of FD-ISR with no snapshots or other debris from the previous install.