Repair console administrator password conundrum

[Michael Anders]

Hi Group,
Hope someone here can help. Today when I went to boot up my XP machine, it
took an exceptionally long time (even by normal MS standards) before finally
showing a screen without icons, start menu, toolbar etc.
Next boot up came a DOS-type screen saying a config file was missing and a
suggestion that repair was needed via theinstallation CD.
So I booted off the installation CD. After a semingly interminable copying
of obscure OEM equipment files I reached the option of using the "repair
console". I was not able to get far with that however, as this requires an
administrator password. Now, I am the main user and adminstrator, there is
only one other user, I don't normally require a password and I don't have
one for booting into this machine.I tried using a blank, and the word
*administrator", to no avail.
So the repair console path appears to be ruled out, even though this is a
genuine purchased XP SP2 Home French version activated in my sole name...
Further boot attempts saw the machine run Chdsk several times, and with the
apparent automatic repair of some entries.
My hopes rose when I was finally able to get to the page where you log on as
user (simple click on icon, don't think I ever had a blank box to enter
password in as one has on XP Pro). However this only gets me into an endless
cycle or reboots.
Any suggetions where to start putting it right, please?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hi Group,
Hope someone here can help. Today when I went to boot up my XP machine, it
took an exceptionally long time (even by normal MS standards) before
finally
showing a screen without icons, start menu, toolbar etc.
Next boot up came a DOS-type screen saying a config file was missing and a
suggestion that repair was needed via theinstallation CD.
So I booted off the installation CD. After a semingly interminable copying
of obscure OEM equipment files I reached the option of using the "repair
console". I was not able to get far with that however, as this requires an
administrator password. Now, I am the main user and adminstrator, there is
only one other user, I don't normally require a password and I don't have
one for booting into this machine.I tried using a blank, and the word
*administrator", to no avail.
So the repair console path appears to be ruled out, even though this is a
genuine purchased XP SP2 Home French version activated in my sole name...
Further boot attempts saw the machine run Chdsk several times, and with
the
apparent automatic repair of some entries.
My hopes rose when I was finally able to get to the page where you log on
as
user (simple click on icon, don't think I ever had a blank box to enter
password in as one has on XP Pro). However this only gets me into an
endless
cycle or reboots.
Any suggetions where to start putting it right, please?

It appears that you attempted to get into the Recovery Console. This is not
the same as a "Repair Installation" - its main purpose is to repair a
damaged boot environment. To start a Repair Installation, do this:
1. Set your BIOS so that the machine uses the CD drive as its primary boot
device.
2. Boot the machine with your WinXP CD.
3. Select "Repair" when prompted.
4. Select "Repair Installation" (or words to this effect) when prompted.
5. Follow the prompts.

It would be helpful if you could quote the exact name of the file that was
reported as missing.

If you get a screen without shortcuts then you can often solve the problem
by doing this:
- Launch the Task Manager, e.g. by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del.
- Click the Applications tab.
- Click "New Task".
- Type "explorer.exe" (without the quotes) and click OK.

 

[Michael Anders]

Thanks, Peagasus.
I have just tried again to boot from the installation CD . When I choose the
"repair" option it sends me to the recovery console, while asking me if I
"want to open a session"on the "1: C:\Windows" installation. When I choose 1
(rather than "enter to cancel") it asks me to enter an administrator
password. I am therefore stuck once more at that stage (even as I write this
on another, older machine).
Unfortunately I did not note the name of the supposedly missing file, but I
think it was in the \System32 folder and had a name like "config". That
message has not repeated itself.
My first thought was that there was a defective 220V AC power supper supply,
as I am running these machines from a generator which was doing some other
work at the same time and I thought therefore the volts were maybe down.
But even with an alternative supply now the XP machine is still in trouble
while this Windows 2000 machine I'm writing on is running fine. Of course it
could still be a bad PSU inside the XP's tower...
But I would like to understand how I can use the recovery console and/or
supply a password to do so, when I do not (apparently, to my knowledge) have
that password. How to repair/recover the installation?
Thanks in advance,
Michael Anders

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

"Config" is probably not a file but a subfolder of c:\Windows\system32. It
is where some of the registry files reside, e.g. the System registry file.
This makes me suspect that this file is damaged or missing. You can restore
it using the manual System Restore facility described here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545.

This leaves you with the little problem of your Administrator password which
you need to get into the Recovery Console. You can easily reset it to a
blank by booting the machine with a boot diskette/CD from here:
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html.

 

[Michael Anders]

Thanks again Pegasus. I'll give those options a try and report back.

 

[Anna]

It appears that you attempted to get into the Recovery Console. This is
not the same as a "Repair Installation" - its main purpose is to repair a
damaged boot environment. To start a Repair Installation, do this:
1. Set your BIOS so that the machine uses the CD drive as its primary boot
device.
2. Boot the machine with your WinXP CD.
3. Select "Repair" when prompted.
4. Select "Repair Installation" (or words to this effect) when prompted.
5. Follow the prompts.

It would be helpful if you could quote the exact name of the file that was
reported as missing.

If you get a screen without shortcuts then you can often solve the problem
by doing this:
- Launch the Task Manager, e.g. by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del.
- Click the Applications tab.
- Click "New Task".
- Type "explorer.exe" (without the quotes) and click OK.

Michael:
The problem here is that I take it you're dealing with an OEM machine and
it's entirely possible the XP installation CD you're using will not allow a
Repair install of the XP OS that Pegasus is referring to. On the other hand
it might very well, so we'll assume at the outset that you can undertake a
Repair install using the XP installation CD in your possession.

As Pegasus has indicated it would appear that even if you could access the
Recovery Console, it would not solve your problem. Unfortunately (and
absurdly) Microsoft has been using that "Repair" label at the "Welcome to
Setup" screen ever since the XP OS was released. It has caused an untold
amount of confusion among users.

In any event, simply press the Enter key at that "Welcome..." screen to
setup XP. Following the license agreement *hopefully* you'll have an option
(by pressing "R") to undertake the Repair install that you probably want
(and need) to undertake.

I'm assuming you're unfamiliar with the Repair process. Actually it's not
much different than fresh- installing the OS, but hopefully all your
programs & associated data will be retained along with an uncorrupted OS.
Here's a few sites you may want to check out re the process...
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#RI
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your anti-virus
and/or any other anti-malware program that you use to immediately check out
your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will need to download/install
*all* the MS critical updates since SP3. (I'm assuming that if you do
undertake the Repair install, you will be doing so with a "slipstreamed" XP
CD that contains SP3. But if that's not available use whatever XP OS
installation CD is at your disposal and should the process be successful
later upgrade to SP3).

Needless to say, there's no guarantee that the Repair install will be
successful since there may be problems present - hardware or software -
other than a mildly-corrupted OS that a Repair install will generally
correct.

One other thing...
While it would be a rather rare situation where data would be lost or
corrupted as a result of the Repair install (even if such process was
unsuccessful), and as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen. I mention
this because if there is any data on the HDD that is absolutely crucial to
you and which you could not tolerate its loss, then you should *not*
undertake the Repair install at this point, but rather first attempt to
access the data through other means, for example, by installing the disk in
another machine as a secondary drive, hopefully accessing its contents and
copy whatever data you need or want.

Just as a final note - I'm assuming in all this that you do *not* really
want to access the Recovery Console. On the other hand you may have some
specific reason for doing so in that you have in mind certain commands to
invoke that you believe will resolve your problem. If that be the case,
there is a (usually successful) way to access the RC if a now-unknown
password had been previously established (although you've indicated there is
none based on your knowledge). Basically it involves deleting the password
through a freely-available program that's widely used in this kind of
situation. If you need more info re the preceding, so indicate.
Anna

 

[Michael Anders]

Thanks for all that Anna, and Pegasus. Unfortunately, after much long-winded
effort I am still not out of the wood and this thing is far from clear.

Although this is an OEM version of XP with SP2, I *was* able to do a repair
installation. This took about an hour. But after all that, the first boot
never reached the desktop but went into a re-boot cycle, usually when I
tried to log on to my profile. Using F8 and trying to do a normal boot or
return to a previous configuration also failed to help

And I am now back with a black DOS-type screen again, and the same message:
(I translate) "Windows could not start because the following file is missing
or damaged: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM".

It then says: "You can try to repair this file by starting the Windows XP
installation programme with the original installation CD-ROM. Choose 'R' at
the first screen to begin the repair."

Now this instruction is really misleading, isn't it, because the first "R"
option takes one to the recovery console?? Only if you don't choose that do
you get a later "R" which leads to the repair installation. Hence the
confusion between recovery console and repair installation that I think you
are referrring to Anna....

Be that as it may, I am still in a mess, as the repair that I attempted has
failed.

I'd use the recovery console too, however, if only could and I thought it
would help...

Damn all this, I thought XP was the best OS Microsoft had so far managed to
produce (which has caused me, like so many others, to spurn Vista). The
official repair instructions really are pathetic. If there's a file or
folder damage as the error message says, why can one not just restore that
from the installation CD....?

I'm getting ready to bite the bullet and do a complete fresh install. Then
no doubt I'll have activation aggro. In any event it's a ruined weekend with
no other work done!

 

[Anna]

Thanks for all that Anna, and Pegasus. Unfortunately, after much
long-winded
effort I am still not out of the wood and this thing is far from clear.

Although this is an OEM version of XP with SP2, I *was* able to do a
repair
installation. This took about an hour. But after all that, the first boot
never reached the desktop but went into a re-boot cycle, usually when I
tried to log on to my profile. Using F8 and trying to do a normal boot or
return to a previous configuration also failed to help

And I am now back with a black DOS-type screen again, and the same
message:
(I translate) "Windows could not start because the following file is
missing
or damaged: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM".

It then says: "You can try to repair this file by starting the Windows XP
installation programme with the original installation CD-ROM. Choose 'R'
at
the first screen to begin the repair."

Now this instruction is really misleading, isn't it, because the first "R"
option takes one to the recovery console?? Only if you don't choose that
do
you get a later "R" which leads to the repair installation. Hence the
confusion between recovery console and repair installation that I think
you
are referrring to Anna....

Be that as it may, I am still in a mess, as the repair that I attempted
has
failed.

I'd use the recovery console too, however, if only could and I thought it
would help...

Damn all this, I thought XP was the best OS Microsoft had so far managed
to
produce (which has caused me, like so many others, to spurn Vista). The
official repair instructions really are pathetic. If there's a file or
folder damage as the error message says, why can one not just restore that
from the installation CD....?

I'm getting ready to bite the bullet and do a complete fresh install. Then
no doubt I'll have activation aggro. In any event it's a ruined weekend
with
no other work done!

Michael:
It won't be the first time a Repair install of the XP OS wasn't successful.
It generally is successful if the OS is only mildly-corrupted and of course,
there's no hardware issue involved.

Generally speaking (in our experience) the Repair install usually does
return the system to a bootable, functional state after one receives that
"missing ... \config\system" error message, but of course it's not an
absolute guarantee.

Perhaps the Recovery Console approach will work. Are you still unable to
access the RC because of the password problem you mentioned? If so, I can
provide you with some info on how to (hopefully!) overcome *that* problem.

If the RC can be accessed, the command to invoke would be chkdsk /r

Another approach if the RC can be accessed...
Access the Recovery Console (the first "R") and type:
cd system32\config
ren system system.old
ren system.alt systemalt.old
copy c:\windows\repair\system
copy c:\windows\repair\regback\system
exit

(It hasn't been too reliable for us but at times it does work)

Also, see...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545
Anna

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Thanks for all that Anna, and Pegasus. Unfortunately, after much
long-winded
effort I am still not out of the wood and this thing is far from clear.

Although this is an OEM version of XP with SP2, I *was* able to do a
repair
installation. This took about an hour. But after all that, the first boot
never reached the desktop but went into a re-boot cycle, usually when I
tried to log on to my profile. Using F8 and trying to do a normal boot or
return to a previous configuration also failed to help

And I am now back with a black DOS-type screen again, and the same
message:
(I translate) "Windows could not start because the following file is
missing
or damaged: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM".

It then says: "You can try to repair this file by starting the Windows XP
installation programme with the original installation CD-ROM. Choose 'R'
at
the first screen to begin the repair."

Now this instruction is really misleading, isn't it, because the first "R"
option takes one to the recovery console?? Only if you don't choose that
do
you get a later "R" which leads to the repair installation. Hence the
confusion between recovery console and repair installation that I think
you
are referrring to Anna....

Be that as it may, I am still in a mess, as the repair that I attempted
has
failed.

I'd use the recovery console too, however, if only could and I thought it
would help...

Damn all this, I thought XP was the best OS Microsoft had so far managed
to
produce (which has caused me, like so many others, to spurn Vista). The
official repair instructions really are pathetic. If there's a file or
folder damage as the error message says, why can one not just restore that
from the installation CD....?

I'm getting ready to bite the bullet and do a complete fresh install. Then
no doubt I'll have activation aggro. In any event it's a ruined weekend
with
no other work done!

Your report says nothing about the manual System Restore method I suggested.
Did you try it? I have used it in the past with great success!

If the machine cycles from the logon screen to "Loading user settings" (or
words to this effect) and back again then this is invariably caused by a
problem with userinit.exe. It's not too hard to fix this problem. However,
your report about the missing file suggests a problem with the System
registry file, not with userinit.exe.

 

[Michael Anders]

Thanks again for all that Anna. I just tried an install over the existing
installation and got the message that the disc C: is damaged and cannot be
repaired. So maybe I have a hardware problem (too).
I guess I will now try to reformat the partition prior to a fresh install
attempt, and then see.

 

[Anna]

Michael:
In case you need this in order to access the Recovery Console. It's
conceivable (unfortuantely) that the program described below may not be able
to reset the password because of the particular problem you're experiencing.
But it's worth a try...

At http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/ is a tried & true program that
generally (but not always) will resolve the password problem you've raised.
It's basically designed to remove the current password from the system so
that it's a "blank password" and thus the user can gain access to the system
as administrator.

Many users, especially inexperienced ones, sometimes find difficulty in
using this program since the prompts are rather cryptic and confusing to
some as it contains info that seems intimidating to some. Actually the
program is rather easy to use since by & large all the user need do in most
instances is simply press the Enter key at most of the prompts as described
below.

We prepared these step-by-step instructions for using the program in
response to a request from a local computer club in our area. I trust it
will resolve your problem.

Access the following website: http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/ and
download the freely available program that will allow you to create a
bootable CD that with which you will be able to reset your password.

Here are some step-by-step instructions for using this program...

1. On the top of the webpage click on the "Bootdisk" button.
2. In the "Download" section of that page click on the cd070927.zip file and
download it to your Desktop. Note it's a ZIP file so the contents of that
file will have to be extracted.
3. I assume you know how to do this by merely right-clicking on the ZIP
file, click on Extract All, Next, Next, Finish.
4. A folder will be created on your Desktop titled "cd070927".
5. Inside that folder will be the cd070927.iso file. It's this .iso file
that allows you to create a bootable CD from that .iso image.
6. Hopefully, you have a CD-burning program, e.g., Nero, Roxio, etc., that
allows you to merely double-click on the .iso file and the program will open
and create a bootable CD from that .iso image. If you don't have such a
program perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance who does and he or she can
help you with creating the bootable CD. There are other programs available
on the net that allow you to do this as well - one popular program is the
freely-available ISO Recorder program - see
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

Now that you've created the bootable CD that's designed to reset your
password, insert the CD in your optical drive and boot to it.

The following are step-by-step instructions for using the program. The
example involved is a single-partitioned HDD, but the basic steps are the
same for any size HDD, except where the drive is multi-partitioned. If the
latter is the case the steps will be slightly different but they will not be
unduly complicated or substantially different under those circumstances.

As you progress through the screens the information provided and steps
involved look more complicated than they really are. In virtually every step
during the process the user will simply be pressing the Enter key or some
other simple keystroke.

1. Hopefully your PC is set up so that it will boot to a bootable CD. If
it's not, change the motherboard's BIOS boot priority setting so that the
CD-ROM (optical drive) is first in boot priority.

2. Boot to the password reset CD. At the first screen you will see the
"boot:" prompt.
Press Enter.

3. The next prompt ("Step ONE") will be "Select: [1]".
Press Enter.

4. The next prompt ("Step TWO") will be "What is the path to the registry
directory? (relative to windows disk)
[WINDOWS/system32/config]:".
Once again, press Enter.

5. The next prompt will follow text "Select which part of registry to load,
use ..." and list three options. The default prompt will reflect the first
option ("Password reset ..."), indicating "[1]".
Again, press Enter.

6. The next prompt at "Step THREE" will indicate "What to do? [1]".
Again, press Enter.

7. A bunch of information will follow with the final line displaying the
prompt, "or simply enter the username to change [Administrator]".
Type your user name, e.g., MICHAEL, and press Enter. Ensure you've correctly
entered your user name in the proper case (uppercase or lowercase as you
have originally set it).

8. More information will follow ending with the following prompt...
"Please enter new password:".
Type an * (asterisk or star) and press Enter.

9. The next prompt will be...
"Do you really wish to change it? (y/n) [n]".
Type y and press Enter.
(You'll receive the confirmation "Changed!")

10. The last line of the following prompt will read...
"or simply enter the username to change [Administrator]".
Type ! (exclamation point) and press Enter.

11. The last line of the next prompt will read...
"What to do? [1]" .
Type q and press Enter.

12. The next prompt ("Step FOUR") will read...
"About to write file(s) back! Do it? [n]".
Type y and press Enter.

13. At this point you should get the "EDIT COMPLETE" message with the
following prompt...
"You can try again if it somehow failed, or you selected wrong New run? [n]"
Just press Enter.

14. The final prompt will be a "#" signaling that the program has finished
its work. Remove the CD from your optical drive and reboot.

Hopefully your Administrator's password has been reset to a blank password
and you should gain access to your system.
Anna

 

[Michael Anders]

Pegasus, I just tried your suggestion of manual recovery (hoping to stave
off the fatal moment when I reformat C .

Unfortunately, although I managed to (I think) get into the recovery
console, and got as far as creating the temporary directory as instructed in
the Knowledge Base article, it was not possible to carry out the first file
copy operation. I tried several times and double-checked the syntax, but got
the message: "Impossible to copy file"

 

[Michael Anders]

Thanks to you both, Anna and Pegasus, my XP (re)installation is back up and
running! Chkdsk /r in the recovery console was first rejected as unknown,
then took a very long time to run but finally did the trick.
(Bizarrely, I was suddenly able to get into the console without a password,
although I couldn't get the manual recovery of the registry to work... ).
All I lost, apart from time and hair, was SP3 and some custom settings. (In
effect the installation was repaired and returned to original state, but all
data and applications apparently preserved).
I learned a lot from both your replies.
Tomorow I do some backing up and try to find out that mysterious (blank?)
password that I don't remember creating (Is it created automatically or
what?)
BFN

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

By default the Administrator password on WinXP Home machines is a blank. You
should reset it now (and record it!) while you think of it. AFAIR, you need
to boot into Safe Mode on XP Home machines in order to log on as
Administrator.