Rory said:
Thanks for the help. This is what happens when i try these steps.
Typing Attrib -H -R -S C:\boot.ini, results in a bad command message.
typing del c:\boot.ini, results in a no matching files found message.
When i do bootcfg, it tells me it couldn't run the command becuase of
an error caused by a corrupt file system. It tells me to run chkdsk,
which I do, and that tells me it has "unrecoverable errors".
Any ideas as to what this means? I just need to access files to save
them, then I can do a clean install.
"Unrecoverable errors" sounds nasty. Perhaps your hard drive is failing.
To get the data off, I'd use Knoppix rather than mess about trying to
get into Windows. Here's information about Knoppix:
An easy way to retrieve Windows files is to boot with Knoppix, a Linux
distro on a live cd. You will need a computer with two cd drives, one
of which is a cd/dvd-rw OR a usb thumb drive with enough capacity to
hold your data. To get Knoppix, you need a computer with a fast
Internet connection and third-party burning software. Download the
Knoppix .iso from
www.knoppix.net and create your bootable cd. Then
boot with it and it will be able to see the Windows files. If you are
using the usb thumb drive, right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to
get its properties and uncheck the box that says "Read Only". Then
click on it to open it. Note that the default mouse action in the
window manager used by Knoppix (KDE) is a single click to open instead
of the traditional MS Windows' double-click. Otherwise, use the K3b
burning program to burn the files to cd/dvd-r's.
Then I'd test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr.
Download the file and make a bootable floppy or cd with it. Boot with
the media and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical errors,
replace it.
While you're in testing mode, you might also want to give the RAM a
test. I like Memtest86+ from
www.memtest.org. Obviously, you have to
get the program from a working machine. You will either download the
precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or the .iso to
make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll need to have
third-party burning software on the machine where you download the file
- XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job. In either case,
boot with the media you made. The test will run immediately. Let the
test run for an hour or two - unless errors are seen immediately. If
you get any errors, replace the RAM.
The hardware tests won't hurt anything, and that way you'll be sure
before you try and reinstall Windows. Reinstalling Windows with faulty
hardware will be a waste of time.
Good luck,
Malke
