Can you access recovery console without startup floppys or CD?

[Guest]

I have a computer that locked and froze during a download and install of a service pack update. Now the system won't boot - just restarts over and over. This is a friend's computer and he's misplaced all of the original CD's and, of course, never created a start up floppy. Is there any way to access the recovery console without these disks? Any help would be most appreciated.

 

[Dave Patrick]

Not unless the recovery console was installed as a startup option.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems]
Microsoft Certified Professional [Windows 2000]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


:
| I have a computer that locked and froze during a download and install of a
service pack update. Now the system won't boot - just restarts over and
over. This is a friend's computer and he's misplaced all of the original
CD's and, of course, never created a start up floppy. Is there any way to
access the recovery console without these disks? Any help would be most
appreciated.

 

[Guest]

How can I tell if r.c. was installed as a startup option?
I tried to boot using last known good config but that didn't work either
Any help would be most appreciated. KM
----- Dave Patrick wrote: ----

Not unless the recovery console was installed as a startup option

--
Regards

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems
Microsoft Certified Professional [Windows 2000
http://www.microsoft.com/protec


| I have a computer that locked and froze during a download and install of
service pack update. Now the system won't boot - just restarts over an
over. This is a friend's computer and he's misplaced all of the origina
CD's and, of course, never created a start up floppy. Is there any way t
access the recovery console without these disks? Any help would be mos
appreciated

 

[Dave Patrick]

There is no other way. You can start Recovery Console and from a command
prompt change to the;
%SystemRoot%\$NtServicePackuninstall$\spuninst
directory. Then issue the command;
batch SPuninst.bat

The next step is to start in 'Safe Mode' and uninstall the SP again from
Control Panel|Add/Remove to finish the uninstall.

To start the Recovery Console, start the computer from the Windows 2000
Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If you do not have Setup
floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the Windows 2000 Setup CD,
use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the Setup floppy disks.
Press ENTER at the "Setup Notification" screen. Press R to repair a Windows
2000 installation, and then press C to use the Recovery Console. The
Recovery Console then prompts you for the administrator password. If you do
not have the correct password, Recovery Console does not allow access to the
computer. If an incorrect password is entered three times, the Recovery
Console quits and restarts the computer. Once the password has been
validated, you have full access to the Recovery Console, but limited access
to the hard disk. You can only access the following folders on your
computer: %systemroot% and %windir%


--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems]
Microsoft Certified Professional [Windows 2000]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


:
| Dave, thanks for replying. Are there any other options to restore this
system? I know that it's simply a matter of a corrupted file. Just don't
know which one.

 

[Dave Patrick]

At startup the bootloader would present (among the other options) "Microsoft
Windows Recovery Console" as a startup option.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems]
Microsoft Certified Professional [Windows 2000]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


:
|
| How can I tell if r.c. was installed as a startup option?
| I tried to boot using last known good config but that didn't work either.

 

[Steve Nielsen]

How does one install Recovery Console as a startup option and for what
reasons?

Steve

 

[Dave Patrick]

This article may help.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;216417

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems]
Microsoft Certified Professional [Windows 2000]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


:
| How does one install Recovery Console as a startup option and for what
| reasons?
|
| Steve