help getting comp working

[geekdna]

Still messing w/damaged XP OS. (original post below) Can boot to safe mode
w/dos prompt, but many of the commands I'm used to aren't there (fixboot,
bootcfg, map) are there any comparable? I can't get /p to work when I type
help, so can't see many of the commands available. Is there some other
command I can use? Then I can at least see the commands and try to figure
out if one of them can help me.
Still no cd rom available. c:\dir reveals a config.sys with nothing in it.
Is there something I can type in there to get more of my system to work?
When I did a c:\config.sys, windows asked me what program to run & allowed
me to open notepad to view it. Can I use this option to my advantage for
more recovery purposes? I'm hoping...

 

[dadiOH]

Still messing w/damaged XP OS. (original post below) Can boot to safe
mode w/dos prompt, but many of the commands I'm used to aren't there
(fixboot, bootcfg, map) are there any comparable?

Those and others are available from the repair console which is available
via the XP install CD. That does you no good if you can't boot from the CD.
Assuming you have set the CD as first boot device in the BIOS and can't
boot, you might try loading windows, inset XP install CD in drive, browse to
the drive and click on setup.exe.


BTW, the repair console can be installed on your computer, not a bad place
to have it.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

[Just D.]

Not only that. When you install updates they apply to this installed console
as well. If you use console from the CD then you have much more changes to
damage your own system because the system files are probably updated, but
the files from the CD are old. So having console to repair the system files,
MBR, etc. can make even more damages to the system than you could ever
expect.

Just D.

"dadiOH"

 

[geekdna]

Windows doesn't load to the point of browsing anywhere. And yes, BIOS is set
to boot from CD. I even changed it so it was the ONLY boot option and got a
"boot disk failure" message. Again, only safe boot w/ a dos promp is
available, but I don't know what the dos commands are that I see when I type
help. I also don't know how to make the c:>help results pause, since /p
doesn't work.

 

[dadiOH]

geekdna wrote:

Top post moved to bottom

Windows doesn't load to the point of browsing anywhere. And yes, BIOS
is set to boot from CD. I even changed it so it was the ONLY boot
option and got a "boot disk failure" message. Again, only safe boot
w/ a dos promp is available, but I don't know what the dos commands
are that I see when I type help.

You might try...

1. Boot to safe with command prompt

2. Change to your CD drive ( just type the drive letter and a colon [E: for
example])

3. type "setup" (no quotes) and press ENTER

Alternatively...

1. Boot with a floppy electing CD support
2. Do the same as #2 & #3 above.

Does the XP install run?

If not, does it show on the CD when you change to that drive and type DIR?
Has the XP install disc booted in the past? Do you know the drive works?
Have you checked the drive power and data cables? The "boot disk failure"
message indicates either (or both) a bad drive or a bad disc.
_____________

I also don't know how to make the
c:>help results pause, since /p doesn't work.

That switch doesn't work with "help"; DIR /p yes, help /p, no. To pause
"help", just press the break key; to resume, press Escape. Doesn't much
matter as the DOS commands aren't going to help you fix XP. Unless you want
to format

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

[Jose]

Windows doesn't load to the point of browsing anywhere. And yes, BIOS is set
to boot from CD. I even changed it so it was the ONLY boot option and gota
"boot disk failure" message. Again, only safe boot w/ a dos promp is
available, but I don't know what the dos commands are that I see when I type
help. I also don't know how to make the c:>help results  pause, since /p
doesn't work.

You need to start here:

You can make a bootable Recovery Console CD by downloading an ISO file
and burning it to a CD.

The same XP Recovery Console commands can be run from the bootable
Recovery Console CD.

The bootable ISO image file you need to download is called:

xp_rec_con.iso

Download the ISO file from here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?ueyyzfymmig

Use this free and easy program to create your bootable CD:

http://www.imgburn.com/

It would be a good idea to test your bootable CD on the computer that
is working.

You may need to adjust the computer BIOS settings to use the CD ROM
drive as the first boot device instead of the hard disk. These
adjustments are made before Windows tries to load. If you miss it,
you will have to reboot the system again.

When you boot on the CD, follow the prompts:

Press any key to boot from CD...

The Windows Setup... will proceed.

Press 'R' to enter the Recovery Console.

Select the installation you want to access (usually 1: C:\WINDOWS)

You may be asked to enter the Administrator password (usually empty).

You should be in the C:\WINDOWS folder. This is the same as the C:
\WINDOWS folder you see in explorer.

RC allows basic file commands - copy, rename, replace, delete, cd,
chkdsk, fixboot, fixmbr, etc.

From the command prompt window run the chkdsk command on the drive
where Windows is installed to try to repair any problems on the
afflicted drive.

Running chkdsk is fine to run even if it doesn't find any problems.

Assuming your boot drive is C, run the following command:

chkdsk C: /r

Let chkdsk finish and correct any problems it might find. It may take
a long time to complete or appear to be 'stuck'. Be patient. If the
HDD light is still flashing, it is doing something. Keep an eye on
the percentage amount to be sure it is still making progress.

Remove the CD and type 'exit' to leave the RC and restart the
computer.

You do not have to adjust the BIOS again to boot on the HDD since the
CD will
not be present.