How to install Recovery Console?

[Gringo]

The XP Pro disk that I have is from 2004, an upgrade, and Windows has been
updated many times via the automatic internet updates. I had never installed
the Recovery Console, apparently, and want to do so now. But I get the
following message when I follow the posted procedures in this thread:

Setup cannot continue because the version of Windows on your computer is
newer than the version on the CD.

Warning: If you decide to delete the newer version of Windows that is
currently installed on your computer, the files and settings cannot be
recovered.

Computer: emachines, T2798. I have three emachine recovery disks but it
looks like they install to original.

I would like to have a way to boot or gain access to an external USB drive
that has the whole system backed up with program XXClone.

Any suggestions?

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Gringo" <[email protected]>

| The XP Pro disk that I have is from 2004, an upgrade, and Windows has been
| updated many times via the automatic internet updates. I had never installed
| the Recovery Console, apparently, and want to do so now. But I get the
| following message when I follow the posted procedures in this thread:

| Setup cannot continue because the version of Windows on your computer is
| newer than the version on the CD.

| Warning: If you decide to delete the newer version of Windows that is
| currently installed on your computer, the files and settings cannot be
| recovered.

| Computer: emachines, T2798. I have three emachine recovery disks but it
| looks like they install to original.

| I would like to have a way to boot or gain access to an external USB drive
| that has the whole system backed up with program XXClone.

| Any suggestions?

Assuming you have a a c:\i386 folder, slip-stream the i386 folder to SP3 level.

Then execute; c:\i386\winnt32 /cmdcons

 

[AJR]

Regarding "...the version of Windows on your computer is| newer than the
version on the CD...." - installation of SP3 "upgrades" the computer and
accounts for the "newer version" message.

You can make the original XP CD viable by removing the SP3 via Control
Panel, but not advisable to do so - Recovery Console is command driven and
would not provide for restoring a backup from an USB drive.

To the best of my knowledge, XXCopy provides for booting from the backup
volume - check your BIOS to verify that USB boot is provided.

 

[Gringo]

Regarding "...the version of Windows on your computer is| newer than the
version on the CD...." - installation of SP3 "upgrades" the computer and
accounts for the "newer version" message.

You can make the original XP CD viable by removing the SP3 via Control
Panel, but not advisable to do so - Recovery Console is command driven and
would not provide for restoring a backup from an USB drive.

To the best of my knowledge, XXCopy provides for booting from the backup
volume - check your BIOS to verify that USB boot is provided.




I have the i386 folder but I don't know what "slip-steam it to SP3 level means.

I would rather not remove the SP3 from the system as I might open a can of
worms. The Xxcopy is bootable but says that Microsoft does not allow booting
from an external drive and I find nothing in BIOS to alter it to boot from
USB. Xxcopy mentions that one can take the external drive out of it's case
and install it in the computer but I opened it and it doesn't have any
connections, just the USB connection and wires.
I've got a smaller internal hard drive that I use as a secondary for data
backup. It's got about 25 GB free. How can I make it a bootable disk to use
for emergencies?
Thanks for the help you guys.

 

[Daave]

See this post in case you missed it:

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/917da1277007c703?hl=en

Also, in the future, please don't multipost to different groups; it
causes confusion and will often interfere with your getting solutions in
the quickest way.

Slipstreaming allows you to integrate the latest Service Pack when you
create your own custom-made XP installation CD. So, you would wind up
with an XP installation CD at the Service Pack 3 level, which would
match what is on your hard drive. This way, if you wish to install
Recovery Console or run a Repair Install, you wouldn't get this message
anymore:

David Lipman's suggestion is to update the i386 folder on your hard
drive (I believe), but you would probably be better off with an actual
installation CD. And if you wish, you could always copy the newer i386
folder from the new CD to your hard drive.

 

[Gringo]

See this post in case you missed it:

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/917da1277007c703?hl=en

Also, in the future, please don't multipost to different groups; it
causes confusion and will often interfere with your getting solutions in
the quickest way.

Slipstreaming allows you to integrate the latest Service Pack when you
create your own custom-made XP installation CD. So, you would wind up
with an XP installation CD at the Service Pack 3 level, which would
match what is on your hard drive. This way, if you wish to install
Recovery Console or run a Repair Install, you wouldn't get this message
anymore:


David Lipman's suggestion is to update the i386 folder on your hard
drive (I believe), but you would probably be better off with an actual
installation CD. And if you wish, you could always copy the newer i386
folder from the new CD to your hard drive.


.
Sorry about the multiple posts. It was tagged on to an older post and I saw that it stays in the order of the original back in August so I thought it wasn't getting seen. Thanks again for the help and I will try the slip-stream method to make the CD and boot from it. I downloaded the Autostreamer program and will use it. I'll post back when I see what happens.

 

[Daave]

[attribute level fixed]

Sorry about the multiple posts. It was tagged on to an older post
and I saw that it stays in the order of the original back in August
so I thought it wasn't getting seen. Thanks again for the help and
I will try the slip-stream method to make the CD and boot from it.
I downloaded the Autostreamer program and will use it. I'll post
back when I see what happens.

You're welcome and good luck. We look forward to your report!

 

[Gringo2]

You're welcome and good luck. We look forward to your report!

OK, I have loaded and used the Autostream and the SP 3 onto a disk and done
it. I didn't quite understand the questions and I selected "Setup Windows
Now" which seemed to reinstall the whole XP. At any rate it booted from the
CD although not as easy as I had hoped. I do seem to still have my various
programs working which didn't happen when I completely reinstalled from the
original disk the other day.
I sometimes think I should just stop trying on this Window stuff and let a
young expert, if I can find one, do it. I was pretty good at this computer
sutff back in the DOS days but they've left me in the dust. Too damn many
variables and questions to which I don't know the answer.
But once again, thanks you all and it seems that I've got a bootable disk now.

As a side note, how can I set up that extra internal drive that I mentioned
earlier to be a boot drive too? Maybe I don't want to know?

 

[Daave]

OK, I have loaded and used the Autostream and the SP 3 onto a disk
and done it. I didn't quite understand the questions and I selected
"Setup Windows Now" which seemed to reinstall the whole XP.

Say what???!!!

Didn't you try to follow these directions?:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654

Now, I'm wondering what you did! Perhaps a Parallel Installation? How
many Windows folders do you have on your C: drive? Perhaps it was a
Repair Install? You really should have closed that Setup window! Oh,
well, what's done is done...

At any
rate it booted from the CD although not as easy as I had hoped. I do
seem to still have my various programs working which didn't happen
when I completely reinstalled from the original disk the other day.

So that would have been a Repair or Parallel install.

I sometimes think I should just stop trying on this Window stuff and
let a young expert, if I can find one, do it.

I agree, and I mean that as no offense. Some things are just better done
by others.

In the future, you should really consider regularly imaging your hard
drive and storing the image archives on an external hard drive. This
way, if disaster strikes, you can simply restore the most recent image.

I was pretty good at
this computer sutff back in the DOS days but they've left me in the
dust. Too damn many variables and questions to which I don't know
the answer.

Until you find someone else to do your tech work, if you must do it
yourself, be patient and make sure you post here *before* you do
something. And if something unfamiliar comes up, don't wing it. Just
stop and post back. We will be happy to guide you.

But once again, thanks you all and it seems that I've got a bootable
disk now.
YW.

As a side note, how can I set up that extra internal drive that I
mentioned earlier to be a boot drive too? Maybe I don't want to know?

That depends on what you want to put on it. Windows Vista or 7? A
particular flavor of Linux? I don't multi-boot, so I wouldn't be
answering your question, but an awful lot of others in these newsgroups
can help you. (You should definitely start another thread, though.)

 

[Gringo2]

--
Jerry
emachine, T2798

Say what???!!!

Didn't you try to follow these directions?:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654

Now, I'm wondering what you did! Perhaps a Parallel Installation? How
many Windows folders do you have on your C: drive? Perhaps it was a
Repair Install? You really should have closed that Setup window! Oh,
well, what's done is done...


So that would have been a Repair or Parallel install.


I agree, and I mean that as no offense. Some things are just better done
by others.

In the future, you should really consider regularly imaging your hard
drive and storing the image archives on an external hard drive. This
way, if disaster strikes, you can simply restore the most recent image.


Until you find someone else to do your tech work, if you must do it
yourself, be patient and make sure you post here *before* you do
something. And if something unfamiliar comes up, don't wing it. Just
stop and post back. We will be happy to guide you.


That depends on what you want to put on it. Windows Vista or 7? A
particular flavor of Linux? I don't multi-boot, so I wouldn't be
answering your question, but an awful lot of others in these newsgroups
can help you. (You should definitely start another thread, though.)


.
What a nice response Daave! I will try the "new" disk again soon just to see if I can find what I should have found according to the instructions. I will and should have printed them out. I still only have one Windows directory so I guess it was not a parallel installation.

I will try to not do this stuff without waiting for instruction from you
guys that know the correct procedures. I just get to thinking (mistake) that
I can do it. And I suppose I don't want to wait for an answer. I did back
up the whole hard disk with Xxcopy as I mentioned earlier and I plan to do
that often. The free version doesn't have incremental backups which I would
like to have so I'll have to do the whole thing. Maybe I'll buy the upgraded
version to enable that.
So many questions. So little time.
On the slave hard drive, I just thought it would be a good idea, since it's
already installed, to enable it to start in case something goes haywire.
It's the same XP that I want on it but I will start another thread regarding
that.
I'll post back when I try the recovery disk again.