Need to access slave XP drive to remove console password

[Flash]

I have two XP machines, the first machine stop booting after SP2
upgrade a few days ago without complaints. I have performed all types
of recovery procedures from XP CD, floppy disk, etc. each time setup
hangs at "Starting up Windows" when using the XP CD. When using a XP
boot floppy it briefly access the floppy disk with boot.ini, NTLDR, and
NTDETECT, ignores it, then it attempts startup from the hard disk.

I have removed the boot hard drive from the machine that will not boot
made it a slave on another working XP machine. Everything looks great
on that drive in the working XP environment, there are no complaints,
all files and folders are accessible.

When I use the XP CD on the working machine to access this drive to
recover or reinstall, the recovery console announces that the recovery
console is password protected, it should be blank, and the install do
not list the "slave" hard disk installation. So, the recovery console
recognize the installation on the "slave" disk but XP install do not.

The slave drive is MUCH larger than the single drive on the working XP.
Otherwise, I would have simply formatted and reinstalled XP Pro days
ago.

I strongly suspect that if I could use "fixmbr" from the recovery
console on the slave drive all will be well.

Is there a way to remove the "password" from the recovery console of
the "slave" drive from the working XP?
Is there a way to "fix" the MBR on the "slave" drive from the working
XP machine?

Thanks

 

[DL]

So why aren't you able to fixmbr with the hd in the faulty pc?

When a slave in other pc, the boot record is on C, to that sys win
installation therefore sys knows nothing about the slave win installation -
its just seen as a bunch of files/folders
If you try and repair the win on the slave you would, I think, finish up
with a dual boot of win, and the boot record would be still on C, thus if
you installed the slave as master on the other PC it still would'nt boot as
it would have no mbr.

 

[Flash]

So why aren't you able to fixmbr with the hd in the faulty pc?

I would if the XP CD install process would startup on the faulty pc, it
hangs at "Starting up Windows".

When a slave in other pc, the boot record is on C, to that sys win
installation therefore sys knows nothing about the slave win installation -
its just seen as a bunch of files/folders
If you try and repair the win on the slave you would, I think, finish up
with a dual boot of win, and the boot record would be still on C, thus if
you installed the slave as master on the other PC it still would'nt boot as
it would have no mbr.

On win2k machines, I have seen both hd during installation (when the
hds are healhty) which will then offer dual boot.

When the install failed to present the slave hd on the working PC, I
knew I had a problem in sector 0 on the hd. Presently, the hd is only
available to me as a slave hd.

 

[DL]

You enter the repair console prior to the Starting up Win, screen
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
If / when you are asked for the password this is the Administrator password
for that pc win.installation

You might also be interested in this, once you've recovered
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=216417

 

[Flash]

You enter the repair console prior to the Starting up Win, screen
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
If / when you are asked for the password this is the Administrator password
for that pc win.installation

You are correct, I meant to say I never see the "Welcome to Setup"
screen on the faulty pc.

 

[DL]

I assume you tried with the 4 setup floppy disks, with the same result?

If so, have you tried disconnecting any extra hw, ie leaving
keybd,mouse,cd,vid,hd,monitor,single ram stick, as if you dont even see the
first screen you have some other problem
You've also run hd manu checking utility on the hd - I know it appears ok as
a slave -