Recovery Console after SP2 (OEM Install - No CD)

[John Lamar]

I've recently upgraded my PC (eMachines) to SP2.

Awsome, went well. Problem is I also have linux on
the machine.

I've found that I want to wipe the linux
partitions and just use Windows full time from
this machine.

Good thing right Microsofties?

Well, problem is there is only one safe way to
get the MBR back to normal that I know of and
that is 'fixmbr' under the recovery console.

Well, that sounds good but eMachines doesn't provide
a copy of the CD and now that SP2 is installed I
can't simply use this command to install it:

c:\windows\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons

I'm told that the version of Windows is newer
and blah blah blah.

So is there a way to still install the recovery
console?

I would make a "slip-streamed" CD if that
is possible, point me in the right direction
of the instructions... keep in mind I
have no OEM CD and can only work with the
files on disk (incomplete)

 

[Drew Tognola]

John,
If you have your CD copied to your harddrive here's the slipstream
instructions.
Drew

 

[Jon]

Recovery Console seems to work fine, if it's already installed pre-SP2
installation. Not tried installing it after SP2 myself.

Probably alot better ways of doing it, but could......

Uninstall SP2 via "Add or Remove Programs"
System Restore back to pre-SP2 state
Install the Recovery Console on the hard disk using the command you
mentioned
Reinstall SP2

Would obviously take a bit of time to do that, so may be better ways.


Jon

 

[Dick Kistler]

Recovery Console seems to work fine, if it's already installed pre-SP2
installation. Not tried installing it after SP2 myself.

Probably alot better ways of doing it, but could......

Uninstall SP2 via "Add or Remove Programs"
System Restore back to pre-SP2 state
Install the Recovery Console on the hard disk using the command you
mentioned
Reinstall SP2

Would obviously take a bit of time to do that, so may be better ways.


Jon

Just as an aside.

NEVER BUY A WINDOWS COMPUTER THAT DOESN'T COME WITH A REAL OS INSTALL DISK!

Sorry about the shouting.

Dick Kistler

 

[Bob Harris]

A few thoughts:

1. MS offers a free download of a floppy disk set that can be used to
install XP on machines that can not boot from a CD. I have heard that this
set includes the recovery console, since those routines are used to prepare
the disk, in case it is a blank disk. Just a rumour, but worth a shot.

2. MS will soon offer a free CD that contains all of SP-2. This may also
contain a SP-2 compatible recovery console. That is just a guess, but maybe
worth a try. The SP-2 CD may also be available at major computer stores,
like CompUSA, once it is mass produced.

3. Use non-MS software to fix things. Check the web for other programs
that can fix/change boot sectors, change/merge partitions, etc. Vendors who
might have such products include Symantec(Norton), Acronis, Paragon, Active.
Try a Google search on "partition repair" or "fix boot reord".

4. Try running the recovery console from another XP CD, a retail version.
As best as I understand things, the recovery console is not tied to product
activation, since it would logically be used before you install XP, or on a
PC that is in deep trouble and can not get XP to boot. Also, if you borrow
a CD, you do not need to install the recovery console to use it. MS is
absolutely opposed to "installing" their software on two computers, but I
have not heard that they care if multplie users use the same recovery
console, so long it remains on the CD.

5. Ask e-Machines for help. Note that they were recently purchased by
Gateway.

 

[Chad Harris]

The problem that seems to be raised by this thread Jon, is that while many
people have RC pre-installed from XP RTM or XP-SP1 RTM, the would XP SP2
Recovery Console be updated and require installation from a Slipstreamed XP
SP2 CD? I think they answer that it wouldn't but you have to pre-install it
according to the relases notes below. I don't believe that the SP2 CD that
you can order free from MSFT has anything but SP2 on it, i.e. it doesn't
have the Recovery Console on it.

So the question is if there is one Recovery Console version in XP or if the
Recovery Console gets update with a service pack?

My current recovery console was installed from an XP SP1 CD from MSFT but I
didn't know if XP SP2 RTM now has changed any of the recovery console file
or folders. According to this it hadn't.

This is in the SP2 Release Notes:
Recovery Console
Recovery Console must be installed before you install SP2. If you have
already installed SP2, you cannot install Recovery Console on your computer.
However, you can use the following procedure to run Recovery Console from
the Windows XP product CD.

To start the computer and run Recovery Console from the Windows XP product
CD

1.. Insert the product CD, and restart the computer. If prompted, select
any options that are required to boot from the CD.
2.. When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts. To
select the Repair or Recover option, press R.
3.. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, select the
installation that you want to access from Recovery Console.
4.. When prompted, type the Administrator password.

Other ways I have seen offered to get this done are (and this is typical and
I think supports the point that MSFT makes above on their release notes)
"The only thing is you have to use an
SP1 slipstream or RTM disk to boot to RC with the CD. I couldn't find the
Recovery Console on my slipstreamed SP2 disk, and the repair option wouldn't
work for me as I don't have a floppy drive, much less that disk that you
need with the F2 option.

Anyway, just boot with RTM or SP1 and there's an option where you press R to
repair. Log in with the local admin password and use the command listed
below (BOOTCFG /REBUILD).

However, without the boot.ini I was getting a message that HAL was corrupted
and that I'd need to install a fresh copy from the disk."

Chad Harris
____________________________________________________



Recovery Console seems to work fine, if it's already installed pre-SP2
installation. Not tried installing it after SP2 myself.

Probably alot better ways of doing it, but could......

Uninstall SP2 via "Add or Remove Programs"
System Restore back to pre-SP2 state
Install the Recovery Console on the hard disk using the command you
mentioned
Reinstall SP2

Would obviously take a bit of time to do that, so may be better ways.


Jon

 

[Jon]

Thanks for the extract from the release notes.

Checking the file creation / file modified dates for files in the hidden
folder "c:\cmdcons",and for the file c:\cmldr, it looks like installing SP2
makes no changes at all to the Recovery Console Files (had SP1a installed
previously).


Perhaps a tweak will be discovered to allow Recovery Console installation
post SP2 installation.


Personally I find the hard drive installed Recovery Console an invaluable
tool and would not want to lose it.


Jon

 

[CZ]

Perhaps a tweak will be discovered to allow Recovery Console installation
Jon:

I just updated an existing RC via the following steps:

(I did not remove the existing c:\cmdcons folder or files)
Dnload the SP2 network file:
WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe
Logon as an Admin gp member
Copy the entire Win XP CD to your Hard Drive:
I used the folder \WinXPCD

Extract Service Pack file:
Open a Cmd Prompt window
Change dir to folder with the SP2 dnload file: \Tfr3
Enter following cmd
WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe -x
At the dialog enter: \Tfr3
Has a finished dialog:
"Extraction complete"
(only creates one folder named: i386)

Use the extracted SP2 Update app to update the copied CD files:
Use the same Cmd Prompt window
Enter: cd \Tfr3\i386\update\
Enter: update /s:\WinXPCD
Has a progress dialog
Has a finished dialog:
"Integrated install has completed successfully"

Update (or install) the Recovery Console:
Use the same Cmd Prompt window
Enter: \WinXPCD\I386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons
Attempts to connect to Internet for updates
Has a "successful" message

Disk space used:
c:\cmdcons: 12 MB
CD files copied: 499 MB
SP2 network dnload file: 266 MB
SP2 extracted: 332 MB
\WinXPCD folder after updating: 591 MB

 

[Star Fleet Admiral Q]

FYI to all - a slipstreamed version of XP w/SP2 will install an XP SP2
updated version of the recovery console. This is the only way I know of to
update /cmdcons files with SP2 versions - use a XP SP2 slipstream CD to
install/reinstall the recovery console.

 

[Alex Nichol]

Good thing right Microsofties?

Well, problem is there is only one safe way to
get the MBR back to normal that I know of and
that is 'fixmbr' under the recovery console.

A DOS boot floppy - eg win 98 startup one - and give
FDISK /MBR

 

[Chad Harris]

Alex--

I have tried to fix what I thought was broken with the Recovery Console
often using 4 commands--not as a shotgun but to hit what I thought might be
some problems connected to not being able to boot.

fixboot
fixmbr
bootcfg /rebuild
chkdsk /r

If you don't get a specific error message that tells you the MBR is in
trouble, then how do you know it needs fixing? Are there substantive
markers?

I have seen errors for example in connection with Roxio now Symantec Go
Back that indicated the MBR was compromised (and if it is, often partitions
are damaged to the point of no repair).

Also, if the Recovery Console says it "successfully ran a command" or words
close, and you still don't get to Windows and you had an MBR error, how do
you if know the RC fix worked?

How do you verify that any Recovery Console command that is a fix command
works?

Chad Harris
________________________________

Good thing right Microsofties?

Well, problem is there is only one safe way to
get the MBR back to normal that I know of and
that is 'fixmbr' under the recovery console.

A DOS boot floppy - eg win 98 startup one - and give
FDISK /MBR

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have tried to fix what I thought was broken with the Recovery Console
often using 4 commands--not as a shotgun but to hit what I thought might be
some problems connected to not being able to boot.

fixboot
fixmbr
bootcfg /rebuild
chkdsk /r

If you don't get a specific error message that tells you the MBR is in
trouble, then how do you know it needs fixing? Are there substantive
markers?

I have seen errors for example in connection with Roxio now Symantec Go
Back that indicated the MBR was compromised (and if it is, often partitions
are damaged to the point of no repair).

MBR is either standard code, that fixmbr or FDISK /MBR restores
(without looking at what was there before); or is code installed by a
third party boot manager like BING or Boot Magic and will be restored by
reinstalling those, or else has been replaced by a virus. Those often
displace the partition table to some other sector to give themselves
more room - and arrange for that to be found for booting etc while they
are still around. If you just fixmbr that, the link gets lost and it
becomes impossible to use the disk. Fortunately these are not that
common these days. Proper action is to clear with a knowledgeable AV,
but if you should lose the tables after using FDISK /MBR or fixmbr, get
the MBRWORK free program from free downloads at www.bootitng.com to run
from a DOS boot floppy. Use its commands
1 to backup
3 then 4 to delete present entries: there will then be the possibility
of
A
to search the disk and rebuild the table, and finally
7
to rewrite the standard MBR code again

 

[Chad Harris]

Alex--

This is good information and hard info to come by for me. Thanks for
reminding me of this site. I'd like to ask you about one more type
emergency recovery scenario. What if a virus were not involved? In the
beginning it would be one of the factors you might have to consider if you
could not boot to Windows, and could probably only be ruled out with a scan,
but suppose, as I have seen more than once, Roxio (now Symantec Go Back)
were installed and you couldn't boot up. It reconfigures the Windows MBR
and can be impossible to "unhook." There is one method and if it doesn't
work you may be up a creek without a paddle.

It also can destroy partitions to the extent you can't repair the OS. But
if it had reconfigured the MBR adversely, and you wanted to boot to the
Recovery Console to fix the MBR and other components of the boot strap
mechanism that might be helpful by running these three commands

fixmbr (mbr)
fixboot (new start up sector)
bootcfg /rebuild (modifies boot.ini)

*how would you know that running these commands with the Recovery Console
was successful other than the favorable result that you could boot to
Windows if your partitions were intact enough?* *Is there any other way to
assess success using the Recovery Console?*

If you could not F8 to Safe Mode and use System Restore (it didn't work
because you couldn't boot into Safe Mode), Last Known Good was unsuccessful
as it almost invariably is under any circumstance I've seen with one
exception, and nothing else were available to you on the Windows Advanced
Options menu, would you try 3 commands like the ones above from the Recovery
Console before going on to an inplace upgrade/repair install *if your
partitions were all NTFS* or might you use some other boot disk or method?

Thanks,

Chad Harris
_________________________

I have tried to fix what I thought was broken with the Recovery Console
often using 4 commands--not as a shotgun but to hit what I thought might be
some problems connected to not being able to boot.

fixboot
fixmbr
bootcfg /rebuild
chkdsk /r

If you don't get a specific error message that tells you the MBR is in
trouble, then how do you know it needs fixing? Are there substantive
markers?

I have seen errors for example in connection with Roxio now Symantec Go
Back that indicated the MBR was compromised (and if it is, often partitions
are damaged to the point of no repair).

MBR is either standard code, that fixmbr or FDISK /MBR restores
(without looking at what was there before); or is code installed by a
third party boot manager like BING or Boot Magic and will be restored by
reinstalling those, or else has been replaced by a virus. Those often
displace the partition table to some other sector to give themselves
more room - and arrange for that to be found for booting etc while they
are still around. If you just fixmbr that, the link gets lost and it
becomes impossible to use the disk. Fortunately these are not that
common these days. Proper action is to clear with a knowledgeable AV,
but if you should lose the tables after using FDISK /MBR or fixmbr, get
the MBRWORK free program from free downloads at www.bootitng.com to run
from a DOS boot floppy. Use its commands
1 to backup
3 then 4 to delete present entries: there will then be the possibility
of
A
to search the disk and rebuild the table, and finally
7
to rewrite the standard MBR code again

 

[John Lamar]

A DOS boot floppy - eg win 98 startup one - and give
FDISK /MBR

Okay, I'm going to try FDISK /MBR because many of the
other option won't work for me. I can't make a slip-streamed
disc as I have no disc to make it from...

I won't take off service pack 2 because that means days
of work which isn't worth it.

If needed I'll call support but hopefully I won't
have to because eMachines support is long distance.
(although last time I called I was on hold for a
mere 35 seconds before getting help. Right now I simply
can't afford to put (even) that on my bill.

Thanks again everyone. I was hoping for a magic bullet
but alas, none can be found.

I'll just grab a Win98 boot disk

 

[Fred Smith]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;870898 I ran into
this on my HP. Don't know if it applies here at all.
Fred

 

[Jon]

This free tool may help

http://tinyurl.com/7xhck


Jon