Repair windows XP using a restore disc

[Guest]

Happy New Year everyone.

I recently had a startup problem that required XP to be repaired on my
Toshiba laptop. I tried using the restore disc that contains a copy of XP but
this was unsuccessful. The repairer said that the OEM restore disc will not
work and he used a normal XP disc.
Why is an XP disc not provided as standard (in addition to the restore
media) and is it possible to obtain one at a preferential rate?
Thanks

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Welcome to Toshiba Support!
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_home.jsp

Search with Ask IRIS
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/...BV_EngineID=ccchadddhlfdldhcgfkceghdgngdgmm.0

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Happy New Year everyone.
|
| I recently had a startup problem that required XP to be repaired on my
| Toshiba laptop. I tried using the restore disc that contains a copy of XP but
| this was unsuccessful. The repairer said that the OEM restore disc will not
| work and he used a normal XP disc.
| Why is an XP disc not provided as standard (in addition to the restore
| media) and is it possible to obtain one at a preferential rate?
| Thanks
| --
| Phil

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

You'll have to contact your laptop supplier. It's a machine specific
problem.

--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Phil.

It is a decision of the manufacturer not to provide a regular disk, they do
this to save money. All they are required to provide is a means of putting
the system back to factory state (which they do via the restore disk which
contains an image of the factory state they use for all their systems). You
could contact the manufacturer to see if they will provide a generic
installation disk at a reduced price. You will need one from them as opposed
to a retail version, as the system may require proprietary drivers for the
hardware the system was built with, and these may not exist in the retail
version.

One other note, check the I386 directory on the system (this is your source
folder for the original system files), there may be a winnt32.exe and a
winnt.exe file. The former may possibly be used to start a repair install
from within a working installation, the latter from a command prompt. This
may help you avoid a clean (and destructive) reinstallation in the future.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Guest]

Many thanks for your replies.
Rick, could I copy the files you mentioned onto a cd and possibly use this
to boot up from should I need to repair XP again in the future?

Phil

 

[Michael Stevens]

Many thanks for your replies.
Rick, could I copy the files you mentioned onto a cd and possibly use
this to boot up from should I need to repair XP again in the future?

Phil

You could use it if it is a complete i386 folder, but you would have to know
what you are doing to get it to work.
BTW, to add to Rick's comments, the savings to the OEM's is not the cost of
the XP CD, but the support it would require to help users use the XP CD as
opposed to saying run the restore disk to return it to a know state.

--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Guest]

Thanks Michael.

Sorry for being dumb but I still don't understand why I wasn't supplied with
an XP disc with my laptop - my PC came with both the restore disc and a W98SE
disc which I have used many times without needing any support. Is the XP disc
more difficult to use?

Phil.

 

[Bob I]

Ask the place you bought the laptop from. The laptop manufacturer is who
makes the decision as to what to include in the sale!

Thanks Michael.

Sorry for being dumb but I still don't understand why I wasn't supplied with
an XP disc with my laptop - my PC came with both the restore disc and a W98SE
disc which I have used many times without needing any support. Is the XP disc
more difficult to use?

Phil.

:

 

[Michael Stevens]

Thanks Michael.

Sorry for being dumb but I still don't understand why I wasn't
supplied with an XP disc with my laptop - my PC came with both the
restore disc and a W98SE disc which I have used many times without
needing any support. Is the XP disc more difficult to use?

Phil.

Microsoft only requires the OEM to supply a way to restore the computer to
it's original shipped state, this can be through restore disks, hidden
restore partition, XP CD and other software disks or a combination of both.
The decision on how this is supplied is left up to the individual OEM. Next
time if the CD is important to you, only purchase from a OEM that supplies
an OS CD.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm