WINNT /repair and Patches, ServicePacks

[Big-D]

I have a Win XP Pro machine which is FULLY patched -
however, System Restore has ceased working and I want to
run WINNT /repair to see if I can kick it back into life.

If I do this, will I lose all the Patches and Service
Pack files that been installed since Windows was first
loaded?

If so, what is the quickest way (ie least number of
patches etc) I need to re-install to get a fully updated
machine back up and running?

Thanks.

 

[Mike Kolitz]

I wouldn't necessarily use WINNT /REPAIR to do it... personally, I'd boot to
the CD and choose to do a repair install, but I suppose it all gets you to
the same place.

Yes, by doing a repair install you would need to reinstall all Service Packs
and patches. Your quickest path to getting fully patched would be to
install SP1, and any of the rollup fixes. Then install the individual fixes
as necessary.

Also, remember - after you do the repair, your computer will be vulnerable
to Blaster until you apply the patch again. Make sure that you either
download the Blaster patch (MS03-039) ahead of time and patch right away, or
turn your Firewall on before you connect to the internet again.

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment

Remember to check Windows Update often,
and apply the patches marked as Critical!
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect

 

[francis gerard]

it may be rather obvious, but just in case you overlooked it, check the
Services management console to make sure the System Restore Service is
running, status will say Started, and that it is set to start Automatically.
if you don't see an entry for System Restore Service in the services
console, then there might be an easier way to restore it (ironic, given what
it's supposed to do). for example, with the w32tm service, you simply type
the command 'w32tm /register' which will do as it says, register the time
service to register itself in the list of services and add the necessary
entries to the registry. (type w32tm at command line for more info on that)
i assume, perhaps incorrectly, that there will be a similar procedure for
registering known windows services that have somehow gotten themselves
disabled, like your system restore service. you know, reapplying the
service pack can sometimes fix these problems, and there's no harm in
reapplying SP1, all post SP1 hotfixes (windows updates) get migrated during
the SP re-installation anyway, so there's no reason not to try it. rather
painless if it actually fixes the problem. personally, i don't like system
restore, it hogs a lot of disk space and it seems to cause some performance
degradation, so i have disabled it on my system. of course, the day will
come i will regret that, no doubt, but at least i've installed the recovery
console, in case i need to get under the hood and make repairs one day.

 

[Big-D]

Thanks Mike & Francis for your responses - very helpful.

I'll ponder my options .. given Francis' opinion of
SysRestore ( - which, incidentally, generates an error
message reporting a problem with rstui.exe and
srrstr.dll. Also, the Service does appear to be running
happily).

Thanks again.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have a Win XP Pro machine which is FULLY patched -
however, System Restore has ceased working and I want to
run WINNT /repair to see if I can kick it back into life.

If I do this, will I lose all the Patches and Service
Pack files that been installed since Windows was first
loaded?

If so, what is the quickest way (ie least number of
patches etc) I need to re-install to get a fully updated
machine back up and running?

Do a repair reinstall slightly differently - Set the BIOS to boot CD
before Hard disk, then boot the XP CD, start Setup (do not take
'Repair' at this stage), then after the license agreement take 'Repair
Installation'. This will retain your existing software installations
and most settings.

But Updates will have to be run again, especially SP1; that is one of
the points of repair - to get you back to a certain base. If you have
access to a CD of the same type as yours (eg Home/Pro) but has SP1
'slipstreamed' in, that will save time.

It is important to activate the basic XP Firewall before you ever
connect to the net to get the patches, so as to be protected against
things like the BLAST worm.

If the need is not too urgent, I would go to
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp
and order the free 'Security upgrade' CD - that includes SP1 and all the
security updates you need through Feb 2004