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WinXP Not Booting === Challenging Problem for Experts - Cant use Recovery Console
I recently experienced the same problem as Paul on this thread:
https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-72095.php
Does anyone know of a good CDRom boot disk which can read & give access (both read and write access) to the hard drive? Paul's conclusion was to use "Windows PE". (Pre-installation Environment). However, I would prefer to use something free (if it exists). I need a CDRom boot disk which gives me access to the H/D, (like recovery console), but avoiding the annoying administrator pasword.
Here are my symptoms in summary:
1. My notebook would not boot past the windows splash screen so I tried to apply the following Microsoft procedure.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307545
2. It almost worked past step 1, but there was no system file in c:\windows\repair\ so I just left the existing system file there.
It appeared to be working until I got to the Admin password prompt. It then failed as there is a bug with Recovery Console and some machines where XP was OEM installed. So its not possible to run Recovery Console.
http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...kb;EN-US;308402 - 'The Password Is Not Valid' Error Message Appears When You Log On to Recovery Console in WinXP'
3. I cannot use the Administrator password (the password was blank prior to this, but now it appears to be different), I even tried to change the password using a boot disk with a password changer. EBCD.IOS - from http://www.simtel.net/product.download.mirrors.php?id=80024
I tried to use an NTFS boot disk to get access to the C: drive (from www.bootdisk.com). My intent was to change back the registry hive files (sam, security, software, system, default), in hopes of returning to a stable state. I am able to see the files, but I cannot copy them or erase them. every time I try to do a copy operation, I receive an error message: "invalid directory specified". This boot disk, although it appeared to be my saving grace, did not help once I found that I could not copy or erase files on my hard disk.
4. I then tried a repair from the recovery console (to re-install windows over the existing installation), but then an even worse problem occurs: I am now getting this symptom:
(If you read the following article, I am exactly in the same place as the author of the article. The same sequence of events happened to me exactly!). I am tuck half way through a windows installation procedure with no hope of being able to complet it. The pc ends up in an endless loop rebooting during setup.
https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-72095.php
The person with the above article was able to gain access to their PC using “Windows PE” (Pre-installation Environment). I assume that PE was able to give him access to read and write the files on the hard drive, and thereby being able to restore the registry files.
I would like to try the Windows PE, however, I need it on a CDRom boot disk since I don’t have a floppy drive on this laptop. In fact, I cannot find any CDRom download for the Windows PE.
I recently experienced the same problem as Paul on this thread:
https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-72095.php
Does anyone know of a good CDRom boot disk which can read & give access (both read and write access) to the hard drive? Paul's conclusion was to use "Windows PE". (Pre-installation Environment). However, I would prefer to use something free (if it exists). I need a CDRom boot disk which gives me access to the H/D, (like recovery console), but avoiding the annoying administrator pasword.
Here are my symptoms in summary:
1. My notebook would not boot past the windows splash screen so I tried to apply the following Microsoft procedure.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307545
2. It almost worked past step 1, but there was no system file in c:\windows\repair\ so I just left the existing system file there.
It appeared to be working until I got to the Admin password prompt. It then failed as there is a bug with Recovery Console and some machines where XP was OEM installed. So its not possible to run Recovery Console.
http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...kb;EN-US;308402 - 'The Password Is Not Valid' Error Message Appears When You Log On to Recovery Console in WinXP'
3. I cannot use the Administrator password (the password was blank prior to this, but now it appears to be different), I even tried to change the password using a boot disk with a password changer. EBCD.IOS - from http://www.simtel.net/product.download.mirrors.php?id=80024
I tried to use an NTFS boot disk to get access to the C: drive (from www.bootdisk.com). My intent was to change back the registry hive files (sam, security, software, system, default), in hopes of returning to a stable state. I am able to see the files, but I cannot copy them or erase them. every time I try to do a copy operation, I receive an error message: "invalid directory specified". This boot disk, although it appeared to be my saving grace, did not help once I found that I could not copy or erase files on my hard disk.
4. I then tried a repair from the recovery console (to re-install windows over the existing installation), but then an even worse problem occurs: I am now getting this symptom:
(If you read the following article, I am exactly in the same place as the author of the article. The same sequence of events happened to me exactly!). I am tuck half way through a windows installation procedure with no hope of being able to complet it. The pc ends up in an endless loop rebooting during setup.
https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-72095.php
The person with the above article was able to gain access to their PC using “Windows PE” (Pre-installation Environment). I assume that PE was able to give him access to read and write the files on the hard drive, and thereby being able to restore the registry files.
I would like to try the Windows PE, however, I need it on a CDRom boot disk since I don’t have a floppy drive on this laptop. In fact, I cannot find any CDRom download for the Windows PE.
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