XP home boot question

[Kevin Nelson]

Hi, a friend wants me to get some data off her computer and she says that it
will not boot into windows. I created the 6 boot disks from the microsoft
site and in reading it over i saw that I will need the XP cd once all 6 are
loaded in. Will the OEM disk she got with the computer do the job? She only
has the restore disks.

Thanks

 

[David Candy]

You can't access data not in the Windows folder (which has no user data) unless you configured the computer to do so while it worked. This is to stop people stealing documents with a CD.

Install windows again in a new folder and use that windows to copy her data. You'll need to type
taking ownership
in help to be allowed access.

 

[Kevin Nelson]

David, I am sure that what you said makes sense to you but it just confused
me more.

In order to access her data I have to reinstall windows xp in a different
folder? and there is some help box that pops up and lets me take over the
computer? and then I can get to her data?

If that is right then hurrah for me. But, would that would with the OEM
disks that came with the computer? I thought those just reinstalled
everything straight from the factory, and shame on you if you did not have a
backup.



"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
You can't access data not in the Windows folder (which has no user data)
unless you configured the computer to do so while it worked. This is to stop
people stealing documents with a CD.

Install windows again in a new folder and use that windows to copy her data.
You'll need to type
taking ownership
in help to be allowed access.

 

[D.Currie]

Depending on who the OEM is, you may be able to customize the install, or
you may not.

Your best bet is to take the hard drive out, put it in another computer as a
secondary drive, and copy whatever data you need to save. Then it doesn't
matter as much what the disks do. If it works to repair the install, you're
ahead of the game, if it wipes the drive, the data is safe.

Then sit your friend down and explain why backups should be done before the
computer goes blooey. This time the data is recoverable, but if the drive
crashed, it would be pretty expensive to get the data back.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Kevin,

The boot disks will not allow you to recover data, they are only for
performing repair work in the system folder. You should see if her recovery
media allows for non-destructive recovery of the operating system.
Otherwise, do as David has indicated and install WindowsXP to a new folder
(providing the recovery disks allow this), then "take ownership" of the
desired files and copy them to removable media like a CD-R. Or, alternately,
remove the drive and slave it into a working system, use it to copy the
user's files.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[David Candy]

Borrow someone's else's XP or Windows 2000 disk. You only want it for an hour. You got the thing basically right.

 

[NobodyMan]

I do know what he was talking about - and I still had to read it twice
to fully understand what he was getting at.

What you need to know is:

Those six floppies you have are designed to allows access to the CD
install if you have an older machine that won't allow you to boot
directly from the CD. Depending on the OEM CD, they may or may not
allow you to use that CD. However, if the manufacturer supplied CDs
for a restore, it's a pretty sure bet the system CAN boot from CD,
making those floppies unnecessary.

What David was getting at is that files/folder contained inside
Documents and Settings is set up so that only the logged on user can
access folders for that user. They can't access other users' folders
in that directory. This is a security feature that can only be
changed by an administrator.

 

[Kevin Nelson]

Many, many thanks for all the responses, but the case is moot. Her computer
does not have a floppy, a fact she did not share with me until I got there.
Anyway it turns out that I came to the same conclusion, they are going to
take the drive to a computer shop and have it installed in a box that has
SATA drives and copy her data to a usb key drive. Then they are going to use
those recovery disks.

Turns out it was the husband that was a bit too paranoid about cleaning out
spy/ad/mal/viruses and somehow deleted system files needed to boot. I think
he has learned his lesson.

Thanks again
Kevin

 

[D.Currie]

Well, there's a fix for that, probably, that doesn't require a reinstall.
This is a good test to see if the shop knows what it's doing.

 

[Kelly]

Kevin,

Do you know more of what he deleted? As a general rule, system files can't
be removed. For the others that are, that is where SFC /Scannow comes into
play. For XP, even cleaning everything that shows from cleaners, cause no
harm.

--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com