Fix, Recover and Repair Windows XP When a PC/Computer Crashes or Fails to Boot

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CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE

Click the relevant link to go to that information

METHODS OF RECOVERING WINDOWS XP

Copying files and making backups: Using the Xcopy and Robocopy commands from the Command Prompt in Windows XP and Windows Vista

Windows XP: Password problems - password and document recovery

How to create a boot (startup) CD for Windows XP

How to install a complete copy of Windows XP on an USB flash drive

How to troubleshoot and fix shutdown, restart (reboot), and startup problems [A separate page]

Windows XP: How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard [A separate page]

Self-reactivation of Windows XP

How to perform a repair installation/install of Windows XP

Windows XP Pro won't let me in. When I click on my name on the logon screen it says that it is loading my settings but then goes back to the logon screen in a loop

Sundry useful articles

Reinstalling Windows XP over itself

Using the Windows XP command prompt

The System File Checker (SFC) in Windows XP

The Roll Back Driver feature

System Restore

The Recovery Console and information about the CHKDSK hard-drive diagnostic utility

Windows XP: Problem running CHKDSK

Using the Windows XP Recovery Console to restore a boot.ini file

Using "Automated System Recovery" (ASR)

Restoring Windows XP to a serial ATA hard disk drive

Slipstreaming Windows XP/Vista: How to create a Windows XP/Windows Vista installation CD/DVD containing the service packs and missing drivers

METHODS OF RECOVERING WINDOWS XP

Note well that if you are to recover a system that is running Windows XP, or any other operating system, the cause of the problem must be software-related, not hardware-related. If a computer is suffering from a serious hardware problem or failure, none of the methods of recovery provided on this page will be of any use. An example of a serious hardware failure is a faulty hard disk drive that won't allow the system to boot. The Q&A on this site called Why do I get a black screen with an "Operating system not found" message at startup? is a good example of a hardware issue that can only be recovered by replacing the faulty hardware. Here is another relevant Q&A on this site: Windows XP won't reinstall. Is it a software problem or a hardware failure?

If it is not possible to make use of any of the methods of recovering Windows XP provided on this page, then you should investigate hardware issues of that kind. The table above provides the links to the other pages on this site that deal with computer problems.

If your computer won't boot, the cause might be a system tweak too far, a genuine hardware failure, a software problem of some kind, such a botched installation, or contamination by a virus. Fortunately, you have many ways in which to recover the system in Windows XP and Windows Vista. - Click here! to go to the information on this site that deals with recovering and repairing Windows Vista and Vista problems and their solutions.

When a computer starts up, the BIOS Setup Program makes the processor execute a program that is stored in the BIOS called the Power On Self Test (POST) that performs tests on the system's RAM memory, its motherboard, and the peripheral devices attached to it. If the POST tests cannot be carried out properly, it halts the proceedings. Depending on the make of the BIOS, if the video/graphics card is working, you might see an explanatory message on the screen, but, in a desktop PC, you should always hear a series of coded beeps from the system speaker inside the case, which is independent from any attached speakers. In a laptop PC, the BIOS uses its integrated system speakers. The code attempts to tell you the source of the probem. A single beep, which most people can probably remember hearing at startup, means that the POST tests were conducted successfully. The other beep codes depend on the make of the BIOS. If your computer won't boot and produces a beep code that you can't decode, you'll have to use another computer that is connected to visit a BIOS site such as http://www.bioscentral.com/. If you know the make of your BIOS, you can look up the beep codes for it there. If you don't know the make, if you have the PC's motherboard manual, you can look it up. If you don't have a motherboard manual and know the make and model of the motherboard you should be able to download a copy from its manufacturer's website.

If you don't know the make of your computer's BIOS and your computer is working, you should be able to find what it is by entering msinfo32 in the Start => Run box of Windows XP to bring up the System Information window. (It's the Start => Start Search box in Windows Vista.) For System Summary the information in the left-hand window should contain an item called BIOS Version/Date with information such as American Megatrends Inc [AMI]. A1034IMS V1.70 10/19/06, 19/10/2006. That means that an AMI BIOS is installed. You can print out the BIOS beep codes for that make of BIOS provided by BIOS Central. Place the information somewhere safe just in case the PC suffers boot failure.

Visit the BIOS section of this site for more information on the BIOS.

The boot failure could be caused by thermal expansion and contraction over a long period that has made an adapter card, such as the video/graphics card, come loose, which can be fixed by removing and reseating it. If you know what they mean, the beep codes tell you which components of the computer to start investigating.

When upgrading to Windows XP, the installation procedure could halt irrecoverably for some reason, rendering the previous version of Windows and Windows XP useless and unable to start up. This Q&A on this site called Halfway into upgrading Windows 98 to Windows XP my computer froze and then wouldn't start up deals with that problem.

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Windows XP Home Edition is the first desktop version of Windows for the home user that is not built on top of the MS DOS operating system.

You can still run MS DOS programs in Windows XP, but DOS is an add-on program; Windows XP is not built upon it as Windows 95/98/98SE/Me systems are.

In Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, other file systems such as FAT32 can be used, but the native file system is NTFS, which offers numerous security features and other advantages. Access can be limited to certain users, data can be restored by having System Restore enabled and then run in an emergency, and encryption and compression is possible without the use of additional software. However, it also has a huge disadvantage: access from other systems is only possible by making use of special software tools. Moreover, access (from other systems or boot disks, etc.) to data files is mostly read-only. While that is enough to rescue data, making changes to files (such as the boot manager file, boot.ini) is not possible. Click here! to go to some Q&As on this site on the pros and cons of using the FAT32 and NTFS file systems.

If you have a Dell computer, it has its own recovery system, which varies from computer to computer. Here is a site that provides recovery CDs for Dell computers:

Windows Recovery CDs for Dell Computers - http://www.gennersales.co.uk/recovery/dell.htm

You should try Dell's support first, but there must be a market for Dell Recovery CDs or a site like that wouldn't exist.

If you can't solve your recovery problem by using the manufacturer's support services, there might be similar information available for other brand names such as HP, Gateway, and Packard Bell that you can search for by making use of the Google search box provided at the top of this page with its Web radio button selected. You can find the above Dell-recovery site with the search term dell + computer + recovery (as is), so try substituting the word dell with hp, hewlett packard, gateway, etc.

BootIt: A self-contained backup program

If Windows is rendered unbootable and the drive it is installed on contains valuable files that you haven't backed up, before you try any recovery, you can use a self-contained backup option such as BootIt, which can run from a floppy disk and can access most CD/DVD drives on its own.

BootIt Next Generation - Operating-system independent back-up and imaging solution, partition manager, and boot manager, BootIt Next Generation from http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/ costs only $35. It can be used with Windows and Linux systems. It supports both CD-R and CD-RW disks, and DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+R, and DVD-RAM disks.

What to do if Windows XP won't boot and you don't have a Windows XP installation CD and you don't want to use the Recovery CD provided by the PC's manufacturer

If your brand-name PC comes with a Recovery CD instead of a Windows XP installation CD, you won't be able to use features that require the Windows XP CD, such as the repair installation. However, if using a Recovery CD restores the PC to the state it was in when it left the factory, you may not want to use it if doing so destroys all of the data files and programs you've installed since you started using it. You'll be glad to know that there are ways of recovering the system if if won't boot and you don't have an installation CD. Click the link to read the article on this site called: WINDOWS WON'T BOOT - Find out how to get Windows up and running if you don't want to use the System Recovery option and you don't have the Windows CD to hand.

Copying files and making backups: Using the Xcopy and Robocopy commands from the Command Prompt in Windows XP and Windows Vista

You should always make copies of important files and backups so that you can restore them if Windows XP or Windows Vista have to be reinstalled after an unrecoverable system crash.

Windows XP and Windows Vista provide backup software and file-copying software that can be run from a graphical user interface (GUI) or from the Command Prompt. Click here! to go to the information on backups and backup strategies on this site. The command-line xcopy and robocopy commands are dealt with here.

Many users of Windows Vista have made complains about slow file-copying, particularly across a network, but also to external hard drives. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) has improved matters. However, note that in both Windows XP and Windows Vista, copying files using the xcopy command from the Command Prompt will always be much faster than copying files using Windows Explorer.

To open a Command Prompt in Windows XP enter cmd in the Start => Run box. Then just enter xcopy /? beside the flashing underscore to find out what the full range of switches are that can be used with that command. You can then enter xcopy followed by the switch of your choice to run that command. In Windows Vista enter that cmd command in the Start => Start Search box. To find out how to use the xcopy command in Windows XP, enter xcopy + xp, as is, in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled). Note that Windows Vista has replaced xcopy with the superior robocopy, which has powerful backup options in addition to its copy options. To find out how to use the robocopy command in Windows Vista, enter robocopy + vista, as is, in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

Note also that you can add robocopy to Windows XP. It is part of the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools that are free to download from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?...

When you have it installed in Windows XP (it is part of Windows Vista), you can copy the long help file to a text file by entering the command robocopy /? > robocopy.txt. I take it that the file is saved to the root directory C:\. You can use the Start => Search in Windows XP and the Start => Start Search box in Windows Vista to locate it.

You can also run it with a graphical user interface (GUI) instead of from the command line.

Utility Spotlight: Robocopy GUI - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc160891.aspx

Windows XP: Password problems - Password and document recovery

Most installations of Windows XP don't have a user password set because that is the default setup. However if a password has been set and it has been forgotten, recovering it can be difficult.

Information on passwords can be found under Help and Support in Windows XP. To find it, enter the word passwords in the Search box. It includes a User accounts overview, how to set passwords, hints on choosing passwords, creating strong passwords, etc.

Here are some Q&As that deal with password problems on this site:

How to log on to Windows XP if you forget your password or your password expires

How can I get rid of the need to enter a password to log on to Windows XP?

I Forgot My Administrator Password! - Can't Log On to Windows XP?

The idea of having a password is to prevent people without it from using the computer or from logging on as the Administrator, so, understandably, it isn't easy to recover from this situation, but you'll be glad to know that it can be done. However, the data must not encrypted using the Windows XP Encrypting File System (EFS) or other encryption, because you will not be able to gain access to encrypted files by changing the administrator password.

To make use of the method of password recovery provided in the following article, you have to make use of the Ultimate Boot CD to change the password. The old password is not necessary.

How Do I Gain Administrator Access Without a Password? -

http://www.pcworld.com/article/150749/how_do_i_gain_administrator_access_without_a_password.html

However, perhaps you would prefer using a password-cracking tool such as Openwall's John the Ripper from http://www.openwall.com/john. It can be used to find out what the passwords used in Windows NT/2000/XP are.

Forgot your Windows NT/2k/XP/Vista admin password? -

"This is a utility to (re)set the password of any user that has a valid (local) account on your Windows NT/2k/XP/Vista etc system. You do not need to know the old password to set a new one. It works offline, that is, you have to shutdown your computer and boot off a floppydisk or CD or another system. Will detect and offer to unlock locked or disabled out user accounts! There is also a registry editor and other registry utilities that works under linux/unix, and can be used for other things than password editing." - http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Active Password Changer from http://www.password-changer.com/ costs $20/£40 can reliably reset the local administrator and user account passwords of computers running Windows NT/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista.

If those utilities fail you can try a password-recovery service.

These are usually expensive but the Login Recovery service from http://www.loginrecovery.com/ is free unless you use its instant-access service. "Login Recovery is a service to reveal user names and recover passwords for Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista. As long as you have physical access to the computer, your passwords can be recovered."

On startup, the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) file that contains the passwords is locked, encrypted, and is therefore unreadable. You download the software to create a bootable floppy disk or CD. (Remember that to boot from a floppy disk the BIOS Setup Program must be set so that the first boot device is a floppy drive/CD/DVD drive. You then boot the system with it and it makes a copy of the SAM file. Then you make use of another PC that is connected to the web to upload the file that is extracted to the Login Recovery site. You should have the password back within 48 hours.

Petter Nordahl-Hagen's Offline NT Password & Registry Editor - An excellent free tool that can reset the administrator password and gain access to the system. It modifies the encrypted password in the Registry's SAM file, thereby allowing access to the account in Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista systems. An image file is used to create a bootable floppy disk or bootable CD that is used to modify the administrator password and access NTFS partitions. It is not necessary to know the old password to set a new one. You can also use it to unlock disabled or locked user accounts . The program now includes Windows Vista support. - http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/

If those options don't work, try the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor from http://www.home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd. It looks complicated but when mastered it does the job well and is available as a bootable floppy disk or as a bootable CD. You can also use it to edit the Windows Registry.

If that is of no use, you can try using the Emergency Boot CD from http://www.ebcd.pcministry.com/. It is capable of resetting the Administrator password.

If you are still at a loss, if have a Windows XP installation/setup CD, you can try the following relatively easy method of password recovery that is provided on this page:

I Forgot My Administrator Password! Can't Log On to Windows XP? - http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=305

The method doesn't take advantage of a security flaw in Windows XP, because you have to have your XP installation CD and its Product Key, otherwise you won't be able to complete the process.

Alternatively, if you can boot the system from an operating system such as Linux that is compatible with the NTFS file system that Windows XP Professional uses, then you can use a program specially written to remove or reset the password file entries. There are several such programs that have been put together that come provided with the files for a Linux boot floppy disk or CD.

Ophcrack LiveCD is a Linux-based password cracking tool that can be obtained from http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net. It is free bootabe version of the Linux operating system, but is more difficult to use than the affordable commercial products.

Note well that if Windows XP Pro has been set to use encrypted folders, resetting the password will render them inaccessible because they can only be decrypted if the original password is used to access the system.

Password problems and password information in the MS Knowledge Base

All of the possible problems with passwords in Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional Edition are dealt with in the MS Knowledge Base.

Click on the MS Knowlege Base article's Reference Number to go to that article on Microsoft's site

How to create a boot (startup) CD for Windows XP

BartPE - an essential recovery and repair utility

BartPE (Bart's Preinstalled Environment) is a free utility that loads its essential files into RAM memory and allows you to create a bootable Windows XP startup CD that operates from the CD completely independently of an installed version of Windows, allowing you to troubleshoot, repair or reinstall an ailing installation of Windows XP.

BartPE is a wizard-style utility that runs on Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003. It automates most of the creation of a bootable copy of Windows on a recordable CD or DVD. The utility assembles the correct files and settings. You must provide a Windows XP (SP1 or later) installation/setup CD, because the files are copied from it. The utility's creator, Bart Lagerweij, says that it is possible to use a preinstalled version of Windows XP (without a CD) as a source for building a copy of BartPE. Bart says, it's "...a complete Win32 environment with network support, a graphical user interface (800x600) and FAT/NTFS/CDFS file system support. Very handy for burn-in testing systems with no OS, rescuing files to a network share, virus scan and so on. This will replace any DOS bootdisk in no time!"

Instruction 2. on the page provided below reads as follows: "Start PE Builder (pebuilder.exe). At the main PE Builder dialog, enter the source path to your original Windows XP/2003 Installation/Setup CD. You can use the "..." button to navigate. If your Windows XP is not integrated with service pack 1 or 2, you must slipstream your files first. Please read Slipstreaming files from the help files to do this."

Clicking that last link leads to some confusing information. Click here! to go to information on this page on how to slipsteam Windows XP. For more information on the utility and how to use it to create the bootable CD visit Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE) bootable live windows CD/DVD. - http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

Read the FAQ page - http://nu2.nu/pebuilder/faq/. At the time of writing (August 2008), it said this: "Does PE Builder support building from WinXP SP2? - Yes, use PE Builder v3.0.32 or higher," and "I cannot build, my Windows XP installation CD is original (pre-SP1). - You must slipstream your Windows XP files. Easiest way to do this is to use the slipstream option in PE Builder. In the menu select source -> slipstream. Insert your Windows XP CD-Rom and enter the location at the "source" field. Enable the "source is read only" flag. If you have not done already, download Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package. Enter the location of this service pack file at the "servicepack" field. Hit the [OK] button. PE Builder will first copy files from your CD to the fixed disk and after that the slipstream will be started. This will all take a while, just wait."

If your PC has Windows XP SP3 installed, you have to slipstream the SP3 update in the same way as SP2 update is slipstreamed. Use the Windows XP SP3 Network Installation Package (not the standard SP3 installation package).

When I followed the instructions, the utility created an ISO file called pebuilder.iso in the folder it created for itself during its installation. But after the ISO file was created, the CD writer's drawer opened and then closed before I could take the Windows CD out and replace it with a CD-R disc. The utility tried to burn the ISO file to the Windows CD, but couldn't because it is a CD-ROM disc. The utility left a message saying that the burning had failed. At the bottom of the list of what it had done there was another message saying that there was one error, press the << and >> to go to it. The message warned that the file name for an ISO file should not exceed 31 characters or a buffer overrun could result. There was no option to enter a file name, it used its own name for the ISO file, so it made no sense to me. To burn the ISO file to a CD-R disc, I opened Nero Express, chose the option to burn a Disk Image, chose the file type that had iso in it, and the ISO burned to the CD-R disk, which could be run from within Windows, or be used as a boot CD if the CD-ROM drive was set as the first boot device in the BIOS. If you boot the system with the BartPE CD, you can run the programs installed on the hard drive, but you have to enter the registration details for those programs that require them, because the boot CD hasn't loaded Windows, just its own files and its collection of Windows files into RAM memory, not on to the hard drive. Therefore, the programs behave as if they haven't been registered. By loading its files into RAM, the boot CD allows you to test the hard drive. You'll also know soon enough if the RAM is at fault if the BIOS can be accessed, but the boot process fails.

Here is an interesting forum thread: BartPE - http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198379.

Bart PE Builder Tutorial [Video] - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0reKK2ASEaU

The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

There are also other boot CDs based on the BartPE CD, such as UBCD4Win (The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows). The documentation provided by its creators is very good. Visit http://www.ubcd4win.com/ for more information.

The creators of Ultimate Boot CD for Windows XP made version 3.0 available on June 5, 2006. (The current release in August 2008 is 4.1.1.) You used to have to download BartPE, but the new version now includes it, which means that you don't need to download Bart's packages separately.

How to use BartPE to create a bootable Windows XP CD if your PC doesn't have one

Microsoft stipulates that every PC bundled with Windows XP must provide a method of restoring it in the event of an irrecoverable system crash. However, many manufacturers or system builders still bundle Windows XP Recovery CDs that return the PC's hard drive to the condition it was in when it left the factory. This usually wipes out all of the data files and the installed programs that the user has added.

Fortunately, many major PC manufacturers and builders are no longer providing data-wiping Recovery CDs. For example, new PCs from manufacturers such as Dell, Gateway, and Lenovo (the new owners of IBM laptops) are providing a Windows XP CD, or some other way of performing non-destructive reinstallations.

If a particular PC lacks a Windows XP CD, a folder named i386 that contains the Windows installation files will almost certainly be found in the root directory of the C: drive - C:\ - or in the C:\Windows\Driver Cache folder. A Windows XP system will probably have several i386 folders. The one you need has plenty of files with their extensions ending in underscores (_), and the executable files expand.exe, regedit.exe, and winnt32.exe. It is advisable to copy this i386 folder to a recordable CD or DVD disc in case the files on the PC get damaged. The i386 folder on the hard drive is used to reinstall Windows XP, so write the path to it on the CD-R disc so that you know where to copy it if that should prove necessary. You need the 25-character Windows XP Product Key in order to reinstall Windows. The key can be found on the back or side of a desktop PC, on the bottom of a notebook PC, and it it may be listed in the user manual the came with the computer. A bootable CD/DVD for starting the installation process is also required. A BartPE CD is the best one to use.

To reinstall Windows XP, start the computer and enter its BIOS setup program by pressing the required entry key(s). Make the CD/DVD drive the first boot device. Save and exit. (Don't forget to make the hard drive the first boot device afterward Windows has been reinstalled.) If you have the BartPE CD in the CD/DVD drive, it will now boot the system when the system restarts. Click Go => Programs => A43 File Management Utility. Navigate to the i386 folder on the hard drive (not the i386 folder on the CD). Double-click on the winnt32.exe file to start the installation process. When the installation program closes, reboot the PC, remove the CD, and select Microsoft Windows XP Setup from the resulting boot menu. The installation process should pick up from where it left off.

Create the ultimate [BartPE] recovery disc - http://supportpcs.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=231&Itemid=39

BartPE plugins

Many plugins are available that you can add to the BartPE CD in order to increase what it can achieve. To find them, enter bartpe + plugins in the Google search box at the top of this page with its Web radio button enabled. Here is a site that offers such plugins:

BartPE Plugin Repository - http://www.bootcd.us/BartPE_Plugins_Repository.php

Article 307545 in the MS KNowledge Base that covers the problem: - How To Recover From a Corrupt Registry That Prevents Windows XP From Starting.

Read this forum thread for an example of a situation in which the use of the above plugin was used to recover a corrupt Registry that prevented Windows XP from being started: Cannot start Windows XP - http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=19849.

Moreover, you can add entire programs, such as this excellent free disk-imaging application:

DriveImage XML - Image and Backup logical Drives and Partitions - http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm

You could therefore make an image of an entire hard drive and save it to a recordable DVD disc if the system can be booted from a BartPE CD with this program installed on it. Restoring the image is very straightforward. You can also restore individual files from the backup image.

Booting a complete copy of Windows XP or a system rescue setup from a USB flash drive

If you have a flash drive that is bootable and your computer's BIOS allows booting from one, it is now possible to boot a full version of Windows XP from a USB flash drive. See the next item on this page for a link to a tutorial that tells you how to do it.

Alternatively, it is possible to boot to a recovery system - a 'preinstalled environment', such as BartPE - from one. You can add all kinds utilities to it that are able to diagnose hardware problems and/or aid in the recovery of a system. The following articles tell you exactly how to do it, including how to format a bootable flash drive. Note that not all motherboard BIOS setup programs, especially the older ones, support booting from the USB interface. If the BIOS doesn't support it, then you can't use a USB drive of any kind to boot the system, but if it is supported, the option to enable such a system boot exists in the BIOS. However, even though the BIOS supports booting from a USB drive, there may be other incompatibilities that prevent it from being possible. The following articles go into the details in depth.

[Using the "Bart PE Builder"] - Windows In Your Pocket -

"All it takes is a minor error in the Windows Registry or a virus infection, and your operating system can become unbootable. But with a properly configured USB flash drive on hand, you'll always have a compatible replacement no further away than your pocket or keychain. In addition, the flash drive can also provide a secure browser and virus scanner, and lets you take your favorite DVD burning and Office software with you wherever you may go. All that's needed is a bootable USB Flash drive with at least 256 MB of storage capacity and a Windows Setup CD. Using the program Bart PE Builder (Freeware), you can install Windows XP on the flash drive, along with other software as needed (and as available space permits)." -

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/windows-in-your-pocket,review-1427.html

Build Your Own System Rescue CD [Uses BartPE] -

"...instead of using Linux as a foundation, our System will be built on Windows XP with an integrated SP2. This solution is much easier for most users, as you’re not forced to deal with an unfamiliar operating system and user interface in the middle of a data-loss crisis and can attempt to fix your problems from within a familiar environment. In this article, we show you how to create your own rescue CD based on Windows XP SP2 and integrating helpful tools that will make the recovery process easier..." -

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Rescue-CD-System-Recovery,review-29976.html

6 downloadable boot discs that could save your PC [includes BartPE] - http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?...

Here are some alternative methods of recovering Windows XP:

Projects » PeToUSB - Boot BartPE From USB - "PeToUSB is a Win32 GUI application for formatting and making bootable, USB Flash Memory Drives and USB HardDisks and optionally copying the output from a successful BartPE/WinPE build to the device. There are options to backup/restore the MBR on a device. - Boot your BartPE/WinPE from a USB Flash Disk Drive! Also supports USB HardDisks. " - http://gocoding.com/page.php?al=petousb

Windows XP a Goner? First Aid for your Windows PC -

Deals with the Windows XP Recovery Console and using a bootable Knoppix Linux CD to recover Windows XP.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/windows-xp-a-goner,review-1174.html

[Windows] XP On Your Thumb Drive - http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=177102101

Click the Print option in a box at the top of the article and use your browser's Save As option to save it as a single page.

It is also possible to boot some versions of Linux from a flash drive.

HowTo: Linux bootable USB key - http://openfacts.berlios.de/index-en.phtml?title=Linux_bootable_USB_key_HOWTO. More information can be found via this customised Google search: http://www.google.com/search?q=linux+bootable+usb.

Puppy Linux

Mission Statement

"Puppy will easily install to USB, Zip or hard drive media. Booting from CD, Puppy will load totally into RAM so that the CD drive is then free for other purposes. Booting from CD, Puppy can save everything back to the CD, no need for a hard drive. Booting from USB, Puppy will greatly minimise writes, to extend the life of Flash devices indefinitely. Puppy will be extremely friendly for Linux newbies. Puppy will boot up and run extraordinarily fast. Puppy will have all the applications needed for daily use. Puppy will just work, no hassles. Puppy will breathe new life into old PCs." -

http://www.puppylinux.org/

Click here! to go to information on USB flash drives on this site.

How to install a complete copy of Windows XP on a USB flash drive

An ideal way of recovering Windows XP would be if you could run a complete copy of it from a USB flash drive. The following free tutorial tells you how to do it.

"WinUSB is a tutorial which allows the user to run a complete Windows XP version on an USB device/stick. This tutorial is some kind of manual which you have to follow, in order to let your modified Windows XP run on your USB device. Therefor you have to regard some requirements which are also important to the avoidance of any infringement of the copyright of Microsoft. You only have to click on the tutorial menu-button in order to read more..."

"Copyright advice: The following tutorial requires a valid licensed copy of Windows XP. Microsoft does not authorize the owners of Windows XP licences to run the licensed Windows version on more than one computer at a time. The registration of Windows XP also prevents running Windows XP on multiple systems. Due to that, you are allowed to use your licensed copy of Windows XP on only one computer. That does not prevent the use of WinUSB on another computer after shutting down the first system." - http://www.winusb.de/index_en.html

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BOOTING FROM AN USB PENDRIVE ... AND DARED TO ASK -

http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.net/Projects/USB/USBfaqs.html

Recommendations for Booting Windows from USB Storage Devices - "This paper provides information about booting the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems from Universal Serial Bus (USB) storage devices. It provides guidelines for BIOS vendors, IHVs, and OEMs to work together to create USB boot enabled products." - http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/usb-boot.mspx

Self-reactivation of Windows XP

If you haven't backed up your Windows XP system, or haven't created a master image that you can restore in the event of an irrecoverable system failure, and you haven't made any changes to the hardware that would invalidate the old activation code and make it necessary to reactivate Windows XP, you can store the two files that contain the Windows Product Activation (WPA) data on a floppy disk, and copy them to the system after reinstalling Windows so that no activation is required from Microsoft's site or by telephone.

The two files are called Wpa.dbl and Wpa.bak. And they're located in the C:\Windows\system32 folder (if Windows is installed to its default Windows folder and not to a folder with a different name of the user's choosing).

You should reinstall Windows XP. During the process, you should refuse the option to "Activate now". You should then restart the computer and press the F8 key to bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu, and then choose to boot into Minimal Safe Mode. You can then open My Computer, click on the A: drive and copy the two files on the floppy disk to the C:\Windows\system32 folder.

Note well that you should not do this if you have made changes to the system's hardware that would require Windows XP to be reactivated on the web or by obtaining the new code from Microsoft over the telephone.

The two files contain a description of the system's hardware and the activation code that Microsoft generated from its site or provided by telephone, both of which are encrypted. At each system startup, Windows XP decrypts (unencrypts) the description and checks to make sure that the hardware matches the recorded description. The details that are recorded include the serial numbers of the hard disk drive(s), and the MAC address that every Ethernet network card has. A user therefore cannot copy the two activation files from a system that has the same hardware, because although the make and models of the hardware are the same, the identification numbers are different.

A newly installed copy of Windows XP allows its user to activate it automatically from Microsoft's site without having to obtain the activation code from Microsoft over the telephone. But if you attempt to reactivate the same copy of Windows XP within 120 days, you have to obtain the activation code over the telephone.

To do that you need to know what the Windows XP product key (also known as the CD key) is. It should be recorded on the licence sticker that is provided with with the Windows CD, which its user is supposed to stick on the computer's case. If this has been lost then it's not as easy as it was in Windows 95/98/Me to find out what the key is, because in Windows XP and Windows 2000 it is encrypted and not stored in plain text, as it is in the Windows 9.x versions. To find out what it is, you can use a utility specially designed to do so, such as Magical Jelly Bean's Keyfinder from http://www.magicaljellybean.com/.

Note: if you use the above-mentioned utility with Windows XP SP2, make sure that you're using the latest version.

How to perform a 'new' or a 'repair' installation/install of Windows XP

You can perform a repair installation of Windows XP as long as the file system and the bulk of the operating system are intact - and you have a Windows XP installation/setup CD. You cannot perform a repair installation if your PC came with a proprietary Recovery CD (created by the PC's manufacturer) instead of a Windows XP CD.

A repair installation, which installs over the existing installation, is an effective way of repairing damaged or corrupt files and settings, because it leaves all of the programs and preference settings intact. The Windows Registry isn't replaced by a new version that has no knowledge of the installed programs, so they don't have to be reinstalled. For that reason, the process can't remove unnecessary entries that have accumulated in the Registry which can slow the system down if there are too many of them. To remove the clutter, you have to use an effective Registry cleaner, such as RegSeeker, or perform a clean, time-consuming installation of Windows. Note that a repair installation can leave mismatched versions of files behind, because it can reinstall some but not all of the necessary updates. For that reason, after performing a repair installation it is usually necessary to install the Service Packs and then run Microsoft Update to install all of the updates it deems as being necessary. Service Pack 2 (SP2) incorporates SP1, so you don't have to install SP1 first, just install SP2.

Read this warning before you attempt a Repair installation: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#Warning1.

Next, just boot from the Windows XP CD as if you were doing a clean installation of Windows. Windows XP will present you with these three options:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Don't enter the Recovery Console! This is important.

Press the Enter key and allow the CD to load the Setup program into memory. After pressing the F8 key to accept the license agreement, the setup program searches for any previous installations of Windows. It should discover the existing corrupt installation and give you the option too perform either a 'New' installation or 'Repair' the existing one.

Select the Windows XP installation that you want to repair from the list, and press R to start the process.

If Repair is not presented as an option, read this warning: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#warning2

Windows Setup copies its files to the hard disk drive and reboots.

Note well: when the message appears asking you press any key to boot from the CD don't press any key.

The Setup program then continues as if it were doing a clean installation, but the previously installed applications and the customised settings will remain intact.

I've used this method on several occasions to recover a someone's Windows XP system.

Note that this method makes it necessary to reinstall the updates and security patches.

This page contains full instructions on when and how to perform a repair installation: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

This is the printable text version of the above page: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/repair.txt

Here is another illustrated article on performing a repair installation - XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option -

http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897

To view the whole article on a single page, choose the Print option in the box at the top of the page.

And this MS Knowledge Base article - How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP - also covers the subject.

Windows XP Pro won't let me in. When I click on my name on the logon screen it says that it is loading my settings but then goes back to the logon screen in a loop

Problem

My PC runs Windows XP Pro and it was booting without having to log on until the latest security updates were installed. Now the PC presents a logon screen, and asks me to click on my name. When I do so, it says that my personal settings are being loaded, then a message comes up saying that Windows is logging off and saving my settings before it returns to the logon screen. When I click on my name again, Windows repeats the process in a loop.

When I press the F8 key before Windows starts to load in order to use the Safe Mode with Networking option in order to be able to access the web, I am presented with the Administrator Account and my own user account. I can log on by entering my Administrator's password, and then I can access the web, but only at a screen resolution of 800x600. I have checked the system with the AVG virus scanner and the online Kaspersky virus scanner, and the Spybot S&D, Ad-Aware, Windows Defender spyware removal tools, all of which found nothing.

I then used Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel with its Show updates option enabled to remove Microsoft's security updates, but the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) update that checks that a genuine copy of Windows is being used couldn't be removed, and the problem remains. I have also tried using System Restore to restore a restore point that predated the problem, and a repair installation of Windows XP without success.

Answer

Since you uninstalled the security updates, it looks as if something has become corrupted in your user profile. The user Registry file has probably become corrupted while it was being saved to the hard drive during shutdown. An error appears to be occurring as Windows loads the user profile, which is causing it to log off again.

The Even Viewer, which is found under All Programs => Administrative Tools, could provide information on what is happening, but even if it does the problem is likely to be difficult to fix.

Since using System Restore didn't work, you can try using one of the free downloadable recovery CDs, such as BartPE, to restore the user Registry from one of System Restore's backup folders. The Windows XP Registry is made up of several files, one of which contains the user's settings. You can also install the problematic PC's hard drive in another PC and copy the backup file. An expensive alternative is to use the Winternals Administrator's Pak. You have to use those methods, because the backup files created by System Restore can't be accessed if Windows is booted from the same hard drive - even in Safe Mode.

However, because you can still log on as the Administrator in Safe Mode, there is a relatively simply way to overcome the problem. You can create a new user account under User Accounts in the Control Panel, and then copy all of your files to it, including any Address Book and Outlook Express e-mail files, etc., which are probably installed in a hidden folder, by making use of Windows Explorer. If you don't know how to recover the files, you can find out how to by making use of a suitable search term in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

Most software is installed for All Users, but if you have installed any software in a particular user account, you'll have to reinstall it. When the new user profile is set up, you can then delete the corrupt profile in User Accounts.

Sundry useful articles

Microsoft Knowledge Base back-up articles

Prevention is better than having to cure. Click on the MS Knowledge Base article's Reference Number to go to that article on Microsoft's site.

Click here! to read the following Q&A on this site: Will a backup copy/image created by Norton Ghost on a second hard disk drive be bootable when the drive is installed as the boot drive?

Windows XP Professional How-to Resources: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/howto/winxphow.mspx/

How to Perform an In-place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315341

HOW TO: Perform Advanced Clean-Boot Troubleshooting in Windows XP: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=316434

How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822705

Knowing Knoppix Linux - 134 pages - includes information on how to use Knoppix for the disaster-recovery of a Windows system. -

http://www.pjls16812.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/knowing-knoppix/index.html

http://knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

Reinstalling Windows XP over itself

The FAT32 and NTFS anomaly

It is possible to recover Windows XP just by reinstalling it over itself by running its setup program on its installation CD. None of the settings are lost, the files and folders remain intact, and you can use all of your programs and your Internet connection, etc. However, you will have to reinstall all of the updates that Automatic Updates installed. You can check this for yourself after you have reinstalled XP over itself by opening Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel. You must have the Show updates option enabled.

To run the XP setup program all you have to do is boot from the XP installation CD. You must have the Product Key, because you have to enter it, and you may have to set the BIOS to make the CD/DVD drive the first boot device in order to be able to boot the system from the installation CD.

If necessary, read the BIOS pages on this site to find out how to access and use it.

However, keep reading if XP is installed on a partition formatted to use the NTFS file system and you have set up User accounts that are created to allow other users to have customised Windows setups with their own login passwords...

Reinstalling Windows XP over itself by booting from the CD will not remove the customised settings and data, but if the NTFS instead of the FAT32 file system is installed, it will create a new user account - even if you use the same user name as you did when XP was first installed.A new user account will not be created if XP is using FAT32. (XP's native file system is NTFS, but it will automatically use FAT32 if upgraded to from a Windows 98/Me system.) Because of this anomaly, if XP is using NTFS, after the reinstallation you won't be able to access the old user's My Documents and e-mail files, etc., since each user account is associated with a different Security Identifier (SID) - a unique 128-bit random number generated during the installation process.

Opening My Computer, right-clicking on the C: drive, and then clicking Properties brings up a window that tells you which file system that drive is configured to use.

To remedy this situation, you have to log on as the Administrator and change the file ownership. On a corporate network using XP, the network administrator would do this, but on a home-based system, not part of a domain, Windows XP Home and Professional versions do not have the Security tab from where the changes are put into effect. In that case, you will have to use the following method that works for both the Home and Pro versions:

Press the F8 key before the screen that says that Windows XP is loading appears to bring up the boot options. Often XP boots so quickly that you don't get the chance to press the F8 key. If so, the seemingly drastic step of turning off the computer during the boot process will force XP to bring up the boot-options screen on restarting the computer.

Choose the option to boot in Safe Mode. You will have to log on using the user name Administrator. You will also need to enter the password you created when Windows was first installed.

Once in Safe Mode, open Windows Explorer and scroll down to the Documents and Settings folder (of the C: drive). You should see two folders with your user name. The newer one will probably be distinguished in some way from the original. To see all of the folders, you may have to go to the Tools menu and click Folder Options => View, and then enable the option to Show hidden files and folders.

In the Documents and Settings folder, click View => Details to see the dates when each folder was created. Right-click the most recent folder with your user name on it, and click Properties. You should see a Security tab. Open it, and click Advanced. Click the Owner tab, and highlight your new user ID from the Change owner to list, and check the Change owner on sub-containers and objects box, and click OK. You should now be able to access your files.

Note well that although reinstalling Windows XP over itself does not remove the customised settings, folders, and files (you can still run your applications and use your Internet connection, etc.), you will have to reinstall all of the updates and security patches by visiting Microsoft Update. For example, if you used Windows XP SP2 CD, you will have to install all of the updates that were made available since SP2 itself was made available. Your computer will be vulnerable until the updates are installed, so install them as soon as possible.

Using the Windows XP Command Prompt

Command-line reference A-Z: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ntcmds.mspx

Here are the instructions from the Help and Support files on how to make a computer running Windows XP start up at the Command Prompt:

"To start your computer at a command prompt"

"Print these instructions before continuing. They will not be available after you shut your computer down in step 2. Click Start, click Shut Down, and then, in the drop-down list, click Shut down. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK. When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, press F8. Use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and then press ENTER. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access using the arrow keys, and then press ENTER."

However, although the above information is still the only information available in its Help and Support files, this method doesn't work in Windows XP SP2.

You have to click Start => Turn Off Computer => Restart. No Please select the operating system to start message comes up. You are just told that the computer is shutting down. The computer then restarts. All you have to do is press the F8 key after the startup screen has completed the memory count to bring up the following list of startup options.

These are the selectable options available in every version of Windows XP:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Read the Q&A on this site called My Windows XP Pro computer with a USB keyboard won't boot into Safe Mode if pressing the F8 key won't bring up the boot menu containing these options.

Enable Boot Logging

Enable VGA mode [loads the standard VGA video card device driver]

Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)

Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)

Debugging Mode [For expert use only]

Disable automatic restart on system failure [Available with Windows XP SP2. Selecting this option should prevent continuous rebooting]

Start Windows Normally

Reboot

Return to OS Choices Menu.

To open the command prompt from within Windows XP, click on Start => Programs => Accessories => Command Prompt or just enter cmd in the Start => Run box. This opens a DOS-like black window the likes of which you might have thought was lost to Windows XP.

Windows XP only runs MS DOS if you try to run an MS DOS program from its command-line console (Start => Run => enter cmd). It won't run MS DOS from a startup floppy disk even if it is using the FAT32 file system that most Windows 9.x systems use.

It doesn't matter how many passwords are set on a Windows 95/98/Me system, you can bypass them all by booting the system with a startup floppy disk. The same is true with Windows XP if it is using the FAT32 system, which is useless from a security point of view.

To secure the system, Windows XP should use the NTFS system, even though it has recently been established that it is possible, due to an unplugged loophole, to gain access to a Windows XP system merely by booting it by using a Windows 2000 CD.

If you upgrade the system from Windows 98/Me to Windows XP, you will be asked if you want to convert from FAT32 to the NTFS file system. If you convert to NTFS, third-party utilities, such as disk defragmenters, that are designed to be used on a FAT32 system, will no longer function, but the system will be far more secure. Once you convert, there is no way to revert to using FAT32 by reinstalling Windows XP. You would have to reformat the boot drive, install Windows 98/Me, upgrade it to Windows XP, and refuse the option to install the NTFS file system.

If you install Windows XP from scratch, you can choose which file system to use. Just remember that if you want to transfer files to a Windows 95/98/Me system you have to use FAT32, because you can't use an NTFS floppy disk on a FAT32 system, and the two files systems can't read or write to one another's drives.

If you boot to a Windows XP system using NTFS with an MS DOS startup floppy disk, Windows XP doesn't have MS DOS, so you won't be able to access the hard disk drive. So how are you going to attempt to recover a failed system?

Safe Modes

If the boot menu can be accessed by pressing the F8 key at startup, an XP system offers a range of boot choices, some of which are three modes of Safe Mode - with a graphical Windows interface, the same with networking drivers installed, or as a command prompt.

If you can start the computer in a Safe Mode, if you know how, you can access most of the tools that can aid in solving problems.

For example, XP will name a corrupt system file that is the source of a problem. You will then just have to copy it from the XP CD to its location on the hard drive in a Safe Mode.

The Enable VGA Mode (probably provided for overt video-diagnostics purposes) installs the VGA 640X480X16 video driver, which all of the Safe Mode options also install.

A Description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315222

Last Known Good Configuration

The easiest way to recover the system would be to try running the Last Known Good Configuration option. But this feature will not work if there is file corruption involved, because the configuration refers to backdating the Windows Registry, which has no influence on the condition of the files that are installed.

How to Start Your PC Using the Last Known Good Configuration in WinXP: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307852

The System File Checker (SFC) in Windows XP

The System File Checker (SFC) present in Windows 98/Me is still present in Windows XP and Windows 2000, but is run from the Command Prompt instead of via Accessories => System Tools or by entering sfc in the Start => Run box as it is in Windows 98/Me.

To find out what the commands and switches are, open the Command Prompt by entering cmd in the Start => Run box, and then enter sfc /? to bring up a list of them.

It would be better to restore a restore point by using System Restore before you resort to using this tool to rectify a problem. See further down this page for information on System Restore.

Take care when using this utility, because if you allow a file that Windows updates with current data to be replaced with an empty file from the Windows CD, the system could experience problems such as not being able to boot.

You should have a certified Windows XP CD - not a System Recovery CD of the kind that comes with many brand-name computers instead of a Windows CD - because the SFC utility makes use of it.

After restoring any system files with this tool, if the files are taken from an early version of Windows that has had one or more Service Packs released for it, you should install Service Pack 2 (SP2), which contains Service Pack 1 (SP1), so that the most current, Microsoft-approved system files are being used.

Here are some useful links to articles on the SFC in Windows XP:

How to use the scannow sfc tool in Windows XP -

This article also provides information on how to solve problems when the SFC doesn't work properly. Instructions are provided on how to copy the i386 folder on the Windows XP CD to the root directory (usually C:\) on the hard disk drive, and point the Windows Registry to it instead of to the CD-ROM drive, which is the default setting. Doing that prevents Windows from asking for its CD when it requires to replace system files that it can't find installed elsewhere in the Windows folder. The SFC knows where to look for the files it requires. When updates or Service Packs are installed, the folders that the SFC looks in for replacements are updated with the latest files, so it only asks for the Windows CD if it can't find the file or files it needs. - http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

http://www.networkclue.com/os/Windows/commands/sfc.php

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/system_file_checker.mspx

What to do if scannow /sfc asks you to insert the Windows XP CD in order to continue

"The most frequent complaint with scannow /sfc is that a dialog box appears asking you to insert your Windows XP CD-ROM to continue."

This page provides you with a fix: SFC /SCANNOW-WINDOWS FILE PROTECTION - http://www.compphix.com/windowsfileprotection.html.

How to extract a single file from the Windows XP CD by using the Recovery Console

If you want to extract a single file from the Windows XP CD, for example, the Kernel32.dll file, you can use of the Recovery Console to do it.

This MS Knowledge Base article explains the method - Windows XP logon screen does not appear and the computer continuously restarts:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310396.

The Roll Back Driver feature

If a device driver is the cause of a problem, you can use the Roll Back Driver feature to restore the system to the state it was in before you installed the driver.

For example, you may have installed the latest drivers for your PC's graphics card/integrated graphics chip and the graphics are not displaying properly in normal mode. If the PC won't boot into Windows and the last thing you did was install a new driver, you can use the Roll Back Driver feature by booting the PC into Safe Mode and using there. You enter Safe Mode fby repeatedly pressing the F8 key after system startup, but before Windows itself starts to load. A boot menu should present itself containing several boot options. One of the items is called Safe Mode. (Don't use Safe Mode with networking or the Command Prompt.)

The Roll Back Driver feature is under Hardware => Device Manager.

To access the Device Manager in Windows XP, click Start, place the mouse pointer on My Computer and right click, click Properties in the menu that comes up (as in Windows 98/Me), and then click the Hardware tab followed by the Device Manager button.

In the Device Manager, open the device that you want to roll back the driver for. The Roll Back Driver feature is under the Driver tab for each device.

For example, to roll back the drivers for a video/graphics card, click the + beside Display adapters, double-click the make/model of the graphics card (which is Mobile Intel (R) 945GM Express Chipset Family on my laptop that has an Intel integrated graphics chip), open the Driver tab and click on Roll Back Driver.

****

How to fix problems with device drivers in Windows XP

Although the information on the following page is specific to Windows XP, much of the advice is relevant to the earlier versions of Windows. Click here! to read Troubleshoot Device Driver Problems on Microsoft's site. It contains information about the Roll Back Driver feature.

System Restore

In Windows XP, if booting all the way into normal mode causes problems, such as features that don't work, freezes, etc., it is possible to backdate Windows itself to an earlier state when it was working properly.

To do this you don't have to use the boot menu, all you have to do is run the System Restore Wizard, which is to be found under Start => All Programs => Accessories => System Tools. Alternatively click Start, right-click on My Computer, click Properties and click on the System Restore tab. Another route is Control Panel => System => System Restore tab.

However, you should note that System Restore can be an unreliable method of recovering Windows XP, so it is not advisable to rely on it as your only method of recovery.

System Restore can often work wonders in restoring a badly mangled Windows setup that has been got at by viruses, spyware, installing bad software, etc., but it is not uncommon to find that it doesn't work. It might not work for many reasons. For example, when you attempt to restore a restore point, it might report that it can't be done for some reason that it mentions but which makes no sense to you or even a computer expert. If a system won't boot, System Restore can't be used, because it can only be used if you can get the system to boot to the Command Prompt, run in Safe Mode, or run in normal mode. Running System Restore from the Command Prompt is dealt with below.

Here is how to use System Restore in Safe Mode, which you may have to do if Windows won't boot into normal mode, but will boot into Safe Mode...

When you start Windows XP/Vista up the BIOS performs POST tests (Power On Self Tests). Unless your computer shows its manufacturer's or motherboard manufacturer's logo (something that can be disabled in the BIOS), at startup it counts the amount of RAM memory and displays hard-disk-drive information. When the memory count is over, press and hold the F8 key until the Windows Advanced Options menu comes up. This page provides detailed information on those options, which you don't need to know in order to enter Safe Mode.

A description of the Safe Mode Boot options in Windows XP - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315222

Use the keyboard's up and down arrow keys to select the plain Safe Mode option (that doesn't provide Networking or Command Prompt).

When Windows is running in Safe Mode, those two words are displayed in the four corners of the screen.

Now can use System Restore to restore backed-up system files that were created as a restore point on a particular date. Choose a date when the system was working properly.

To run System Restore, click Start => All Programs => Accessories => System Tools => System Restore.

In the System Restore wizard, check the option Restore my computer to an earlier time and click Next.

In the calendar that appears, with the mouse, highlight a bold restore point in a date on which the system was running correctly and click Next. When the restoration is complete, the computer will restart automatically and when Windows has loaded you will be told that the system has been restored successfully.

Read the next section called WHAT TO DO WHEN SYSTEM RESTORE WON'T/DOESN'T WORK for information on why System Restore might fail to work.

If a Windows XP installation won't boot, you have to try other methods of recovery, such as installing Windows XP over itself, performing a repair install/installation, or by using the Recovery Console, all of which can only begin or be used if the system can boot from the Windows XP installation CD/DVD from which they are all run.

Click the relevant links to go to the sections of this page devoted to those methods of recovery:

Reinstalling Windows XP over itself

How to perform a repair installation/install of Windows XP

The Recovery Console and information about the CHKDSK hard-drive diagnostic utility

WHAT TO DO WHEN SYSTEM RESTORE WON'T/DOESN'T WORK

Problem

I am having a problem with System Restore in Windows XP. I can create a new restore point, but whenever I try to restore it, the message "Restoration incomplete. No changes made." is produced. Is there any kind of workaround for this problem?

Answer

Every restore point that System Restore creates contains a complete backup copy of the Windows Registry, and backup copies of the system files that have changed since the previous restore point was created. When System Restore restores the system to the state it was in on the date the restore point it is restoring was created, it has to remove all of the changes that have been made since that restore point was created. If there were any restore points created in between the one being restored, it has to go through them to find out what it needs to remove. If any of the files that those restore points should contain is missing or corrupt, it refuses to restore.

Spyware and virus scanners are often responsible for making System Restore fail to work. The restore points are stored in a folder called System Volume Information, which the malware scanners search through. If they find any infected files stored in them, they offer to remove them. But as soon as the user agrees to remove the files, that restore point and all of the previous restore points becomes useless, because none of them can access all of the information or files that it needs to undo changes. System Restore can't tell the difference between infected files and non-infected files, so it refuses to work if a restore point it needs to access has any missing files.

However, if this is the case, you can still at least perform a partial system restore. When Windows boots, access to the System Restore files in System Volume Information folder is blocked. But you can access the folder if you boot the system from a CD that contains a bootable copy of an operating system that understands the NTFS file system, such as a bootable Linux CD, or if you install the hard disk drive in another computer that is running Windows XP.

You can also use a program called ERD Commander, a utility created by Sysinternals, which is now owned by Microsoft. You should be able to obtain it from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx. If you can't afford it, you can try using MiniPE or Hirem's Boot CD, both of which are available for download from many sites. You can use the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to locate them.

You might also want to try the cumbersome method that is described in this MS Knowledge Base article:

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting -

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=307545.

If you access the System Volume Information folder by booting from another operating system, you should be able to view its contents. If you can't, this MS Knowledge Base article tells you how to do so: How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder - http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=309531.

After you have access to the System Volume Information folder, you should be able to see one or more folders that have long file names made up of a long string of numbers and letters, such as: _restore{98CD7788-3445-567B-978G-F97G40B3E8F9}. When you click on each of those files, you should see a series of folders called RP1, RP2, RP3, etc. These are the restore points. To see the date on which each of them was last used, right-click on an empty part of the folder and then choose View => Details.

Choose a restore point that has a suitable date. There should be a folder called snapshot under each of the restore point folders.

Each snapshot folder contains several files, including the following: _REGISTRY_USER_DEFAULT, _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY, _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE, _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM, REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM.

Those files are copies of the five essential Registry files as they were at the time when that particular restore point was created. You must now copy them to the C:\Windows\System 32\Config folder of the damaged installation of Windows.

This next step can only be done if you booted from a different drive, because the copy of Windows that is running won't allow any of its files to be deleted.

Move to the C:\Windows\System 32\Config folder of the damaged installation of Windows.

Delete the following Registry files: DEFAULT, SECURITY, SOFTWARE, SYSTEM, and SAM. Now you can rename the files that you copied across to the folder to the corresponding Registry filename. E.g., rename _REGISTRY_USER_DEFAULT to DEFAULT by right-clicking on it and choosing Rename.

Doing that should restore the Windows Registry to the state it was in when the restore point was created.

You might discover that don't have permission to access the System Volume Information folder after you have installed the hard disk drive containing the defective copy of Windows XP in another computer running Windows XP. This is probably because the folder only has access rights defined for SYSTEM. In that case, you must add access rights for Administrators.

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must first turn of Simple File Sharing if it enabled. If you don't know how to check if this is the case, read the information provided on this page:

Windows XP Simple File Sharing -

"Windows XP lets you share a computer's disks and folders with other computers on the network, using a method called Simple File Sharing. And it really is simple. If a disk or folder is shared, everyone on the network can access it. There are no user permissions and no passwords. Because sharing in this way is so wide open, Windows XP tries to protect you from some potential security risks..." - http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/filesharing.htm

Next, right-click the with mouse pointer on the System Volume Information folder and choose Sharing and Security. Click on the Security tab. The top part of the window shows which users or groups have rights to access this folder. If it shows just SYSTEM, an entry for Administrators must be added. To do that click on the Add button, enter Administrators, click on Check Names, followed by OK. The lower window should then show permission for Administrators. Use the mouse pointer to place a tick in the Allow box next to the description Full Control and click the Apply and OK buttons.

Note that users of Windows XP Home Edition have to do that in Safe Mode, because the Security tab is not available in normal mode. You can boot into Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key at startup and then choosing Safe Mode from the boot menu that presents itself.

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Running System Restore from the Command Prompt

Note that you can run System Restore from the Command Prompt if a problem with Windows XP only allows you to boot the system by pressing the F8 key continously at startup (between the memory count and Windows startup) to bring up the boot menu with the following options:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging

Enable VGA mode [loads the standard VGA video card device driver]

Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)

Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)

Debugging Mode

Start Windows Normally

Reboot

Return to OS Choices Menu.

When starting the computer, just keep pressing the F8 key after the memory count to bring the boot menu shown above up. Select the Safe Mode with Command Prompt option . Enter cd \windows at the C:\> command prompt. The prompt changes to C:\>\Windows. Then just enter system32\restore\rstrui.exe and you should have access to System Restore. RSTRUI.EXE is System Restore's program file.

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By default, Windows XP creates what are called restore points, which are set occasions when it creates a restorable back-up of itself. It creates such a restore point before new device drivers are installed so that the system can be restored if the new drivers cause problems. You can also create your own restore points.

Even though it can use plenty of drive space for its restore points, System Restore does not make a restorable copy or image of an entire system, and therefore cannot be used to restore it to its previous state. It just rolls back certain essential system files to the date the restore point being restored was created in an attempt to get the system up and running after a major system crash. System Restore is not a back-up, therefore you should not rely on it as one. If your computer contains valuable data, there is no alternative to making proper restorable back-ups. Click here! to go to the page on this site that deals with back-ups.

Note that every actual drive or logical drive has System Restore enabled for it by default. All of the drives are listed. If System Restore is turned on for a particular drive, the Status is Monitoring, if not, the Status is Turned off. There is a box called Turn off System Restore on all drives. Highlight a drive and click on the Settings button. The window that presents itself has the option Turn off System Restore on this drive. If you have many drives with System Restore enabled on them, essential files are backed-up so that System Restore can restore them. This is a background task that takes place during regular operations, so if the hard drive is doing a lot of work, making sounds or making the IDE light on the front of the case flicker while you're only using an office application, you know what the computer is doing. If you don't want the data on a one or more drives backed up in this way, just turn off its System Restore.

You can allocate the amount of drive space each drive uses for System Restore by using the mouse on the slider control.

If you are going to make a major change to the system, you should create a new restore point before you do so. Use Start => All Programs => Accessories => System Tools => and then System Restore. Choose Create a new restore point and enter a name for it. Click the Create button to complete the process.

You make use of the same System Restore feature when you want to roll the system back to a state it was in when a particular restore point was created. You click on Restore my computer to an earlier time, followed by Next. A calendar appears showing the current month. The available restore points are highlighted under each month. To run a restore point, click on the desired highlight followed by Next. Windows then presents a message informing you of what it will be doing to restore the system to the state it was in at that particular date.

Activating a restore point will only adversely affect the system files and any software that was loaded after Windows created it. Windows will remove any reference in its registry to drivers and programs that were installed after the restore point was created, but otherwise will leave the folder structure intact. The driver and program files will remain installed, but won't be able to run without being set up in the Registry, so, if it is to work, any program or driver affected in this way will have to be reinstalled to re-register it in the Registry.

In theory, all such restorations can themselves be reversed.

Note that you can control how much hard-drive space the System Restore function uses, and you can even disable it completely. However, such action is not advised. The more methods you have for restoring a failed system the better. If one method fails you, an alternative might save your bacon.

Windows XP stores its System Restore files - back-up copies of the system files - under the reserved area of the C: drive called System Volume Information. These can occupy a very large amount of space, and, for the most part, the files it contains are useless.

If you use the right mouse button to click on My Computer, then click left-click on Properties, a tab called System Restore will become visible. You can turn this feature off here. Or you can use the Settings button to specify the maximum percentage of the hard disk drive space that it can use. Windows XP uses 12% of the hard disk drive by default to contain the System Volume Information, which, on a 20GB drive, is 2.4GB, and a huge 4.8GB on a 40GB drive.

How to Gain Access to the System Volume Information Folder - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309531

How the System Restore Tool Handles Hard-Disk Space Usage - "This articles describes how the System Restore tool handles hard-disk space usage, particularly where low disk-space issues are concerned." - http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=300044

See the following problem discussed on the Software Problems page of this site: A swollen C: drive with Windows XP installed.

There are many reasons why using System Restore to restore the system can fail. For example, read "Why are previous restore points not working?" in the Troubleshooting section of this official Microsoft page: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/plan/faqsrwxp.mspx.

There is other enlightening information on this subject there, such as the section called Does System Restore protect personal data files? [the answer is No] - and the sections called, What should I do if System Restore does not work? - Why are my restore points missing or deleted? - Why does the System Restore Wizard lockup? The information on that page should make anyone realise that System