The most important thing to remember in a windows crash is DO NOT FORMAT the hard drive. You may attempt to repair it using various 3rd party utilities or even with the Windows repair console. Using the recovery console is a delicate process and may result in losing your my documents folder. That is why you should avoid any repair attempts or recovery attempts at this point. Follow this list to determine your general course of action;
If Windows XP will not boot (configuration, boot, startup, exception or BSOD) error;
If the windows XP error message relates to a missing file – example; “Windows could not start because… cannot locate c:\windows\system32\” etc…
- Run the Recovery console
- Run a Chkdsk
- Use a 3rd party hard drive diagnostic and repair utility
- 3rd party recovery products (Symantec, Norton, Acronis, Diskeeper etc.)
If the error message states Windows cannot locate ntldr;
- You may have success with a copy of ntldr.exe from another similar system (same version of Windows XP including the service pack version) to a floppy, cdr, or a USB memory stick. You will need to boot into Windows XP recovery more however to access a command prompt to execute the file copy.
- Use a Windows XP boot cd, or floppy set (www.bootdisk.com) to boot into a command prompt
- Windows PE (Production Environment) CD. This is a version of windows that runs entirely off a CD or a DVD. Your computer must have the BIOS set to boot from the CD or DVD drive however (access the bios by pressing one of the following keys at power on – DEL, F1, F2, F10, F12) each manufacturer is different and may have a different BIOS key) Look for boot options and set the cd\dvd drive to 1st in the sequence of devices. The BIOS has instructions on the bottom to allow you to make changes. Make sure you SAVE those changes to the BIOS (read the bottom of the bios to see what key to press to save and reboot)
- Search google for “Bart PE” and you can download a PE cd builder.
- Hiren’s Boot cd – a 3rd party cd created by this individual that contains many utilities for hard drive repair, and file management – among others.
If windows XP boots, but will not load into the welcome screen;
1) Attempt a safe mode boot (press F8 repeatedly upon initial computer power on, then using the arrow keys on the keyboard, navigate to Safe Mode, and press ENTER) If Safe mode fails, repeat the process and select “Last Known Good Configuration” if that still fails, repeat and try “VGA Mode”
If that does no work, try the Windows XP Recovery Console. The recovery console is located on the Windows XP recovery cd. If you do not have one, you may need to contact the manufacturer of your PC and request one. Many brand names manufacturers do not include actual Windows XP cd’s in favor of preloading the files on the hard drive itself.
In this case, you may have alternative recovery options. These may be presented to you when you power on the pc.
Typical recovery options are accessed by pressing one of the Function keys. Each manufacturer is different, F2, F10, F12 and so on. They will appear on the top, or bottom of the screen when you first turn on the pc. They sometimes go by really quickly, and you may have to power cycle a few times just to read the options available. You may investigate the recovery options, just be aware of the operative “RE” words - Reload, Recover, Restore. These are almost always detrimental to your data. They are designed to “blow away” the hard drive and restore it to factory condition. PC manufacturers create recovery partitions on your hard drive and hide them for emergency. Essentially, they take a portion of your hard drive and store a compressed version of your hard drive when it was new. This is called a recovery partition and is usually hidden from use.
When accessed (By pressing one of the F2, F10, F12 keys) , it decompresses all those files to the portion of the hard drive that you use. This means that the hard drive is formatted and everything is wiped clean. You end up with a factory new system. All your windows updates, driver updates, antivirus subscriptions, personal data, bookmarks, favorites, cookies, browsing history and preferences are gone. You are back up and running again – AND if you ran a backup, you could restore your personal data. If you didn’t run a backup, then you have to rebuild and customize the computer again to your liking.
Accessing the Windows XP recovery console requires you to boot the computer from the Windows XP recovery cd and follow the prompts to “Repair your Windows XP installation using the recovery console”
Note that you will need your administrator’s password to access your system. Have this written down somewhere beforehand, otherwise you’ll have to reset it. Resetting your Windows XP administrator password is a whole other process and can be done using 3rd party software. It will require a bootable cd that you can purchase or download.
Once you have booted, and subsequently logged into the recovery console, you are presented with a s DOS looking command line. There are a number of commands that can assist in repairing startup problems. You can find them here. Some examples are: bootcfg, fixboot, fixmbr, chkdsk. Each command has associated help reference and is access by typing the command /? – example chkdsk /?