Repairing XP Home

[David]

A while ago I asked about repairing a corrupt version of Win XP Home.
Repair? What a can of worms!
When I try to repair by booting from the CD-ROM I can choose R, I am
then asked which copy of Windows I want to repair. There is only one.
(How come the set-up which can detect all manner of hardware and
software can't see that there is only one copy of Windows?) The next
question is Admin Password? I don't have one. I pressed Enter and got
to a dead-end: C:\Windows>. End of that story.

I next inserted the CD while Windows was running. The options were:
Install Windows
Install optional components
Perform additional tasks (none of which is Repair)
Check system compatibility

From previous replies I assumed that the setup routine would find my
copy of WinXP and offer to repair it. I should have known better, this
product is from Microsoft. Anyway, since there seemed to be no
alternative I pressed on, entered the key, and an "upgrade" started.
Things went well until it got to "Installing Devices" (I think that
was the expression.) At about 75% the machine re-booted…and the
"Upgrade" started again. And again. Reading those smug notices that
pop up on the screen about how wonderful life is going to be with XP
is irksome first time around, by the third time they are nauseating.
At the fourth re-boot I removed the CD. The set-up tried to re-start
and was looking for the CD-ROM. But for the fact that I'd used Drive
Image to make an image I'd have had a forty pound paper-weight! The
problem is that the image is an image of a corrupt version of XP, it
works but there are a whole lot of minor bugs.

So now I suppose I'll have to resort to a clean install, but that
brings its own problems. How do I boot up in DOS mode to format C: so
that I can start from scratch? The file system is NTFS.

Any enlightenment much appreciated

David

[Frafi]

Set your BIOS to boot from CD. Have your Windows XP CD inserted itn the
drive and Windows will format the disk.
"David" > wrote in message
...
> So now I suppose I'll have to resort to a clean install, but that
> brings its own problems. How do I boot up in DOS mode to format C: so
> that I can start from scratch? The file system is NTFS.
>
> Any enlightenment much appreciated
>
> David
>

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

David;
Can you get the corrupt image on the drive?

When you attempted the Repair Installation, you pressed "R" at the
wrong point.
Follow this for a Repair Installation:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_install.htm
When it asks which copy to repair, you will notice one is highlighted,
simply hit enter, if there is more than one, you can easily select
which one.

If you still want to perform a Clean Installation:
Disconnect all peripherals (camera, printer, scanner, etc)
Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
Insert Windows XP CD and reboot.
At "Press any key to boot to CDROM" quickly press a key and follow the
prompts for a Clean installation:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
Delete all partitions in step 5 if you desire to erase all data on the
hard drive.
Partitioning and formatting will be done automatically.
All data will be destroyed, back-up important data first.

If your computer was shipped with Windows XP, these procedures may or
may not apply.
Check your manual or contact the computer manufacturer for more
details.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
An easier way to read newsgroup messages:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/newsgroups/setup.asp
Please respond to newsgroup only for everyone's benefit.


"David" > wrote in message
...
> A while ago I asked about repairing a corrupt version of Win XP
Home.
> Repair? What a can of worms!
> When I try to repair by booting from the CD-ROM I can choose R, I am
> then asked which copy of Windows I want to repair. There is only
one.
> (How come the set-up which can detect all manner of hardware and
> software can't see that there is only one copy of Windows?) The next
> question is Admin Password? I don't have one. I pressed Enter and
got
> to a dead-end: C:\Windows>. End of that story.
>
> I next inserted the CD while Windows was running. The options were:
> Install Windows
> Install optional components
> Perform additional tasks (none of which is Repair)
> Check system compatibility
>
> From previous replies I assumed that the setup routine would find my
> copy of WinXP and offer to repair it. I should have known better,
this
> product is from Microsoft. Anyway, since there seemed to be no
> alternative I pressed on, entered the key, and an "upgrade" started.
> Things went well until it got to "Installing Devices" (I think that
> was the expression.) At about 75% the machine re-booted.and the
> "Upgrade" started again. And again. Reading those smug notices that
> pop up on the screen about how wonderful life is going to be with XP
> is irksome first time around, by the third time they are nauseating.
> At the fourth re-boot I removed the CD. The set-up tried to re-start
> and was looking for the CD-ROM. But for the fact that I'd used Drive
> Image to make an image I'd have had a forty pound paper-weight! The
> problem is that the image is an image of a corrupt version of XP, it
> works but there are a whole lot of minor bugs.
>
> So now I suppose I'll have to resort to a clean install, but that
> brings its own problems. How do I boot up in DOS mode to format C:
so
> that I can start from scratch? The file system is NTFS.
>
> Any enlightenment much appreciated
>
> David
>

[David]

On Fri, 6 Jun 2003 19:47:21 -0600, "Jupiter Jones [MVP]"
>Can you get the corrupt image on the drive?
Yes, I have done that and it is working. but with the bugs still
bugging.
>
>When you attempted the Repair Installation, you pressed "R" at the
>wrong point.
Just didn't see any option. I was only offered one "R" to press and
that was when I booted from the CD-ROM which led to a dead-end.

>Follow this for a Repair Installation:
>http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_install.htm
>When it asks which copy to repair, you will notice one is highlighted,
>simply hit enter, if there is more than one, you can easily select
>which one.

Will try it now. Thanks for all the help.

David

[David]

Well I found the second instance or "R". Is it me, or is there
something strange about having a line that specifically says, "Press R
to Repair" when in fact you should not press R to repair? Redmond
seems to have a lot in common with Alice's Wonderland, or are they
smoking something special up there?

I can't tell you how exciting it was to get to that second "R." At
last I was on the right track! And it worked like a charm...until the
machine re-booted and I was face to face with the same screen I'd seen
yesterday, "Installing Windows. Setup will complete in approximately
39 minutes." And it was great too to get another chance to read about
how exciting all the bells and whistles were going to be, not to
mention the new colour schemes. WOW! But at "Installing Devices" with
34 minutes to go the machine re-boots. And then... "Installing
Windows. Setup will complete in approximately 39 minutes."

I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and start from a clean install.
Thanks again for the help.

David.


>On Fri, 6 Jun 2003 19:47:21 -0600, "Jupiter Jones [MVP]"
>>Can you get the corrupt image on the drive?
>Yes, I have done that and it is working. but with the bugs still
>bugging.
>>
>>When you attempted the Repair Installation, you pressed "R" at the
>>wrong point.
>Just didn't see any option. I was only offered one "R" to press and
>that was when I booted from the CD-ROM which led to a dead-end.
>
>>Follow this for a Repair Installation:
>>http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_install.htm
>>When it asks which copy to repair, you will notice one is highlighted,
>>simply hit enter, if there is more than one, you can easily select
>>which one.
>
>Will try it now. Thanks for all the help.
>
>David