Recovery Console and Password (I read the FAQ already)

Question

I know there is a known problem regarding the recovery console and the administrative password. See below:

Q:I can't log into the recovery console, it keeps asking for a password.?"
A:This issue can occur if Windows XP was originally installed from a Sysprep image. Part of the Dell imaging process requires the use of the sysprep utility. To work around this problem, use the following Microsoft
Kb article.
Cannot Log On to Recovery Console After Running Sysprep in Windows XP here.

Here is another option provided by Dell Community Forum users:
1.Click on Start, Control Panel.
2.Click the option for ( Switch to Classic View ) in the upper left hand corner.
3.Double click Administrative Tools
4.Double click Local Security Policy
5.Under Security Settings, click on:
Local Policies, User Rights Assignments, Security Options.
6.Scroll down to "Recovery Console: Allow automatic administrator logon"
7.Double click the Recovery Console option, and change this to "enable"
8.Close all open windows and reboot the system.
Here is another option provided by Dell Community Forum users:
1. You must be running Windows XP home.
2. You need to have the recovery console installed to your hard drive.
3. Go to MS tech site and search for Q308402.
4. Download the appropriate software to create the startup diskettes for Windows XP Home.
5. Run this program, you will need only one diskette not six, unless of course you cannot boot into XP home at all. Then you will need six diskettes so that you can boot through the diskettes to fix the problem. Once done you can follow this procedure so that in the future you can run the recovery console directly from your hard drive.
6. From the last diskette, number 6, copy the file SPCMDCON.SYS into the CMDCONS subdirectory on your C drive. You will need to change the viewing options (view all hidden files) in order to see this directory. Windows will prompt that the file already exists, you can rename the original to old first and then copy or just copy over the old file.
7. Restart your PC and select the recovery console. Your password now works.
For Pro users, I can not confirm if the above works as is, or if it needs some modifications. I do know that the bulletin states there are two files that need to be updated. On the Home version only one actually exists, the other file may be for the Pro version. If so just search each diskette to find the second file, more than likely it would be on the last diskette created, and then replace both files.
I hope this helps I spent quite a bit of time researching this problem only to come to dead end after dead end. Again I make no guarantees, but if the only other option is a complete re-install because you can not access the recovery console, it is at least worth a try.
Thanks to "Cizzijr" for the information listed above.
My problem is that for the first option, I double clicked Administrative Tools, but there was no Local Security Policy. How do I proceed from here? Any help would be appreciated. Also how do I get the hotfix Q308402 without calling Microsoft. I'm afraid they will charge me $$$.

Thanx,

TC

Zeppelin2002 · Answer

To get the hotfix without getting it for $$$$ from microsoft, Go to windows update. I don't know the answer to the primary question.  Hope this helps.

Denny Denham · Answer

tcmalker,

Local Security Policy is only available in Windows XP Professional Edition. To the best of my knowledge the hotfix is not available from Windows Update. Your choices are to call Microsoft and see if they will waive the fee for the hotfix or proceed with the boot diskette set available from the Microsoft site.

Kanuk001 · Answer

Have you tried hitting ENTER (without a password) when the screen appears? If you are using XP Home Edition, you have probably not assigned a password to userid Administrator.

Note: It is looking for a password to that userid, specifically.

tcmalker · Answer

Kanuk,

Thank you for your suggestion. That would not help though. Even if you type the right password, it wouldn't work either. This problem is well documented. The password is messed up because of the way Dell installed the OS. The solution is clearly given, but I wanted a way to get the hotfix without calling microsoft. Just in case someone already download the !308402 hotfix, I was wondering if I can get it too. Just in case i have to use the recover console.

One a side note. My system crased during a defragmentation. That's when I had to use the recovery console. Luckily (for no apparanelty reason) after about 10 or so restarts it fixed itself. But just in case it happened again I need to fix this problem!!

Another side note: Weird things I noticed after the crash. It seemed i'm losing my disk space, even though I removed most of my programs. I defraged again and there were many 700MB files that was greatly fragmented. The log file is below:

Fragments       File Size       Files that cannot be defragmented
237             767 MB          \System Volume Information\_restore{8513C62E-889D-4878-A5C3-816F635D0F0E}\RP68\A0010863.sys
853             767 MB          \System Volume Information\_restore{8513C62E-889D-4878-A5C3-816F635D0F0E}\RP68\A0011863.sys
2,899           767 MB          \System Volume Information\_restore{8513C62E-889D-4878-A5C3-816F635D0F0E}\RP68\A0012863.sys
29,283          767 MB          \System Volume Information\_restore{8513C62E-889D-4878-A5C3-816F635D0F0E}\RP68\A0013863.sys
41,818          767 MB          \System Volume Information\_restore{8513C62E-889D-4878-A5C3-816F635D0F0E}\RP68\A0014863.sys
156,883         1.18 GB         \Program Files\mIRC\download\Silent_Hill_2-FLT.rar
1,567           532 MB          \Program Files\KaZaA\My Shared Folder\download105147577776608807.dat
69,687          767 MB          \System Volume Information\_restore{8513C62E-889D-4878-A5C3-816F635D0F0E}\RP68\A0015863.sys
40,749          767 MB          \System Volume Information\_restore{8513C62E-889D-4878-A5C3-816F635D0F0E}\RP68\A0016863.sys

I was downloading lots of files from irc and kazaa. Those files disappeared for some reason. I think the system restore had to do something with this. So I turned it off and retreive my drive back. It's pretty weird.

One more: Ok I admit i like to download a LOT. I downloaded Showgirl from kazaa (a very dirty movie) and deleted it quickly. I defrag again. I love to defrag. The log file is below:

Fragments       File Size       Files that cannot be defragmented
10              381 MB          \Program Files\mIRC\download\FLT-NOF2.BIN
40              377 MB          \Program Files\mIRC\download\FLT-NOF1.BIN
12,335          680 MB          \Documents and Settings\Thien\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\M7NHKX76\Showgirls[1].avi
3               360 MB          \Program Files\mIRC\download\Tom_Clancys_Rainbow_Six_3_Raven_Shield-FLT-full.tar
6,421           697 MB          \Program Files\KaZaA\My Shared Folder\A Knight's Tale [DivX].avi
2,063           623 MB          \Program Files\KaZaA\My Shared Folder\download105147577776608807.dat
4               579 MB          \Program Files\mIRC\download\MASTER.OF.ORION.3-DEViANCE.tar

Everything is fine except the 680MB file. The showgirls one. For some reason I cannot find this file! there was no Content.IE5 folder and doing search did no good. Any idea what this file is and how to delete it?

Sorry for going on so long. Any help would be appreciated.

TC

paa · Answer

Kanuk

I found the following with Google, it was written by Carnen.

"OK, the tech bulletin 308402 suggest contacting MS
support for a hot fix. Forget it as an OEM installed
system you have to go back to OEM. Download the file
appropiate for the creation of startup disks. Get one
blank diskette. Create all six diskettes on that same
disk, just keep using it over and over until the process
is finished. On that disk is the file SPCMDCON.SYS.

Copy it from the floppy to your CMDCOMS directory.
Start in to the recovery console, password now works.
It is amazing that I had to download a 4mB file for a
220K file. Here are the steps and important info:

1. Need to be running Windows XP Home (see note #1 below)
2. Must have recovery console installed on hard drive.
3. See tech bulleting 308402.
4. Download 4MB file that lets you create the 6 startup
diskettes
5. Create each diskette on the same diskette until you
have the final diskette.
6. Copy SPCMDCON.SYS from diskette into the CMDCONS sub-
directory on your hard drive.
7. Restart into the recovery console password now works.

Note 1: The Q308402 list two files which need to be
updated. On the home version only one exists. I am
making the assumption that the second file is necessary
for the Pro version. If someone can confirm this then
you need to copy over both files. Also not sure on the
PRO version how many diskettes are created so you may
need to search for these files if more than 6 diskettes
are created."

Paul

gryjhnhpe · Answer

I found the folowing article by Microsoft;
The administrative logon for Recovery Console can be modified and allow automatic logon without a password. If you're logged on to the system - for example, you can go in if you want to manually do this, in registry editor you can go into HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole and switch the DWORD value there to allow administrative logon without prompting for a password; change that to 1.

It doesn't say which DWORD so I changed SecurityLevel to 1 & it works for me.

DELL 2600 Notebook
XP SP1
256 KB Ram 18 GB Hard Drive
Dial-up Modem 56Kb

tcmalker · Answer

paa,   I will try what u suggested, or should i say Carnen.  Will post what happened later (who knows when). Thanx, TC p.s.   How about the other problem that i had?

tcmalker · Answer

Paul,   I can't find the CMDCOMS or CMDCOMS subdirectory!!!!  Where is it?  (I already searched)   TC Malker

gryjhnhpe · Answer

@gryjhnhpe wrote:
I found the folowing article by Microsoft;
The administrative logon for Recovery Console can be modified and allow automatic logon without a password. If you're logged on to the system - for example, you can go in if you want to manually do this, in registry editor you can go into HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole and switch the DWORD value there to allow administrative logon without prompting for a password; change that to 1.

I changed SecurityLevel to 1 & it works for me.

Have u tried the above suggestion , I loaded Recovery Console from XP CD first with;

To install the Recovery Console as a startup option

With Windows running, insert the Setup CD into your CD-ROM drive.
CLick Start and select Run.
Type the following where D: is the CD-ROM drive letter:
D:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons

Follow the instructions on the screen.

CMDCOMS did u mean CMDCONS it is a XP C:\ folder created by the above install.

DELL 2600 Laptop
XP SP1
Home Edition
256 Mb RAM 18GB Hard Drive
Dial up Modem 56Kb

Message Edited by gryjhnhpe on 05-27-2003 10:43 AM

tcmalker · Answer

lol, i misspelled CMDCOMS twice, the second was supposed to be CMDCONS. I think I erased the folder long time ago b/c I thought it was junk. Hope that doesn't affect anything! I will try to reinstall recovery console, hopefully the folder will come back. Just curious, why can't I install it from my hard drive? The i386 folder is already exist on the drive.

gryjhnhpe · Answer

@tcmalker wrote:

lol, i misspelled CMDCOMS twice, the second was supposed to be CMDCONS. I think I erased the folder long time ago b/c I thought it was junk. Hope that doesn't affect anything! I will try to reinstall recovery console, hopefully the folder will come back. Just curious, why can't I install it from my hard drive? The i386 folder is already exist on the drive.

The Folder CMDCONS doesn't exist on hard drive & has nothing to do with C:\i386

it is a new Folder created by install of Recovery Console as posted before.

DELL 2600 Laptop
XP SP1
Home Edition
256 Mb RAM 18GB Hard Drive
Dial up Modem 56Kb

tcmalker · Answer

Thanks everyone for your help.  Everything is fine now.  To recap, install Recovery Console using gryjhnhpe method.  Then copy the file to CMDCONS folder. TC

coolhunk · Answer

guys im  i followed every thing and when i boot through the 6 disks....on the last disk i got this blue error and i have to restart.....any one please heeeeeelp me

Windows General

Recovery Console and Password (I read the FAQ already)

Was this post helpful?