Assuming that the error was the one shown
here a repair reinstall is no help nor will chkdsk. The procedure to correct the error is in the reference.
Hi, Denny,
That was the exact error I got, but a c:\windows\chkdsk /p /r DID repair the problem. Do you know why?
But, I made an initial mistake...
At first, I thought that 'system' was a folder, because it had no extension. At the command mode, I did cd windows, cd system32, cd config, and then cd system, which gave back 'the directory name is invalid'. I wasn't thinking, and just thought that the file named 'system' was missing, so a repair was in order.
After performing the chkdsk /p /r, which did fix the problem, I realized that 'system' was a folder (directory), and I was able to navigate my way to it from the command level.
I see that the instruction cited copy the entire c:\windows\repair\system folder to c:\windows\system32\config\system. It also looks like that since this gives me the the configuration that resulted at the first successful start up of Windows, I should do a restore to immediately before when the problem started, say, yesterday morning.
Don't want to offend, but are you sure it was chkdsk /p /r and not chkdsk /f /r? The latter is the usual way. In fact the /r implies /f as well, so if you have /r you don't really need /f. I am not aware of a /p switch.
/f causes chkdsk to scan the files on the hard disk and repir if necessary; /r causes it to additionally check the whole disk for bad sectors (including the free space as well), which might take a long time if you have a large hard drive. These are equivalent to the two options you see if in Windows Explorer or My computer, you right click on hard drive icon, properties, tools, check now (if you leave both options blank, chkdsk just does some of the basic checking, such as MFT, etc.).
This article explains in more detail what ckdsk does, including two other possible switches.
chkdsk /p is one of the "switches" when using the recovery console for repairing errors on the harddrive.. i think that is what the person was getting when the pressed "r" after booting from the win xp cd.. to do a repair install of win xp, you do not press "r", but proceed as though you are doing a clean reinstall of win xp, and then later you have an option to do a repair install, or to do a clean reinstall of win xp..
anyway, i am glad that using the recovery console to run "chkdsk /p /r" fixed the problem for you.. as ms says, "chkdsk /r" implies "checkdsk /p", so if you run chkdsk /r, i guess that is the same thing as running "chkdsk /p /r"..
as to what causes the problem, a lot of people have been having that problem, and other similar ones, lately.. i think that it is being caused somehow by a ms windows (security) patch.. i have tried to avoid the problem by regularly running "error checking".. you can find instructions for that (if needed) by looking for "error checking" in win xp's "help and support", in the index..
i wish that ms was somehow made aware that so many people have been having this problem lately, since i do believe that it is associated with a windows update patch.. however, it may be something else that is causing the problem, perhaps zone alarm..
Message Edited by redwolfe_98 on 08-18-2004 10:31 PM
No offense taken at all. It never even crossed my mind. But you asked a legitimate question.
After having no success following the repair directions in the Inspiron 8600 Owner's Manual last night, I called Dell technical support. Dell support told me the instructions in the 8600 manual on how to enter the recovery console were incorrect. (As a matter of fact, I checked my Owner's Manual for my Dimension 4550 this morning, and the instructions on how to enter the recovery console are different, and CORRECT.) At any rate, Dell got me into the recovery console, and once logged on to C:\windows, had me run chkdsk /p /r. It's good they gave me this command, because I would have been sitting there with C:\windows, not knowing what to do. I thought that once I got into the recovery console, I would just have to answer prompts, sort of like doing a repartition, etc.
Later this morning, I googled chkdsk /p /r, to see what those switches do. Here's what I found:
Denny Denham
2 Intern
•
18.8K Posts
0
August 18th, 2004 20:00
Assuming that the error was the one shown here a repair reinstall is no help nor will chkdsk. The procedure to correct the error is in the reference.
Blindmelonball
193 Posts
0
August 18th, 2004 21:00
Hi, Denny,
That was the exact error I got, but a c:\windows\chkdsk /p /r DID repair the problem. Do you know why?
But, I made an initial mistake...
At first, I thought that 'system' was a folder, because it had no extension. At the command mode, I did cd windows, cd system32, cd config, and then cd system, which gave back 'the directory name is invalid'. I wasn't thinking, and just thought that the file named 'system' was missing, so a repair was in order.
After performing the chkdsk /p /r, which did fix the problem, I realized that 'system' was a folder (directory), and I was able to navigate my way to it from the command level.
I see that the instruction cited copy the entire c:\windows\repair\system folder to c:\windows\system32\config\system. It also looks like that since this gives me the the configuration that resulted at the first successful start up of Windows, I should do a restore to immediately before when the problem started, say, yesterday morning.
JRosenfeld
2 Intern
•
4.4K Posts
0
August 18th, 2004 23:00
Don't want to offend, but are you sure it was chkdsk /p /r and not chkdsk /f /r? The latter is the usual way. In fact the /r implies /f as well, so if you have /r you don't really need /f. I am not aware of a /p switch.
/f causes chkdsk to scan the files on the hard disk and repir if necessary; /r causes it to additionally check the whole disk for bad sectors (including the free space as well), which might take a long time if you have a large hard drive. These are equivalent to the two options you see if in Windows Explorer or My computer, you right click on hard drive icon, properties, tools, check now (if you leave both options blank, chkdsk just does some of the basic checking, such as MFT, etc.).
This article explains in more detail what ckdsk does, including two other possible switches.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314835&Product=winxp
redwolfe_98
2 Intern
•
1.3K Posts
0
August 19th, 2004 01:00
chkdsk /p is one of the "switches" when using the recovery console for repairing errors on the harddrive.. i think that is what the person was getting when the pressed "r" after booting from the win xp cd.. to do a repair install of win xp, you do not press "r", but proceed as though you are doing a clean reinstall of win xp, and then later you have an option to do a repair install, or to do a clean reinstall of win xp..
anyway, i am glad that using the recovery console to run "chkdsk /p /r" fixed the problem for you.. as ms says, "chkdsk /r" implies "checkdsk /p", so if you run chkdsk /r, i guess that is the same thing as running "chkdsk /p /r"..
as to what causes the problem, a lot of people have been having that problem, and other similar ones, lately.. i think that it is being caused somehow by a ms windows (security) patch.. i have tried to avoid the problem by regularly running "error checking".. you can find instructions for that (if needed) by looking for "error checking" in win xp's "help and support", in the index..
i wish that ms was somehow made aware that so many people have been having this problem lately, since i do believe that it is associated with a windows update patch.. however, it may be something else that is causing the problem, perhaps zone alarm..
Message Edited by redwolfe_98 on 08-18-2004 10:31 PM
Blindmelonball
193 Posts
0
August 19th, 2004 02:00
Hi, J,
No offense taken at all. It never even crossed my mind. But you asked a legitimate question.
After having no success following the repair directions in the Inspiron 8600 Owner's Manual last night, I called Dell technical support. Dell support told me the instructions in the 8600 manual on how to enter the recovery console were incorrect. (As a matter of fact, I checked my Owner's Manual for my Dimension 4550 this morning, and the instructions on how to enter the recovery console are different, and CORRECT.) At any rate, Dell got me into the recovery console, and once logged on to C:\windows, had me run chkdsk /p /r. It's good they gave me this command, because I would have been sitting there with C:\windows, not knowing what to do. I thought that once I got into the recovery console, I would just have to answer prompts, sort of like doing a repartition, etc.
Later this morning, I googled chkdsk /p /r, to see what those switches do. Here's what I found:
http://tinyurl.com/723cx
Thanks for the reply.
JRosenfeld
2 Intern
•
4.4K Posts
0
August 19th, 2004 09:00
Thank you, I keep learning:-)
Interestingly, the /p switch is not mentioned when I type chkdsk /? at a cmd line in XP home (the way I usually try to find out about switches)
Message Edited by JRosenfeld on 08-19-2004 11:05 AM
Message Edited by JRosenfeld on 08-19-2004 11:13 AM