Win XP Home: Repair install (NOT recovery console)

Hi dg27

Not good news

If you can afford potential loss of OE folders/files then you could give Repair Install a spin & see if it works  :emotion-18: ?

If not you will need to remove HDD & try to recover OE data

First have you ran diagnostics to eliminate any potential hardware causes?

Only mention it since you had similar problems during February – HDD sectors damage can/does cause corrupt registry hive files?

Edit: some further detail here

Bell Boy: Thanks for the reply. The whole "repair" issue is confusing since the links such as http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm emphasize that this method does not involve the recovery console at all.

I definitely don't want to risk losing the OE files.

Haven't run diagnostics yet. Was thinking the best bet would be to pull the drive and move the Documents and Setting folders (where the OE files are) to another drive using another system before anything else. Make sense?

At that point I might try the repair install. I'm not a big fan of this idea, because of the likelihood of restoring the same problems you had when the OS crashed.

I was able to resolve the problems in February, but I now think the OS (or the HDD) was on the way out.

dg

Hi again dg27

Yes, agree best to pull HDD & recover/backup ALL personal data

Then you can experiment with Repair Install & Recovery Console options, since it won’t matter if you end up needing to do a Clean Install

Meanwhile you can still run diagnostics, since Clean Install will be a waste of time if HDD is damaged

Otherwise when ready try a Clean Install, which will stress-out the HDD if it’s at all suspect

Always advisable to open PC & check HDD/mobo cable connections before rushing into replacement HDD   :emotion-55:

>>Always advisable to open PC & check HDD/mobo cable connections before rushing into replacement HDD   :emotion-55:

Wouldn't have even thought of that--thanks again.

dg

Not always bad connections, but with nothing to lose – most recent case here

Good Luck  :emotion-21:

You may not need to do a repair install. Not sur why you don't want to use the recovery console?

See

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

It offers guided help as well as manual instructions.

J:

Thanks for your reply. All of the links I've seen online have discouraged use of the Recovery Console except as an avenue of last resort. I may be wrong, but I have read that using the RC might prevent access to the Documents and Settings folders, especially for accounts created after the initial setup. This, from the link you provided, seems to indicate that:

>>>Therefore any changes and settings that occurred after the Setup program was finished are lost.

I always install XP as admin and create secondary accounts later.

All of my data is stored on secondary drives except  for the OE .wab and .dbx files; everything I've read recommends that I connect the boot drive to another machine via an external case to grab the D&S's folders (there are three accounts) before attempting any repair.

One area I found odd was the "Guided Help" that MS provides: How can one download and use guided help for an OS that isn't starting up?

dg

Well, of course, it's entirely up to you if you don't want to use the recommended official merthod.  I don't think you can have read to the end, judging by your quote. Firstly your personal files would not be lost, only software changes (the secondary account might not be accesible, but the personal files would still be there). Second, I assume that you have some recent restore points: part two of the manual method shows how you can get the system back to how it was at that point. That would include your secondary account information and software changes made up to that point. Or, once up and running, you could log in as the system administrator and access your files that way.

I agree with you that it seems at first sight a bit odd to tell one to have Windows running to use the guided help. However if you read the linked article 915092 which gives the info on guided help, it can also be downloaded on a working PC for use on another (it then prompts you to load the software on on a USB stick, which can then be used to run it on the sick PC. So maybe not as odd as it appears.

You could, if you have a second PC, take the hard drive that has your wab and dbx folders on it out of your PC, install it in another PC as a secondary drive (a helpful friend might be willing to help if you don't have 2 PCs), then get yoiur files that way.

For future reference, by the way, I recommend ERUNT to back up your registry. That can be used both within windows and outside it to restore to the backed up registry.

http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/index.htm

Thanks again for the comprehensive reply; I didn't read the linked article, but suspected that MS must have intended it as you indicate. After I get my .wab & .dbx folders on to another drive (I have several externals), I will have to mull this over. I guess I'm also fearful when a lot of messing with the registry is involved, but then again, if I can avoid doing a complete reinstall, this method might be the best choice.

Have never heard of ERUNT: will definitely look into that.

Thanks.

dg