[Nipqer]

also, how do i reset the bios to factory defaults?

To set the fail safe defaults in most BIOS versions, enter the BIOS setup...press F5, then press F10 to save and exit.

Is (or was as the case may be) the system restore feature turned on? If if was, we may be able to restore an old system registry hive using recovery console.

The error you're getting is usually related to drivers. Have you installed anything recently...either software or hardware?

i think the system restore feature was on, how could i restore an old system registery hive?

last thing i installed was avg free. i did a virus scan and it fixed all the errors except for one which it needed to reboot to fix. when it rebooted i couldnt log on

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Boot from the Windows XP installation CD...after the first several screens load, you will be given a choice to choose R for Recovery Console. You will then be asked to log in. Choose the installation to be repaired by number (usually 1) and press "Enter". When you are asked for the Administrator password, leave it blank and press "Enter".

When you get to the recovery console prompt:

• Type cd \ and press "Enter".
• Type cd system~1\_resto~1 and press "Enter".
• Type dir and press "Enter".

After you press enter you will see a list of folders (like rp1, rp2) If the list of restore points has more than one page then press the "Enter" key until you reach the end of the list

• Type cd rp {number of the second to last folder in the list} and press "Enter". (Example: Type cd rp9 if rp10 is the last restore point.)
• Type cd snapshot and press "Enter".
• Type copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system and press "Enter".
• Type copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software and press "Enter".
• Type exit and press "Enter".

Your PC will reboot.

If you get an access denied error when doing the above, then do the following at the recovery console:

• Type cd \ and press "Enter".
• Type cd windows\system32\config and press "Enter".
• Type ren system system.bak and press "Enter".
• Type exit and press "Enter".

Your PC will reboot, go back into the Recovery Console and start from the beginning.

[wannabe1]

Boot from the Windows XP installation CD...after the first several screens load, you will be given a choice to choose R for Recovery Console. You will then be asked to log in. Choose the installation to be repaired by number (usually 1) and press "Enter". When you are asked for the Administrator password, leave it blank and press "Enter".

When you get to the recovery console prompt:

• Type cd \ and press "Enter".
• Type cd system~1\_resto~1 and press "Enter".
• Type dir and press "Enter".

After you press enter you will see a list of folders (like rp1, rp2) If the list of restore points has more than one page then press the "Enter" key until you reach the end of the list

• Type cd rp {number of the second to last folder in the list} and press "Enter". (Example: Type cd rp9 if rp10 is the last restore point.)
• Type cd snapshot and press "Enter".
• Type copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system and press "Enter".
• Type copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software and press "Enter".
• Type exit and press "Enter".

Your PC will reboot.

If you get an access denied error when doing the above, then do the following at the recovery console:

• Type cd \ and press "Enter".
• Type cd windows\system32\config and press "Enter".
• Type ren system system.bak and press "Enter".
• Type exit and press "Enter".

Your PC will reboot, go back into the Recovery Console and start from the beginning.

[Nipqer]

i cant boot from cd

[wannabe1]

Ah yes...it throws an error. I missed that earlier...sorry.

What kind of laptop are we working on. Knowing the make and model number might help us proceed.

[Nipqer]

its a compaq 6710b with XP professional

[wannabe1]

Are you using the Compaq disk or do you have a retail disk you're using?

[Nipqer]

its a retail disk.
the disk has sp3 on it but the laptop is only sp2 i think, would that matter?

[wannabe1]

It shouldn't, but ya never know. Let's try one that just contains recovery console.

Download RC.iso and burn it to a cd as an ISO image. You may need a burning tool like ISO Recorder to do this...be sure to get the version for the operating system you'll be creating the disk on.

This must be burned as an ISO image or it won't work. If you don't have solftware that can burn ISO images, use the ISORecorder from the link above. It adds "Copy Image to CD" to the right click menu. Just right click on the downloaded file (rc.iso) and select that option to start the software. You can burn the disk using the default settings.

See if you can boot to Recovery Console using that instead of the retail disk.

[Nipqer]

rc throws the same error as the install disc

[wannabe1]

Has the optical drive been working ok prior to this happening?

Can you get to the safe mode options by tapping the F8 key during boot up?

[Nipqer]

i have recovered the laptop with the hp recovery center back to factory settings. its working now

cheers for the help.

[wannabe1]

Great!

It had to be a driver. It would have been nice to get a dos shell so we could have a look. Recovery CD's and partitions can be a lifesaver when they work the way they're supposed to.

Glad you got it sorted out...