[rshaffer61]

This is the problem

Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003

What you have is Microsoft Office and not Microsoft XP
This is why it won't boot. It is not a bootable disk it is a install disk to be used within Windows.
If you do not have the Recovery cd then you can borrow a XP disk from a friend as long as it is the same type as what you have installed on your system.... Home, Media or Pro

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I have gotten a hold of a Windows XP Installation disk. Its not a Recovery disk, but I can get into the Windows Setup screen and either choose To set up Windows XP or To repair Windows XP using the Recovery Console.

I've tried the commands I found online:

md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

. . . and I keep getting "the system cannot find the file or directory specified"

Any ideas on what I should try?

Thanks,

Peter

[PeterMedford]

I have gotten a hold of a Windows XP Installation disk. Its not a Recovery disk, but I can get into the Windows Setup screen and either choose To set up Windows XP or To repair Windows XP using the Recovery Console.

I've tried the commands I found online:

md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

. . . and I keep getting "the system cannot find the file or directory specified"

Any ideas on what I should try?

Thanks,

Peter

[123Runner]

Try what was posted in post 2 first.

Put your winxp cd in cd drive and reboot your system
When prompted to push any key to boot to cdrom then click a key
Click R to enter recovery console

Type the following

expand d:\i386\userinit.ex_ c:\windows\system32
click enter

Once it says 1 file copied
Then type exit and click enter
System will reboot
Make sure to remove winxp cd before it boots up and let it boot fully
Windows should start normally

If not post with result

Those other commands you got from another post on Geeks to Go. I have no idea what they do.

[PeterMedford]

Should I be doing this from the D: or C: drive in the Recovery Console? I tried it in both and got the same result.

Unable to create file userinit.ext
0 file<s> expanded.

Thanks

[rshaffer61]

Follow the instructions below since you have the XP cd now

Put your winxp cd in cd drive and reboot your system
When prompted to push any key to boot to cdrom then click a key
Click R to enter recovery console

Type the following

expand d:\i386\userinit.ex_ c:\windows\system32
click enter

Once it says 1 file copied
Then type exit and click enter
System will reboot
Make sure to remove winxp cd before it boots up and let it boot fully
Windows should start normally

If not post with result 

[PeterMedford]

Should I be doing this from the D: or C: drive in the Recovery Console? I tried it in both and got the same result.

Unable to create file userinit.ext
0 file<s> expanded.

Thanks

[rshaffer61]

When you enter Recovery Console you will be sitting at a C prompt.
Type this command exactly as it appears.

expand d:\i386\userinit.ex_ c:\windows\system32
then click enter


This is the problem in the highlighted you have EXT and not ex_ as indicated in the instructions
userinit.ext

[PeterMedford]

I did try userinit.ex_ the "t" was just a typo in the result I got.

[rshaffer61]

ok is the xp cd a Genuine Microsoft or a burned copy?
Is it full version or upgrade?
Since this is not working this way then lets try another way.


Please download RC.ISO and save it somewhere you can find it.
Also download MagicISO.

Start MagicISO. You should see a window informing you about the full version of MagicISO.
In the bottom right select Try It! and the program will open.
Click on File and then on Open and navigate to the RC.ISO file you downloaded. Select it, and click Open.

First, we'll need to add a clean version of userinit.exe to the current RC.ISO

* In the upper right pane, double click on the i386 folder.
* Right click in the upper right pane and select Add Files...
* Navigate to C:\Windows\System32 and select userinit.exe
* Then click Open to add userinit.exe to the CD image.
* Click File and select Save As...
* Name the file RCplus and save it somewhere you can find it.


Next, we'll need to burn the newly created image to a disk that we can use to fix the problem.

* Put a blank CD-R disk in your CD burner and close the tray. If an AutoPlay window opens, close it.
* Click on Tools and select Burn CD/DVD with ISO.... A window will appear.
* Click on the little folder to the right of CD/DVD Image File then navigate to the newly created RCplus.iso Image file and click Open.
* In the CD/DVD Writing Speed drop-down menu choose the 8X setting.
* Under Format make sure that Mode 1 is selected.
* And finally, click on the Burn it! button to burn RCplus.iso to disk.


Once the disk is burned, put it in the machine you want to fix and restart it.
Boot to the CD just as you would with a Windows XP disk.
At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to enter the Recovery Console.
Choose the installation to be repaired by number (usually 1) and press Enter.
When you are asked for the Administrator password, enter the password or leave it blank (default) and press Enter.

At the C:\Windows> prompt, type the following commands pressing Enter after each one. Note: Watch the spaces.

D:
cd i386
copy userinit.exe c:\windows\system32
exit


After putting in the third command, you should receive the message 1 file copied which will indicate that the operation succeeded.
Now take out the CD and reboot your computer to normal mode. Try to log in and it should let you back in.

Thanks to wannabe1

[PeterMedford]

I actually tired the following:

cd c:\windows\system32
expand e:\i386\userinit.ex_

And I got it to create the file.

Now when I EXIT and the laptop reboots, it boots right up into the Rescue and Recovery mode/screen.

I've reset the laptop to the default settings for the Boot Order

[rshaffer61]

did ya take the cd out?

[PeterMedford]

I did, and the only way I can get the laptop not to boot up in the Rescue and Recovery mode is to put it back in. I now also have an E drive, as well as a D and C drive.

Good thing I don't own a gun

[PeterMedford]

To me, it appears its not finding the operating system or C drive.

[rshaffer61]

I think it is time for a Repair Installation
Since you have the XP cd and it is the same type as what is on your system then let's try this.

What I would suggest you do is to Backup your Data Files.
For this I would suggest using a External Hard Drive Enclosure. This will allow you to keep your Important Data safe and Separated from the main system in case of problems. The cost for this kind of Backup System has come down a lot. I would suggest a 500 Gig capacity for your needs. Since you will only be Backing Up Data Files Only this should be sufficient to do that for you. Follow the next two links to see examples of the price you will be looking at.
• HERE
• HERE

I suggest going to Microsofts Backup Tutorial and follow the steps to do a Backup to a External Drive and also it will guide you on how to do a Scheduled Backup even at night.

Another way you can do a Backup is by using DVD’s. This method is just as effective and can be done using the same steps as above.


After the above is done then go on to the next step.



Repair Installation Instructions

· Insert your Windows XP CD in your CD-ROM and then Restart your computer.
· At the first post screen start tapping the Del key to enter System Bios
· Find the Advance Options or Boot Sequence screen.
· You will need to change the boot sequence so that the CDrom is first and the HD is second.
· Press F10 to Save and Exit and then press Enter to accept.
· The system will now reboot
· When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.
· When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER
· To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
· At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. DO NOT SELECT THIS OPTION.

· On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
· Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected and highlighted in the box, and then press the R key to repair Windows XP.
· Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

You can also go HERE
to read a step by step tutorial with screenshots.

[PeterMedford]

I do have a terabyte USB hard drive, can this be used to do that backup? If I can backup the Documents folder and the contents of Outlook, then I won't have a problem formatting the hard drive and doing a complete installation.