Hi
AlRussell,
We need to repair your windows installation.
Please read this two times to get familiar with procedure. Please insert your Windows XP SP3 installation CD and make sure you have your Windows XP SP3 key by your self.
Step 1Make sure CD ROM is your primary boot device.
Configuring Your Computer to Boot from CDMany computers are not configured to boot from the CDROM. If you cannot boot from the CDROM, this is probably due to the boot order of your devices being incorrect. You can change this in the BIOS.
You enter the BIOS from the first screen you see when you turn your computer on. To enter your BIOS, most users here will press the
DEL key. The BIOS will usually display which button to press to "enter setup" during POST (if it flashes by too fast, press the Pause key).
When you enter the BIOS setup, you need to change the boot order. The CDROM should be setup before the Hard Drive. Each BIOS is different, but here is an example:
Note: If you need assistance with a repair installation, please start a new topic in our Windows XP Forum. This topic is also open for comments, but not all will receive a reply.Step 2Let's get started!Step 1: Rule out hardware issues. Windows Repair will only fix software problems. Hardware issues can also cause boot problems (i.e. bad hard drive, memory, CPU, or power supply).
Step 2: Backup. It's always a good idea to backup your important data before making changes to Windows XP. Relax, if you follow these instructions your data will be perfectly safe.
Step 3: Boot from your Windows XP CD. Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.
Can't boot from your CD? Please see the note at the bottom of this page (Configuring Your Computer to Boot from CD).Step 4: A blue screen will appear and begin loading Windows XP Setup from the CD.
Note: RAID/SCSI/Unsupported UDMA users:
You will be prompted to "press F6 to install any third party SCSI or RAID drivers". Most users will not have to press F6, but if you are running RAID, SCSI or unsupported UDMA controllers, then you will have to have your controller drivers on a floppy disk.
If you are unsure whether you have RAID/SCSI, then simply let the CD load without pressing F6.When completed loading files, you will be presented with the following "Windows Setup" screen, and your first option. Select "To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER".
DO NOT select Recovery Console.
When presented with the screen below. press the F8 key to continue.
Next, Windows Setup will find existing Windows XP installations. You will be asked to repair an existing XP installation, or install a fresh copy of Windows XP.
If no installations are found, then you will not be given the option to repair. This may happen if the data or partition on your drive is too corrupted.
Note: If you install a fresh copy, all data on that partition will be lost!
Your almost finished! Windows XP will appear to be installing itself for the first time, but it will retain all of your data and settings. Just follow the prompts, and have your CD-KEY ready if needed.
Do you have more than one system, or lost your CD-KEY? Visit
the keyfinder page to retrieve your CD-KEY.