[rshaffer61]

Nope now the issue is we need to do a Repair Installation by doing the following.
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.

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Great - thanks for that. I'll do that.

Just one thing, though. Earlier on in this thread, I tried to follow the links for a Repair Installation, but I got stuck as I kept coming across screens that weren't included in the tutorial link.

Is there another demonstration that shows these alternative screens and what I should do when I come across them?

[Canary]

Great - thanks for that. I'll do that.

Just one thing, though. Earlier on in this thread, I tried to follow the links for a Repair Installation, but I got stuck as I kept coming across screens that weren't included in the tutorial link.

Is there another demonstration that shows these alternative screens and what I should do when I come across them?

[rshaffer61]

If you get to a screen you don't know post it and we'll go step by step.
I'm not sure if the link I provided is the same as what was provided to you earlier.

[Canary]

Nope now the issue is we need to do a Repair Installation by doing the following.
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.

Hello again, and thank you for your help so far.

I've been trying to install Windows Backup software, having followed your link. I've got to this page (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/maintain/backupsw.mspx), and I have inserted the Windows XP disc as requested. I've followed the steps through to step 4, but when I get there, I'm stuck. There is no NTBACKUP to double-click on once I've clicked on VALUEADD and MSFT.

That means I can't install Backup, so I can't then run the Backup process, as far as I can tell.

[rshaffer61]

You can backup using a Linux Live cd.
Get Puppy Linux from my signature below...Get puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso download it and burn it to cd
..
if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files get Burncdcc from my signature...it is a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....

put the cd in the cd drive..boot your computer....puppy will boot and run totally in ram...if your hardware is is good working order you will know...
after you get it running and your at the desktop...you take the puppy linux cd out and then you can use the burner to copy all your data to cd/dvds
you can also use it to backup your data to a external usb harddrive..just have it hooked to the computer when you boot up with puppy...

==========================
quick guide for saving data...music..files on a system that will not boot using puppy Linux..


after you get to puppy desktop..
click on the drives icon...looks like a flash drive...top row..it will list all the drives connected to

your computer...

click on the red icon for the drive you want to mount...in this case its a flash drive ...puppy will

mount the drive..the drive icon turns green when its mounted...
minimize the drives mounter window..you will need it again in a few minutes..
drag the right edge of it sideways to shrink it to its narrowest size...about half the width of the screen...then drag the window to the right edge of the screen...

now click on the icon that looks like a filing cabinet (kind of yellow) on the main drive...it should
already be green..
you will see a list of all the folders on the main drive Usually your C: drive..shrink that window to
the narrowest you can..about half the width of the screen...drag that window to the left side of the screen...
at this point you should have 2 windows open on your desktop..the flash drive on the right side..
go back to the folders on the C: drive...click on the documents and settings folder...then your user
name or all users..find the folders that has your data..
drag and drop the folder with the data you want to make copies of to the flash drive window...

your options are to move ..copy ect...JUST COPY..if its to big you will have to open the folder and
drag and drop individual files until the flash drive is full...(I have a 120 GB external USB drive for
big data recovery jobs and a 4 GB flash drive for the smaller jobs)..after you get the files copied to
the flash drive...
Click on the drives mounter you minimized earlier
UNMOUNT THE FLASH DRIVE by clicking on the green icon..you will once in awhile get error messages when
unmouting the drive..ignore them..when the flash drive icon turns red again its safe to remove the
flash drive..trot on over (stroll if you want to look cool) to another computer and plug in the flash

drive and copy all the data files ( I drag and drop) to the other computer..
make sure the other computer can read them...

now delete the data on the flash drive...take it back to the misbehaving computer and plug it in

again..click on the drives icon again and repeat until you have all your data transferred to the working
system..

Thanks to happyrock

[Canary]

Further to my previous post, I've done some looking around on Google, and it seems that there is no NTBACKUP on Windows XP discs supplied by Dell.

Is there another way? I can't believe it's impossible to do a system backup on a Dell!

[Canary]

Further to my previous post, I've done some looking around on Google, and it seems that there is no NTBACKUP on Windows XP discs supplied by Dell.

Is there another way? I can't believe it's impossible to do a system backup on a Dell!

Sorry - posts crossed. I'm on to Linux now . . .

[rshaffer61]

NP problem. people say I'm to fast for my own good at times. Good luck with the backup and when done we can continue on with the repair.

[Canary]

I've got through the stage with rebooting in RAM and selecting the monitor size.

I hope I'm not being too thick here, but I get totally lost at that stage. It's all in terms and jargon that a simpleton like me doesn't get. It seems to be saying that it can't connect, but I'm not totally sure what's happening.

There appear to be various tests and things to select, but I don't really know what I'm doing!

[rshaffer61]

I think what you are describing is the monitor resolutions.
800x600 should be fine if its a option. If not use the default setting.
Have you been able to backup your data yet?

[Canary]

Hi again,

No - I've got past the monitor resolution stage. It's what happens next that I don't understand.

I'm puzzled as to what to do once I've installed Puppy Linux. I don't know how to do the backup.

Thanks.

[rshaffer61]

Reread post 20
The instructions on how to backup are after the line that shows =============

[Canary]

Reread post 20
The instructions on how to backup are after the line that shows =============

Sorry - it's probably completely obvious, but I'm still confused . . .

I assume that the drive to be "mounted" is the new external hard drive I've connected up? If so, that's the one that goes green with a "filing cabinet" icon once it's mounted.

Yet the instructions then say that the main drive (the C drive) has the filing cabinet icon.

As I say, I'm sorry if I'm being thick here.

[rshaffer61]

What you do is open the main drive in one window and the external in a different window.
Now drop drag and drop what you want to copy over. You will be asked to verify each folder or file you want to copy over so be prepared for that.

[Canary]

OK, but which drive do I "mount" - the external drive or the hard drive?