[peterbotes]

Hi everyone,

Well I have been pulling my hair out with a boot problem and NTFS, I want to create a USB boot drive that once booted can give read/write access to a NTFS drive, the USB boot pen needs to be a command line boot disk not any GUI of any type, just like the good old days of a DOS boot disk.

I have looked at the following

NTFSPRO it is full of bugs I keep getting "hi I'm exception bla bla"

NTFS4DOS seems to work but it has a nag screen on the private version and I cannot find the premium version anywhere (happy to pay)

Linux (I am not into linux but if it worked I would be very happy) I have created several small Linux builds but ALL so far have some GUI or loads shed loads of drivers for networks etc.

Tried to create a boot disk as per MS site by http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305595 but this just does not work, after creating and booting it says "insert boot media" I think the instructions are wrong as it says just form disk so there is no MBR

Tried a few recovery CD's and utilities but nothing boots without GUI to a DOS like prompt and lets me have access to NTFS

Please Please Please Pleeeeeeeeaseeee help I think I can no longer see wood for trees with this and I hope someone will just say "it says just do this....."

Thanks

Pete

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What about the Windows XP Recovery Console, that's command line based.

If you don't have an XP CD, download and run ARCDC by Artellos. It will download the required files from the Microsoft Web site and create a .iso file. It will also offer to burn the iso image to a CD for you. If you don't do it then, there is a good freeware burner called ImgBurn which will do it at a later time. If you're unsure how to do this, you can follow the tutorial here: How to Burn an ISO File. This can be done from any computer.

Boot the CD and at the first opportunity, enter R to start the Recovery Console.

Next, choose which XP installation you want to login to. Normally this will be 1.
Lastly you will be asked for the Administrator password. Just press the Enter key as the Administrator does not have a password (unless you gave it one, then you would enter it).

What problem are you trying to fix? Maybe there are other ways to resolve it?

[Ztruker]

What about the Windows XP Recovery Console, that's command line based.

If you don't have an XP CD, download and run ARCDC by Artellos. It will download the required files from the Microsoft Web site and create a .iso file. It will also offer to burn the iso image to a CD for you. If you don't do it then, there is a good freeware burner called ImgBurn which will do it at a later time. If you're unsure how to do this, you can follow the tutorial here: How to Burn an ISO File. This can be done from any computer.

Boot the CD and at the first opportunity, enter R to start the Recovery Console.

Next, choose which XP installation you want to login to. Normally this will be 1.
Lastly you will be asked for the Administrator password. Just press the Enter key as the Administrator does not have a password (unless you gave it one, then you would enter it).

What problem are you trying to fix? Maybe there are other ways to resolve it?

[peterbotes]

Hi Ztuker,

I think there are several way like recovery disk but I want to go straight to a command line, no pressing keys or graphics, just a black DOS like screen and c:\ prompt

Thanks

Pete

[Ztruker]

That is exactly what the Recovery Console is, a DOS like command prompt, but you have to press R when the first screen comes up. When you do that you get a command prompt.

Why is it so important to go directly to a command prompt with no GUI or menu? What are you trying to do?

[peterbotes]

I need to make a disk for users (non-techie people like me) to test if some files exist etc. etc.

Getting them to press R would simply cause issues e.g. "I didn't press R and now its...." or "did you say R, oops it gone now" you know the sort of thing lol

Pete

[Ztruker]

I don't find anything other than what you've already mentioned, sorry.