[dowsp]

I am not used to DOS commands and I did NOT realise that may had neen a space in that command until you indicated later...It could had been a typo error as far as I was concerned.

I am just looking at the other instructions if the Recovery console fails to work.

What I am not sure about with these instructions is IF I need a Full Windows XP disc or not..or if it can make use the existing windows XP on my hardrive..

The recovery console is only at 67%...it is running very slow..

---------------------------------------
If you have Windows CD...(if you don't have Windows CD, scroll down)

1. Insert your Windows XP CD into your CD and assure that your CD-ROM drive is capable of booting the CD.
2. Once you have booted from CD, do NOT select the option that states: Press F2 to initiate the Automated System Recovery (ASR) tool.
You’re going to proceed until you see the following screen, at which point you will press the “R” key to enter the recovery console:

3. After you have selected the appropriate option from step two, you will be prompted to select a valid Windows installation (typically number “1″).
Select the installation number, and hit Enter.
If there is an administrator password for the administrator account, enter it and hit Enter (if asked for the password, and you don't know it, you're out of luck).
You will be greeted with this screen, which indicates a recovery console at the ready:



4. There are eight commands you must enter in sequence to repair your problem..
I will introduce them here, and then show the results graphically in the next six steps.
NOTE. Make sure, you press Enter after each command. Make sure, all commands are exact, including "spaces".
These commands are as follows:

CD..
ATTRIB -H C:\\boot.ini
ATTRIB -S C:\\boot.ini
ATRIB -R C:\\boot.ini
del boot.ini
BOOTCFG /Rebuild

Note about the above command.
BOOTCFG /REBUILD command which searches for pre-existing installations of Windows XP and rebuilds sundry essential components of the Windows operating system, recompiles the BOOT.INI file and corrects a litany of common Windows errors.
It is very important that you do one or both of the following two things:
A.) Every Windows XP owner must use /FASTDETECT as OS Load Option when the rebuild process is finalizing.
B.) If you are the owner of a CPU featuring Intel’s XD or AMD’s NX buffer overflow protection, you must also use /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN as an OS Load Option.
For the Enter Load Identifier portion of this command, you should enter the name of the operating system you have installed.
If, for example, you are using Windows XP Home, you could type Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition for the identifier (it's not crucial, however what the name is, as long, as it's meaningful).

5. Following command verifies the integrity of the hard drive containing the Windows XP installation. While this step is not an essential function in our process, it’s still good to be sure that the drive is physically capable of running windows, in that it contains no bad sectors or other corruptions that might be the culprit:

CHKDSK /R

6. This last command writes a new boot sector to the hard drive and cleans up all the loose ends we created by rebuilding the BOOT.INI file and the system files. When the Windows Recovery Console asks you if you are Sure you want to write a new bootsector to the partition C: ? just hit “Y”, then Enter to confirm your decision:

FIXBOOT

7. It’s time to reboot your PC by typing
EXIT
and pressing Enter.

With any luck, your PC will boot successfully into Windows XP as if your various DLL, Hive, EXE and NTLDR errors never existed.

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You can rest assured, hopefully, although we can all make mistakes, that if I send you a command, it will not have a typo error.
The same command is in the link that my colleague happyrock sent you

I am just looking at the other instructions if the Recovery console fails to work.

What I am not sure about with these instructions is IF I need a Full Windows XP disc or not..or if it can make use the existing windows XP on my hardrive..

Please ignore all references to the downloads on that other link that happyrock sent you, and that I was going to send you, before his post became visible.
THAT as I have already said, is for making a recovery console CD when you DO NOT HAVE the facility to access the recovery console.
Normally when Windows is pre-installed and you do NOT have the XP CD, or the recovery console access loaded as aprt of the Advanced boot options at F8.

Post back when chkdsk has completed and you have tried to load windows normally or it has itself exited the reovery console and tried.
If it completes and there is NO specific message displayed - chkdsk could NOT etc., then type exit
Key enter
and try as normal.

[Macboatmaster]

You can rest assured, hopefully, although we can all make mistakes, that if I send you a command, it will not have a typo error.
The same command is in the link that my colleague happyrock sent you

I am just looking at the other instructions if the Recovery console fails to work.

What I am not sure about with these instructions is IF I need a Full Windows XP disc or not..or if it can make use the existing windows XP on my hardrive..

Please ignore all references to the downloads on that other link that happyrock sent you, and that I was going to send you, before his post became visible.
THAT as I have already said, is for making a recovery console CD when you DO NOT HAVE the facility to access the recovery console.
Normally when Windows is pre-installed and you do NOT have the XP CD, or the recovery console access loaded as aprt of the Advanced boot options at F8.

Post back when chkdsk has completed and you have tried to load windows normally or it has itself exited the reovery console and tried.
If it completes and there is NO specific message displayed - chkdsk could NOT etc., then type exit
Key enter
and try as normal.

[dowsp]

The Recovery Console completed its process, and there was a message that said that it had resolved one or more problems..

On exiting it, I tried a normal restrt but unfortunately I still get the same

Windows\system32\config\systems error..


Looks Like I will have to try the next option.

[Macboatmaster]

go back to recovery console
this time run
chkdsk /p

[dowsp]

After my last message I had a freeze up on my old computer that Im using and I have had to restart ...as well as have something to eat..

I had another look at that boot cd after the recovery console claimed it found some problem and this time it worked and was able to detect another restore point..

BUT Only 1...and thast dated 21st May 2011... This would loose 8 months worth of data if It was able to restart at that restore point...

I will try as you suggest...and only use that if I am unable to fix it through your advice.

BUT It may indicate that there is only one restore point...it says its unknown.

I dont recall creating it..

[dowsp]

I completed the chkdsk /p command

and it didnt say anything after it finished..


I just exited it and restarted the computer...

It sems to be rebooting in windows but very slowly...

...

Just as I have wrote this its opened desktop

IF its resolved it... I am amazed...and Thank you very much..

Its just opened a wizard and says if the hardware came with a installation CD insert it now..

Maybe it detcted the boot disc I am not sure.. Maybe I can cancel it..

What ever It has restarted..

[Macboatmaster]

1.I am unsure as to which boot Cd you are referring to.

2.My advice is not by any means completed.

3.When chkdsk reported that it resolved one or more problems, it is always worth running it again.

4.Does the freeze refer to the computer with the problems, or the computer you are using to post on here.

[Macboatmaster]

YOUR URGENT TASK NOW is to backup all your data you value to an external hard drive, or to a usb flash drive if you do not have an external drive and transfer it from the flash drive to another computer.
I mean your docs, images and audio files (music) and videos if you have them.


The mesage - if the hardware came with a CD may refer to someting you were trying to install - before the crash. - were you.?

[dowsp]

The Freeze up I referred to was my old PC that Im using to send you my messages..

I will recheck the chddsk /r later..

I am just going to see it it will connect to the internet..si I may have to log off here for a while.

The CD that the wizard indicated if I had a installation cd to install it.

As I dont have one... Initially I was thinking it had detected the boot cd that was still in my cd rom drive..


when it restarted it did so in normal mode.. as I need to select the cd rom before in order for it to detect it normally.

Is it possible to take a FULL copy of the whole disc including Windows XP

onto an external drive ? I can copy normal files etc.. BUT Id like to also have a FULL back up.

I THINK my disc has TWO partitions....Or maybe I can make a back
up in my other partition..

[dowsp]

I am writing on my recovered laptop...I managed to get on the internet....

Just hope that it doesnt crash before I make a back up copy..


I may not be able to do it until the next day or so as I dont think ive enough space
on my present external drive.

[Macboatmaster]

1. Do not run another chkdsk NOW you have a boot.
My comment regarding it is always worth running again was in reply to your post 20.

YOUR POST 21 was not visible when I typed that.

WHAT BOOT CD?

PLEASE do as I suggest, secure your personal data.

If that hard drive crashes and I am NOT suggesting it will - you could MAYBE lose everything.

Windows is recoverable probably from a partition on the hard drive, but you personal files will be lost.

Re your Dell Inspiron 510 cannot find 510 found 510m
http://support.euro....INS_PNT_PM_510M

Here is the link on that page you will see your recovery options, if it does crash, your diagnostic options, and a wealth of other information.
IF YOURS is not the 510M and to be certain anyway insert the service tag in the box.

[dowsp]

The Boot disc was for win xp the one that I mentioned early on..its a special disc that does numerous things like restore..backup..dos..and hardrive programs that I got from Ebay and you told me
not to use...It was left in my cd rom...and As I mentioned after Id ran cdkdsk / r I ran it
and it found the restore file from May 2011...

Yes my Computer is a Dell Inspiron 510M.... NOT 510....Thks for the Dell restore Info...

I will try to back up ASAP.... I believe that it is possible to back up on the 2nd partition
and also make a copy of the windows XP software with my general files and data..

I have some instructions that I came across somewhere ..If I find them i will post them ..
if you are not aware of them..

again many thanks....I may be offline or tied up a while but I will post again later or tomorrow.

cheers Dowsp

[Macboatmaster]

Well I still have NO idea which disc you refer to, but if it the Hirens that I told you we do not support or discuss its use, as it contains unlicensed software - it is a FREE download, so if you bought it from ebay, you need not have bothered.

If it is HIRENS - as I said, from the aspect of GeekstoGo you can forget it, I will not even discuss its use with you. That is not meant to be dismissive of your problem in any way whatsoever.

If it is NOT Hirens, then tell me what it is and I will advise you.

IT IS if the partition is the recovery partition - what size is it please - not possible to backup to that
AND if the disk is failing and I say IF - there is no point in backing up to any partition on that disc.

With respect I do not think you need to go to the trouble of posting the instructions you have, but please do so if you wish.

It is SIMPLE - you open your documents folder and you then copy the documents to the capacity of your flash pen drive, obviously NOT to the full capacity, you then open the folder on the flash drive and check they have copied and you then take it to the other computer.
You do the same with the pictures and the music etc.
Obviously far easier to simply copy to your external drive.

When you have DONE that, we will then ascertain as far as is possible the state of the drive.

Signing off 0141 UK time, back 1800 UK time

[Macboatmaster]

dowsp

When you started this topic on 26 Jan at 4.32pm your computer would not load windows.
By post 21 we managed to correct that error and the computer WAS booting to Windows.

On 27 Jan your last post included THIS

....I may be offline or tied up a while but I will post again later or tomorrow.

Would you kindly update your thread.
Thank you