Repairing Windows XP installation.

[xyz]

My question is how to use Recovery Console in order to repair a Windows XP installation in the following situation:

You were dual booting Windows 98 and Windows XP, Win98 being on C: while WinXP being on D:. Some how you screwed up Win98 so that you had to format the C: drive and re-install Windows 98. Win98 installation re-wrote the boot sector resulting in the loss of boot menu which you were seeing at the startup. Also you lost the Windows XP boot files like Boot.ini, NTLDR, NtDETECT.com etc.

What is the procedure to use Recovery Console to fix this?
Thanks for your time!
___________________________________________________________
<font color=blue>Mubashar</font color=blue>

<b><font color=red><i>"All delays are dangerous in war."</b></font color=red></i>

 

[chandanarahul]

boot through winXP cd and the first option will be ENTER to setup or R to repair. Take R and it should list the WinXP installtion there. Choose that one and when it goes to the C:\Windows and type chkdsk /r and ENTER and it'll do want to do

 

[xyz]

'R' switch with CHKDSK.exe is used just to recover readable information from bad sectors. What it has to do with the situation, I described???
<A HREF="http://www.cix.co.uk/~davedorn/computing/windows/xprepair5.htm" target="_new">This page</A> seem to have the answer, but I want some further explaination.
Should I do the following:
After going into Recovery Console,
1. fixboot
2. bootcfg /rebuild
3. Use 'copy' & 'expand' to copy the WinXP boot files onto the C: Drive.

???
___________________________________________________________
<font color=blue>Mubashar</font color=blue>

<b><font color=red><i>"All delays are dangerous in war."</b></font color=red></i>

 

[chandanarahul]

Well I've to agree it was pretty stupid, but try using bootcfg /add. I never really tried that. But if u r comfortable, why not try editing the boot.ini file and add the reference to xp and the other installation and it should be alright. But that would get you only an oppurtunity ro see the xp installatio but doesn't help u with ntldr. I guess at that point u may have to go for the repair option under xp setup.

 

[xyz]

Do I need to use 'fixboot' for re-writing the boot-sector OR just re-creating the boot.ini and copying NTDETECT.com, NTLDR and hyperfil.sys would do the trick?
__________________________________________________________
<font color=blue>Mubashar</font color=blue>

<b><font color=red><i>"All delays are dangerous in war."</b></font color=red></i>

 

[chandanarahul]

honestly, I'm not confident abt just copying NTDETECT.com, NTLDR..... I would first try using fixboot and cause I never tried it and as I said earlier, why don't u consider doing a repair?

I found an interesting but disappointing link regarding the use of fixboot

http://www.tek-tips.com/gviewthread.cfm/lev2/7/lev3/50/pid/528/qid/308210

 

[xyz]

I would first try using fixboot and cause I never tried it and as I said earlier, why don't u consider doing a repair?

Very simple reason... because performing a repair would take the same amout of time which a clean install takes. But on the other hand re-creating boot.ini and copying the boot files would take not more than a couple of minutes (if it works).
____________________________________________________________
<font color=blue>Mubashar</font color=blue>


<b><font color=red><i>"All delays are dangerous in war."</b></font color=red></i>

 

[chandanarahul]

don't u think doing a repair saves you the pain of redoing all the drivers and all the apps? I do agree u have to reinstall few of them but most of the data would remail intact.
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But on the other hand re-creating boot.ini and copying the boot files would take not more than a couple of minutes (if it works).
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Why don't u go ahead and try it?

 

[xyz]

don't u think doing a repair saves you the pain of redoing all the drivers and all the apps? I do agree u have to reinstall few of them but most of the data would remail intact.

Well in case of a repair, you might have to reinstall certain things. But in case which I am discussing, you won't have to install anything at all. 100% stuff would remain intact.

Why don't u go ahead and try it?

Because at this time, I don't have a dual boot system to try that out. But most of my friends have that dual boot system, and I know, they will be screwing up Win98 as usual and then asking me to fix it. Now <A HREF="http://www.aiscl.co.uk/Fix a dual boot system.htm" target="_new">this</A> is the one solution which I have already tried and it works pretty well without performing an actual repair. I have also heard that you can use recovery console to fix such a problem and that would even be faster. I thought that atleast someone here might have tried that but it doesn't look like that.
___________________________________________________________
<font color=blue>Mubashar</font color=blue>



<b><font color=red><i>"All delays are dangerous in war."</b></font color=red></i>

 

[chandanarahul]

Ok!

let's try it when we get a chance

 

[chandanarahul]

<A HREF="http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_recovery_concepts.htm" target="_new"> TRY THIS </A>

Thought u could use it

 

[xyz]

Finally <A HREF="http://www.computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/142699.html" target="_new"> got the answer.</A>

chandanarahul, a lot of thanks to you for you support.
___________________________________________________________
<font color=blue>Mubashar</font color=blue>

<b><font color=red><i>"All delays are dangerous in war."</b></font color=red></i>

 

[chandanarahul]

no probs