Actually i saw a guy reparing windows xp system using repair command while the cd for windows xp is still inside the cd rom using some strong DOS commands.\n\nIn this case instead of you formating the system you just repair it using those dos commands.\n\nThough, errors will occur, e.g. when you boot the system it  ends up displaying a blue screen and stop there.\n\nPlease give me the steps in details
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You should really use the recovery console when you boot from the Windows XP CD Rom.  It will Repair any errors automatically take only a couple of minutes.\n\nOr Hit The F8 key while turning your system on and when the menu comes up selected "Last Know good Configuration"\n\nBut if you must use DOS Command, Not sure why?  Except to experiment here goes:\n\nInstalling the Recovery Console on your system takes up around 7MB of disk space. To install the Recovery Console on your system follow these steps:\n\n2. At the Dos Prompt type {X}:&#92;i386&#92;winnt32.exe /cmdcons\n      \nWhere {X} should be the driver letter of your CD drive. If the i386 directory is already installed on your computer, you can just type the path to it, for example C:&#92;i386&#92;winnt32.exe /cmdcons\n\nFollow the instructions to install the Recovery Console, when the installation is complete, restart your computer\n\nThe Recovery Console will show up in the list of available operating systems in the boot menu. to use the Recovery Console, you need administrator privileges
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Important If you follow these steps on a hard disk that is not empty, all the data on that hard disk is permanently deleted. We recommend that you back up your hard disk before you follow these steps.\n\nTo partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program: 1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, or insert the first Windows XP Setup disk into the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer.\n\nNote To start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM (or from the startup disk), your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive. In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to set this configuration. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact the computer manufacturer. \n2. If you are starting the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do this.\n\nNote If your hard disk controller requires a third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) driver, press F6 to specify the driver.\n\nFor more information about how to use F6 to supply a third-party OEM device driver while the Windows Setup program is running, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: \n314859 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314859/) Limited OEM driver support is available with F6 during Windows XP Setup \nIf you are starting from the Windows XP Setup disks, insert each of the additional disks when you are prompted, and then press ENTER to continue after you insert each disk. \n3. At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER. \n4. \nNote If you are using the Setup disks (6 bootable disks), the setup will prompt you to instert the Windows XP CD.  \n5. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement. \n6. If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC. \n7. All the existing partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition by using unpartitioned space. If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this step for each of the existing partitions that you want to use for the new partition. When all the partitions are deleted, select the remaining unpartitioned space, and then press C to create the new partition.\n\nNote If you want to create a partition where one or more partitions already exist, you must first delete the existing partition or partitions, and then create the new partition. \n8. Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size. \n9. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to create additional partitions if you want them. \n10. If you want to install Windows XP, use the ARROW keys to select the partition where you want to install Windows XP, and then press ENTER. If you do not want to format the partition and install Windows XP, press F3 two times to quit the Windows Setup program, and then do not follow the remaining steps. In this case, you must use a different utility to format the partition. \n11. Select the format option that you want to use for the partition, and then press ENTER. You have the following options: • Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick) \n• Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick) \n• Format the partition by using the NTFS file
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Hi,\n\nTo run the reovery CD you need to boot from the CD drive. When teh PC is starting, press Del, Esc, F2 or whatever key it says to hit to enter bios setup. Once in, change the boot order so that the PC boots from the CD before trying the hard drive.\n\nWARNING: most manufacturer supplied recovery disks will format your hard drive loosing all the software installed and all your data like photos, emails etc.\n\nIf you provide the make and model of your PC and the operating system, eg Windows XP, it will be easier to provide more accurate information.\n\nHTH
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*****WAIT do not listen to the knuckle heads telling you to reformat*******\nDo a repair installion and enter your legal key.\nYou go through the initial steps as if you were installing XP, at the Windows XP (Professional, or Home) Setup >press ENTER >Windows Xp Licensing Agreement >press F8 >Windows Xp (Professional, or Home) Setup >press R. This will repair your Windows Xp Installation files, and will not affect your programs, data, etc.
30608
You don't have to reformat!  Just go to the Start button, then click on it, then click on Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, then System Restore.  Then try "going back" one at a time until you find one that's far enough back before you made whichever screw-up you made, and you'll be good to go.  That's all assuming you have Windows XP.
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Your best option is to run a repair on your XP installation.\nMake the CD the boot drive, put in you XP installation disk and follow the questions. Once the setup says it  discovered a previous version of Windows take the option of doing a Repair. This will over install your XP and maintain a lot of your setting's
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Your Board is not defective at all. Your Hard Drive is in RAW format (that means it does not have a file system). You can put your CD/DVD ROM as First Boot Device and use it to Run windows Xp setup and format the drive.this should do it.\n\nOr you can buy a "usb laptop hard disk reader" (this should be around $20). use this to format your drive from a Cafe or using a fiends computer.
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Try going into your bios and formating the hard drive. You can't format it from windows because the hard drive has files that windows needs to be able to run. if you can boot your computer in dos, type in format and confirm. that should work. If not you can take out your hard drive and hook it into another computer. Format it from that computer.
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Are you using one of those fake OS called a Recovery CD or a OEM? Becuase they don't have the full version of Windows on them. It is alot cheaper for companies to do this instead of shipping a full copy of Windows which is around $200. \n\nI remember this one guy who formatted both partitons(Recovery CD's come with usually two partitions. Which has the important files installed on one partition leaving the other empty for the rest/your junk) and woundered why he couldn't use his Recovery CD.
302011
yes before formatting u can copy ur boot file that is basically boot.ini present under c: drive. boot ur system with bootable disk and copy that file to d: or e: drive so later u can bring back.\n\nif u dont want to copy then just format ur c: drive and after installing again xp on c: u have to manually enter few lines in boot.ini to recognize ur d: partition operting system.\n\nin both the way u can do so dont think so and go ahead....if facing any problem ping (PM, IM) me and remember frist backup all of ur data on c: before formatting c: drive.\n\ngud luck!!!
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Honestly if you are trying to fix your computer, reformatting it will only wipe the data off of the hard drive, there is a lot more to fixing the PC than formatting the hard drive.\nIf you want to 'fix' the laptop by wiping it out and installing XP fresh, then the best way is to boot from the XP CD you got with the laptop. Some laptop don't ship with CDs now, you have to make them (using a utility included with the OS), buy them from the company, or access a hidden partition containing the discs (usually pressing F6 before the windows boot screen)
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To format your harddrive you will need to get a recovery disc or a Windows CD. \nNo boot disc is necessary unless you are trying to install Windows 95. \nThe recovery disc will usually come with your computer, if you dont have one, you will need to call your computer manufacturing company and order one. \nThe recovery disc and the windows CD will partition your harddrive and it will wipe out your memory and start from fresh.\n\nStep by step directions:\nBefore you run the Windows Setup.exe program to reinstall Windows, you may need to complete the following steps: 1. Disable programs and tools.\n\nDisable any programs or tools (such as screen saver programs, antivirus programs, or tools that run automatically). In addition, uninstall any programs or tools that protect or encrypt the Master Boot Record (MBR) or partition table (such as Bootlock that is included with Symantec Norton Your Eyes Only). For information about how to disable these programs or tools, contact the manufacturer. \n2. Back up the data.\n\nBack up all critical data on your hard disk. Although it is unlikely that you will encounter a serious problem when you reinstall Windows 98, it is always a good idea to perform a complete computer backup before you install a new operating system. When you upgrade your computer's operating system, it is possible that an error can occur (such as incompatible hardware or a power failure) that can temporarily or permanently prevent access to the data on your hard disk. \n\n Back to the top \n\nHow to Reinstall Windows\nTo reinstall Windows: 1. Start Windows, and then insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. \n2. Click Browse This CD, and then double-click Setup.exe. \n3. Follow the instructions to complete the Windows Setup procedure. \nNote: If Windows does not start and you need to run Setup from an MS-DOS prompt, click the Installing Windows 98 From MS-DOS link on the following Microsoft Web site: \nhttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;179756 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;179756)
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Make sure your CD drive is set as a slave or secondary master drive in your BIOS, and also make sure that it's first in the boot sequence. If it can't detect the drive, then there's a hardware problem with the CD drive itself. If you can get that to work, then try using the Repair feature on the XP install CD. If that doesn't work, then just reinstall Windows.
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There are several steps to cure Windows XP without getting to the point of re-formatting (although a lot of times you end up formatting anyway...)\n\nI assume Safe mode has done nothing for you, nor has System restore if you got into safe mode. I guess "Last Working...." was worth nothing either, so you boot off the Windows XP CD and press R when you are told to.\n\nIt will go through a few things and then it might ask you to choose the Windows installation to repair. Usually it is 1 so you press 1. Then it may ask you for the administrator password (which may exist or not. If enter doesn't do it and you don't know the password or another login, you're up the creek.)\n\nOnce past the password, it takes you to the prompt > where you need to type in:\n\nchkdsk c: /r\n\nCheckdisk, our old friend, will scour through and might fix the problem, or cure it enough to let you uninstall and see if you can back out with dignity. It will take forever if it finds things and usually at the fifth line it goes up till about 70 % and then drops back to 50 %. This is normal and you're best off leaving it to its own devices till its done and comes back to the prompt. Then you can type Exit and press Enter and hope it helped. If not, try installing windows without reformatting. That might cure it too.\n\nA format should only be a last ditch attempt, once you have all your stuff off on another drive (lucky you have partitions, eh?) Most of the time it is the cleanest option if you have all your software and disks. It is a pain to do, but once a year its good to flush the house out and build it up again. We collect so much junk though!\n\nHave a book handy while you wait...\n\nIf you have access to another computer and do a search in Yahoo's help, do you get anywhere? Google Groups is also a good source of tech help.
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do a repair of your operating system.  boot from the cd w/ the windows cd inside to repair the system and not to install the whole system.
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Hello, \n\nOK there are two ways depending on your situation. If you have one computer and you want to wipe the Hard Disk and do a fresh install of Windows (I just did that two days ago) to get rid of all that annoying junk, slowness and even viruses then the answer is yes. You have to boot from the WinXP Pro CD. When going through the setup process some of the first options you will find are which partition you want to install XP on. At this stage there are options to format the disk. However if you just reinstall Windows you wont need to choose the Format option as the new Windows will not be able to access any of the other files and you will get a completely clean registry. and completely clean Windows.\n\nIf you have two computers and you want to format a Hard Disk of the other computer you can take out the Hard Disk and put it in the other computer as either a slave drive (The next drive in line) or just connect it to the cable where the CDRom Drive is. Disconnecting the CDRom drive. This is the IDE 2 cable. In this case you dont need to boot from a CD you just boot Windows as usual with the OLD disk now connected to the CD cable or the second plug on the cable of your main Hard Disk (slave).  When Windows boots up and you open explorer you will see an extra HD icon you didnt see before if the disk is active (usable). If its not there dont worry yet. Now got to Start > MyComputer and Right click and choose Manage. Choose Disk Management in the Computer Management Console. Youll see Disk 0 your main disk youre running Windows from and then the one you just added. Right click the newly added disk and choose format.\n\nThe second option makes it possible for MB viruses and all kinds of things to jump to your clean Windows install so if its a virus problem or suspect file or security issue, I suggest the first option. But only if everything else has failed completely, like virus scanning, adware and spyware scanning.  And remeber youll have to install software and redo all your settings again. IF and only if you can you can make a settings disk to take to the new Windows install before formatting. Choose, Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and Files and setting transfer Wizard and follow the instructions, youll be glad you did later when importing them onto the new windows install is a breeze.\n\nHope this helps in some way.\nCheers
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do a windows xp INPLACE UPGRADE..\n\nAKA windows xp repair.  boot from cd.. (DONT GOTO THE RECOVERY CONCSOLE) when the list of windows comes up choose the option to repair it.