Smart HDD Aftermath

1.) Since you don't have a Windows XP Pro Installation Disk, you will have to make the following Recovery CD.

Automated Recovery CD Creator (ARCDC)
On a computer with internet access and a CD burner, please download ARCDC from Artellos.com.
Arrow down and under Downloads, click Latest Exe Download. Save to your Desktop.

• Double click ARCDC.exe.
• Follow the dialog until you see 6 options. Please pick: Windows Professional SP2 & SP3.
• You will be prompted with a Terms of Use by Microsoft, please accept.
• You will see a few dos screens flash by, this is normal.
• Next, you will be able to choose to add extra files. Select the Default Files.
• The last window will allow you to burn the disk using BurnCDCC.
• Don't put the CD in the drive until BurnCDCC asks you to.
• Your XPRC.iso file will be located on your desktop.

2.) Now start the problem computer using the newly created CD:

• Make sure that your computer is set to boot from the CDROM first. (For how to set CDROM drive to boot first, go here)
• Put the ARCDC CD in the CDROM and restart the computer.
• Watch for Press any key to boot from CD... message and hit the <Enter> key.
• Windows will load a number of files and eventually you will be presented with the following screen:

Resized to 84% (was 722 x 397) - Click image to enlarge

Use this Cd to do a repair install here is a link if all else fails.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1.htm

Note that I am not 100% sure that you can perform a repair install with this cd but it is worth a shot. Hope this helps Also I am not sure but I think that the sp3 file may also help you.


1.) Since you don't have a Windows XP Pro Installation Disk, you will have to make the following Recovery CD.

Automated Recovery CD Creator (ARCDC)
On a computer with internet access and a CD burner, please download ARCDC from Artellos.com.
Arrow down and under Downloads, click Latest Exe Download. Save to your Desktop.

• Double click ARCDC.exe.
• Follow the dialog until you see 6 options. Please pick: Windows Professional SP2 & SP3.
• You will be prompted with a Terms of Use by Microsoft, please accept.
• You will see a few dos screens flash by, this is normal.
• Next, you will be able to choose to add extra files. Select the Default Files.
• The last window will allow you to burn the disk using BurnCDCC.
• Don't put the CD in the drive until BurnCDCC asks you to.
• Your XPRC.iso file will be located on your desktop.

2.) Now start the problem computer using the newly created CD:

• Make sure that your computer is set to boot from the CDROM first. (For how to set CDROM drive to boot first, go here)
• Put the ARCDC CD in the CDROM and restart the computer.
• Watch for Press any key to boot from CD... message and hit the <Enter> key.

Use this Cd to do a repair install here is a link if all else fails.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1.htm

Note that I am not 100% sure that you can perform a repair install with this cd but it is worth a shot. Hope this helps Also I am not sure but I think that the sp3 file may also help you.

Great idea. Having a recovery CD will certainly help. A couple of questions though:

1) My working computer is Windows7. Does it make a difference if the Recovery CD Creator (ARCDC) is downloaded first to Windows7, and then transfered to the problem computer via removable drive?

2) Is the Recovery CD the same as The Repair and Boot CD? And what's the difference between a Recovery CD and a full Windows XP CD?

3) Does using a Recovery CD to repair Windows XP cause any installed programs or data to be lost?

Thank you very much and looking forward for your explanations.

Great idea. Having a recovery CD will certainly help. A couple of questions though:

1) My working computer is Windows7. Does it make a difference if the Recovery CD Creator (ARCDC) is downloaded first to Windows7, and then transfered to the problem computer via removable drive?

2) Is the Recovery CD the same as The Repair and Boot CD? And what's the difference between a Recovery CD and a full Windows XP CD?

3) Does using a Recovery CD to repair Windows XP cause any installed programs or data to be lost?

Thank you very much and looking forward for your explanations.

1. No

2. I have not used this before I was talking to a another member here about this and he suggested it I will snd him a pm and he will eplain further.

3. No you will not lose anything in a repiar install except windows updates and your current vrsion of internet explorer.

Just go through the repair install if possible.

Hi -
The "Latest .EXE" that you download, after selecting your XP version, are XP files that you are downloading.
It is not a full XP CD. Last check only showed about 220 files in the download, where the Genuine CD has many more.

NOTE: This is just a Repair install CD, not a Full XP CD -
Please quickly read the post linked below as it is for this also -
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic450649.html/page__view__findpost__p__2671214

About all that I can add at this time - Thanks -
EDIT -
While the ARCDC disk has an "i386" directory, mine showed 216 files on disk, while my Windows XP, SP3, i386 directory showed 5888 files on disk, but this included updates etc.

How has the repair install come?

3. Go to Start ==> Control Panel. Double-click Network Connections. Right-click Local Area Connection, and select Properties.

• On the General tab, click Install a popup window opens.
• Select Protocol from the list and then click Add.

• A new window opens, click Have Disk.... Here at this point in these instructions what other options do you have beside have disk? My xp machine is loaned out to a friend of mine so I can not check for my self. Edit does it have an option like install from specific place?

• In the browse... box type c:\windows\inf
• Click OK.
• Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click OK.
• Restart and check the connection.

I already made a Recovery CD using ARCDC. I used it to Boot the problem XP computer. But after selecting "R" for repairs on the blue screen, the following happens:

On a black screen the following appears:

Which Windows installation would you like to log onto?

1: D:\WINDOWS
2: C:\WINDOWS

When selecting 2, C:\WINDOWS> appears and nothing else happens...?!

Any explanation?



EDIT: I now tried typing 1 for drive D (CD Drive), it asks for Administrator Password. Since there's none, I pressed ENTER.
It only shows D:\WINDOWS>

Nothing happening! Apparently insisting on an Administrator Password!

Please see the link for the repair install.
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topic/138-how-to-repair-windows-xp/

Hi -
The "Latest .EXE" that you download, after selecting your XP version, are XP files that you are downloading.
It is not a full XP CD. Last check only showed about 220 files in the download, where the Genuine CD has many more.

NOTE: This is just a Repair install CD, not a Full XP CD -
Please quickly read the post linked below as it is for this also -
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic450649.html/page__view__findpost__p__2671214

About all that I can add at this time - Thanks -
EDIT -
While the ARCDC disk has an "i386" directory, mine showed 216 files on disk, while my Windows XP, SP3, i386 directory showed 5888 files on disk, but this included updates etc.

Please see the link for the repair install.
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topic/138-how-to-repair-windows-xp/

I followed the instructions in this link. This time I selected XP installation instead of the Recovery Console. But in the next blue screen the following appeared:


Windows XP Professional Setup:

Setup cannot find the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA).

Setup cannot continue. To quit, press F3.

you should have the option to press f8 to agree to the terms

Here download and run this tool.

http://majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=4521&file=1&evp=b509ddca5a07246d285de52a01c3d05d

Now reboot.

you should have the option to press f8 to agree to the terms

Windows XP Professional Setup:

Setup cannot find the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA).

Setup cannot continue. To quit, press F3.


This is all that appears on the screen. Where should the EULA be? Should it be on the computer, or included in the newly made Recovery Disk?

Does it probably mean that the Recovery Disk is missing the EULA?

I am stepping out for the moment sorry just have to go for now will look back over this sunday.

OK. Thank you!

"Windows was unable to find any drivers for this device" "If you have a disk that contains the updated driver, or you wish to search in another location, click OK"

Did you give this path ?

C:/Windows/inf

Download

FSS

Launch it and type

nettcpip.inf

in search box and click on search files

post the generated log