[azdood]

Hello -

I've been having several problems with my computer and was advised to do a sfc /scannow. After I entered the command in the Run window I was asked to insert my Windows XP Professional Disc. I don't have the XP Professional. I have the Home Edition, but I inserted the disc anyway. After that I was repeatedly asked to install the Professional Disc and was given the option of skipping the particular file it was working on at the time (it never named the file). After skipping quite a number of files I gave up. It seems my computer thinks I have the Professional Edition when I don't.

This might tie in with one of the problems I'm having. I am unable to do Windows Updates. When I go to the Widows website I am told that I don't have administrative privileges. I went into safe mode twice and logged in as both administrator and myself, my only two options, but that didn't work either. I still can't update.

I'd appreciate any help on this. Thank you.

[Rollin' Rog]

sfc /scannow is a common recommendation by folks who think it really works. I've never seen it resolve anything. Typically if you are missing a file that sfc can replace, it does so automatically on boot up and you never know it was missing.

For the Windows Update problem see if this is any help:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=316524

[azdood]

Finally! Someone who knows what the hell they're talking about. You wouldn't believe all the mountains of incorrect advice I've received on this. Thank you and thanks also for the Windows link.

One last question: Was I being asked to insert the Professional disc when I actually have the Home Edition something I should worry about? Thank you so much.

[kiwiguy]

Because there is a bug in unpatched Windows XP Home, where it erroneously asks for the Professional CD. It really wants the XP Home CD.

And, contrary to the above, I have several times found it of use on a munged system to get it stable again.

[Rollin' Rog]

Lol, I guess I've seen it reported to fix something once in the years I've been here. It's always one of those shotgun suggestions when no one quite knows what's up.

If you actually KNOW what files are damaged or missing -- it's fairly easy to find and copy backups -- usually from a servicepackfiles\I386 folder that sfc never looks at.

Not that it's useless -- delete a system file and in most cases when you reboot, it will be right back there without you ever knowing sfc did anything.

[azdood]

Thanks. If I were to find some missing files in the servicepackfiles\I386 folder, how would I go about restoring them back to where they belong?

[Rollin' Rog]

If Windows is booting you can just copy them over manually.

If Windows is not booting, you must load the recovery console or some other means of accessing the drive and use a command like:

copy c:\windows\servicepackfiles\I386\filename.sys c:\windows\system32

This assumes the missing file was in the system32 directory and your boot drive is c:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314058

Besides the recovery console there are methods of booting a copy of Windows or Linux using a "portable" environment such as BartPE

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

or Puppy Linux which is also capable of giving hard drive access:

http://www.puppyos.com/

These utilities must be created and tested beforehand so you know how to use them.

If you must choose just one, I'd choose BartPE which is a little more windows like in its method of accessing the drive using a file manager.

[azdood]

Thanks. Windows is booting on my computer. Since I've never done this I don't know what the process looks like so I'm confused by what you mean by "copy them over manually." I just know the file names, not where they go. Would that be done automatically once I found the file in question?

[Squashman]

azdood, you know you have Arizona spelled wrong.

[azdood]

Thanks. It's fixed now.

[Rollin' Rog]

Basically the same way you would copy any file -- use Windows Explorer to go to the directory where the file you want is, right click on it and select "copy" then go to the folder you want to copy it to, right click and select "paste"

You could also use the same command line procedure as you might from the recovery console, but you have to open the command window first: start > run: cmd

Knowing where the file goes could be a problem if the error message did not identify the location -- but most system files go to the system32 directory in Windows -- some to the "drivers" directory in system32.

[azdood]

Thanks again Rollin' Rog. I appreciate all you help. I really like what you put under your experience. Sure wish I'd known how to do that a little earlier.

[Rollin' Rog]

You're certainly welcome.

I'm not particularly good with Windows update issues, but just for the record, has that been resolved?

[azdood]

No it hasn't. Thanks for asking. I've been working on it so long and starting at this monitor that I don't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my ***.

I printed out the Microsoft article on "Administrators only" error message (Article ID 316524) and was able to do perform Methods 1,2 and 3. None of them solved the problem. Method 4 says to go to Start, Run, type in explorer, click OK and My Computer is suppose to come up and then I go on to do things from there. Trouble is, when I typed in explorer and clicked OK My Documents came up!!!

That's as far as I got.

[azdood]

Me again. I just noticed the ***. I should have said read end.