[halpin325]

Hey,
i keep getting the above error message when i boot up my computer and it refuses to go an further, i have tried solutions provided on this forum and none will work as my recovery disc has a recovery utility on it which wants to format my HD and then reinstall windows. but i want to keep my files and i have no way of getting the files the HD at the moment.
i need help asap.
thanks in advance

[rebon]

You could try a repair of xp this will keep your files.

How to go about Repairing Windows XP
1. Put your Windows XP Install CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Reboot your computer.
3. Let your system boot off of the CD.
4. Let the Setup go through the first part of the Installation procedure.
5. When you come to the screen in which it says "Welcome to Setup." press Enter to Setup Windows XP.
6. Press F8 to agree to the End User License.
7. Let the Setup search your system for previous versions of Windows.
8. When the Setup is finished searching your system, select your Windows XP Installation and press the R key on your keyboard to start the Repair Procedure.

This is the part that might make you nervous . The Setup will delete all major system files and then replace them with new copies.

You will have to download all of the updates from Microsoft Windows Update again because it replaces the files.

Don't worry, your user data is still intact. Nothing has been lost, nothing has been deleted. Your data is safe, just the OS has been repaired, so relax.

There is nothing to worry about as long as you follow the steps to repairing Windows XP.

That is assuming it is a dodgy windows file.

[halpin325]

I have tried that, but the problem is that i don't have a Windows install CD , i just have recovery utility DVD that formats my HD and install windows and all the apps that came with my computer so i would need some other solution.
thanks for the tip anyway.

[DFW]

I think you could repair this with recovery consol, look on your system wed site, and it should show you how to install recovery consol off your recovery CD's, I have done it on a HP.

[halpin325]

i have looked on toshiba's website and i am unable find anything about installing the recovery console.
any other ideas?

[DFW]

FROM TOSHOBA HELP FILE FROM MY LAPTOP

To start the computer and use the Recovery Console
From the Setup CD-ROM
Insert the Setup compact disc (CD) and restart the computer. If prompted, select any options required to boot from the CD.
When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts; choose the repair or recover option by pressing R.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access from the Recovery Console.
When prompted, type the Administrator password.
At the system prompt, type Recovery Console commands; type help for a list of commands, or help commandname for help on a specific command.
To exit the Recovery Console and restart the computer, type exit.

[DFW]

Just in case you dont have them COMMANDS


http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true

[halpin325]

I can't see any option for the recovery console
when i boot the DVD it says:
"Welcome to Toshiba Recovery Utility
This process will restore the original default system install on your hard drive.
Note that the current contents of your hard drive will be erased and replaced by the default system install. You should back up your system before continuing."
I clicked ok and then it says:
"Continuing with this process will erase the current contents of your hard drive and replace them with the original deflault system install.
Yes or NO?"
and nowhere does it say anything about the recovery console or repair.

[DFW]

Restore CDs come in several varieties. I just treid mine and it worked ok, I think your going to have email toshiba support and get the info for your model and Restore CD's,

What is your model

[Bob Cerelli]

Originally Posted by halpin325

I have tried that, but the problem is that i don't have a Windows install CD , i just have recovery utility DVD that formats my HD and install windows and all the apps that came with my computer so i would need some other solution.
thanks for the tip anyway.

And that is exactly why you won't be able to do either repair install or even get to the recovery console. While some people may have a true XP CD which would work, that is not the case here.

So I would at least contact Toshiba and see if they can send you an actual XP CD. Otherwise you are correct, continuing will erase the hard drive.

----

But if they can't send you out a CD, you can always try just booting with any true XP CD, taking the first repair option which will bring you to the recovery console. You will need to know the administrator's password.

Then try running FIXBOOT

[DFW]

It's about time system manufacturers started taking these types of problems in account, guess I always been lucky with the type recovery cd I had, always get into the recovery console, but know on my desktop I use a XP disk and dumped the recovery cd.

Could you get your hands on a spare harddrive, remove your currant harddrive, install the spare harddrive into the system, use your recovery disks to add OS, then install your harddrive with all your data on, as a slave, copy the files you want to cd/dvd, put back your old harddrive, "give the one back you may have borrowed", use your recovery dvd on the drive, and copy your files back from cd/dvd.

It's a long way round, but you get your files and your system up and working, or you could install your currant harddrive into a other system as a slave and get you files that way, pop it back into your system and restore with your recovery disks??????????

[Bob Cerelli]

Yes that is a very long way around the problem, especially with a laptop.

Much quicker just to use a XP CD.

[DFW]

Originally Posted by halpin325

Hey,
i keep getting the above error message when i boot up my computer and it refuses to go an further, i have tried solutions provided on this forum and none will work as my recovery disc has a recovery utility on it which wants to format my HD and then reinstall windows. but i want to keep my files and i have no way of getting the files the HD at the moment.
i need help asap.
thanks in advance

Does not say if he has a laptop or desktop, but your right a xp disk would be the fastest if he could get one, but as he says " I have tried solutions provided on this forum" and his ist reads to me that he's tried, I was just adding a second way of keeping his data, it may be a bit long winded, but it would work for a desk top, and he could do it if he had a harddrive usb encloser, for a laptop, just depends how important that data is.

Lesson there today is BACK UPS

[Bob Cerelli]

Originally Posted by DFW

FROM HELP FILE ON TOSHBIA LAPTOP

Your are right. They never said it was a laptop. That was from your post. But then again, does Toshiba even make a deskop?

Also would never presume to know what solutions have been tried so far. Nor would I want to limit any suggestions based on those presumptions.

But hopefully they can find a XP CD to try the Recovery Console. Restoring back to the factory settings, even if you are able to save you data, would erase every program installed, update downloaded, and configuration done since that time.

So if you can't find a XP CD, there is a CD you can make that will let you get to just the recovery console. Very useful for these situations. Download and burn it using a program that recognizes ISO images.

http://www.thecomputerparamedic.com/files/rc.iso

A small, free program to burn ISO images be downloaded at:
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downloads/burncdcc.zip. It is a single executalbe that is under 200k.

[DFW]

Your Right

Dated 2001

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,73...l?tk=dn112901X