Tech tips -
You know, I have seen the blue screen of death more than I care to remember. All the numbers and wording on that screen are meant to give you a hint as to what has gone wrong. Googleing the error message can often put you on the path to a solution.
I do everything I can not to have to reinstall the operating system again. I always try my darndest to fix the box so I don't have to go looking for drivers, reinstalling software, restoring data and activating windows.
I also look to do the repair as simply as I can. It may be that I am a bit lazy or the thrill of installing software is gone. Probably one of the best and easiest ways to work miracles on an XP box that won't boot up anymore is to run the recovery console. To do this, insert your XP CD and boot from it. When setup begins, choose the option "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console by pressing R" when prompted to do so.
I am going to tell you the two secrets to my success. The reason why I am able to recover so many installs is two simple commands that you can run from the console.
The first is fixboot, which will fix problems in the boot sector. The second is the chkdsk /r command. If your box won't boot and you have exhausted all your other ideas, this command can work miracles, recovering data in bad sectors and fixing errors. Saved my butt many times and left some of my less technically inclined friends thinking I am a genius.
For the few of you that use Vista, fear not. Although you don't have a recovery console per say, you still have a very similar option. Now expanded and called system recovery, you can boot your box with the Vista CD/DVD just like you would in XP. Do not choose "Install Now" but instead choose the "Repair your computer" option in the bottom left of the screen.
Vista will search for Windows installations and you can choose yours from the list presented to you. Now just click next. Vista will do a little more of the work for you. You can choose the "Startup Repair" option that will check your system for problems, attempting to repair same. This option does not modify your software or data.Another useful option is the "system restore" which will return your system to a restore point of your choosing just as if you ran it while your box was fully booted.
So back to the commands portion. You can access a true command prompt from Vistas system recovery. The recovery console functionality was extended to a full command console well beyond what was available with XP.
Looking forward, Windows 7 will have a system recovery option very similar to Vista.
toddmusseau@gmail.com
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