0.
Backup Data. If there's "data" you can't afford to lose, standard operating procedure (SOP) is to slave the hard drive to a working computer system to recover the data. If you're workking with IDE hard drives, you must ensure they are jumpered correct (single, master, slave, or cable select). See
http://www.dtidata.com/resourcecenter/2007/04/23/how-to-slave-hard-drive/.
1.
Which Computer. Your recovery options may depend upon which computer you have. If you can provide the model name/number, or better yet, the service tag number; we may be able to find some documentation on the Dell support website.
This information should be on a plate/sticker on the back of the computer.
2.
Resource(s). What recovery resources do you have?
a. Windows XP Installation CD (Dell or Microsoft)
b. Dell restore/recovery discs
c. Dell restore/recovery partition on hard drive
3.
Recovery Console. If you have an "installation" CD (not restore/recovery discs), you should check the integrity of the file system.
Boot to "Recovery Console" from the Windows XP Install CD. When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press <
R> key to start the Recovery Console.
You'll be asked to enter the "
number" of the Windows installation you wish to
repair (usually "1"), then the "Administrator"
password, if one was set. If you never assigned a password, just hit <Enter> key.
Use the "chkdsk" command to verify the integrity of your file system and automatically attempt to fix errors found. Use the following syntax: "
chkdsk /p /r". If you've followed the instructions, you don't need to enter a drive letter because you should be on the correct volume.
Depending upon the size of your partition, these checks could take a long time. Let them run to completion without interruption. The chkdsk utility was not designed to be interrupted - so don't. Doing so might corrupt the file system.
The "
exit" command is used to quit Recovery Console and restart the computer.
See:
Recovery Console Commands.