Xp Boot Cd Needed?!

[CyberHunter]

Right. You can't use an XP Media Center or XP Professional CD. It has to be XP Home.

Is there an issue with OEM versus Retail editions of XP Home?

Sorry I just caught this typo: "if it repairs withOUT reinstalling". I corrected my post, but it has already been quoted with the error.

I was getting confused there for a minute everyone makes mistakes its alright Now I know I need Xp Home CD only.

[Geek-9pm]

OEM CD's won't facilitate a Repair Install...
They are designed to wipe everything and take a machine back to Day One status...

Are we beating a deed horse?

DELL OEM Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (SP3) reinstallation recovery CD
Price:    $34.99
http://www.amazon.com/DELL-Windows-Professional-Service-reinstallation-recovery/dp/B0029SOTBC

[CyberHunter]

I am trying the Xp Repair ...

I get this screen,

Welcome to Setup.

To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.



So I enter, r

Then takes me to Recovery Console
Is there a command to delete recovery console? I boot up always with 2 options.

1.Microsoft Windows Recovery Console
2.Microsoft Windows Xp Home Edition

[jkolak]

No. I know it's the wording is misleading. A repair install isn't the same as repairing with Recovery Console.

When you get here to

Welcome to Setup.

You have to select:

To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER

If you have the right kind of CD, the next screen will let you choose between repairing a Windows installation or doing a fresh install.

If you have the wrong CD, repair install won't be offered. You can still back out at that point.

When you choose to repair an existing Windows Installation, you are offered a list of Windows installations on the hard drive. If you have more than one, be sure you choose the one you want.

[the_mad_joker]

I HAd The Same Problem Few Months Ago

Ma Frnd Told Me That Ur System File Have Benn Infected by Virus
and UR Antivirus Is Blocking That Files 2 Work

Try this stuff if u wanna Format And RepaiR

1) Format the Hard drive [the main drive , Usually "C:\"]

2) Install Anitvirus

3) Install Only The Drivers Such As Audio and Graphics 
    (No Extra Drivers)

After All These Steps UR PC Should Work!

[CyberHunter]

I HAd The Same Problem Few Months Ago

Ma Frnd Told Me That Ur System File Have Benn Infected by Virus
and UR Antivirus Is Blocking That Files 2 Work

Try this stuff if u wanna Format And RepaiR

1) Format the Hard drive [the main drive , Usually "C:\"]

2) Install Anitvirus

3) Install Only The Drivers Such As Audio and Graphics 
    (No Extra Drivers)

After All These Steps UR PC Should Work!

scanned for virus and detected a couple

going to download and install now drivers

[CyberHunter]

So I did re-install with " XP HOME SP2 CD " , even though my system came with SP3, does it matter?

I am little confused here, I was running a Virus/Malware scanner programs, and I looked and seemed like its  going through my old files. Does this mean I havent lost my data? since I did a RE-INSTALL

Will a Data Recovery Program help? Or not

[jkolak]

I wouldn't leave it that way long. Be sure you run Windows Update as soon as possible so you don't get any system conflicts from having mixed SP2 and SP3 files on your computer.

(Ask me how I know....!!! It's explained in my thread where I'm getting malware help....)

Check your root directory. Do you see more than one Windows folder at C:\ ?

Something like Windows, Windows1, Windows 2, etc?

It sound like you might have. Repair install goes into your existing installation. Reinstall will create a new Windows directory, hence the variation on the name so as not to delete or overwrite your old one. Some like this because it allows them to fetch stuff out of the old installation.

[zodiacmaster]

When I did a reinstall it put a folder in my C: labeled backup were I could get my old files now I am keeping docs etc. backed up on flash drives just in case .

[jkolak]

That's a good idea.

Conventional wisdom is keep the data on a separate partition, but the computer I have in malware help came close to losing the 3rd partition, which is the largest and holds the most of my data.

So my next bright idea was separate hard drives in the same computer, but then I read an article that said that's not safe because a power supply short can kill both hard drives. Oddly enough, that happened to me last year. In all my years of power supply failures, I've only had to buy a new one. This time cost me two HDD.

I used to have an external USB HDD for data backups. Then my UPS let me down last year when a big short (lightening-like arc about a foot long) on a nearby power pole fried the HDD.

So now I am using the LAN to swap files between computers for backup.

[CyberHunter]

Would like to thank you all for your time and posts for this topic, I did a re-install  with XP Home CD, I'll recommend this to anyone who's having an issue starting windows or any missing files, blue error screens etc. 

[jkolak]

Thanks for reporting your results. A lot of people feel a reinstall is the best way to go for system integrity and cleanliness. It's just that others have a lot invested in their setup, or need to get their data.