Please Help fix SP2 problem!

[LLKing]

My friend installed SP2 on his computer and it is doing the reboot after start up thing. Everyone says to boot from the disk and then press R to repair. Well, I tried that and if I press R it asks which windows to use. There is only one option which is c:\windows so I pick it. Then it asks for the admin password and I type it in. Now instead of repairing it just gets me to a command prompt. What do I do from here?

I am not messing up, I went through this thing a dozen times and it is always the same. Press R for Repair, just like it says, just like everyone says, and then command prompt. What can I do to fix his computer? Reformating it is not really an option because there would be 9 weeks of nonbacked up data lost.

 

[bacillus]

I assume that you want to do the repair install. If that's the case, boot from the XP CD but don't press R for repair but just let setup continue till you reach the screen which gives you the option to either perform a repair install or a clean install.
If the above is what you plan to do make sure that the XP CD has sp2 slipstreamed onto it otherwise you'll be in deep problems.

 

[LLKing]

Um, this XP cd was bought within a week after it was released.

 

[sswingle]

Yea, you are pushing R too soon. The first time it prompts, it is for recovery console. If you hit enter to install, F8 to accept license, then it will say Windows is already intalled, push R to repair, and thats the one you want.

 

[LLKing]

After I F8 the license it says "The following list shows the exisisting partitions and unpartition space" and no repair option yet. I selected the largest partition and went through a few scary warning screens about there already being a windows folder before I thought it best to ask you guys if I should continue. So should I continue?

 

[LLKing]

BUMP
Please someone help, I need to get this fixed in the next two hours.

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

XP Repair install

Boot the computer using the XP CD. You may need to change the boot order in the system BIOS so the CD boots before the hard drive. Check your system documentation for steps to access the BIOS and change the boot order.
When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup 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.

Press Enter to start the Windows Setup. do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R", (you Do Not want to load Recovery Console). I repeat, do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R".
Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.
Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair.

If repair is not one of the options! See ***

Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.

***Possible Fix by reconfiguring boot.ini using Recovery Console.

1.Boot with XP CD or 6 floppy boot disk set.

2. Press R to load the Recovery Console.

3. Type bootcfg.

4. This should fix any boot.ini errors causing setup not to see the XP OS
install.

5. Try the repair install.

Or....

"Reboot, this time taking the immediate R option, and if the CD letter is say K: give these commands

COPY K:\i386\ntldr C:
COPY K:\i386\ntdetect.com C:


(two other files needed - just in case)

1. Type: ATTRIB -H -R -S C:\boot.ini DEL C:\boot.ini

2. Type: BootCfg /Rebuild

which will get rid of any damaged boot.ini, search the disk for systems and make a new one. This might even result in a damaged windows reappearing; but gives another chance of getting at the repair"

 

[LLKing]

It says the ATTRIB thing doesn't work and after we bootcfg/rebuild, we select yes to the thingie, and then it asks me to Enter Load Identifier. What's that?

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

lol I posted on this before... gotta think

When you type bootcfg /repair it will give you three things

1. Ask which windows install it's for. It should be "1"

2. Ask for the name of your Windows. type "Microsoft Windows XP Home" or whatever it is

3. Type "/fastdetect" in that column.

 

[LLKing]

After bootcfg /rebuild it says add instalation to boot disk, yes, no or all. If we choose yes it asks to enter load identifiyer. He puts in 1 to see if that was what you meant and it says enter OS something.

It's hard to tell him what to do over the phone.

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

Hang on let me do it to mine so I can write this stuff down... I'll brb... grr...

-green

 

[LLKing]

Wow, thanks a lot.

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

Use bootcfg /rebuild

lol

my bad...

-green

 

[LLKing]

Yeah, I do use that. But then I get the stuff I listed above.

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

actually don't type rebuild... type /repair

Here's my whole post from an earlier post... that's all the info I've got... sorry..

Go to recovery console.

type bootcfg /list

This'll list your windows installations

type bootcfg /repair

It will ask you three questions.

1st.. you choose the windows installation you want to repair. It is 1 most likely

2nd you type "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" or whatever you have.

3rd you type "/fastdetect"

Then you done
type exit... it'll boot now. Bingo bango bongo.


Follow these all the way through... if it doesn't work... let me know... just type what it says

-green

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

the problem is you need bootcfg /repair I think... stupid copying and pasting!

 

[LLKing]

There is no repair option. It brings up a screen with a list of all of the options. The closest to repair is rebuild. When we use rebuild it says:

Total Identified Windows Installs: 1
(1) : c:\windows
add installation to boot list? (yes/no/all):

Then if we select Yes it says:

Enter Load Identifier

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

OK TYPE "Windows XP Professional" IF YOU HAVE PRO... if you have home type "Windows XP Home"

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

Guess what you do after that.... type "/fastdetect"

lol..


-green

 

[LLKing]

Now it says
Enter OS Load Options

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

/fastdetect


type it

then hit enter

 

[LLKing]

/fatsdetect makes it go back to the begining.

 

[S0Y73NTGR33N]

type exit

reboot

it should work now

oh yeah and take out the CD lol...

 

[LLKing]

It is still stuck in a reboot loop.

 

[LLKing]

There is also now 4 boot selections, we tried all four and none of them fixes this.