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John

My PC has started to show a screen offering : Recovery mode or noraml XP.
Only there for a second. But only seen recently since a session in safe mode
to get rid of a virus.

Any observations?
 
My PC has started to show a screen offering : Recovery mode or noraml XP.
Only there for a second. But only seen recently since a session in safe mode
to get rid of a virus.

Any observations?
Click to expand...

Lets take a look at your boot.ini file.

Click Start, Run and in the box type:

sysdm.cpl

Click OK to bring up System Properties, click the Advanced tab,
Startup and Recovery - Settings, Edit.

This opens notepad on your boot.in file. Click Edit, Select All,
Edit, Copy (copies to clipboard), File, Exit. Do not make any
changes at this time.

Come back here and paste the contents (CTRL-V) into your reply.
 
My PC has started to show a screen offering : Recovery mode or noraml XP.
Only there for a second. But only seen recently since a session in safe
mode
to get rid of a virus.

Any observations?
Click to expand...

Lets take a look at your boot.ini file.

Click Start, Run and in the box type:

sysdm.cpl

Click OK to bring up System Properties, click the Advanced tab,
Startup and Recovery - Settings, Edit.

This opens notepad on your boot.in file. Click Edit, Select All,
Edit, Copy (copies to clipboard), File, Exit. Do not make any
changes at this time.

Come back here and paste the contents (CTRL-V) into your reply.

Here it is:

[boot loader]
timeout=2
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
 
My PC has started to show a screen offering : Recovery mode or noraml XP.
Only there for a second. But only seen recently since a session in safe
mode
to get rid of a virus.
Click to expand...
Any observations?
Click to expand...

Lets take a look at your boot.ini file.

Click Start, Run and in the box type:

sysdm.cpl

Click OK to bring up System Properties, click the Advanced tab,
Startup and Recovery - Settings, Edit.

This opens notepad on your boot.in file.  Click Edit, Select All,
Edit, Copy (copies to clipboard), File, Exit.   Do not make any
changes at this time.

Come back here and paste the contents (CTRL-V) into your reply.

Here it is:

[boot loader]
timeout=2
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good and says that you have an XP Home boot option
and you also have the XP Recovery Console option installed - which is
generally a good thing for troubleshooting when regular XP won't boot.

When your system boots, it will present a menu of those two choices
for 2 seconds (timeout=2). The default option will be highlighted.

If you set the timeout to 0, you will not be given a choice and the
default will load.

Some things (like msconfig) will not let you set the timeout to less
than 3 and Windows installs it set to 30. This is too long for
impatient people like me.

Change the timeout to whatever you want in that in that sysdm.cpl
screen and save, OK, etc. it all then test with a reboot. If you do
not choose a presented boot option, the default will load (Windows XP
Home) in timeout seconds.

My timeout is set to 3 so if I ever need to boot the Recovery Console,
I will have time to choose it, or I can just hurry up and press enter
on the regular XP (the default) when the system boots.
 
My PC has started to show a screen offering : Recovery mode or noraml
XP.
Only there for a second. But only seen recently since a session in safe
mode
to get rid of a virus.
Click to expand...
Any observations?
Click to expand...

Lets take a look at your boot.ini file.

Click Start, Run and in the box type:

sysdm.cpl

Click OK to bring up System Properties, click the Advanced tab,
Startup and Recovery - Settings, Edit.

This opens notepad on your boot.in file. Click Edit, Select All,
Edit, Copy (copies to clipboard), File, Exit. Do not make any
changes at this time.

Come back here and paste the contents (CTRL-V) into your reply.

Here it is:

[boot loader]
timeout=2
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good and says that you have an XP Home boot option
and you also have the XP Recovery Console option installed - which is
generally a good thing for troubleshooting when regular XP won't boot.

When your system boots, it will present a menu of those two choices
for 2 seconds (timeout=2). The default option will be highlighted.

If you set the timeout to 0, you will not be given a choice and the
default will load.

Some things (like msconfig) will not let you set the timeout to less
than 3 and Windows installs it set to 30. This is too long for
impatient people like me.

Change the timeout to whatever you want in that in that sysdm.cpl
screen and save, OK, etc. it all then test with a reboot. If you do
not choose a presented boot option, the default will load (Windows XP
Home) in timeout seconds.

My timeout is set to 3 so if I ever need to boot the Recovery Console,
I will have time to choose it, or I can just hurry up and press enter
on the regular XP (the default) when the system boots.


Thanks for your very comprehensive response.
 
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