Rich,
Thanks, that was helpful. HOWEVER, I only figured out how to use the /p.
After forcing it to run chkdsk, it told me several "bad sectors were
located
on the drive", but it didn't tell me what or where. According to that
article (and several others I have come across), I should be able to type
in
C:\WINDOWS>chkdsk c:/f/r and get it to repair any bad sectors. However,
when
I type in either /f or /r, it tells me they are "not valid parameters". I
cannot figure out how to get it to fix the bad sectors. The only commands
I
see listed in the "help" section are "fixboot" and "fixmbr". I do not
know
what they are, and haven't tried to run them. Can you PLEASE get me
through
this ?!?!?!?
Tommy:
Ordinarily you would enter the command "chkdsk /f" or "chkdsk /r" (no
quotes) as no doubt the article Rich referred to you covers.
In any event should the chkdsk process not correct the problem and return
your system to a bootable, functional state, it probably would be
worthwhile
to undertake a Repair install of the XP OS and hope that corrects the
situation.
In order to do so you would need an XP OS installation CD that allows you
to
undertake a Repair install of the system. Ordinarily the recovery or
restoration type installation CD provided by an OEM does not have this
capability but it sounds as if the CD you're using might fit the bill.
I'm assuming you've never undertaken a Repair install of the OS so here
are
some details about the process which is a relatively straightforward
procedure. It would be roughly akin to making a fresh install of the OS,
but
in nearly every case your existing programs & user-created data would be
retained. Notice I said "nearly". While it would be a rather rare
situation
where data would be lost or corrupted as a result of the Repair install,
and
as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen.
So if there are any programs and/or other data on your present drive that
are absolutely crucial to you and you could not tolerate their loss, then
I
would strongly suggest that before undertaking this Repair install
operation
that you first either make a "clone" of your existing HDD (using a
disk-cloning or disk-imaging program) or, if that's not practical, prior
to
undertaking the Repair install, pull off whatever data you want onto some
removable media, e.g., flash drive, CD, another external HDD, etc.
Again, it's a relatively rare event that a loss or corruption of data will
occur even when the Repair install is unsuccessful, but it *can* happen.
So
you should be aware of this.
Here are some more step-by-step instructions re the Repair install that
can
be found at Microsoft's site...
The repair and reinstallation process might take more than an hour.
Eventually, Setup prompts you to answer questions just as if you were
installing Windows XP for the first time. For detailed instructions, read
"Install Windows XP" at...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/winxp/install.mspx"
<quote>
Before performing a repair installation of Windows XP, you should have
both
your Windows XP CD and your product key available.
To perform a repair installation of Windows XP...
1. Insert your Windows XP CD into your computer.
2. Restart your computer. If prompted, press a key to start from the
CD-ROM.
3. When the Welcome to Setup page appears, press ENTER on your keyboard.
4. On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement page, read the licensing
agreement.
Press the PAGE DOWN key to scroll to the bottom of the agreement. Then,
press F8.
5. When prompted, press R to have Windows XP attempt to repair Windows by
reinstalling important Windows components.
</quote>
Also, here are some other websites that contain detailed step-by-step
instructions for undertaking a Repair install in case you're interested.
As
I've indicated, it's a relatively simple & straightforward process and
usually not terribly time-consuming.
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdrepair/indexfullpage.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341
As you will note from the various instructions re the Repair install, you
will need to enter the appropriate Product ID key during the
process.
It would be best if you would undertake the Repair install of the OS with
a
"slipstreamed" CD containing SP3. But if not available you can use your
present installation CD assuming it contains an earlier SP. You can later
install SP3 should the Repair install later prove successful successful.
Assuming it is, you should use your A-V program to immediately check out
your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will need to download/install
*all* the MS critical updates since SP3 and possibly some updated programs
from MS in which you may be interested.
Obviously it's possible that other factors (hardware or software) may be
involved here other than a corrupted OS that is causing the problem you
relate but under the circumstances as you've described them a Repair
install
of the OS would seem to be a practical first step worth undertaking at
this
point.
And, of course, should you be able by one means or another to return your
system to a bootable/functional state you will plan to maintain
comprehensive and reasonably current backups of your system in the future,
possibly through the use of a disk-cloning or disk-imaging program, right?
Right?
Anna
