Guest Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Well managed to get to the repair screen on xp setup without too much problem, only thing is its asking me for the admin password to run the repair program, ive never had an admin password so does anyone know the default one that is entered from the factory?... There is a bootable CD downloadable from the web with what you can reset windows admin passwords.. I'll find the address for you in case it is a problem..
Drew Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 We'll have a look at this today, Monteey. If we find anything helpful, I will post later. Drew Hoggatt Managing Director Paxton Access Ltd Follow this link for important legal information
Guest Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 There is a bootable CD downloadable from the web with what you can reset windows admin passwords.. It's Austrumi. I have that and Knoppix in the 'crash kit' for all those Windows fally over bits. Both downloadable from www.distrowatch.com. Once you've got the hang of using Knoppix then it's a lot simpler than booting from Windows CD's.
Drew Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Right then. I asked Neil, our IT technician to delete the ntfs.sys file from the hard disk of a victim PC and then tried to reboot. Sure enough, an error message and no boot was the result. A Windows XP CD was put in the CD, and the default boot drive changed from the HDD to the CD drive in bios. The PC booted from the CD eventually, and offered the option to repair. As the linked page above instructs, we DID NOT choose the R option on the first page as that directs you to a command prompt which only those with pointy hats know what to do with. INSTEAD, choose the default option to install windows. Next, accept the EULA. Next, you will have options including installing windows or repairing it. IT IS AT THIS POINT where you choose to repair. On our victim PC, all was well. It replaced the missing ntfs file and the machine retained all its programs and settings. I hope this helps you. It has helped us - Neil says that now he has seen this happen, he will use it. He says that before, he has tended to reinstall Windows in this situation as we keep very little data and not many programs on most of our client machines. Thinks - remember to service pack and update the PC and put the HDD back to being the default boot device when finished. Drew Hoggatt Managing Director Paxton Access Ltd Follow this link for important legal information
Brian c Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 How's that for service?! If you don't know......ask.
Drew Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Well, I hope it's useful, anyway. Mark may have already been through this procedure with no luck. Neil has passed the following on to me to post: You may want to add to your answer that we are using the corporate volume licence version of XP with means that we don't have to activate windows again when you do the repair and that they should be aware of this if they are going to try the repair install. Drew Hoggatt Managing Director Paxton Access Ltd Follow this link for important legal information
Guest Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Thanks for the help so far especially Drew and Neil, i did try the procedure you suggested last night ie NOT selecting R option on CD boot and going into XP reinstall then repair etcUnfortunately during the repair process it keeps coming up with file missing from the CD, a total of about 5 seem to be missing, so sadly i am still unable to get XP to load Sounds like a duff CD? I've used this method for various Windows versions and it's fixed even some of the most horrendously abused machines.
Brian c Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 the most horrendously abused machines. That was never proven. If you don't know......ask.
WatchdogSecurity Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Locked CDs Ie, ones from Dell / Packard bell thats are screen printed with The manus name will not work with other hardware hives, unless its an official MS Pressed holograpic CD. You may hit lucky when needing 1 or 2 files, but when doing a reinstall it replaces all the system files over the top and it looks for specific hardware. Watchdog Security (Manchester)
Guest Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Some manufacturer supplied CD's aren't actual full Windows CD's. If you have access to a pukka Windows XP CD then you may find the process Drew mentioned works then.
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