XP Recovery Console errors

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

In XP, I install my original OS CD disk, set the BIOS to and boot from the CD and select the Recovery console whrh the option appears.

Then it asks me which system ( there's only one)
I select that and it asks for my password.
This is supposed to be the Administrator password.
I never assigned one when I installed the OS.


It will not let me past this error message and boots me out after three tries.

So I go set a password.
Same problem

The problem arose subsequent to an infection of the trojan FRMWRK32.EXE

I got rid of the trojans and spyware and malware but the OS is S-L-O-W and buggy. I get an error message when I boot telling me that I I have to restore to an earlier Registry set point EXCEPT none of the points I select can successfully be used to re set the registry. They are all invalid.

I'm thinking of reinstalling the OS over the old version but I just know that this 'll be messy.

[Jason Roehl]

I've re-installed XP a number of times successfully, Cliff, so it's worth a shot. But, it hasn't worked every time for every problem. There have been a couple times that I've had to wipe things clean...

[Frank Hagan]

I've used this utility before: http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/

It allows you to boot the computer and change the password ... you don't get to see the password that was there (if any), but it does work on *most* NT based Windows systems (including XP).

[Chuck Wintle]

You should reinstall at this point since its likely the registry has been corrupted beyond help. But save all your document and personal files if possible to cd or dvd. And don't forget to have the serial numbers and install cd's of all your software ready as you go through the process.

[Jude Tuliszewski]

What others are telling you is that you may have to go with the last resort. That is to re-format the hard drive :(. What that means is it will more or less erase the all old software and then do a clean install from the recovery disc (the OS CD). With a re-format when it is gone it’s gone so if you have stuff like pics or documents on the puter save them if you can. After, you will have to re-install the software you had on it and get all the updates over again, it’s the biggest pain about having to re-format, but sometimes everything gets so messed up there is no choice. Good luck with it.

[Sean Troy]

Re-formatting is really not that big of a deal. A lot of people do it once or twice a year just to keep the system at it's best. It just takes some time. Save all you pictures and documents to a thumb drive and run a virus scan on a good computer before re-installing on the clean OS. Make sure you install your virus protection and update it before you install anything else after the OS install. Run the update on the virus protection a few times. It doesn't always get all the updates the first try.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Done. I was unable to install over the old system like I could with prior Operating systems. I had to format the C drive and start fresh.

I have a dual hard drive system with one drive just for the OS.

Arrrgggghhhhh.
I hate fresh installations. I have so bloody many little details to rebuild.

[Frank Hagan]

Done. I was unable to install over the old system like I could with prior Operating systems. I had to format the C drive and start fresh.

I have a dual hard drive system with one drive just for the OS.

Arrrgggghhhhh.
I hate fresh installations. I have so bloody many little details to rebuild.

I'm with you on this one. All the configuration issues to get the system back to where it was before ... it can take a long time.

I'm now using Shadow Protect Desktop (similar to Norton Ghost) to make a complete image of my drive every Sunday to an internal 1TB drive I put in for that purpose. I keep 6 weeks worth of images on the drive, and have a batch file that stores the most recent copy on an external USB drive after every full image. Then I have it do daily incremental backups to the 1TB drive.

If I have a major problem, I can go back and restore to any point in the last 6 weeks without having to reinstall the OS.

[David G Baker]

I downloaded the trial version of Carbonite, it up loaded my files everything went fine until I tried to use Windows Media player. The player locked up my computer. Tried everything I could think of but couldn't get the player to work. I removed Carbonite and all is fine.
I am going to give Shadow a look.

[Frank Hagan]

I downloaded the trial version of Carbonite, it up loaded my files everything went fine until I tried to use Windows Media player. The player locked up my computer. Tried everything I could think of but couldn't get the player to work. I removed Carbonite and all is fine.
I am going to give Shadow a look.

I was frustrated with Norton Ghost 10 that came with my Dell system; several of the disk images were corrupted and unreadable when I had a crash. After that experience, I started checking the disk images and about 40% of them were corrupted and unreadable.

Some people like Acronis' True Image, but StorageCraft.com's Shadow Protect Desktop was rated as much faster in a CNET article I read. Their forums are open to the public, so you can see the kind of issues people have with the software (I learned long ago that every software utility has issues, so I look at the support forums. If the support forums are not open to the public, I don't buy that software).

I've been very happy with it. Haven't had an image yet that I can't mount like a drive in Windows and browse, and test restoration of individual files has always worked flawlessly.

[David G Baker]

Thanks Frank. I have done some research on Shadow and may give it a try. So far it looks like the best option for me. I need to get a large hard drive before I get the Shadow software. I have an external 500 Gig that I save all of my photos and Word documents on but I never have it turned on unless I am doing a save.

[Frank Hagan]

Thanks Frank. I have done some research on Shadow and may give it a try. So far it looks like the best option for me. I need to get a large hard drive before I get the Shadow software. I have an external 500 Gig that I save all of my photos and Word documents on but I never have it turned on unless I am doing a save.

I bought the 1TB drive when I found one for under $100, a price I find astounding. I see quite a few of them now, although the external drives are usually a bit more.