PC Boots, OS Doesn't Load. Help Required (Update: FIXED)

PasturesNew

The sticker is present.

It says XP Home Edition.

I have bought some Kodak CD-R discs.... in hopeful preparation.

PasturesNew

The step by step I said I had was for XP Pro, but the sticker now informs me it's XP Home, so I don't have a step by step set of destructions for that.

NiftyDigits

You haven't actually told us what you want to do.

Are you wanting the Recovery Console? Best initial option
Repair Install?
Clean install from Boot?

It's not much different from Professional.
If you are running a clean install(if all else fails), pop the disc in the drive, reboot and choose for the CD drive to be the first boot option. Boot from the CD and follow the instruction to delete and format the main partition. Carry on as usual. Not all the step will be the same, as yours is a recovery disc. Some options will be automated.

PasturesNew

NiftyDigits wrote: »

You haven't actually told us what you want to do.

Are you wanting the Recovery Console? Best initial option
Repair Install?
Clean install from Boot?

It's not much different from Professional.
If you are running a clean install(if all else fails), pop the disc in the drive, reboot and choose for the CD drive to be the first boot option. Boot from the CD and follow the instruction to delete and format the main partition. Carry on as usual. Not all the step will be the same, as yours is a recovery disc. Some options will be automated.

I want the PC to boot, as it used to, before the owner managed to break it.... by some method completely unknown.

Will that process lose all the files on the PC? I can't proceed if it does......

I guess I'd like to: Reinstall the OS onto the PC, then get onto the PC to see that all the old files still exist and everything's good in the world

In all my years of owning/operating PCs (since 1986), I've never ever had to restore a PC before, not reinstall the OS .... I've never broken one

And I don't have the original Home installation disc.

closed

you can rescue data with a bootcd, see end of speedup sticky, and factory restore without a disc

NiftyDigits

PasturesNew wrote: »

I want the PC to boot, as it used to, before the owner managed to break it.... by some method completely unknown.

Will that process lose all the files on the PC? I can't proceed if it does......

I guess I'd like to: Reinstall the OS onto the PC, then get onto the PC to see that all the old files still exist and everything's good in the world

In all my years of owning/operating PCs (since 1986), I've never ever had to restore a PC before, not reinstall the OS .... I've never broken one

And I don't have the original Home installation disc.

Have you not created the disc yet??

Anyway, if the are any peripherals plugged into the USB ports, remove them and reboot

Backbiter

I managed to restorean XP PC that wouldn't boot using an Ubuntu disc I created on alaptop.
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...#comment-77881

Quote:
Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer

If you’ve ever asked for help with your Windows computer that won’t boot anymore, you’ve probably been told to “Backup all your data and then reinstall”… but if you can’t boot, how can you get to your data? That’s the question we’ll be answering today.

One of the easiest methods to access your data is to simply boot off an Ubuntu Live CD… and it’s completely free (except for the cost of a blank cd).

A breeze to follow and to use. It gives you the option to “Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer”, and it got mine up and running in minutes, allowing me to copy some unbacked-up files and music to my USB drive.

I was then able to rget windows up and running again and got a few more years out of the PC.

PasturesNew

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Have you not created the disc yet??

Anyway, if the are any peripherals plugged into the USB ports, remove them and reboot

Link was for Pro, not Home... so I didn't try it.


I'll just go and see what's plugged into it and remove those and try again - although, realistically, I expect to just find an old printer on there.

Edit: Just looked - not even a printer plugged in. Just the PC, router, keyboard, mouse.

Edit 2: I am now downloading the Pro file to burn to CD, that'll take 45 minutes according to the timer.

PasturesNew

Using Img Burner - first attempt to burn failed. Only choice in the drop down was DVD, but mine's a CD. Pressed the button anyway and it started, then failed, saying stuff about I/O error and device not being ready.

Going to poke about in ImgBurner to see if there's any CD choice.
- - - - - -

Edit 1: Just put a fresh disc in (I assume 1st is now trashed).... loaded up ImgBurn, chose Write - it's still only got DVD as the choice in the dropdown. So stuck.

Info provided by ImgBurn that tells me of progress tells me that drive E: is a DVD burner I think. It says: Drive1 Info Optiarc DVD RW

Looking at the info from ImgBurn it does say Current Profile CD-R, so looks like it realises it's a CD, not a DVD.

Does that mean I've got the wrong discs? Or do DVD burners burn CDs?

Never had to do any burning before, no need.

Pro ISO I am trying to burn is 617,756,672 bytes, so not too large for the 700MB disc.

Supported write speeds says 10x, 16x, 20s, 24x - I've currently got ImgBurn set to Write Speed AWS. Is this too fast? Should I turn it down?

I've gpt a pack of 5 discs, so I'll try it at 24x.

NiftyDigits

You have a new PM.