How to creat an XP boot disk?

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Long story - one computer suddenly "missing" PCI.SYS at startup!

Tried Recovery Console, but "suddenly" requires admin password - which I did never set!

Tried for months to create an Acronis backup, but that stupid machine always shut down in the middle of the backup. No backup!

All I need is a startup floppy, then replace the missing file. However, when I create a standard startup disk (Format | include MS-DOS files), all I can see is the A: drive when booting with that floppy.

How can I create a startup disk that can access the HD partitions?

(Utterly confused, and slightly panicked...)

P.S. I have only one working computer left, and that one cannot burn CDs.

[-pops-]

?? http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm ??

[Boris]

Pat,

Have you tried a Repair Installation of XP ?
/>http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/repair_installation_xp/repair_installation_xp.shtml

Do you have any Live CDs of Linux distros ?

Or are these any help ?

Not exactly sure which XP version you are referring to ? Either :-

Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 1 Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install
/>http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=FBE5E4FC-695F-43E5-AF05-719F45C382A4

or

Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install
/>http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=15491F07-99F7-4A2D-983D-81C2137FF464&displaylang=en

[MANEMAN]

Tried Recovery Console, but "suddenly" requires admin password - which I did never set!

I seem to remember that if you just hit "Enter" at that stage it will open if you did not set admin password Pat.

Can you get into "Safe Mode" ?

I have only one working computer left, and that one cannot burn CDs.

Swap out the DVD/CD burner drive from one of the other computers and get it going in your one working computer.

By the sound of it, you may need to be burning some CD,s to get around this problem.

XP Repair Install should cure the problem as Boris has said. And you do not have to access the Recovery Console.

John.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Thanks for all your input!

Unfortunately all boot disks mentioned so far are for reinstalling Windows or activating the Recovery Console. And the RC will always ask for the admin password, all of which (including Enter) are not accepted.

I will next try to remove the HD, then check it out (using a USB adapter) with my old laptop. (Not sure if I am actually able to remove that thing; as you know I am not very clever when it comes to hardware handling...

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

As I suspected - I have no idea how to remove that device! And http://support.ap.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx270/SM/EN/index.htm is of no help...

P.S. but this http://supportapj.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx270/en/ug/smtdrvs.htm does - I am going to try...

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Ah - that was quite easy :P

Now I am going to buy a USB adapter.

[Boris]

Pat,

Have you tried a Repair Installation of XP ?
/>http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/repair_installation_xp/repair_installation_xp.shtml

This doesn't need you to use the Recovery Console :)

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Yes, a repair install would have been easiest. Unfortunately I somehow lost the Windows install disks during the move to the new apartment.

I was able to connect the drive to my laptop, where I ran CHKDSK. It found dozens of errors, and corrected them. One of the "corrections" was to delete the Windows\system32\drivers folder.

I have now copied the folder from the laptops Japanese Windows, and Acronis is doing a backup right now.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Final report: the disk is now fully recovered, backed up, and booting normally.

Thank you all who advised!

[johndept1]

http://www.computerhope.com/boot.htm

check this link.