For those of you wanting to create an Emergency boot disk that will boot you straight to the desktop here is a simple method.

1. Insert a floppy disk into your floppy drive.
2. Start, All Programs,Accessories,Command Prompt
   Type format a: and press Enter.
   Next open Windows Explorer and on the top toolbar click Tools followed by Folder Options
   Click the View tab and put a tick against Show Hidden Files and Folders . Then remove the tick mark next to the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) option. Apply
3. Now in Windows explorer look for the C: directory - this is the root directory and find files named NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM.  Copy these to the floppy disk.
   Open Notepad (Start, All Programs, Accessories, Notepad) and type the following:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows [operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows="Windows XP"

1. Next click File, Save as and in the dialog box type "a:\boot.ini" (You must include the quotation marks. The boot ini file should then be saved to the floppy. Exit notepad
2. Now reboot your computer with the floppy disk in the drive and it should boot to the desktop.

How Do I Enable Show Hidden Files And Folders To Windows XP Help And Support    

1. Start, Control Panel, Folder Options, View Tab
2. Look down the list for a section marked Hidden Files and Folders
3. Enable the option Show Hidden Files and Folders by left clicking the radio button on the left of the option.  Apply, OK

How Do I Locate The Backup Utility In XP Home?    

This utility is not installed when you install Windows XP home, but is on the CD.  If you don't have a Windows XP CD you can download a copy of NTBackup.msi from the following link: http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi

1. Insert your XP CD into your CD-ROM and hold the  Shift key down during the initial CD spin up to prevent the CD from Auto Running
2. Open Windows Explorer and click on plus sign next to your CD-ROM drive letter
3. You are looking for a folder on the CD called VALUEADD which should have a sub folder called MSFT in it.
4. Open the MSFT folde and there should be a file called NTBACKUP.  Click it to install backup on your computer
5. After the backup utility has been installed you can run  it by clicking on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Backup

At some point it may become necessary for you to either install or remove a font. This is what you do.

Installing Fonts

1. Start, Run and in the dialog box type : %windir%\fonts.  Then press OK
2. In the font window, choose file, install new font
3. The Add Font box will appear. Select the location which contains the new font and choose which one you want to install (a list of available fonts at the chosen location will appear)
4. Click OK and the font is installed.

Removing Fonts

1. Start, Run and in the dialog box type : %windir%\fonts.  Then press OK
2. In the font window right click on the font you want to remove and, from the drop down menu select Delete
3. When you are prompted with the message 'Are you sure you want to delete these fonts' click Yes

There are occasions when you attempt to delete a particular file from windows explorer and are faced with an error message informing you that the file is undeletable. This is how to do it.

1. Start, All Programs, Accessories,Command Prompt
2. Close all other programs that are running with the exception of the Command Prompt.
3. Now click Start, Run and in dialog box type: taskmgr.exe
4. In the Task Manager window click on the Processes tab and highlight Explorer.exe.  Now click the End Process button
5. Don't close the Task Manager window, leave it open. At this stage you should have the Command Prompt window and the Task Manager window open.
6. Return to the Command Prompt window and change the directory to the directory that contains the file(s) you wish to delete
7. At the Command Prompt type: del (where the is the name of the file you want to delete), followed by Enter.
8. Now go back to the Task Manager window and Click File, New Taskand in the  dialog box type: explorer.exe
9. The Explorer User Interface should now start
10. Finally close the Task Manager Window and the Command Prompt Window

For safety reasons it is always advisable to backup the registry before you start editing it. While there are numerous third party application that will do this for you, it can be easily backed up using Windows XP.

1. Start, Run and in the dialog box type: regedit
2. Click the File option on the main toolbar and, from the drop down menu, select Export
3. In the Export Registry File dialog box select All
4. Now name the file and give it a location to be stored in
5. Finally click the Save button
6. To return the registry back to its original state should something go wrong simply click on the File option on the main registry editor toolbar and then select Import

If your screen is blank there are a number of ways to get things back.  It depends partly on what has happened.  Try these in order.

The Easy Work Around

1. Boot to your desktop
2. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to open Task Manager
3. In Task manager click the New Task button on the General tab
4. In the New Task dialogue box type: 'explorer.exe' (without the quotes) and press OK
5. The Windows desktop should now appear
6. Now consider
1. If you manage to get to a working desktop using the Easy Work Around method, it may be worth attempting a System Restore. To be on the safe side you may want to restore your system back to the earliest available restore point. You will, however, have to reinstall any software or updates that you installed after the selected restore point.
2. A new user account

• i. Go to Control Panel, User Accounts icon
• ii. In the User profile window select Create New Account and follow the New User Wizard to set up the new account
• iii. Reboot your PC and log on as the new user

Repair

The final option is to do a repair of the Windows XP Operating system. For this you will need the Retail Version of the Windows XP CD. Alternatively you would have needed to install the Recovery Console as a boot menu item. If you do not have a retail version of XP or you have not previously installed Recovery Console as a boot up menu item you will not be able to initiate a repair.

However, you PC should have come with some way of 'restoring' the system back to factory settings. this will usually come in the form of  a set of Restore disks or the operating system will be concealed on a hidden partition on your hard drive. I suggest you check your PC user manual for details of using the Recover disk/partition. You should be aware that a Repair should not necessarily delete any files or applications you installed after you purchased your pc. the whole object of a repair is to reinstall operating system files. However, it is wise to backup any important data just in case.

Using Recovery disks or files from Hidden partitions are, however, the exception to the rule. If you use the recovery disk or recovery Partition option your hard drive will have all of its data erased, so you will loose everything. Again backing up any data you need to keep is the best policy. After using the Recovery disk/Partition option you will also need to reinstall any software or updates you installed after your PC was purchased.

To Repair you operating system proceed as follows:

1. Insert the Windows XP cd into your CD-ROM and Reboot your machine (You will need to make sure that your CD-ROM is set to be the first boot option in your PCs BIOS)
2. At the Welcome To Set Up screen press Enter to start the Windows set Up
3. Accept the License Agreement
4. Set Up will now search your PC for any copies of Windows
5. When set up finds the copy of Windows XP already installed on your PC, select it from the list and then press 'R' to start the Repair process

When you install the Windows .NET framework it can be a shock when you next boot up your machine to find that you are presented with a log in screen that requires a password before you can enter your system. To bypass this screen and return to the normal boot mode do the following.

1. Start, Run and in the dialog box type: control userpasswords2, and press enter
2. In the User Account properties window remove the tick mark from the ‘users must enter a user name and password to use this computer’ option and click Apply
3. A new window will now appear

This is how you tell whether SP2 has actually been installed upon your PC.

1. Start, right click on My Computer and from the Drop Down menu select Properties
2. In the Properties Window on the General tab you should see, under the System option, one of the following:

Microsoft Windows XP Home version 2002 Service Pack 2, or

Microsoft Windows XP Professional version 2002 Service Pack 2

One of the main reasons for changing the Windows XP product key number is if you knowingly or unknowingly install a pirated copy of Windows XP and upon attempting to activate your copy of XP or download updates from the Microsoft download site  you are refused either activation or the specific download.

Eventually, you are going to have to obtain a new product key number to make your copy legal. Once the new product key number is obtained it will be necessary to edit the registry in order to input the new product key. It should be noted that once the new product key has been inserted into the registry you will be required, once again, to Activate the new product coded copy of Windows XP.

To do this involves editing the registry.  Make sure you have backed it up and have a backup of all your valuable data.

1. Start, Run and in the dialogue box type: regedit
2. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
3. In the Right Hand Pane of the registry window Right Click on the OOBETimer value and select Modify
4. Change at least one of the characters in the Modify dialogue box to either a number between 0 and 9 or a letter between A and F and close the registry
5. This operation now Deactivates the current product key rendering it invalid

To Re-Activate Windows

1. Start, Run and in the dialogue box type: C:\windows\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a and press OK
2. The Windows Activation Screen will now launch
3. Select Yes I want to Telephone a Microsoft customer service representative and then click the Next button. Select Change product key option and type in your new Product key number.  Click Update and then close the window.
4. On pressing Update the window may return to the previous screen. If it does so, then simply select the Remind Me later option
5. Reboot your system.   When your PC has rebooted you will be asked to Re-Activate your copy of xp through the normal activation channel, i.e via the internet.
   
   

How do I Use Recovery Console?    

What is the Recovery Console?    

How do I install the Recovery Console?    

The Recovery Console is a DOS-like interface that allows one to access their system files when booting into WINXP is no longer possible. From the Recovery Console prompt one can often repair their system or sometimes recover files.

Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console

How to install the Recovery Console (from Microsoft)

You can install the Recovery Console on your computer to make it available if you cannot restart Windows. You can then select the Recovery Console option from the list of available operating systems during startup. Install the Recovery Console on important servers and on the workstations of IT personnel. To install the Recovery Console, you must be logged on as an administrator.

Although you can run the Recovery Console by starting directly from the Windows XP CD, it is generally more convenient to set it up as a startup option on your startup menu. To run the Recover Console directly from the CD, see the "How to use the Recovery Console" section.

To install the Recovery Console, follow these steps:

Alternatively, you can use a Universal Naming Convention (UNC)-established connection to install the Recovery Console from a network share point.

Note You may receive an error message that is similar the following:

Setup cannot continue because the version of Windows on your computer is newer than the version on the CD.

If this problem occurs, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

898594 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/898594/) You receive an error message if you try to install the Recovery Console on a Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer

For more information visit Microsoft: HOW TO: Install and Use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

Setting the group policy to allow floppy access and access to non-system folders from within Recovery Console can significantly enhance your data recovery abilities. This must be done before disaster strikes! It takes a minute to do and can save hours of work. Read this article for instructions.

 HOW TO: Add More Power to Recovery Console By Using Group Policy in Windows XP Professional