Windows XP - The Built in Repair Feature

Windows XP made its way up in the hierarchy of operating systems, today being one of the most popular in the world. This was the good news, the bad news is that the problems occurring with this operating system are numerous. Some of them will be presented within this article. Make sure you avoid them as much as it depends on you!

This article's main purpose is to show you how to effectively Repair Windows XP from its errors! Probably one of the best, and newest, features of Windows XP is the built in repair feature!

In previous versions of Windows (Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000), repairing an operating system error usually meant formatting and reinstalling the whole operating system, resulting in loss of all of your precious data, but this is not the case with the above repair feature, it doesn't delete your programs, information or settings. All it does is to simply repair the operating system.

Just a note to remember those who want to use this repair tool: your updates that have not been included in the CD will be removed, and the windows drivers reverted to their original XP versions, as well as certain settings such as network and performance settings might be reset. Also, it may be necessary to reactivate your Windows XP again. When finished, you will have to download all the updates from Microsoft Windows Update, because they are all replaced during repair.

Why would somebody ever want to reinstall Windows XP?
Below are just a few reasons:

1. It won't start even in safe mode.

2. There are serious problems caused by a recently installed update (Windows Updates, hotfix, Windows XP service pack, or Internet Explorer updates).

3. The problems can't be solved with system restore, or system restore can't even be accessed.

4. Some major hardware changes had been made (installed a new motherboard, a new CPU etc) and it's absolutely necessary to reinstall Windows.

However, in your attempt to solve Windows XP errors make sure you check on these possible problems:

1: Be certain there are no known hardware problems. Windows Repair will ONLY fix software problems. Hardware issues can also cause boot problems (i.e. bad hard drive, memory, CPU, or power supply).

2: Be sure to back up your data. It's always the best to back up your data before making changes to Windows XP. Doing so, your important data will be secure when the repairing is completed.

3: Boot you computer from your XP CD. Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press any key to start your computer from the CD.

4: A blue screen will appear and begin loading Windows XP Setup files from the CD.
(You will be prompted to "press F6 to install any third party SCSI or RAID drivers". However it will not be required of most users unless you are running RAID, SCSI or unsupported UDMA controllers. If that's the case, then you must put your controller drivers on a floppy disk. If you don't know whether you have RAID/SCSI or not, allow the CD load and don't press F6).

When loading files is completed, you will see a "Windows Setup" screen, and your first option. Select "To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER". DO NOT select Recovery Console. When presented with the End User License agreement screen press the F8 key to continue.

After that, Windows Setup will find existing XP installations. Repairing the current XP installation will be asked of you, or the installation of a new copy of Windows XP. If the installations are not found, then the repair option will not appear. This could also happen for another reason such as corrupted drive data. With the installation of a new Windows XP copy, the data already existing on that drive will be entirely lost.
You are almost done! Windows XP will look like it is installing itself for the first time, but it will keep and remember all of your data and settings.
WARNING: If you are connected to internet during the setup, be aware that your system is vulnerable and certain viruses and worms can affect it seriously within seconds. Make sure you enable your XP's firewall prior to going online. And don't forget to run Windows Update!