Windows XP error message when turned on computer-HELP PLEASE

MAG,
Thanks for the link. The article cuts off right after it states: "To access it, the WinXP installation CD must b....".
It then says you must be a subscriber to a couple of publications, which I am not. Thanks again! I just got a laptop. I am glad I have it to help with problems like this.

Hi,
Last night on my computer the article was working fine. However when looking at it from a friend's computer just now i have the same problem as you. When i get back home later on, I'll write a basic guide for you on how to use the recovery console and post it.

Sorry about the article,
Greeney

I'm not sure how helpfull this is but these are the instructions given by Microsoft on how to use the Recovery Console. It's a little bit confusing.

You have to:
. Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.

Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted.
2. When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you must access from the Recovery Console.
4. When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
5. At the command prompt, type the appropriate commands to diagnose and repair your Windows XP installation.

Thats all just taken from the following article,
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654

Hope that one doesn't cut halfway.
Post back if you need anymore help,
Greeney

I am working on this again. I went to this page:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545
There I got to step 5, which is this:

"5. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default"

I double checked as I was typing that I typed correctly.

The next thing to enter was:

" copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default"

After I entered the 1st line: copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system"----it states "The system cannot find the file specified." I tried again--same message. I tried the 2nd line and it says: "1 file(s) copied."

Should I start over? How do I exit out of where I am at to start over without messing up what I already did? Will I need to start over at the beginning?

Thanks again so much!!

Not heard of that before, anyone else out there with the knowladge?

I've looked in my c:\windows\repair and sure there is a file called system there (it's a little more than 1 Mb). Maybe you made a typo in the filename? Can you have a look inside the folder to see what's there (use a dir command like dir c:\windows\repair).

If it's really not there it seems that for some mysterious reason you lost both the operational copy and the repair copy. That might be a problem.

Kees

I did as you said: I typed in "dir c:\windows\repair".
It give info. It stated the volume in drive c has no label and it gave the volume serial #. Then it listed the "Directory of c:\windows\repair

I tried typing that first line regarding copy. It still gives the same message.

I typed the second line:
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software

That said it copied.

Should I start over? If so, do I just shut down. This is so foreign to me.

Thanks.

These links HERE and HERE

Tom

flugy, thanks for the reply. You said to reinstall windows xp is easy. I am really a novice. Do you mind telling me how to do it. The computer is the main computer on a wireless network. I am on the laptop now. Do I have to do something special re that also?
Thanks.