Lesson 6: Using the Recovery Console | MCSE Training Kit(c) Microsoft Windows 2000 Accelerated 2000

If changes to the system have resulted in the system not operating properly, and you have tried the Last Known Good configuration but still have problems, you may still be able to solve the problem by using the Windows 2000 Recovery Console. The Windows 2000 Recovery Console is a command-line interface you can use to perform a variety of troubleshooting and recovery tasks, including:

Starting and stopping services
Reading and writing data on a local drive (including drives that are formatted with the NTFS file system)
Formatting hard disks

After this lesson, you will be able to

Install and use the Recovery Console

Estimated lesson time: 20 minutes

Installing and Starting the Recovery Console

To install the Recovery Console, insert the Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive, and close the Microsoft Windows 2000 CD dialog box, if it opens. Open the Run dialog box or a Command Prompt window in Windows 2000, change to the i386 folder on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM, and then run the winnt32 command with the /cmdcons switch. After you install the Recovery Console, you can access it from the Please Select Operating System To Start menu. You can also use the Windows 2000 Setup disks or the Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM to start your computer and then select the Recovery Console option, when you are prompted to choose repair options, to access the Recovery Console.

After you start the Recovery Console, you must specify which installation of Windows 2000 you want to log on to (if you have a dual boot or multiple boot configuration), and then you must log on as Administrator.

Using the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

You can also run the Recovery Console from the Windows 2000 installation CD-ROM. The Recovery Console provides you with a limited set of administrative commands that you can use to repair your Windows 2000 installation.

Follow these steps to start the Recovery Console from a Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM:

Insert the Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive and restart the computer. If your computer or the workstation you want to repair does not have a bootable CD-ROM drive, you will need to insert your Windows 2000 Setup Boot disk into your floppy disk drive, and then insert the additional Windows 2000 Setup disks when you are prompted to do so.
When Setup displays the Setup Notification message, read it, and then press Enter to continue.
Setup displays the Welcome To Setup screen. Notice that, in addition to the initial installation of Windows 2000, you can use Windows 2000 Setup to repair or recover a damaged Windows 2000 installation.
Press R to repair a Windows 2000 installation.
The Windows 2000 Repair Options screen appears. Notice that you can repair a Windows 2000 installation using the Recovery Console or the Emergency Repair Process.
Press C to start the Recovery Console.
If you have more than one installation of Windows 2000 on the computer, you will be prompted to select which installation you want to repair.
Type 1 and then press Enter.
You are prompted to enter the Administrator's password.
Type the Administrator password and then press Enter.
A command prompt appears.
Type Help and press Enter for a list of the commands available.
When you have completed the repair process, type exit and press Enter.
The computer will restart.

Understanding the Recovery Console Commands

There are a number of commands available in the Recovery Console. Table 6.9 describes some of these commands.

Table 6.9 Recovery Console Commands

Command	Description
Chdir (cd)	Displays the name of the current folder or changes the current folder
Chkdsk	Checks a disk and displays a status report
Cls	Clears the screen
Copy	Copies a single file to another location
Delete (del)	Deletes one or more files
Dir	Displays a list of files and subfolders in a folder
Disable	Disables a system service or a device driver
Enable	Starts or enables a system service or a device driver
Exit	Exits the Recovery Console and restarts your computer
Fdisk	Manages partitions on your hard disks
Fixboot	Writes a new partition boot sector onto the system partition
Fixmbr	Repairs the master boot record of the partition boot sector
Format	Formats a disk
Help	Lists the commands that you can use in the Recovery Console
Logon	Logs on to a Windows 2000 installation
Map	Displays the drive letter mappings
Mkdir (md)	Creates a folder
More	Displays a text file
Rmdir (rd)	Deletes a folder
Rename (ren)	Renames a single file
Systemroot	Sets the current folder to the systemroot folder of the system that you are currently logged on to
Type	Displays a text file

Practice: Troubleshooting with the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

In this practice you use the Windows 2000 Recovery Console to troubleshoot a Windows 2000 installation that will not boot. You also install and start the Recovery Console, and you will look at Help to determine the commands available in the Recovery Console. You also use the Listsvc command to view the services and then use the Disable command to disable the Alerter service.

Exercise 1: Troubleshooting a Windows 2000 Installation

In this exercise you troubleshoot a Windows 2000 installation and repair it by using the Recovery Console.

To create a system boot failure

Rename the file Ntldr as Oldntldr.
Restart the computer.
What error do you receive when attempting to restart the computer?

Answer

To use the Recovery Console to repair the installation

Insert the Windows 2000 installation CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive and restart the computer.
NOTE
If your computer is not equipped with a CD-ROM drive that is capable of booting from a CD-ROM, you can insert your Windows 2000 Setup Boot disk into your floppy disk drive for step 3. Insert the other three Windows 2000 Setup disks when you are prompted to do so.
When Setup displays the Setup Notification message, read it, and then press Enter to continue.
Setup displays the Welcome To Setup screen.
Press R to repair a Windows 2000 installation.
The Windows 2000 Repair Options screen appears.
Press C to start the Recovery Console.
Type 1 and then press Enter.
You are prompted to enter the Administrator's password.
Type password and then press Enter.
A C:\Winnt command prompt appears.
Type cd .. and press Enter to change to the root folder (C:\). Be sure to include a space between the "cd" and the ".." characters in the command.
Type copy oldntldr ntldr and press Enter.
If there is a disk in your floppy drive, remove it. If your computer is capable of booting from the CD-ROM drive, remove the Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM from your CD-ROM drive.
Type exit and press Enter.
The computer reboots and should start normally.

Exercise 2: Installing the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

In this exercise, you install the Recovery Console.

Log on as Administrator.
Insert the Windows 2000 Professional CD into the CD-ROM drive.
When the Microsoft Windows 2000 CD window appears, close it.
In the Run dialog box, type <cd_drive>:\i386\winnt32 /cmdcons (where <cd_drive> represents the letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive), and then click OK.
The Windows 2000 Setup message box appears.
Click Yes to install the Windows 2000 Recovery Console.
Windows 2000 Setup installs the Windows 2000 Recovery Console to your hard disk.
Click OK to close the Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Setup dialog box.

Exercise 3: Using the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

In this exercise you use the Help command to view the available commands. You then use the available Listsvc and Disable commands.

Restart your computer.
Select Microsoft Windows 2000 Command Console from the boot loader menu.
The Windows 2000 Recovery Console starts up and prompts you to select which Windows 2000 installation you would like to log on to. If you had more than one Windows 2000 installation on this computer, they would be listed here.
Type 1 and then press Enter.
Type password when prompted for the Administrator password, and then press Enter.
Type help and then press Enter to see the list of available commands.
Notice the Listsvc command. You can use this command to view all available services.
Type listsvc and press Enter, and then scroll through the list of available services.
Press Esc to stop.
Type disable /? and then press Enter.
The Disable command allows you to disable a Windows system service or driver.
Type disable alerter and then press Enter.
Recovery Console displays several lines of text describing how the registry entry for the Alerter service has been modified. The Alerter service is now disabled.
Type exit and then press Enter to restart your computer.

Exercise 4: Restarting the Alerter service

In this exercise you confirm that the Alerter service is disabled and then restart it.

Log on as Administrator.
Open the Computer Management window, expand Services And Applications, and then click Services.
Notice that the Startup Type value for the Alerter service is Disabled.
Double-click Alerter, change the Startup Type option to Automatic, and then click OK.
Right-click Alerter, and then click Start.
Close the Computer Management window.

Lesson Summary

The Windows 2000 Recovery Console is a command-line interface that you can use to perform a variety of troubleshooting and recovery tasks, including starting and stopping services, reading and writing data on a local drive, and formatting hard disks.

You install the Recovery Console by starting a command prompt, changing to the i386 folder on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM, and running the winnt32 command with the /cmdcons switch. After you install the Recovery Console, you can access it from the Startup menu or by using the Windows 2000 Setup disks or the Windows 2000 CD to start your computer, and then selecting the Recovery Console option when you are prompted to choose repair options.