Extracting Files from the Operating System CD

It is usually recommended that you use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel to install and uninstall components, applications, and support software from the Windows XP Professional operating system CD. If system files are missing or damaged, you can run Windows XP Professional Setup from the operating system CD and choose the option to repair your existing installation. In some cases, however, you might need to extract a system or startup file directly from the operating system CD.

Warning 

If you install incorrect versions of system or startup files or if you install files to incorrect locations, your system might not operate as expected or might not start. Use the method described in this section only if your product support representative indicates that it is necessary to manually retrieve a compressed file from your operating system CD.

The /i386 folder on your Windows XP Professional operating system CD contains system and startup files in compressed form. If you need to replace a file in your Windows XP Professional installation, you can use the copy or expand command in Recovery Console to extract the needed file from the operating system CD. Use the copy command unless you are extracting a file from a .cab file, such as Driver.cab. When extracting a file from a .cab file, use the expand command.

When you use Recovery Console to extract a compressed file from the operating system CD, you must use exact file names for the compressed and uncompressed files. Table A-6 illustrates compressed and uncompressed file names.

Table A-6: Compressed and Uncompressed File Names

Compressed File Name	Uncompressed File Name
Ntoskrnl.ex_	Ntoskrnl.exe
Hal.dl_	Hal.dll

Using the Copy Command in Recovery Console

If a file is not within a .cab file, you can use the copy command in Recovery Console to extract the file from the operating system CD and place it on your local disk in a Windows XP Professional installation. When you use the copy command to extract a file to a destination on your local disk, the file is automatically uncompressed. For more information about running Recovery Console, including how to add it to your startup options, see Troubleshooting Startup in this book.

Use the copy command with the following syntax:

copy source [destination]

Table A-7 describes the parameters that you can use with the copy command.

Table A-7: Parameters for the Copy Command

Parameter	Description
Source	Specifies the file to be copied.
Destination	Specifies the directory and/or file name for the new file.

Source can be removable media, any directory within the System32 directory of the current Windows installation, the root of any drive, the local installation sources, or the Cmdcons folder. (The C:\Cmdcons folder is the Recovery Console installation folder.)

Destination can be any directory within the System32 directories of the current Windows installation, the root of any drive, the local installation sources, or the Cmdcons folder. If you do not specify a destination, the command defaults to the current directory. The copy command prompts you if the destination file already exists. The destination cannot be removable media.

The copy command does not support replaceable parameters (wildcards).

Using the Expand Command in Recovery Console

To extract a file from a .cab file on the operating system CD and place it on your local disk in a Windows XP Professional installation, start Recovery Console and use the expand command. When you use the expand command to extract a file to a destination on your local disk, the file is automatically uncompressed. For more information about running Recovery Console, including how to add it to your startup options, see Troubleshooting Startup in this book.

Use the expand command with the following syntax:

expand source [/f:filespec] [destination] [/y] [/d]

Tables A-8 describes the parameters that you can use with the expand command.

Table A-8: Parameters for the Expand Command

Parameter	Description
source	Specifies the file that you want to expand. Cannot include wildcards.
destination	Specifies the directory for the new file; the default is the current directory.
/y	Suppresses the overwrite prompt when you expand or extract files.
/f:filespec	If the source contains more than one file, this parameter is required to identify the specific file or files that you want to expand. Can include wildcards.
/d	Lists the files contained in the cabinet file without expanding it or extracting from it.

• The destination can be any folder within the System32 folder of the current Windows installation, the root of any drive, the local installation sources, or the Cmdcons folder.

• The destination cannot be removable media.

• The destination file cannot be read-only. Use the Attrib command to remove the read-only attribute.

• If the destination file already exists, the expand command prompts you for confirmation to overwrite the file unless you include the /y parameter.