Working with the Recovery Console

Windows XP includes an advanced command-line tool called the Recovery Console. The Recovery Console is designed to provide just what the name implies: You can try to fix Windows XP in the event that Windows will not start. The preferred method for fixing Windows when it will not start is to use Safe Mode. However, in some circumstances, using Safe Mode will not work either. In this case, you can turn to the Recovery Console for assistance. The primary advantage of the Recovery Console is that it works independently of Windows system files, so if files are corrupted, you can still use the Recovery Console to repair them

The Recovery Console is a powerful tool and one that you should spend some time working with in order to become adept. You can do lots of things—create and format drives, repair system files, repair the system boot sector or Master Boot Record, enable or disable services and devices, copy new Windows system files and folders, just to name a few.

If you need to use the Recovery Console, you can start it directly from the Windows CD-ROM. Just start the computer with the CD and follow the prompts to load the Windows startup files. At the Welcome to Setup screen that appears, press R to start the Recovery Console. You’ll need to type the administrator password on Windows XP Professional computers (it’s blank on Windows XP Home Edition). When the command prompt appears, you can begin entering Recovery Console commands.

Secret 

The command prompt that you see works with Recovery Console commands only; it does not work with other typical command prompt commands.

Once you have started the Recovery Console, you type Help to see a list of the available commands. Once you see the list of commands, type Help commandname to learn more about that particular command. Table 16-1 lists and explains the most common commands that you can use.

Table 16-1: Recovery Console Commands

Command	Explanation
Attrib	For a single file or folder, this command sets or clears the attributes, such as Read Only, Hidden, and System.
Batch	Executes commands from a text file.
Bootcfg	Scans all disks for Windows installations, then solves any existing problems in Boot.ini.
CD (Chdir)	Changes folders.
Chkdsk	Scans the disk and finds back sectors. The command can repair a drive and recover readable information.
Cls	Clears the screen.
Copy	Copies a file.
Del (Delete)	Deletes a file.
Dir	Shows the contents of a folder, including any system or hidden files.
Disable	Disables a service or a driver.
Diskpart	Manages partitions on basic disks. It should not be used on dynamic volumes.
Enable	Enables a service or driver.
Exit	Closes the Recovery Console.
Expand	Extracts a file from a .cab (compressed) file on the local disk or Windows CD.
Fixboot	Creates a new partition boot sector on the partition you specify when using the command.
Fixmbr	Fixes the Master Boot Record on the disk you specify when using the command.
Format	Formats a partition, drive, or volume.
Help	Shows Help menu and information.
Listsvc	Lists all available services and drives and their current start types.
Logon	Shows all detected installations of Windows XP, 2000, and NT so that you can choose the installation to which you will log on.
Map	Shows all drive letters, file system types, partition sizes, and the mappings to physical devices. This command works only with basic disks and may provide inaccurate information if you try to use it on dynamic disks.
Md or Mkdir	Creates a new folder or subfolder in the desired location.
More	Shows more information, such as when there is a text break on the screen.
Net Use	Allows you to connect to a network resource.
Rd (Rmdir)	Removes a folder.
Ren (Rename)	Renames a file.
Set	Displays and modifies Recovery Console environment variables.
Systemroot	Sets the current folder to the %SystemRoot% folder.
Type	Shows a text file.