need help with bootfix

[Deleted]

My PC crashed and windows XP wont start anymore.
I am now trying a bootfix with the windows XP CD. I now need to give an administrator password.
The problem is that there is no password, and just pressing enter doesn't work.
I read that you can fix it by going in safe mode, but I can't get in windows that way either.

there are still important things on the C: so I dont want to format unless theirs absolutely no other way.

anyone have any ideas?

[Deleted]

If you just want to rescue the data - then all you need to do is find or create another bootable system. My first question is - do you, or can you get access to another computer?

[Deleted]

ye im on my laptop atm

[Deleted]

Okay; going to go with a no-hardware-touch solution then, but you may need some USB drives.

Go to:
http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download

And look at:
2) Burn your CD or create a USB drive. I advice the USB solution, but CD/DVD will work too.

Create one by following the instructions here.

Once you have your device - insert it into the broken machine; and boot from it. You'll be presented with an option asking what you want to do. You will have an option to start / try Ubuntu - without performing any installation.

This will start Ubuntu Linux - note it will take a bit of time to boot so don't be surprised if it takes a few minutes before the machine becomes usable.

Once it has started, you will be able to access your hard drive. I don't know what it is you want moved, but I'm assuming it will be documents and other files of smaller size. You can COPY these over to another USB drive. Then move the files from the USB drive to the laptop. Basically keep doing this until all the files you wanted have been recovered.

It is possible to transfer the files directly via the network - but from the top of my head I can't remember the instructions for that.

Naturally once everything has been moved, you're free to reformat and reinstall Windows.

[Deleted]

can I use an external HD for the USB solution?


and when you say I will be able to access the HD, is this in a textbased system? because im not sure I will be able to remember the path of everything I need to copy, and yes its small files like family pictures, it would be horrible to loose that.

thanks for this, i'll download it already

[Deleted]

can I use an external HD for the USB solution?

and when you say I will be able to access the HD, is this in a textbased system? because im not sure I will be able to remember the path of everything I need to copy, and yes its small files like family pictures, it would be horrible to loose that.

thanks for this, i'll download it already

An external hard drive will work great.

And no, it will not be text based. You'll navigate the hard drive just like in Windows. Icons will differ a fair bit, but everything else should remain the same.

[Deleted]

I used my USB as a boot now but I get a message:
could not finjd kernel image: vesamenu.c32
boot:

did I do something wrong installing it on my usb drive?

[Deleted]

Don't think so - how old is the computer in question? Brief searching seems to suggest that error can happen if the BIOS/Mobo isn't supported...

[Deleted]

not that very old, the mobo has been renewed a year ago since the other one broke, same as the gfx.
I think the rest is 3 years old

[Deleted]

Should not be having that problem then... odd....
I saw mentions that in some cases a BIOS update could fix it but, not sure I want to go down that route just yet though.

Don't know how to tackle the issue then for the time being. I do know that you should be able to just remove the hard drive from your desktop and temporarily place it in another machine as a second drive, and then just copy your data that way.

[Deleted]

that would have worked ye

I now installed windows on a second hard drive, now I can access my files.

thanks for the trouble, now just hours of work to make everything right again