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Browse All TopicsI have a machine where the OS is corrupt and will not boot. I would like to restore the OS onto a different HD from where the recovery partition resides. How can I recover the OS first onto the same drive it originally resided on when the main OS (XP Home) will not boot properly?
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Thanks for your previous responses. Does anyone know how I can create a set of bootable recovery disks when all I have is access to the partition? I have removed the drive and have it connected via an external case to a different computer. I now need to make some recovery CD's, as Compaq told me yesterday that they will no longer ship recovery CD's. They told me that I have to contact Microsoft to get recovery Cd's with XP on them.
The only way I see you can do it is to put the hard drive back into the machine, then restore it using the F10 boot option. Once you have done that, you should be restored to factory spec, and the utility to make the restore CDs will be accessible.
If you can't get the recovery mode to work, and Compaq won't issue new restore CDs, I'm afraid restoring is not an option. If the system has it's Windows sticker on the side, you should be able to get away with an OEM installation. If you can get an XP Home disc, you could install using that. The issue is that your key on the machine is locked - if you call Microsoft and request a new key, they may give you one. Just explain your case about the restore not working. MS might always change their policy regarding this so there's no guarantee's they won't make you re-buy XP. I'd call them first and find out.
Thanks for your help. I attempted to install an OEM version but the key on the case did not match up. I called Microsoft and they would not send me a new recover disk nor would they issue me a new key that would work with the OEM disk that I have.
I attempted to perform an F10 restore to no avail. I found a website that sells recovery CD's for this model and have ordered a set. Hopefully this will get the system back to operating condition. Thanks for all of your help.
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by: alikaz3Posted on 2009-02-05 at 12:32:44ID: 23563837
from the manual:
starting system recovery if the pc is not responding
1 Turn off the PC. If necessary, press and hold the On button until the PC
turns off.
2 Disconnect all peripheral devices from the PC except the monitor, the
keyboard, and the mouse.
3 Press the On button to turn the PC on.
4 During the startup, do the following to enter the System Recovery program:
When the black screen with the Compaq logo appears, press the F10 key on
the keyboard. (You have only a few seconds to press the F10 key before the
normal startup process continues.)
5 The PC starts the recovery; wait for the onscreen instructions to display, and
then follow those instructions.
6 Complete the PC startup, and finish the registration process. Then reconnect
all peripheral devices.