Sunday, November 9, 2008

Install the Windows Recovery Console as a boot option

If you want to have the Windows Recovery Console available without needing the installation CD, it's actually pretty easy to do. You WILL need the install CD in order to set it up, but after that you will be able to boot into the Recovery Console whenever you want. It also only takes ~7MB of space, which is practically nothing, especially with the peace of mind it will give you.

1. Put the Windows install CD in the drive
2. Go to Start->Run, then type D:\I386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons and press Ok. That's assuming the D: drive is your CD drive. If not, change that to the letter of the drive with the install disc in it.
3. Follow the prompts

You can then boot into Recovery Console and use helpful commands like bootcfg /rebuild, or chkdsk /r to try to fix errors with your computer, without any need for the XP install CD. For the Microsoft KB307654 article, click here.

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