recovery console

[Ecko]

ok here's my situation:

windows doesn't startup, not even in safe mode.

found out that sptd.sys is the problem.

now the only way to fix this would be start recovery console, either from Wxp cd or as boot option.

but since its a netbook, there's no way i can use a cd (nor do i have a cd for that matter)

though, i can still access the hdd via linux.

so, since i explained the background story, now for my question:

what should i type in boot.ini, so i can boot to the recovery console instead of the (broken) xp install?

also, is it correct that the recovery console can stop windows from trying to load sptd.sys and boot normally? (just deleting the file didnt work, it would just hang for about 30 secs and then bsod)

any help is appreciated

ps. yeah, i know i suck at explaining

[jaclaz]

now the only way to fix this would be start recovery console, either from Wxp cd or as boot option.

If you want to boot recovery console from a USB stick, check here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5316

Cannot say however if you will be able to solve that problem using RC.

jaclaz

[Ecko]

no, ctmag, sorry, but you seem to be missing some "basics" or a methodical approach.

You have a working .iso, right?

Then:

1. Format USB stick with fat by using PetoUSB or the HP formatting utility

1.a copy ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini to the stick

1.b verify it boots up to boot.ini choices

2. if you did the above when running Vista and the stick does not boot make stick bootable with bootsect.exe /nt502 g: /force

2.a verify it boots up to boot.ini choices

taken from http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...5316&st=10# 3rd post

couldn't get further then step 1.b

on startup i see a flashing underscore, usb light flashes for a while, then the font changes, and the light stops flashing

got these files on the stick(fat partitioned) so far: boot.ini, ntldr, ntdetect

all taken from my xp install.

edit: think it has something to do with my boot.ini, so i guess i should show what's written in it.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

edit #2: is it maybe that i should add a second entry, so it will actually show me that it works?

also i suppose i should change rdisk to (1) and partition also to (1) right?

im gonna try this.

Edited November 28, 2009 by Ecko

[jaclaz]

No, the "flashing underscore" means that you have a problem in the bootability of that stick, it is the typical symptom of a "wrong" bootsector.

If you have more than one entry in boot.ini, you will see the two choices, if you have one single entry, you should get an error message about missing hal.dll.

Nowadays the HP USB formatting utility is deprecated, as it leads in a number of cases to unbootable sticks or however "wrongly" partitioned/formatted ones.

Pick one among these:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=71

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9460

I would suggest you to try RMPREPUSB first.

jaclaz

[Ecko]

hello,

I've gone this way:

usb boots to syslinux

syslinux loads grub4dos

grub4dos loads ntldr

after that it says this:

Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem.

Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware.

Please check the Windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information.

microsoft says it's because of an error in boot.ini, so thats a good thing since it actually does something.

so..what now?

edit: changed boot.ini to this

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

and now i indeed got the hal.dll error like you said in your previous post.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Ecko

[georg]

Try this:

[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /bootlog

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Safe Mode" /safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog

C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons

[jaclaz]

Ok, now you solved (though in an overly complex way ) the booting problem you can go on.

jaclaz

[Ecko]

Ok, now you solved (though in an overly complex way ) the booting problem you can go on.

jaclaz

yes, that's what i did.

now i got another small question.

i need to copy the bootsector of my usb right? but is it that its size is 512 bytes? since i didn't see anything like ntldr in that file.

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ost&p=41075 step 6

though, did see something resembling step 7 (mswin4.1)

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ecko

[Ecko]

not sure if it's relevant, but here's the original and edited file.

edit: no luck

got as far as loading recovery console, but at the end of the loading bar i get a bsod saying umountable boot volume

setupldr.zip

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ecko

[jaclaz]

Well, you did ANOTHER thing from what that thread explained.

Most probably you have now a Syslinux bootsector.

Nothing personal, rest assured , but I completely fail to see WHY people introduces (unneded) variations/complications to a method and then cannot solve the problem they themselves created.

The original thread was about:

• "normal" NTLDR bootsector
  
• NTLDR
  
• BOOT.INI
  

in order to chainload grub4dos.

Then grub4dos was used to DIRECTLY chainload SETUPLDR.BIN.

You have (again WHY? )

• Syslinux bootsector
  
• Syslinux
  
• syslinux.cfg
  

with which you chainload grub4dos,

then you have:

• grldr (or grub.exe)
  
• menu.lst
  

to chainload NTLDR,

then you have:

• NTLDR
  
• BOOT.INI
  

to chainload a bootsector that will load SETUPLDR.BIN

Can't you see that you do not need last step and you can chainload directly SETUPLDR.BIN from grub4dos?

jaclaz

[jaclaz]

you mean a 0x0000007b error?

Is your drive (the internal one) a SATA disk?

Can you describe how you finally setup the stick (which files which directories, which menu.lst entry?

jaclaz

[Ecko]

so i can actually just delete boot.ini and ntldr, since i dont need it?

and then choose third option in grub to load setupldr.bin from the CMDCONS folder

[Ecko]

you mean a 0x0000007b error?

Is your drive (the internal one) a SATA disk?

Can you describe how you finally setup the stick (which files which directories, which menu.lst entry?

jaclaz

unmountable_boot_volume

stop:0x000000ED (0x862dc68, 0xc00000013, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

yes, sata

boot/ 
		ldlinux.sys
		syslinux.conf 
CMDCONS/
boot.ini
cmdcons.bs
grub.exe
menu.lst
ntdetect.com
ntldr
setupldr.bs

menu.lst

color black/cyan yellow/cyan
timeout 30
default 0

title find and load NTLDR of Windows NT/2K/XP
find --set-root /ntldr
chainloader /ntldr

title Boot Recovery Console of Windows NT/2K/XP SETUPLDR.BIN
find --set-root /setupldr.bin
chainloader /setupldr.bin
#####################################################################
# write string "cmdcons" to memory 0000:7C03 in 2 steps:
#####################################################################
# step 1. Write 4 chars "cmdc" at 0000:7C03
write 0x7C03 0x63646D63
# step 2. Write 3 chars "ons" and an ending null at 0000:7C07
write 0x7C07 0x00736E6F


title Boot Recovery Console of Windows NT/2K/XP \CMDCONS\SETUPLDR.BIN
find --set-root /CMDCONS/setupldr.bin
chainloader /CMDCONS/setupldr.bin
#####################################################################
# write string "cmdcons" to memory 0000:7C03 in 2 steps:
#####################################################################
# step 1. Write 4 chars "cmdc" at 0000:7C03
write 0x7C03 0x63646D63
# step 2. Write 3 chars "ons" and an ending null at 0000:7C07
write 0x7C07 0x00736E6F

title RC CMDCONS cmdcons.bs
find --set-root /cmdcons.bs
chainloader /cmdcons.bs

edit:

is it that i can simply copy the 1386 folder from the hdd to usb, press f6 when asked for and that it loads the driver? (if its in there)

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ecko

[jaclaz]

Yes, you do not need the BOOT.INI and NTLDR if you use grub4dos.

The only entry you need in menu.lst is:

title Boot Recovery Console of Windows NT/2K/XP \CMDCONS\SETUPLDR.BIN

find --set-root /CMDCONS/setupldr.bin

chainloader /CMDCONS/setupldr.bin

#####################################################################

# write string "cmdcons" to memory 0000:7C03 in 2 steps:

#####################################################################

# step 1. Write 4 chars "cmdc" at 0000:7C03

write 0x7C03 0x63646D63

# step 2. Write 3 chars "ons" and an ending null at 0000:7C07

write 0x7C07 0x00736E6F

Just to make sure, have you in \CMDCONS\ a file WINNT.SIF with contents:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...20983&st=39

[data]
CmdCons="1"

?

I don't think that the fact that syslinux is used as intermediate leads to the 0x000000ED error, thus it is possible that it is caused by the missing SATA driver.

You can try (temporarily) disabling the internal hard disk to test this (if possible in your BIOS).

Unfortunately the F6 is reserved to floppy.

You need to integrate the appropriate SATA driver in the RC or you can try mapping a floppy image with grub4dos.

You need your SATA driver in a floppy image and then map the image, something like:

find --set-root /floppy.img

map /floppy.img (fd0)

map --hook

chainloader /CMDCONS/setupldr.bin

write 0x7C03 0x63646D63

write 0x7C07 0x00736E6F

in order to use the F6.

If the \I386\ on your hard disk (or from another source) already has the driver integrated, you only need to copy from it the TXTSETUP.SIF or TXTSETUP.SI_ and the files for the actual driver(s) to the CMDCONS directory on the stick, but how can you access the \I386 on your hard disk?

Which exact netbook model is it?

jaclaz

[Ecko]

yes, it does contain textsetup.sif

and i can acces it since im using a linux liveusb at the moment

and its an acer aspire one a150.

update: posting this from windows xp

in the end it seems i had 2 problems: first one sptd.sys, which prevented windows from booting

and bad blocks on the harddisk

solved the first one by deleting the registry key

and the second one by forcing chkdsk to check my drive

though, still want recovery console on usb since that would make it alot easier.

is it better to start all over again?

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ecko