Windows Repair and Help

A huge number of users are using the windows operating system over their computer. So, it is vital to know all about troubleshooting steps regarding the "Windows Repair and Help". Microsoft provides a web based technical help portal named as "Microsoft Help and Support". This technical web portal is available online on the website "http://support.microsoft.com/". It helps to handle different issues over the Microsoft products. Microsoft provides some alternative methods to handle the Windows repair issues. Windows Repair process includes the following methods:--

1. Windows Repair using the Recovery Console:--

This method is used to recover operation system when your computer does not start correctly or does not start at all. Then we need to install and use the Windows Recovery Console. However, Microsoft recommends this method of system recovery for advanced users only. Recover Console should be use in the Safe Mode and must be logged in with the administrator account. We can install the Recovery Console by the following steps:--

 i). Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive.

 ii). Click Start, and then click Run.

 iii). In the Open box, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive. In the case of 'Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, type d:\amd64\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive.

 iv). A Windows Setup Dialog Box appears. The Windows Setup Dialog Box describes the Recovery Console option. To confirm the installation, click Yes.

 v). Restart the computer. The next time that you start your computer, "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" appears on the startup menu.

Now, We will discuss that how to use the Recovery Console from the Windows XP startup disks or the Windows XP CD-ROM, follow these steps:--

 i). Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer. Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted.

 ii). When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.

 iii). If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you must access from the Recovery Console.

 iv). When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.

 v). At the command prompt, type the appropriate commands to diagnose and repair your Windows XP installation and for a list of commands that are available in Recovery Console, type recovery console commands or help at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

 vi). To exit the Recovery Console and restart the computer, type exit at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

We can also follow the Microsoft KB article on "http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654" for the more details on Recovery Console.

2. Last Known Good Configuration:--

This is a feature of Windows XP. Last Known Good Configuration is used for the recovery option. We can rollback the computer settings to the previous state in which computer were working properly. Whenever we start computer by using the ‘Last Known Good Configuration’ feature, Windows XP restores information in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet

We can perform the Last Know Good Configuration by the following steps :--

To start your computer by using the Last Known Good Configuration feature, follow these steps :--

 i). Start the computer.

 ii). When you see the "Please select the operating system to start" message, press the F8 key.

 iii). When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, use the ARROW keys to select Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked), and then press ENTER.

 iv). If you are running other operating systems on your computer, use the ARROW keys to select Microsoft Windows XP, and then press ENTER.

We can also follow the Microsoft KB article on "http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307852" for the more details on Last Known Good Configuration.

By all the above discussion on Windows Repair and Help, We can conclude that Microsoft provides some formidable way to troubleshoot Windows related issues and also provide some KB articles for the same. Few organizations are also providing the support for Microsoft products.