How to Repair Windows Installation

Hello everyone,

Please tel me how to repair windows installation. Help required a.s.a.p.

The following step by step procedure shows you how to do the repair. Note, that you will need the CD key that came with your Windows disk to complete this procedure.

1. Make sure boot order in BIOS is set to floppy (if you have one), cd/dvd, and then the HDD your original Windows was installed on.

2. Insert your original Windows CD into your cd/dvd drive (a slipstreamed cd with SP will also workif you have one). If the Windows Installion menu appears, select Install Windows.

3. If that menu does not appear, go to Start, Turn Off Computer, and then select Restart. After the POST, you will see a prompt, "Press any key to boot from cd..."
so press the space key (any other key will also work).

4. Let Windows setup continue.

5. After a short while you will see an option to repair your Windows using the Recovery Console. Do NOT select this option. Just continue.

6. Soon after this you will see a message "Searching for a previous Windows Installation".

7. When Setup finds your previous Windows installion you will be given an option to Repair that installation. Follow the prompt on the screen, i.e, press R to repair.

8. Now just let setup continue until it is complete and you see your desktop.

9. Then, go to Windows Update (Start, All Programs, Windows Update) and let it search for and install any available service packs, and/or other updates.

10. Lastly, if you have any drivers that are wish to use other than the ones in Windows, just install them in the normal fashion.

Now your Windows is repaired and fully updated, and hopefully the problems you saw previously have been fixed.

A Repair Install is not foolproof and should not be considered the cure-all fix for non-boot situations.

The below procedure applies only if you can still boot into Windows.

To prevent loss of data and/or program settings, perform the following before the Repair Install.

Manually delete the Undo_guimode.txt file from the Windows\System32 folder before you perform any of the actions that are listed in the "Symptoms" section of this article. To do this in Windows XP, type the following command at a command prompt:
del /a /f %windir%\system32\undo_guimode.txt

1. From the Start menu, click Run. See screen shot Image
2. In the Run dialog box, in the Open text box, type: cmd. Click OK.
3. Delete the undo_guimode.txt file. In the C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe dialog box, type: del /a /f c:\windows\system32\undo_guimode.txt. Press the ENTER key.

Additional tips to perform before initiating the Repair Install.

You should complete the basic requirements of backing up all files and folders that cannot be restored from other media. This includes passwords, applications purchased and downloaded from the internet without CD support, financial records and folders, digital images that cannot be replaced...............

Backup copies of your registry files (in the %systemroot%\Repair folder) are also replaced after the in-place upgrade is complete. Copy these registry backups to another location before you perform an in-place upgrade/Repair Install. You may need to use them after the in-place upgrade is complete.

It would also be a good idea to run the Files And Settings Transfer wizard F.A.S.T located on the XP CD.

If you made unorthodox registry changes with third party software, there is the potential of data loss from a Repair Install. Another consideration of concern would be a power failure during the repair install could render your system un bootable and result in loss of data.

The likelihood of you losing the files and folders is probably of minimal risk, but you have to expect the worst and make sure you are prepared for recovery.

If you are sure you have explored all other troubleshooting avenues, then proceed with the repair install.

My suggestion is, it's better to look for the source of the problem than trying to repair Windows over and over again. It might be easy to repair an unknown error but the same error could occur again because you never looked for the source.
There are so many tools to clean up and tweak your system. A repair or format is almost everytime avoidable while you can make Windows run as smooth as you want.
I'm one of an almost extinct species but my good old W2000 is running since end of 1999 without formatting or repairing.