Forum Moderators: open
Unfortunately for us in the web development field, getting the information off a hard drive in such a situation is critical. I am going to attempt a repair install of Windows in the hopes that I can get back in to backup my e-mail, get my Photoshop files etc. and back them up.
I've never done this before and I put the CD in, went to set Windows up like I was told and it copied the setup files, then asked me to agree to the EULA. I froze. I wasn't sure if I had to agree before it would look for previous installations to repair or if it would go right into installing Windows and most likely killing all my files along with it.
Can anyone let me know if I have to agree to the EULA before it will let me have the option to repair Windows or is I should have had the option to repair before agreeing to the EULA?
Thanks a lot, I really really appreciate it.
I just went through this. Set aside at least one complete day for the process, since you will surely discover problems along the way. In my case it was corrupt data in outlooks .pst file that needed to be repaired :(
You will end up with a nice backup drive when all is said and done ;)
But to answer your question, there are two repair options from the XP installer - the first is command line and you get it by pressing R instead of Enter at the initial prompt, and you might (depending on the problem) run something like "fixboot" from there.
The second repair option comes after agreeing to the EULA - you should see another choice of pressing R or Enter, and if you press R then Windows will attempt an automatic repair.
If you don't see a Repair option at this point press Esc to cancel, or power down.
...
I would hate to lose all my programs but the most important thing is my files.
I'll keep you posted.
In my case it was corrupt data in outlooks .pst file that needed to be repaired :(
How did you repair that? Any tools to recommend? I am suffering from dismal OL performance and haven't found a way to bring it back to original speed. Maybe something is wrong with the pst file.
@thewaiter
Go with a new HD and a fresh install. Although it takes some time to also re-install your applications, system performance (esp. data access) should be much better than when doing a repair.
