Build an XP SP3 Recovery Disc

Your computer probably came with a recovery disc, a CD with all the programs and drivers that were installed on your PC’s hard drive when it was new.

First of all, the recovery media most PC manufacturers provide is designed for a singular purpose: to restore your computer to the state it was in when you bought it. This process typically involves wiping your hard drive and then reinstalling Windows and the programs originally included with your system.

Second, the hardware drivers on your recovery CD are almost certainly out of date, either made obsolete by newer and better versions available online, or simply irrelevant to new hardware you’ve subsequently installed.

Why not take a few minutes and make one of your own?

Ideally, a recovery disc should act as a safety net should anything disagreeable happen to your PC’s hard drive or its data. A good recovery disc allows you to reinstall Windows to fix a minor problem or rebuild your PC from scratch to recover from a major one.

Here’s the problem: Once you upgrade your XP installation to Service Pack 3, Windows won’t ever allow you to install an older version (including earlier editions of XP) without either wiping the hard drive clean or installing to a different drive. Even if you do install “fresh,” you’ll still have to then endure a separate SP3 upgrade. The solution is to create a new hybrid installation disc from whatever installer CD you have and a special version of SP3, using a process known as slipstreaming

Step 1: Take Stock

To prepare a recovery CD, you’ll need only three things: a Windows XP install CD (any edition), a valid Windows product key, and about 1.5 gigabytes of free space on your hard drive. Of course, as with many recipes, procuring the ingredients is often the hardest part.

The install CD can be any version, including Service Pack 2, Service Pack 1, or the original release from 2001. If you already have a disc labeled “Windows XP with Service Pack 3″ (as opposed to merely an SP3 update disc), then you don’t need this procedure. Go ahead and read another story.

The CD can be difficult to come by if you bought your PC with Windows preinstalled Some PC manufacturers are service-conscious enough to send a true XP CD to any customer who asks for one, but if you’re not so lucky, you can get a genuine disc on eBay for as little as $10.

The 25-digit key, of course, you should already have handy if you own a legal license to the software. If XP came with your PC, it’s printed on a sticker somewhere on the PC case; if you bought XP, it’s on a sticker on the CD sleeve. (You may also have been compulsive enough to save the hologram-laden Certificate of Authenticity, which should have the key as well.) If you can’t find it, contact your PC’s manufacturer or, barring that, Microsoft for a proper key. You might also try the simply awesome (and awesomely named), open-source Magical Jelly Bean Key Finder, a tiny little utility whose sole purpose is to find the registration keys hidden away in your Registry.

Step 2: Slipstream Service Pack 3

To create a slipstreamed XP SP3 CD, first create a new folder called XP in the root folder of your hard drive. Insert your original XP CD, start Windows Explorer, and then navigate to your CD drive. Highlight everything in the root folder of the CD, and copy all of it to the C:\XP folder you just created.

Next, create a second new folder alongside C:\XP, and name it SP3. Go to download.microsoft.com, type sp3 network install into the search box, and click the link for Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers in the search results. Download the 324MB file, WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe, and save it to the new C:\SP3 folder.

From the Start menu, select Run (or press Windows key-R). Type the following command at the prompt and click OK:

c:\sp3\WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU /integrate:c:\xp

Type the entire command on one line with only a single space between ENU and /integrate—there should be no spaces surrounding the colons.

If all goes well, the process should take a minute or two and then conclude with a simple “Completed” message box. Otherwise, if you see an error, here’s what it means:

Failed to copy some or all of the files necessary for integrated install: This can happen for any number of reasons, most likely because you mistyped the /integrate command. But do make sure you have plenty of free hard drive space and that all of the files from your older XP CD are present in the C:\XP folder.

…is not recognized as an internal or external command: Either you mistyped the SP3 update filename, or you didn’t save it in the C:\SP3 folder.

…is not a valid Win32 application: This error usually means the file you downloaded is corrupt, or has not finished downloading. Delete the file and try downloading again.

…not the correct version: You’re trying to slipstream the U.S. English version of the SP3 update with a non-English copy of Windows XP, or vice versa. Just return to the Microsoft download page, choose your language from the Change language list, and download the correct file. —next: Steps 3-4 >

Step 3: Automate the Install

Now if you want to be really slick, you can set up what Microsoft calls an answer file to enter your product key automatically so you don’t have to type it manually later on. On your original Win XP CD (Professional Edition only), navigate to the \Support\Tools folder, double-click DEPLOY.CAB, and then double-click Setupmgr.exe to open the Windows Setup Manager Wizard. When prompted, choose Create a new answer file and then Windows Unattended Installation. For the User Interaction Level, choose Provide defaults, and when asked about the Distribution Folder, answer No. Finally, you’ll see a new window, into which you can specify defaults; select Providing the Product Key on the left and then type your product key in the text fields on the right.

When you’re done, save the file Unattend.txt into your C:\XP folder. For additional information, open the Setupmgr.chm file, also found in DEPLOY.CAB.

Step 4: Bootstrap and Burn

You’re not done with your old XP disc yet; you still need to pull the boot loader off the old disc so you can make the new one bootable.

The easiest way to do this is using ImgBurn, available free from www.imgburn.com. Install ImgBurn, start the app, and click Write files/folders to disc on the first screen. Choose the Advanced tab, followed by the Bootable Disc tab, and from the Extract Boot Image list select the drive containing your XP disc. Click the Save icon and save the BootImage.ima file to your C:\SP3 folder.

Now it’s time to burn a new CD. You’ll need CD-burning software capable of creating a bootable CD, such as ImgBurn, Nero Burning ROM (part of Nero 8 Ultra Edition), or Roxio Media Creator, and you’ll need to customize the burning settings carefully.

If you’re using Roxio or Nero, choose Bootable CD or CD-ROM (Boot), respectively, from the list of project types. Or, if you’re using ImgBurn, choose the Advanced tab, followed by the Bootable Disc tab, and turn on the Make Image Bootable option.

Next, use 0×7C0 for the load segment, and 4 for the sector count. Make sure you’re using the Joliet file system, and if prompted to choose a bootable disc emulation type, select no emulation. Specify the BootImage.ima file you just created as the boot image; copy the CD volume label from your original XP CD, and paste it as the disc label for your new project.

Drag the entire contents of the C:\XP folder into your CD project and burn the CD. For good measure, use a Sharpie pen to write your XP key right on you’re CD, and then put the disc in a safe place for that rainy day.

How to create a password reset disk

To create a password reset disk for your local user account, use one of the following methods.

Requirements

loadTOCNode(3, ’summary’); The following methods require one blank, formatted floppy disk.

Use a computer administrator account

loadTOCNode(3, ’summary’); If you logged on to the computer by using an administrator account, follow these steps to create a password reset disk for a user account:

1.	Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.	In Control Panel, click User Accounts.
3.	In the User Accounts pane, click the account that you want to work with.
4.	Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password to start the Forgotten Password Wizard, and then click Next.
5.	Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A, and then click Next.
6.	In the Current user account password box, type the password for the user account that you chose in step 3, and then click Next. Note If the user account does not have a password, do not type a password in the Current user account password box. The Forgotten Password Wizard creates the disk.
7.	When the Progress bar reaches 100% complete, click Next, and then click Finish.
8.	Remove and then label the password reset disk. Store the disk in a safe place.

Use a limited account

loadTOCNode(3, ’summary’); If you logged on to the computer by using a limited account, follow these steps to create a password reset disk for your user account:

1.	Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.	Under Pick a category, click User Accounts.
3.	Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password to start the Forgotten Password Wizard.
4.	Click Next.
5.	Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A, and then click Next.
6.	In the Current user account password box, type your password, and then click Next. Note If your user account does not have a password, do not type a password in the Current user account password box. The Forgotten Password Wizard creates the disk.
7.	When the Progress bar reaches 100% complete, click Next, and then click Finish.
8.	Remove and then label the password reset disk. Store the disk in a safe place. How to log on to the computer by using a password reset disk loadTOCNode(2, ’summary’); If you forget your password, you can log on to the computer by using a new password that you create by using the Password Reset Wizard and your password reset disk. To do this, follow these steps: 1. On the Windows XP logon screen, click the user name that you want to use. The Type your password box appears. Press ENTER or click the right-arrow button. You receive the following error message: Did you forget your password? You can click the “?” button to see your password hint. Or you can use your password reset disk. Please type your password again. Be sure to use the correct uppercase and lowercase letters. 2. Click use your password reset disk. The Password Reset Wizard starts. The Password Reset Wizard permits you to create a new password for your user account. 3. Click Next. 4. Insert the password reset disk into drive A, and then click Next. 5. Type a new password in the Type a new password box. 6. Type the same password in the Type the password again to confirm box. 7. In the Type a new password hint box, type a hint to remind you of your password if you forget the new password. Note This hint is visible to anyone who tries to log on to the computer by using your user account. 8. Click Next, and then click Finish. The Password Reset Wizard quits, and you return to the Windows XP logon screen. Note The password reset disk is automatically updated with the new password information. You do not have to create a new password reset disk.   Type your new password in the Type your password box, and then click the right-arrow button to log on to the computer. Troubleshooting loadTOCNode(2, ’summary’); • The password reset disk cannot be used to reset the password on another computer. The password reset disk that you create can only be used with the computer it was created on. For example, if you have two Windows XP-based computers that have the same user names and passwords, a password reset disk that you create on the first computer cannot be used to reset the password on the second computer. • The password reset disk contains sensitive information. Other users may be able to use the password reset disk to gain access to your computer. For this reason, store this disk in a safe and secure location.

How to restore XP activation status information after a reformat

1. Double-click My Computer, then double-click on the “C” drive.
2. Navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
3. Locate the files named “wpa.dbl” and “wpa.bak” and copy them to a safe location such as a USB key or CD.
4. Reformat your disk and reinstall Windows XP on your reformatted hard drive, click “No” when asked if you want to activate Windows.
5. Reboot your computer into SafeMode (press F8 as Windows is booting up to see the Windows Advanced Options menu and select SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal)
6. Double-click My Computer, then double-click on the “C” drive again.
7. Navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder again.
8. Locate the files named “wpa.dbl” and “wpa.bak” (if it exists) and rename them to “wpadbl.new” and “wpabak.new”
9. Copy your original “wpa.dbl” and “wpa.bak” files from your USB key, CD or DVD or other location into the C:\Windows\System32 folder
10. Restart your system.

How to perform clean-boot troubleshooting

Go to this article it will tell you how to do it. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q281770/

System File Checker (sfc)

sfc /scannow  Make sure that you put a space in front of the slash or you’ll get an error message.

Windows File Protection

By default, Windows File Protection is always enabled and allows Windows
digitally signed files to replace existing files safely. Currently, signed files are distributed
through:

# Windows Service Packs

# Hotfix distributions

# Operating system upgrades

# Windows Update

# Windows Device Manager

If you introduce a file replacement in any other way, Windows File protection will overwrite your file!

An important part of Windows File Protection is the command line utility:

System File Checker (sfc.exe)

This is a great tool for troubleshooting Windows XP problems.

To do this simply go to the Run box on the Start Menu and type in:

sfc /scannow

This command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem.

The following should appear to give an indication of how long the process is taking.

In an ideal world that would be the end of the story… Any corrupt, missing or incorrect files would be replaced by this process.

However, things can go wrong and the following guide should help!

The #1 complaint with scannow sfc is the following dialog box appearing:

Why does this happen?

Well, in your computer’s registry, are several settings that are checked when you run scannow sfc.

As mentioned earlier in this article, the Windows File Protection service constantly monitors for any changes to the main system files. Well Windows XP keeps a cache (copy) of these essential files at the following location:

C:WINDOWS\System32\Dllcache (assuming C: is your system root which it probably is.)

NB – The dllcache folder is extremely important so Windows XP hides it from you! To view it go to: My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View > “uncheck” Hide protected operating system files.

If that’s the case on your computer then there is normally no need for the original XP CD to be inserted as your computer has a “copy” it can get hold of in this cache…

But, if the Dllcache folder, or part of it, has become corrupted for some reason then you will be prompted for the XP CD – so your computer can get a clean copy!

Having said that not ALL installations of Windows XP have ALL the system files cached into this folder! You may only have around 50MB of files in this folder under Windows XP depending on the quota settings in the registry. (Under Windows 2003 Server the default is 300MB of system files!)

Annoying, YES!

Is there a workaround YES!

As well as having a cache of all the system files on your PC, I like to have the I386 folder from the XP CD installed on the computer as well. After doing this I then modify the registry to tell it the source path for these files… Why? Well not only does this prevent 99% of request for the the XP CD with Windows File Protection. But the I386 folder also contains many other files that are sometimes needed by the operating system and this stops those requests for the XP CD too!

NB – With today’s large hard drives you are not going to notice this 475 MB folder on your computer, but older systems may not have the space for this…

Step 1

You will need to get your XP CD and locate the folder called:

I386

This is a major folder and should be one of the first you see, now copy this onto your hard drive into the system root. For most of you that is going to be C:\ so you should end up with a folder that looks like: C:\I386

—————————–

Step 2

Now you will need to tell your computer you now have the files on your PC. We do this is the registry (type regedit in the Run box on the start menu) by navigating to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Setup

You will see various entries here on the right hand side. The one we want is called:

SourcePath

It probably has an entry pointing to your CD-ROM drive, and that is why it is asking for the XP CD. All we need to do is change it to:

C:\

Simply double click the SourcePatch setting and a new box will pop up allowing you to make the change.

Now restart your computer and try scannow sfc again!

——————————

Other Problems with scannow sfc…

#1

Has the CD Drive’s drive letter changed (perhaps by the addition of another hard drive, partition, or removable drive) since Windows XP was first installed? If so, simply edit the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath to reflect the changed drive letter.

After you restart the computer, WFP and sfc /scannow uses the new source path instead of prompting for the Windows XP installation CD-ROM

#2

Has the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath got an incorrect entry? The SourcePath entry does NOT include the path location till the I386 folder. It completes one folder ahead to reach the I386 folder.

Example:

If the I386 directory is at C:\I386, the SourcePath value would be C:\

#3

If the problem persists and you have the correct path for your I386 folder then the I386 folder is corrupted. To solve this problem copy I386 folder from the CD-ROM to your system restart the system and then
perform sfc /scannow again.

#4

You do not have an XP retail CD with an I386 folder on it. If you have a restore CD from your PC manufacturer then you may have to explore the CD to find the folder.

#5

You still keep being prompted for the XP CD yet you have done all in this article! There is another setting in the registry that may be causing the problem. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SourcePath

Make sure the entry here is the same path to the I386 folder as used above.

#6

Systems administrators can enforce security policies that may include changes to the Windows File Protection settings. You will need to speak with your network administrator about this, but it is important to bear in mind when Windows starts up, the Windows File Protection service synchronizes (copies) the WFP settings from the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Windows File Protection

to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Therefore, if any of the following values are present in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Windows File Protection key, they will take precedence over the same values under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon key.

This will not effect scannow sfc so much, but WILL make an impact if any of the other sfc.exe “switches” have been used! (More about these at the end of this article.)

#7

When you run scannow at logon you do not get a progress bar… This can easily be remedied by adding a new DWORD: SFCShowProgress to the registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

the values available are: 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled

————————————

What about Windows Updates…..

You may be asking yourself how does sfc.exe know how to check for updated Windows system files? Well during OS upgrades, service pack installations etc.. the dllcache folder should be updated with these new files.

As an example the recent Windows XP Hotfix – KB828035 updated the system file wkssvc.dll A new version of the file was placed in C:\WINDOWS\system32 and a copy in the cache: C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache A copy of the old system file is archived in: C:\WINDOWS\$NtUninstallKB828035$

There is another location the Windows File protection service uses and that is the I386 folder in C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles When you install a service pack, like SP1. Any new system drivers are cached in this location too.

If you have odd problems with running scannow sfc and nothing else in the article has resolved it, then take a look at the entry in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Setup
\ServicePackSourcePath

This should be pointing to the location C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles (assuming C:\ is the boot drive.)

More info can be found about the various switches available with sfc.exe under Windows XP here.

You find out more about the Windows File Protection service here.

http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

Take a snapshot of your Desktop

To take a snapshot of the entire windows desktop on your computer, simply press the Print Scrn button on your keyboard (next to the scroll lock key). If you want to capture the active window press Alt + Print Scrn. The image is stored on the clipboard. Go to paint, select new, and paste the image onto the canvas.

Reformatting A Drive For Single Boot

If you have a desktop computer with two hard drives configured to dual-boot to Windows XP on G: or Windows 2000 on C:. and you  want to remove Windows 2000 and reformat that drive to store data. When you try to format the drive C:  while XP is running, you might get an error message that files are in use on the C: drive. What you need to do to make this a single-boot system
Microsoft Windows has created the system swap file on the C: drive. You can check this from Control Panel | System | Advanced (tab) | Performance Settings. Click the Change button in the Virtual Memory section.

You can specify which drive will house the swap file. Click on the drive letter and specify a swap file size, or choose the “system managed size” option. Be sure to select “no paging file” for the C: drive after you set the paging file for the J: drive. If you get a message indicating that log files won’t be created after system crashes, you can ignore it. Once the swap file no longer resides on the C: drive, you should be able to reformat the drive.

One more way to keep your (virtual) desktop clean

You want to know about hiding desktop icons. You could try enabling the Desktop toolbar to quickly access your icons, shortcuts and desktop folders while keeping the desktop itself clean and neat. To do so, just right click the taskbar, select Toolbars and then Desktop.

Create Folders in Win XP

In order to make an All Programs subfolder, you need to get out of list mode and into Windows Explorer.

1. Right-click All Programs and choose Open.
2. Double-click the Programs folder.
3. Right-click and make a new folder.
4. Name your folder.
5. Drag the programs you want to group together into the folder.

When you go back to the All Programs list, you'll see your new subfolder.

Copy the Text in an Error Dialog Box

Sometimes you'll get an error dialog box that says "application X did something (blah blah) and here's the meaningless programming jibberish". While the error might not mean much to you, the information in the dialog box can be very helpful to tech support people you might call about the problem. While your helpers don't need to see the actual dialog box, they do need to know what the dialog box said. An easy way to get that info is to click on the dialog box, then hold down the CTRL key and then press the C key (CTRL+C). This copies the contents of the dialog box to the clipboard. Now you can paste the text into an email message by using CTRL+V or by using the PASTE command.