How do I use the Windows XP Recovery Console?

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The Windows XP Recovery Console can be used to repair problems which prevent a Windows XP system from booting.

Boot Windows XP from CD or Floppy
First, boot the computer from the Microsoft Windows XP CD.

If you don't have a Microsoft Windows XP CD, or if the computer you are working on does not have a CD drive, you can boot from a set of Windows XP Bootable disks. If you need a set of boot disks, read How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks from: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994/en-us

Start the XP Recovery Console

When the system boots, you will be presented with a screen that gives you three choices:
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft

Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
Press the <R> to start the Recovery Console.
Choose which Windows Installation to Repair

The next prompt will ask you which Windows installation you want to recover:
Microsoft Windows(R) Recovery Console

The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality.
Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.

1: C:\WINDOWS

Which Windows Installation would you like to log on to
(To cancel, press ENTER)? Enter the Windows XP Administrator Password

When prompted, enter the Microsoft Windows XP Local Administrator password. If you do not know this password, read How can I recover a lost Windows XP Administrator Password?.
Recovery Console Commands

Once you are in the Recovery Console, you have a number of commands available to utilize to repair the system.

Command	Purpose
Attrib	Changes the attributes of a file or directory
Batch	Executes the commands specified in the text file
Bootcfg	Boot file (boot.ini) configuration and recovery
CD / ChDir	Displays the name of the current directory or changes       the current directory
Chkdsk	Checks a disk and displays a status report
Cls	Clears the screen
Copy	Copies a single file to another location
Del / Delete	Deletes one or more files
Dir	Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a       directory
Disable	Disables a system service or a device driver
Diskpart	Manages partitions on your hard drives
Enable	Starts or enables a system service or a device driver
Exit	Exits the Recovery Console and restarts your computer
Expand	Extracts a file from a compressed file
Fixboot	Writes a new partition boot sector onto the specified       partition
Fixmbr	Repairs the master boot record of the specified disk
Format	Formats a disk
Help	Displays a list of the commands you can use in the       Recovery Console
Listsvc	Lists the services and drivers available on the       computer
Logon	Logs on to a Windows installation
Map	Displays the drive letter mappings
MD / Mkdir	Creates a directory
More	Displays a text file
Net Use	Connects a network share to a drive letter
Ren / Rename	Renames a single file
RD / Rmdir	Deletes a directory
Set	Displays and sets environment variables
Systemroot	Sets the current directory to the systemroot directory
Type	Displays a text file.