XP PRO CD Not Bootable

[tech_guy]

I've just come to restore a friend's laptop and his Win XP Pro recovery CD isn't booting - I have checked it in half a dozen other machines and no joy.

 

I can see some scratches but nothing too severe - my cd repair gizmo has removed them but still no joy.

 

I can copy all the files and folders off the CD but ImgBurn and InfraRecorder are both having problems creating a bootable CD from them.

 

I don't have another Win XP Pro CD at home - they're all at work.

 

Any suggestions as to how to quickly create a working CD so I can get Windows XP back on the laptop and carry on with my life?!?

[leco]

If you know the file that starts the install on the CD can you not use the command line? That's assuming youcan get a command line on the laptop.

[p858snake]

Is it a recovery CD or a install CD? Official MS disc or Manufacture disc?

 

If its just recovery you might need to go into the recovery mode then try it or safemode into the environment then run it.

[tech_guy]

It's an install CD and the HDD is new and empty - the old one (with the recovery partition) failed.

[Guest theeldergeek]

It's an install CD and the HDD is new and empty - the old one (with the recovery partition) failed.

 

I once had to re-install XP on a Packard Bell laptop, thought it would be a simple case of booting from CD.

 

Not so, I had to rebuild the PB recovery partition via a long and expensive support phone call. AIUI, it was so that the installation process would write recovery files to the recovery partition during install - without that partition, it obviously was unable to do what it needed to do, so wouldn't go any further.

 

T'was the only occasion I had issue with a Packard Bell re-install, so didn't have any other experience on which I could compare notes unfortunately.

 

What manufacturer is the laptop? Is the CD a manufacturer recovery jobbie, or a standard MS XP install disc?

[SYNACK]

As long as it has the i386 directory on it it should just be a case of adding the boot sector image to a new Nero project along with the files and burning it off. You could also integrate SP3 to the media while your at it to make a much faster and cleaner install image.

Creating bootable Windows 2000/XP/2003 Disc (Nero 6) (Windows 2000/XP/2003) - TACKtech Corp.

 

If it does not include the files usually in the root directory of the windows CD there are instructions on what is needed and how to chuck them on here:

 

How to Create a Bootable Windows XP Setup CD/DVD from a Pre-loaded/Preinstalled Windows System (howtohaven.com)

 

Depending on how far away you are from work it may be quicker to just go there and grab your cds but chances are that the recovery disk will have most of the drivers integrated anyway which may make the time consumed about even each way.

[pritchardavid]

Or instead of the above post

 

download the version you need from a torrent

 

Don't use the serial code if it come with one that's not legal of course

 

Nothing wrong with downloading a ISO image where you own the product