How to Repair Windows XP With a Boot Disk
- 1). Check your system BIOS to ensure that the computer is setup to boot from the CD-ROM drive. Enter BIOS by pressing the "F2" key during boot-up, right after the computer displays the system information. Navigate through the main BIOS screen using the arrow keys to highlight the boot order menu. Press "Enter" to open the menu and use the arrow keys to scroll through the boot drives until you highlight the CD-ROM drive. Use the "+" key to move the drive to the top of the list, and then press "Enter" to save the boot order selection. Do not move any other drive on the list, or you may disable the proper boot function of your operating system. Press "F12" to save and exit the system BIOS.
- 2). Place the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive and reboot the system. Wait for the system to present you with the option to press any key to boot from the CD, and press any key on your keyboard. Wait a few minutes for the system to boot using the XP CD and display the "Welcome to Setup" opening screen.
- 3). Press the "ENTER" key to select the option to setup Windows XP. Press "Enter" again to accept the Windows Licensing agreement. Windows will search through your hard drives and show a list of available Windows installations for repair.
- 4). Select the Windows XP installation you wish to repair by scrolling through the list using the up and down arrow keys. Highlight the desired installation and press "R" to begin the repair. Wait for Windows to move the setup files to the hard drive from the CD-ROM and reboot.
- 5). Wait for the system to reboot. Do not press the key when prompted to boot from the CD. Windows XP will repair the chosen XP installation during the boot sequence, displaying the XP setup screen. All applications and settings will remain intact. Allow the system to reboot a second time to access the repaired XP installation.
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