Can't repair Windows..

When trying to repair windows xp, I cant select my installation option.

The installation options should look something like this in the recovery console:
(note option 1 and 2)


but on mine, not a single option is showing, so I can't continue the repair. What should i do?

 

As you are aware, the recovery console should give you an option to repair an existing installation. Since you don't see any existing installations it follows that you don't have any options. You would be well advised to pull the HDD, put it in another machine and copy any data that is readable before its too late to retreive anything. Then you can put the drive back in your computer but you are going to need something like a BART PE disc or Ultimate Boot disc to repair what ails you - maybe! I guess that brings up an interesting question - what is it specifically that ails you?

 

What exactly do you mean by 'Repair' as what can be accomplished in Recovery Console is a rather narrow set of items. Once thing that cannot be done in Recovery Console is to do an In-Place, Repair Reinstallation of Windows XP.

That is accomplished in a completely different manner:

Fred Langa's Tutorial on an In-place Repair of XP:
XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Clinic
http://www.informationweek.com/LP/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897&pgno=2&queryText=

But as you (and Rockster2u) have pointed out, you should have been given a single listing to select the XP installation to enter with Recovery Console. I agree this is worrisome. Try the In-place upgrade method and see if XP recognizes the existing installed OS version.

If not, and a check of all cables, your BIOS to make sure the drive is identified yields no change in the situation, the use of Bart or mounting the drive in a second machine as a slave offers at least the possibity of reclaiming data files.

 

To see alternatives, and an explanation of what you are experiencing, see:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314477

 

Thanks for the tips guys.

It turns out the HD got corrupt. I managed to install windows on the other drive and boot it up. Now im trying to recover the data from the corrupt drive, with no luck so far. Any recommendations?

 

You may have to assert ownership:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q823306
http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...port/kb/articles/q308/4/21.asp&NoWebContent=1

 

hmm, i dont think thats the problem.

On drive E: (the one which is corrupt and the one that used to be C there is only 2 files showing, both have random names containing random characters. These files are only about 7mb in size. This is all i see, but none of the original files. Is there anyway i can get them back?

 

A data recovery service likely could.

For freeware options try:
http://www.cgsecurity.org/index.html?testdisk.html
http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/uk/welcome.htm