How do I Repair Damaged Files in XP/SP2 ?

Yesterday I let the HP site download and install an updated driver to my printer (what a dummy I was to do this!). Rebooting stopped dead at the welcome screen with a message that said: (1)some files were corrupted or damaged, (2) the bootup process could not continue at this time (at this time?), and (3) use the XP install CD to make repairs. However, when using the install CD, I got a message that it couldn't make repairs because it was an old version of Windows....I'm guessing SP2 "obsoletes" the original XP. I could not find any repair option on the SP2 CD (which I have) either. So what do you do? How do you repair files on an SP2 system? BTW, altho I could get into safe mode, usual approaches to the problem such as "sfc scannow ", System Restore, uninstall the printer (which totally "disappeared" from all configuration info on my system) did not work...didn't even try to start. Luckily, I clone my system with Drive Image 7.01., it saved my bacon.

 

Your best bet is to slipstream SP2 into XP and burn the combined products to a CD. Search the forum for 'slipstream' and you should get links to several good how-to sites.

 

Newt--I have avoided tackling the slipstream opportunity since my new PC is a Dell. There are problems slipstreaming after a quick scan of this message
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_svcpacks&message.id=283
I have not had the time to absorb it because of personal matters recently.
It sounds like chrisw has found a solution, but it is surprising that sfc /scannow and, expecially, System Restore did not work or help.

 

Newt, Jim....your comments are very interesting. From Newt's comment, rightly or wrongly, I deduce that M/S hadn't thought about this problem. Maybe we need to be "given" a new version of XP ( "XP enhanced ") for just this problem to avoid the slipsteam problem Jim alludes to. Jim...it surprised me too, scannow was not even recognized as a legitimate command (nothing happened after I typed it in), and regarding System Restore (which has saved me many times in the past), it acted like it was going to use my selected restore point (click Next, it burped for a few seconds as if it was digesting system settings), but then then just stopped like it had never been asked to activate. I tried several points, nothing happened...just sat there. I've never experienced this...it was like the whole machine just quit. Perhaps most interestingly, the printer (a 5L) showed up nowhere on my PC....not in Device Manager, Printers and Faxes, or anywhere else..the PC acted like I didn't have a printer. [I have gut reaction that altho HP said it was a 5L download, I think I got a driver for some other printer, possibly a 6L....but this was an automatic download, it analyzed my system and said I needed a new driver...and sent it to me! Yech!] Thanx, guys....

 

A good current backup image is the best cure. I consider one a week to be right for me. It's ten minutes well spent on Sunday morning.

Then GoBack is also very nice.

IMHO, the native tools of XP leave much to be desired.

 

The sfc does work on my system.

I ran across a post in anoher forum about whether sfc would overwrite SP2 changes. The answer, which I haven't see any verification for, was that the person that answered asked MS (phone support) and the reply was that sfc does take cognizance of SP2.

EDIT: Found the thread - not phone support as I thought.

Wilders thread

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=49782

Does SFC Scannow work with SP2

GlobalForce, I managed to get through to Microsoft Support by using your link and they confirmed that SFC Scannow will still be effective. ie. it will look in the new ServicePack Folder on the hard drive first to replace any files.

I can make a inderect verification of my own. When I first tried sfc post SP2 because I wanted to know whether it was a new version, the software that I have monitoring "new program version" executes popped up with a warning that indeed it was a new version.

Regards - Charles

 

Chas....sfc scannow seems to work now, it just wouldn't work (in safe mode) when the machine crashed.