Restoring a corrupt file

Hi,
In windows 98Se there was a feature where you could restore a corrupt or missing file.
Is there such a feature in Windows XP Home Edition?
Thanks for any help.

 

Try this:

START > RUN > type, sfc.exe /scannow <press enter>

No guarantee, but no harm. Many files are already protected in XP and I'm not sure if this procedure will help, but it's worth a try. I think it depends on which version you have (Pro or Home), as to how it may respond.

I have used the command several times but can't say that it ever helped me. I was always scared that it would ask for the install disk and I have none, since this is an oem short install.

XP is not so nice as to tell you the results of that operation. Previous versions were much more friendlier to the user in that respect. Let's complain!!

BTW, did I mention that the easiest way to restore a deleted file is to look within your BACKUPS.

 

An example (to restore datime.dll):
Go to Start--> Run.
Type:
expand D:\i386\datime.dl_ C:\Windows\system32\datime.dll

where "D" is your CD-ROM drive letter and "C" is your hard drive letter. If you have Winnt instead of Windows, change that, too, of course.
Note that the unexpanded file on the CD usually has an underline as the last letter of the file ending, and there is a space after it in the line above (hard to see here).

 

ABRAXUS

Some of us poor devils didn't get a cd disk with our new computers. Consequently, the D: drive may not have exactly what is being asked for, nor can we supply it. That stinks and I'll take my business elsewhere as soon as I can.

 

I imagine that when someone is buying a computer, they don't realize that the CD is missing until they get it all set up.
It is certainly good advice to demand a CD with a new computer. I don't know If HP's policy has changed, but they would only supply one if the restore partition failed----which, of course, it did, for savvy users.

So, how does that work, exactly, Zephyr? Is there an inaccessible (by usual means) partition that contains all the setup files, or is it in some proprietary format that mere mortals find useless?

 

They use an EISA configuration so that most folks are left wondering... what's dat??? I dunno too! It's my opinion that anything I don't know what is, is likely useless to me. I suspect foul play when that happens. It's a non-dos partition and completely out of sight for mere mortals.
HP will sell the necessary restore disks (7 of them) for shipping charges only ($10.73) and you'll be able to restore your system to the same shape you bought it in. (Like you would want to do that) If you didn't have BACKUP, you still won't have it. If you didn't have use of the Restore Console, you still won't have it, nor can you ever get either of those programs. If you created any masterpieces in the meantime, you will lose all of those. Not a good way to restore. You will never get a normal install cd from them. Remember that when you next purchase a box. Some do, some don't, reward them accordingly.

I practice the "defensa de anus" system and use a software that copies all the disk data to burned bootable copies for possible later restoration. I use Instant Recovery but there are others out there. Safe. Then I use GoBack (nice program) to help me recover in the short term without doing a disk image restore with the other system.

The point is, keep your protection up to date and you'll be able to laugh in the face of disaster. Believe me, you'll need it sooner or later.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci213932,00.html

 

Very interesting. I guess my instincts were correct when I removed those weird partitions from Compaqs (used around 30% of the disk on some of them) and Gateways before installing XP. I never saw any ill effects from doing this (unless someone later tried to install and use the proprietary recovery junk from their websites--but uninstalling that worked fine).

And--they all were given their CD's.

 

My IBM T23 laptop (XP Pro) came without a recovery CD, but their tech support folks sent one free of charge as soon as I asked for it. Problem is that IBM pre-configures their systems with so much proprietary **** that it's extremely difficult to set up one of their computers (laptops, anyway) in a really useful fashion, particularly with all the nonsense MS has built into XP.

I couldn't agree more about backups, but partitioning a hard drive so that all of your data is separate from the OS and installed programs also makes life easier. If you have to reformat for any reason, you may lose your installed programs, but your data should be safe.

Jim

 

I should have added a comment about SFC ... I was getting messages on boot-up that my XP Pro desktop computer had recovered from a "serious error ", and sometimes I would get a BSOD that disappeared so fast I never could read the message (unlike Win9x, a BSOD in XP seems to trigger an auto-restart).

I ran SFC this morning, prior to installing SP1, and it immediately asked for the installation CD. I didn't time it, but it ran for a l-o-n-g time, and accessed the CD countless times. Apparently, I had managed to botch up numerous system files over the course of the past few months.

I got a clean upgrade of SP1, and the system has been purring like a kitten ever since. No more error messages or BSODs, either.

Jim

 

SFC always asks me for the CD and it takes a long time with a lot of disk access, even if run twice in a row.
I suspected that the disk access was comparing the original file to the one on the HD.
In any case, I have decided that a repair installation takes just about as much time and seems to fix more problems involving drivers, so no more sfc here.