Need help repairing WinXP Home installation.

[Coolio]

So, earlier today, I tried booting XP (on my parents computer)
It got to the animated loading bar, then rebooted. This caused a loop of the same thing to happen. So, I read online how to repair WinXP. But, when I went to repair it via Boot Disk, there was no option to repair the installation. It just shows up as Unknown. I'm thinking it might be SERVERLY corrupted, but I really need to fix it. I can't format the drives because we have very valuable info and pictues on there. Now, there is a Recovery Console option on the disk. I was wondering if I can say, repair the installation without formating. Basicallly fix Windows and not lose any installed files.

[Ad Bot]

[mp7964]

Honestly, you should just upgrade to Windows Vista or 7. Or 8 Developer's preview :D

[Trymos]

I have the exact same problem.
But on vista. Oh and it has a 10% chance to boot up successfully every time.
Never fixed it because i chose linux over vista.

[Coolio]

Oh god. I just tried to repair it, but boot.ini couldn't be opened. My guess is that the installation is corrupted the forget out of. :c
Hopefully my parents can recover their data. My dad is taking is to be looked at tommorow. If it doesn't work, I'm dead. Even though if it did work, I'd be banned from it permanantly, because I've messed it up a few times before, but we've fixed it.

[Cyanian]

Well stop messing stuff up.

[Coolio]

ok

[Coolio]

I'm just going to bed. There is about batstuff I can do. I'll be banned anyways. Oh well.

Guess I won't be on Steam in like, a while.

[Trymos]

Try to go into recovery console and run chkdsk.
chkdsk is what you type pretty much.
Just let it scan and see what you get.
Type
cd C:\
chkdsk
forgot to say that.

[Coolio]

eh
i don't know
I'll go boot the CD, but it's not worth it. :/

[Unwritten Calender]

eh
i don't know
I'll go boot the CD, but it's not worth it. :/

if it's not worth it, why try?

[Coolio]

Because chances are, it won't help. I'll do it anyways.

[Coolio]

It said it was fine.
Although, I think Windows is installed on K drive. When I go to that on the setup menu (on the CD) it says "inactive" and some other things.

[Coolio]

lol wrong topic

[Ethan]

Don't worry.
It sounds like the physical hard drive is fine, and if that's the case, it's super super easy to get your data off, especially if you do take it to someone who knows what they are doing, they usually have computers set up for this kind of thing.
I have a physically damaged hard drive, that is really really forgeted. I think maybe a platter collapsed or something. It doesn't boot, but with the right software I was still able to get my stuff off of it, IDK how. It's magic.