Command prompt

[CHAROD06]

I'm trying to get to the command prompt in Windows XP before the XP opens. How do I get there? I have tried booting with and without the XP boot cd but still no luck.

 

[dawks]

When booting with the XP CD, once you get to the first menu, choose R for recovery console.

Or Hit F8 right after post.. I believe.

 

[Ichinisan]

Press F8 continually while the system is posting. If your system starts to beep from pressing the button too many times, slow it down to once every second or so. It's very easy to miss your window of opportunity. Once you get to the F8 screen, you will have to press F8 *again*. This is what is confusing about some installations of Windows XP.

The recovery console is not a fully-functional command-line.

 

[spyordie007]

You cant get to the recovery console from the Advanced Options Startup Menu (F8) unless you've gone and manually installed it as a startup option (see http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307654). Besides they probably arent looking for the recovery console, I'm assuming they are looking for a command prompt where they can perform their own operations and run other applications.

CHAROD06 - If you're looking to perform maintenance on your system or attempting to recover a system that has "crashed" see the first sentance of dawks post; otherwise you're probably going to have to boot it up with something else. Maybe if you give us an idea what you're trying to do we can offer better suggestions.

-Erik

 

[CHAROD06]

Thanks. What I'm trying to do is get a command prompt so that I can perform complete clean install reformat of my XP O/S. I'm having problems installing my O/S. I need to reformat the drive. I can't seem to be able to finish my installation even with the XP boot cd. I need to wipe everything off the drive and start completely over.

 

[ITJunkie]

If you have an old win98 boot floppy, you can boot from that and run fdisk to reformat or at least wipeout all existing data on your drive.

 

[CHAROD06]

Don't have a 98 but I do have a universal boot for 95. Will that work?

 

[spyordie007]

so that I can perform complete clean install reformat of my XP O/S

If you boot the computer off the XP CD there will be an option to format the drive. When it displays a list of the partitions to install windows on delete the existing partition(s) and than repartition it however you want; it will than prompt you to format.

No need for DOS.