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Windows XP has a wonderful built in feature that allows you to check system files for errors and deletions.  Under normal circumstances you won’t need the original disc, which isn’t often sent anymore anyway.  In order to get to the routine, follow the directions below.

Run System File Check

Click on the Start button Click Run Type in: sfc/scannow Click OK

You will be able to watch the progress bar, although it should manage just fine without your observation.  Scans take about 45 minutes to an hour to complete.

Sometimes the computer will ask for the recovery CD.  If you have one, great.  If not, it can be problematic.  Often the files you need will be stored in folder I386 in the hard drive.  Otherwise you may need to request and pay for a copy of the disc from either a local computer store or from Microsoft directly.

Once the scan is complete I suggest you reboot to make sure that any changes have taken effect.

Find your I386 Folder

This one is very easy.  Click on Start, then my Computer.  When that menu opens, click on your factory installed hard drive.  You should find your I386 folder right there waiting for you unless you moved it or deleted it.  Every once in a while, because it is a huge folder, it gets removed or doesn’t get loaded, but that really is the exception.

What does the Systems File Check do?

When you run this utility you are asking your computer to compare the current files and folders in the operating system against the untouched copy in the I386 folder.  One the one hand that is great if you have corrupted files on your operating system and have been seeing a lot of errors or a slow computer.

On the other hand, if you made deliberate changes to specific files in accordance with your preference, the computer still “repairs” them, meaning you will have to renew some settings.

Another Alternative

If you don’t have the I386 file or the CD then you have another option.  You can go online and find a good registry cleaner.

These programs do much the same thing as when you check system files on your own.  They go through the operating system and find damaged and missing files and restore them.

On top of that, they will clean out temporary internet files, cookies and all sorts of other things that slow your computer down.

Using a registry cleaner assures you of a fast, optimized computer in a minimum of time.  It only takes a few minutes to download and run, but the change in your computer will be significant.

We are all witnesses of how the Windows operating system has evolved since Windows 95. You have to admit, the Windows operating system has come a long way. From Windows 95, an OS that’s very buggy and often crashes to the current highly visual Windows Vista. So what happened in between?

Well, we have Windows 98, Windows Millenium, Windows 2000, and for enterprise level systems, we have Windows NT and Windows Server 2000. These different operating systems are created to suit the needs of the various market segments. A home user will choose the home edition, and a developer could choose the professional edition.

For most home users, Windows 98 second edition is already a rather stable OS, compared to Windows 95. However, it’s still lacking in features. There is no firewall, and networking features are almost non-existent. As home users grow more and more sophisticated, the demand for these features grow as well. For enterprise level users, they face similar problems as well. Windows 2000 server doesn’t come any form of protection, making the Internet Information System (IIS) prone to packet attacks. Packet attacks mean hackers are sending bogus packets of data to the server from computers that they hijacked all over the world. So the server administrator will experience the server slowing down to a crawl, till it’s almost non-functional. Since then, many software companies have sprung up to fill this gap by introducing protection software.

Meanwhile, the hardware side of the personal computer industry is heating up. CPU power is doubling almost every year, RAM is getting bigger in size as well, and hard disk cost have taken a nose dive. Improvements in hardware provides the fertilizer for improvements in software. No longer are software constrained by hardware specifications. Recognizing this trend, Microsoft knows that it’s high time that they get their act together, and surprise the market with a brand new software – the birth of Windows Vista.

The process of creating Windows Vista was a painstaking one. Microsoft took pains to really listen to customers. They talked to customers, did surveys, analyzed the results, and based their new OS on what the customers want. Everyone was talking about Windows Vista for many months before it was finally launched. The result?

Many users were tremendously pleased with the visual improvements in the OS. Windows 98, was a far cry from Mac’s OS in terms of visual effects. With the launch of Windows Vista, Microsoft has finally been able to close the gap. Many additional functions such as firewall, desktop personalization, etc. that were non-existent in previous versions of the OS are now made available. The new OS is definitely more stable, but as with all new software, there are some compatibility issues with other third party software and drivers. But none are too serious to matter much. Now, it’s time for the software vendors to play catching up. And many have already done their part by upgrading their software shortly after the launch of Windows Vista.

Today, Windows Vista is a formidable force. The additional powerful features sure make it very tempting to perform an OS upgrade. With online downloads so conveniently available, it’s no surprise that most will be downloading their own copy very soon.

When you press the power button on your computer and it just sit

there with none of those clicking and beeping sounds along with

the monitor still having that blank screen,you know that you’re

going to have a bad day.

A computer that fails to boot can be one of the most pain

staking things that can happen to a pc user.And in most cases,

the user don’t have a clue as to what procedures they can take

to get the PC up and running again.

When you do experience pc bootup failure, always start your

troubleshooting by checking the obvious.It the cord plugged into

the wall outlet and is the other end securely plugged in the

rear of the system unit.

In many cases the cause is a corrupted startup file which

prevent the computer from going through the bootup from start to

finish.In this case, an easy way to start your PC is to have an

emergency boot disk handy.

A Boot Disk contain copies of critical files needed for startup

that you should have made earlier.To use the floppy disk, all

you need do is to place it in the floppy drive and reboot the

computer.

As the computer start the boot process, Windows will use the

good files to get itself going.The Windows XP boot disk will

enable you to resolve a corrupt Ntbootdd.sys driver, missing or

corrupt Ntdr or Ntdetect.com files.

These files are used by Windows XP and are crucial to its

startup and configuration.The boot disk have also repair a

damaged MBR or Master Boot Record.

The MBR is a small program executed when the PC boots and

resides on the first sector of the hard driveIt looks up the

partition on the hard drive.You can create a MBR with the FDISK

/MBR coomand

A damaged boot sector can also be corrected with the boot

disk.Your Windows XP boot disk will be a life saver when you

have pc bootup failure and you need that file for your next

interview.

A sector is the smallest unit that can be accessed on a

disk.When a disk is low level formatted, it will be divided

tracks and sectors

When making a boot disk make a mental note of the files being

copied.This will give you added knowledge when you will need to

help in making their boot disk.To make a boot disk, perform the

following.

Place a blank formatted floppy disk in your floppy drive and go

to My Computer in Windows XP.Click the hard drive icon and on

the toolbar, click Tools, Folder Options, and then click the

View Tab.

And scroll down and check “Show hidden files and folders” and

just below uncheck “Hide protected operating system files

(recommended). Now we’re getting a little slower.

Take note of this process and as you become more familiar with

this task, you’ll be able to make a boot disk for others in no

time and help them save on down time.

After unchecking “Hide protected operating system files, click

OK.Some grayed out files will now be visible in the drive

window.These files are protected system files.

Now you’re ready to select the boot, the NTDETECT, and the ntldr

files.Now right-click, click Send To, and select Floppy ( A:

).When you have copied all files to the floppy, you now have a

Windows XP boot disk.

You should make two or more boot disks and place them in a safe

place away from any type of magnetic or static charges.Before

putting them away don’t forget to label your life saving floppy

disks.

Should you be unfortunate enough to have to put one of your boot

floppies to use, remember to replace the startup files on the

hard drive with the ones on the floppy.

If you overlook this critical step, you’ll have the same boot

up problem every time.Take your time as you copy the files and

be sure not to reverse the copy procedure.

This is why its important to make two or more boot disks. This

way should you have an accident with one disk, so what, you paid

attention here and made several copies.

You’ve done it.You’re now armed with a repair tool should your

XP computer fail to boot.All Windows 98, 2000, and Me users also

have the resources to create a book disk.