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General Category => Technology and Programming => Topic started by: Oldboy on October 21, 2008, 02:19:12 pm

Title: restoring old windows XP after failed update
Post by: Oldboy on October 21, 2008, 02:19:12 pm

    Hi

  I think I did something really fucked up with XP.

  I tried to upgrade it via the XP disc, thinking that it would restore some damaged files.

  We were half way through installing when it hangs at 32 minutes until installation is complete. Now we need to go back into the old windows and retreive a file.

  My question is, can I still go back to the old windows, and are the old files still there since I didn't perform any disc formats... at least I think not.

  I tried rebooting, but it doesn't allow me to go back to windows, it redirects me to windows XP setup. Also tried running in safe mode, but it won't let me do so either.

  Please help! Urgent!!!!!!!!!

Title: restoring old windows XP after failed update
Post by: Dale Gobbler on October 21, 2008, 02:44:19 pm

Did you accidentally format your hard drive when you tried to update it via the XP disc?

Title: restoring old windows XP after failed update
Post by: Oldboy on October 21, 2008, 02:45:12 pm

Would it prompt me to? There was nothing about any formatting... I selected update windows, and it just goes straight into the process of installation.

Title: restoring old windows XP after failed update
Post by: Death Gulp on October 21, 2008, 04:29:04 pm

shouldnt your files be under windows.old if you didnt format? It shouldnt' have formatted if you didnt tell it to do so, there is a screen where you can format it.

Title: restoring old windows XP after failed update
Post by: Oldboy on October 21, 2008, 08:22:58 pm

Safe mode redirects me to the set up screen

Title: restoring old windows XP after failed update
Post by: goat on October 21, 2008, 09:57:29 pm

What is the file, and what do you need it for? Windows install only writes over system files, so anything else will still be there. Have you attempted to install again? Maybe the CD was scratched/dirty? If you need the file so bad, you can just boot from the windows XP CD and start the recovery console, but you should really focus on trying to get windows installed before you try to get that file. Since you already started the install process, there's no way to go back to your old windows XP installation.

By the way, what were you using the XP CD for to "upgrade"?

Title: restoring old windows XP after failed update
Post by: Vanit on October 22, 2008, 04:23:22 am

And this is why you keep your data in a separate partition to windows.