Add Recovery Console

Recovery Console is a command line-based repair platform for Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003. It is equivalent to the Windows Vista installer. "Repair Computer" - "System Recovery Options" - "Command Prompt" to manually repair the system by command line when Windows fails to start. The Recovery Console can be started directly from the Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 installation CD; it can also be installed into the hard disk via the WINNT32 /CMDCONS command to form a multiple boot with the existing Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003.

It is well known that Windows Vista and above systems (Windows Server 2008, Windows 7) do not provide a recovery console. However, in the Group Policy Editor for Windows Vista, expand Computer Configuration - Windows Settings - Security Settings - Local Policies - Security Options, two options that are set for the Recovery Console Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy and access to all drives and folders", "Recovery Console: Allow automatic system management level login" still exists. I have never understood that since Windows Vista does not provide a recovery console, what is the significance of Group Policy still retaining these two options?

Recently, I accidentally discovered a Windows XP computer. The Recovery Console was installed on the hard disk via WINNT32 /CMDCONS, and then the computer was upgraded to Windows Vista without uninstalling the Recovery Console. The Windows Vista BOOTMGR boot menu retains the previous Windows XP NTLDR boot menu option, the Recovery Console still exists, and automatically and multi-boot with Windows Vista after the upgrade, and it works fine. It seems that the Recovery Console is not completely impossible to coexist with Windows Vista. The reason why Group Policy still retains those two options is perhaps for this particular situation.

Of course, this is just my personal guess, maybe not right. Moreover, the author did not conduct in-depth testing, and manually repairing Windows Vista with the Recovery Console will encounter an abnormal problem. If any friend knows the exact answer to this question, why Windows Vista Group Policy retains those two options, please enlighten me.

Herein, I summarize the method of manually adding the Windows XP Recovery Console to a Windows Vista computer. After all, in Windows Vista, you cannot directly execute the WINNT32 /CMDCONS installation recovery console. You can only add it manually. .

Manually adding the recovery console is divided into the following four cases:

The first case is the example above, namely:

1.1. First install Windows XP;

1.2 Install the Recovery Console, which is a multi-boot with Windows XP;

1.3. Install Windows XP as Windows Vista.

This is the most complicated approach and only applies to users who are planning to upgrade Windows XP to Windows Vista.

The second case is that the computer has the only operating system installed on Windows Vista and wants to add the Windows XP Recovery Console. You can follow these steps:

2.1. Find another Windows XP computer with a Recovery Console installed, will be located in the active partition's CMDCONS folder (implicit), CMLDR, NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, BOOT Copy the .INI file to the active partition of Windows Vista;

2.2. Modify BOOT.INI to the following:

[boot loader]

timeout=0

default=C:\\CMDCONS\\BOOTSECT.DAT

[Operating systems]

C:\\CMDCONS\\BOOTSECT.DAT="Recovery Console for Windows XP" /CMDCONS

2.3. Open a command prompt with administrator privileges in Windows Vista and execute:

BCDEDIT -CREATE {NTLDR} -D "Recovery Console"

BCDEDIT -SET {NTLDR} DEVICE PARTITION=C:

BCDEDIT -SET {NTLDR} PATH \\NTLDR

BCDEDIT -DISPLAYORDER {NTLDR} -ADDLAST

This way, when you start your computer, the BOOTMGR startup menu will be Will appear asking if you want to start Windows Vista or Recovery Console.

The third scenario is that the computer has multiple booting of Windows Vista and Windows XP, but Windows XP has not previously installed the Recovery Console, and now I want to add the Windows XP Recovery Console and add it to Windows XP. The NTLDR boot menu. You can follow the following steps:

3.1 Copy the recovery console file, the steps are the same as 2.1, where NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI are already available, can be omitted;

3.2 Modify BOOT. INI is the following (Note: This BOOT.INI is for reference only):

[boot loader]

timeout=30

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk (0)partition(1)\\Windows

[Operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\\Windows="Microsoft Windows XP with SP3 " /FASTDETECT

C:\\CMDCONS\\BOOTSECT.DAT="Recovery Console for Windows XP" /CMDCONS

This way, when you start your computer, the BOOTMGR boot menu will appear first, asking to start Windows Vista. Still Windows XP. If you choose Windows XP, you will be redirected to the NTLDR boot menu to further ask whether you want to start Windows XP or Recovery Console for Windows XP.

The fourth situation is that the computer has multiple booting of Windows Vista and Windows XP, but Windows XP has not previously installed the Recovery Console, and now I want to add the Windows XP Recovery Console and add it to Windows Vista. The BOOTMGR boot menu. You can follow the following steps:

4.1 Copy the recovery console file, the steps are the same as 2.1, where NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI are already available, can be omitted;

4.2 Modify BOOT. INI is the following (Note: This BOOT.INI is for reference only):

[boot loader]

timeout=0

multi(0 ) disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\\Windows

[Operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\\Windows= "Microsoft Windows XP with SP3" /FASTDETECT

4.3 Copy a copy of NTLDR and BOOT.INI and rename it to XPRC.BIN and XPRC.INI (name is optional), still in the active partition root directory ;

4.4 Modify XPRC.BIN using the hex editor, search for all BOOT.INI characters and replace with XPRC.INI, then save;

4.5 Modify XPRC.INI to the following :

[boot loader]

timeout=0

default=C:\\CMDCONS\\BOOTSECT.DAT

[Operating systems]

C:\\CMDCONS\\BOOTSECT.DAT="Recovery Console for Windows XP" /CMDCONS

4.6. Open a command prompt with administrator privileges in Windows Vista , in order:

BCDEDIT -COPY {NTLDR} -D "Recovery Console"

BCDEDIT -SET {GUID} PATH \\XPRC.BIN

(where GUID is BCDEDIT The GUID assigned to the new launch item can be viewed via BCDEDIT /ENUM ALL.)

There are two "early versions of Windows" in the BOOTMGR boot menu, one is NTLDR, pointing to Windows XP; One is XPRC.BIN, which points to the Recovery Console. After starting the computer, simply select whether you want to start Windows Vista, Windows XP or Recovery Console directly from the BOOTMGR boot menu.