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Win XP Pro: need trusted ISO image / restore-repair boot partition

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datora:
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I could use a hand out, if anyone is willing.

My CD media is corrupt.  If anyone knows of a trusted ISO image I could grab, it would be appreciated.  I found a number on teh PBays (for example) ... just would like a recommend (to anywhere) I could anon torrent one that you know is not hacked up or otherwise compromised.  OEM, retail, corporate doesn't matter - just don't want to waste my time on something all garbage.

I've got a couple Dell OEM keys for some old GX260 systems, but if anyone is willing to share a university or corporate key (something with a nice large pool of open licenses, or some etc. similar solution), that'd be Just Real Nice also.  The system I'm attempting to restore is an Intel mobo, not Dell, and was originally installed with a retail OEM.  I don't publish such things; they are kept secure and for limited personal use only.  In this case, probably for a single system and never again.

I suggest using PM, rather than posting links publicly for that item ... but, y'know, whatever you feel comfortable with.  I'll edit this post w/ a notice once I have a working solution.


On another related note, I have a drive that refuses to boot.  It was corrupted when a nearby lightening strike took out my power in the middle of shutdown.  I'm able to place the drive & read all its data in an external housing.  Drive appears completely healthy, but boot record (or somesuch) is clearly corrupted.  As soon as I migrate the data off it, I intend to wipe/format etc. the drive and re-use it (unless some other info turns up that it's a Bad Idea).

It sure would be sweetness if anyone can recommend possible repairs/restores to attempt.  Be a lot less painful than a full reinstall ... including the location of several sets of drivers that'll take most of a weekend.  A hundred hours of tweaks and configs would be nice not to have to do again, too.  :-\

I'm googling around and doing the self-help thing right now ... but if you can drop a few links on me with competent technical help &/or useful utilities, that would be appreciated very much.

Thank you!

GoGeTa006:
when I torrent stuff like that just go to any big torrent sites (isohunt, btjunkie, sumo, pirate) and read the comments. . .

Bob2004:
Yeah, just check the torrents on TPB or somewhere - if it has plenty of seeders/leechers (which it should do for something as popular as Windows), lots of comments, and a positive rating, it's pretty much guaranteed to be safe. TPB prunes fake/dodgy torrents when they're discovered, so if it has plenty of attention and it's still available, it should be fine.

As for your second question, once you have a Windows XP cd, you can use that to boot into the Windows recovery console, which includes a couple of commands for fixing boot problems: FIXBOOT and FIXMBR. The first one repairs the bootloader, the second one repairs the MBR. More detailed instructions on their use from the microsoft site:


--- Quote ---FIXBOOT

fixboot drive name:

Use this command to write the new Windows boot sector code on the system partition. In the command syntax, drive name is the drive letter where the boot sector will be written. This command fixes damage in the Windows boot sector. This command overrides the default setting, which writes to the system boot partition. The fixboot command is supported only on x86-based computers.

FIXMBR

fixmbr device name

Use this command to repair the MBR of the boot partition. In the command syntax, device name is an optional device name that specifies the device that requires a new MBR. Use this command if a virus has damaged the MBR and Windows cannot start.

Warning: This command can damage your partition tables if a virus is present or if a hardware problem exists. If you use this command, you may create inaccessible partitions. We recommend that you run antivirus software before you use this command.

You can obtain the device name from the output of the map command. If you do not specify a device name, the MBR of the boot device is repaired, for example:

fixmbr \device\harddisk2

If the fixmbr command detects an invalid or non-standard partition table signature, fixmbr command prompts you for permission before it rewrites the MBR. The fixmbr command is supported only on x86-based computers.

--- End quote ---

There is also a BOOTCFG command which comes in handy as well. typing "BOOTCFG /scan" will scan for Windows installs and allows you to add them to the boot list, "BOOTCFG /list" lists all active Windows installs, and "BOOTCFG /rebuild" can be used to rebuild the list entirely.

When fixing problems like this, I usually run "bootcfg /scan" first, then if the drive still fails to boot, I use "fixboot c:", followed by "fixmbr". If none of them work, then you're most likely screwed, and need to do a full reinstall.

fohfoh:
Demonoid or isohunt would be my choice. But demonoid isn't anon leech.

krumm:
For a Untouched Windows XP iso look for the Technet version and modify it to the type(oem,retail,etc) you need.

The Technet version of Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 hash is SHA1: 1C735B38931BF57FB14 EBD9A9BA253CEB443D4 59

edit: http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Product_IDs has the pids needed to modify the iso

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