Build a recovery disk for XP SP3

David A. Karp

Usually your computer comes with a recovery disk, a CD with all the programs and drivers installed on a hard drive of a computer when it has just been built. What if one day you lost that recovery disk?

That is not important. First, the recovery media that most computer manufacturers offer is designed for personal use: to restore the computer to its original state when you buy it. This process often involves deleting your entire hard drive (you will lose all spreadsheet pages and commemorative photos) and then reinstall Windows as well as some other programs.

Secondly, the hardware drivers on your recovery CD will most likely not be up-to-date, may be too outdated with newer versions, better available online, or simply unsuitable for the New hard drive that you have installed.

Instead of tormenting me about the old recovery CD that I have lost (maybe never found again), why don't you take a few minutes to create your own recovery disk?

Ideally, a recovery disk must be worthy of protection when anything happens to the computer's hard drive or its data. (There may be virus, spyware attacks, driver errors, etc.). A good recovery disk will allow you to reinstall Windows in order to fix minor problems or rebuild your computer from 'rubble'.

This is the problem: When you upgrade your XP installation to Service Pack 3, Windows will not allow you to install the old version (including previous versions of XP) without erasing the entire hard drive. or install to another drive. Even if you do a completely new installation, you will still have to upgrade to SP3 for a long time. The solution to this problem is to create a 'hybrid' installation disc from any installation CD that you have with the SP3 special version, using the process called slipstreaming.

Step 1: Power supply

To prepare a recovery CD, you only need three things: a Windows XP installation disc (any version), a valid product registration key, and 1.5GB of free hard drive space. Your installation disc can be any version, maybe SP2, SP1 or the original version released in 2001. If you already have an installation disc labeled "Windows XP with Service Pack 3" then this article is no longer valid for you.

A CD can be very difficult for you to buy a computer with a pre-installed Windows operating system, and most are because many computer manufacturers ignore the Microsoft installation CD. (This is done with a number of different reasons, including simplifying customer support to reduce Microsoft registration fees.) However, there are a number of computer manufacturers that offer service that send genuine XP CDs to any customer who requests it. A 25-character registry key is completely obvious if you have a valid software subscription.

Step 2: Slipstream

To create a slipstreamed XP SP3 CD, you first need to create a new folder called XP in the root of some hard drive. Insert your original XP CD, open Windows Explorer, and then navigate to your CD drive. Mark everything in the root directory of the CD, copy it all to the newly created C: XP folder.

Next, create a second new folder next to C: XP, name it SP3. Then go to download.microsoft.com, type sp3 network install in the search box and click on the Windows XP Service Pack 3 link. Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers appear in the search results page. Download file 324MB, WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe, and save and folder C: SP3.

From the Start menu , select Run (or press Windows key-R ). Type the following command into the command prompt box and click OK :
c: sp3WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU / integrate: c: xp

Type the entire command on a line with only one space between ENU and / integrate - there is no space around the colon.

If everything is done correctly, the process will take about one to two minutes and then a "Completed" dialog will appear. Otherwise, an error message will appear:

Lỗi ghi một hoặc tất cả các tập tin cần thiết lập cài đặt: This problem can occur for a number of reasons, mostly because of the wrong / integrate command wrongly. But make sure there's plenty of free space and that all files from your old XP CD are present in the C: XP folder.

. là không nhận ra là một nội bộ hoặc external command: Maybe you have typed the SP3 upgrade name or not saved it in the C: SP3 folder

. not the correct version: You are doing slipstream of the US English version of SP3 upgrade without an English copy of Windows XP. Then go back to the Microsoft download page, select the language from the Change language list and download the right file for you.

Step 3: Automatically install

Now if you want to be really smooth, you can set up an answer file to enter your product key automatically, which prevents you from having to enter it manually. On your original Win XP CD (Professional Edition), navigate to the SupportTools folder, double-click DEPLOY.CAB, and then double-click Setupmgr.exe to open the Windows Setup Manager Wizard. When prompted, select Create a new answer file and then the Windows Unattended Installation. With the User Interaction Level, choose Provide defaults, when asked about Distribution Folder, answer No. Finally you will see a new window, in this window specify the default values; choose Providing the Product Key on the left, then enter your product key in the text fields on the right.

When you're done, save the Unattend.txt file to the C: XP folder. For additional information, open the Setupmgr.chm file that is available in DEPLOY.CAB.

Step 4: Burn to disc

If still not done with your old XP disk; You still need to exit the old 'boot loader' to create a new boot disk.

The easiest way to do this is to use ImgBurn, available on www.imgburn.com. Install ImgBurn, start the application, click Write files / folders to disc on the first screen that appears. Select the Advanced tab, then the Bootable Disc tab, from the Extract Boot Image list , select the drive containing the XP disc. Click the Save icon and save the BootImage.ima file to your C: SP3 folder.

Now is the time to burn a new CD. You need a CD burning software that can create bootable CDs like ImgBurn, Nero Burning ROM (part of Nero 8 Ultra Edition), or Roxio Media Creator, and also need to customize some settings during the process. Do burn carefully.

If you are using Roxio or Nero, select Bootable CD or CD-ROM (Boot) respectively from the list of project types. If using ImgBurn, select the Advanced tab and then the Bootable Disc tab, turn on the Make Image Bootable option.

Next, use 0x7C0 for the load segment, and 4 for the sector count. Make sure you are using the Joliet file system and if prompted to select a boot disk simulation, choose no emulation. Specify the BootImage.ima file you just created as an initial image ; Copy the CD edition label from your original XP CD and paste it into the disc label in the new project.

Drag the contents of the C: XP folder to your CD project and burn the CD. Use the marker to properly write your XP code on the CD, then put the disc in a safe place.