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Tomk: Went into the Recovery Console. Wasn't prompted for the admin password. Was placed at C:\WINDOWS immediately. Couldn't work on c:\boot.ini from that directory. Had to change directories to c:\ to do so. Bootconfig asked me if I wanted c:\windows added to the boot list–I entered y/enter I was then asked for a load identifier. I left this blank and hit enter. I was then asked for OS load options–left that blank too and hit enter. Fixboot asked me if I wanted to create another boot sector–I said yes and hit enter. Tied a reboot–no luck, still the quickie BSOD with a lot of verbiage on it that I couldn't read in time. Went back to Recovery Console and tried sfc command. Was told it was not recognized. While in c:\, I looked at the directory–there are a raft of autoexec files there (autoexec.bak, .001/.002./003….. What now? –TvH

tvhevh, Let me get some more advice from people with more technical expertise and I'll get back to you.

Hello,
Lets try running check disk.
How to run checkdisk from recovery console (Windows xp). (Courtesy dsenette)

• Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
  Note:Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
• When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
  Note:If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
• When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
• At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following then press Enter:
  

  chkdsk /r

• Allow this to run UNDISTURBED until completed (45 min or so)
• Report any errors

Your hard drive may have some bad spots in it. (corrupt sectors) Check disk should fix them, but I do not know that this is the issue.
Your hard drive may be failing.
How many drives/partitions do you have?

HFCG: Chkdsk is running as I type this on the other machine in the network. No, the machine in question is not currently connected to the network. When I went to the recovery console, I did not get asked for an administrator password–just got sent to C:\WINDOWS after I selected it. I only have one drive, no partitions on the problem PC. After chkdsk is complete, I'll report further. Thanks–TvH

Have you tried to do a repair installation?

HFCG:

1) CHKDSK said that it "found and fixed one or more errors on the volume". That's all.

2) I tried a repair install early in the going. It didn't help things. I tried to do it again later on, and it said I was going to have to put a Win2K/98*tvhevh disk in first, since it didn't find evidence that it hacd been installed before–which is strange, since everything else says that Windows is installed on the machine, since what I have is an upgrade disk.

–TvH

Oh–there's some screwed-up font in the last post. Fat fingers–sorry. TvH

Does this machine boot from a server? Do you have any disc that has an older version of Windows? It does not matter if it was the disc that was used to install in the first place. Short of that you will have to remove the hard drive, connect it to another machine as a secondary, pull the data and then reinstall Windows. If this is the path that you must take I can give instructions for this. Did this machine origanaly have Windows 98, or 2000, or ME?

Did you use Combofix on this machine?

In previous versions of Windows, correcting an operating system error, or installing a new motherboard, usually meant formating and reinstalling, resulting in loss of all data. Don't worry; Windows XP repair feature won't delete your data, installed programs, personal information, or settings. It just repairs the operating system! Note: The system repair function will remove any updates you have previously installed that are not included on the CD. Drivers will also be reverted to their original XP versions, as well as some settings (network & performance settings may sometimes be reset to their defaults). It may be necessary to reactivate your Windows XP as well. When finished, you will have to download all of the updates from Microsoft Windows Update, because they are all replaced during repair. Why would I want to reinstall Windows XP? 1) Can't start Windows XP in safe mode. 2) You have problems caused by a recently installed system update (Windows Update, hotfix, Windows XP service pack, or Microsoft Internet Explorer update). 3) Your problems can't be solved with system restore, or you can't access system restore. 4) You've installed a new motherboard, or made other major hardware changes and need to reinstall Windows. Let's get started! Step 1: Rule out hardware issues. Windows Repair will only fix software problems. Hardware issues can also cause boot problems (i.e. bad hard drive, memory, CPU, or power supply). Step 2: Backup. It's always a good idea to backup your important data before making changes to Windows XP. Relax, if you follow these instructions your data will be perfectly safe. Step 3: Boot from your Windows XP CD. Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD. Can't boot from your CD? Please see the note at the bottom of this page (Configuring Your Computer to Boot from CD). Step 4: A blue screen will appear and begin loading Windows XP Setup from the CD. Note: RAID/SCSI/Unsupported UDMA users: You will be prompted to "press F6 to install any third party SCSI or RAID drivers". Most users will not have to press F6, but if you are running RAID, SCSI or unsupported UDMA controllers, then you will have to have your controller drivers on a floppy disk. If you are unsure whether you have RAID/SCSI, then simply let the CD load without pressing F6. When completed loading files, you will be presented with the following "Windows Setup" screen, and your first option. Select "To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER". DO NOT select Recovery Console. When presented with the screen below. press the F8 key to continue. Next, Windows Setup will find existing Windows XP installations. You will be asked to repair an existing XP installation, or install a fresh copy of Windows XP. If no installations are found, then you will not be given the option to repair. This may happen if the data or partition on your drive is too corrupted. Note: If you install a fresh copy, all data on that partition will be lost! Your almost finished! Windows XP will appear to be installing itself for the first time, but it will retain all of your data and settings. Just follow the prompts, and have your CD-KEY ready if needed. Do you have more than one system, or lost your CD-KEY? Visit the keyfinder page to retrieve your CD-KEY. Update: Due to the proliferation of the Blaster and Welchia Worm/Virus be aware that a Repair Install will leave your system vulnerable. You can get infected within seconds. Do not go on line until you have enabled XP's firewall first. Remember to run Windows Update! (install critical updates first) —————————– Configuring Your Computer to Boot from CD Many computers are not configured to boot from the CDROM. If you cannot boot from the CDROM, this is probably due to the boot order of your devices being incorrect. You can change this in the BIOS. You enter the BIOS from the first screen you see when you turn your computer on. To enter your BIOS, most users here will press the DEL key. Most Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Sony & HP systems will press F2. Compaq users will usually have to press F10. IBM typically uses F1 or F2. Other brands may have different keys to press to enter setup, F1, F2, Del, Tab and CTRL+S. If possible see the manual for your computer or motherboard. Also, the BIOS will usually display which button to press to "enter setup" during POST (if it flashes by too fast, press the Pause key). When you enter the BIOS setup, you need to change the boot order. The CDROM should be setup before the Hard Drive. Each BIOS is different, but here is an example: Note: If you need assistance with a repair installation, please start a new topic in our Windows XP Forum. This topic is also open for comments, but not all will receive a reply. IMPORTANT NOTE: After running a repair, you may find that Windows Update refuses to install the most recent 80 patches. This is because the latest version of Windows Update is broken, and doesn't register some DLLs if they're previously been registered (as happens with a repair install). Here's a work around until they get it fixed: Stop the Automatic Updates service. To do this, follow these steps: Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK. At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command: net stop wuauserv exit Register the file that is used by Windows Update and Microsoft Update. To do this, follow these steps: Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK. At the command prompt, type the following command, press ENTER after the command, and then click OK when you receive a verification message: regsvr32 %windir%\system32\wups2.dll Note: for x64 machines regsvr32 %windir%\syswow64\wups2.dll Start the Automatic Updates service. To do this, follow these steps: Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK. At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command: net start wuauserv exit New knowledge base article on this issue, and a post on the Microsoft Update Blog.

HFCG: I went ahead and retried to repair the XP Home installation again, since I hadn't tried it since running CHKDSK. Setup gave me "C:\WINDOWS "" " as the windows system loaded on the machine. I selected it, and Setup then went through and examinwed the disk, deleted the files, reinstalled the files, and then restarted the machine to finish the setup. It never got to the next step in the process; I got the black "Windows XP" screen, then a black screen, then a BSOD full of information that I only get to see for under a second before the screen goes black.. I repeated the repair sequence, got "C:\WINDOWS "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" " as my choice from setup. I chose it; the disk was checked, and I was informed that "Setup has performed maintenance on your hard disk. You must restart your computer to continue with Setup." I then restarted the machine, ignored the "Boot from CD" prompt, get the black XP bootup screen, then a black screen, then the BSOD with with information starting with "A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer." that goes black after about 1/2 second, at which the bootup cycle started all over again. It did so until I physically shut the machine down. I did not and apparently cannot get to the next stage of Setup after the restart. –TvH

This sounds like your hard drive is failing (or has failed). After running check disk, set up found more problems with your hard drive and could not continue. How old is this machine? You will have to weigh the cost of a new hard drive ($50.00-$100.00) plus the cost of a full version of Windows ($85.00 to $130.00 at tigerdirect, newegg, ETc…) and the value of the machine. A new machine will cost you $600.00 to …, so is this machine worth putting $200.00 in to? (low end $140.00) If you want to put a new hard drive in we can give you good directions here.

I'll replace the hard drive. We've got 3 PCs here, and in the end replacing the drive will be cheaper than any other option. The machine came with ME used from Dell when we bought it, and I have the Win2K Pro disks from the first upgrade I performed on the machine I'm using to report to you. My daughters have files on this machine that they would like to save. Can I work through the recovery console to do that, since we have USB flash drives (plus a USB hard disk) for that sort of thing? Would these drives even be recognized by the system in that case? Can I do it via network on the other machine? Do I have any options like this?

Here is a link to a tutorial on how to install a secondary hard drive.
Remove the suspected bad hard drive and install it in a working machine as a slave drive.
It is doubtfull that the machine will even see the bad drive, but this is worth a shot.
If the hard drive can be seen, copy the data from the secondary drive, and paste it to the working drive.
I do not believe that you will be able to recover the data from this drive. (too many errors already).
I can not help you install an operating system that has been used on another machine.
Here is a link to an OEM copy of Windows XP home.
An OEM will not have the drivers for your hardware, we will have to do this after you install the OS.

If the hard drive has failed you will need to buy a new hard drive, shop around and you will find one for a fair price.

HFCG: I can find an 80GB hard drive for under $40, and will go that way. The machine I'm using to contact you has a spare connector on it–I'll see if I can set up the other drive as a slave and hook it up. When I've been in the Recovery Console mode on the other machine and run CHKDSK, I am told that I have 39052448 bytes total but only 263616 bytes available. I am told when I check the C:\WINDOWS directory that I have 78872988 bytes of files, and 270008320 bytes free–I guess the CHKDSK info means that 39 million-plus bytes are partitioned off into the C: and D: drives. I can also see all the other subdirectories, but am not allowed to access them. Anyway, I'm ordering a new drive right now. –TvH