Recovery Console

The Recovery Console is a command line based, advanced diagnostic feature available in some versions of the Windows operating system.

The Recovery Console is used to help resolve a number of major system problems.

The Recovery Console is particularly useful for repairing or replacing important operating system files. When these files aren't working like they should, Windows will sometimes not startup at all. In these cases, you must start the Recovery Console to restore the files.

The Recovery Console is usually accessed from the original Windows installation CD. Alternatively, Recovery Console can be accessed from the boot menu but only if it has been preinstalled on your system.

How to Enter Recovery Console From the Windows XP CD

A number of commands are available in Recovery Console. Using these commands in specific ways can help solve specific problems. All Recovery Console commands must be entered manually using a strict syntax.

Here are some examples where executing particular commands in the Recovery Console was necessary to resolve very damaging issues:

• Repair the Master Boot Record in Windows XP
• Restore Hal.dll From the Windows XP CD
• Restore NTLDR and Ntdetect.com From the Windows XP CD

The Recovery Console feature is available in Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003.

Recovery Console is not available in Windows Vista.