repairing corrupt/missing files on floppy boot discs

My name gives away the fact that I am useless with PCs. Advice please on boot discs. I downloads the MS floppy six disc file and it saved to floppies OK but when loading them into my crashed PC on number five there was a message saying that the fastfat.sys file was corrupt or missing and this threw me out of the rebooting process.
Any advice you can give would be appreciated. I have the SP file on my USB Memory stick but cannot get the main file to accept the replacement.
I would also like to clean my C drive as far back as I can without screwing up - any formums on this subject/

 

Are you trying to boot XP? Home or Professional?

What SP is this?
Something like this?
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...db-5039-4955-bcb7-4fed408ea73f&displaylang=en
This is to install XP Pro. Do you have a MS XP CD? You need that in addition to the boot floppies to install the OS.

A service pack isn't sufficient; you need the original OS disk.

 

It is windows xp home and the six floppies I downloaded were from MS downloads to reboot - but they had corrupt missing files on disc 5 - all other discs 1 to 4 loaded ok but it kicks you out if there is a problem. I am usung a steam driven laptop I threw into the garage years ago and am now going to try downloading boot disks from allboots. Hopefully they will get my pc started again? The disc I got with my HP machine is here but that has been seen off by various updates sp2 and 3 and I think that the validation is not even recognised now. Is there a way to get round this?

 

there is NO reason to be trying to reinstall XP the way you're doing if you have a perfectly good installation cd from HP. your copy of, & your procuct key, DON'T expire. you can get ALL the updates you want after you're back up and running.

 

O.K. I may get told off for this but - I have XP pro, my disc reformats and makes my computers seem "Brand new". Every 2 years, I reformat every "Stand alone" PC and Laptop in my home office (After backing up serious files). However, after 30 years of Building, mending and bending computers, I have found that (Sometimes) MS states "This product key is being used by another computer" when you try to "Activate" the product on-line (Even though I have paid 100s of GBPs for the variuos licenses. I now utilise 'Vista' and the issue just gets worse).

Activate by 'phone - The procedure is normally free.

Again however, the ability to rescue or reformat depends on the level of OS you have purchased. I ALWAYS buy the "Ultimate" level of the OS so that I can do what I want (With 'Vista' anything lower than "Ultimate" will only allow you to back up and rescue at file level).

I have lost count of the amount of "Original discs" that I have - But, I know they all work!

Finally, if you buy any type of machine - From anywhere, there is usually a rescue system such as 'Tech Guys' written in. If not - Don't buy the machine unless it comes with the "Ultimate" version disc of the OS.

 

i hadn't thought about that, sdbett. i no longer had my discs and recently called Dell; cost me less than $20.00 USD to get an XP SP2 install cd after 6 years. might not be possible with some vendors. thanks for that info!

 

No problem. However, I am not allowed to leave "Any doors open" (Don't want to get told off again). New issues - Fine.

 

Why not, after reformatting and installing Windows OS, do an Acronis backup? That way you don't have to insert the MS key and all the other BS associated with it.

 

N.B. "Backing up" also backs up corrupt data. Sometimes, a reformat does not go well and the user will not know - Until "Post format" at some point. 'Acronis' is a good company and produce good products. When I build or mend a machine, the 1st thing I do is run a full "Checkdisk". If I see one point where files are re distributed - I reformat again. If I see one "Argument" with an MS update (Including MS Office products) I know that "Something is wrong". 'Acronis products are NOT a "Cure-All".

I backup my office systems 4 times a week - BUT - Only after I am satisfied that all machines are running properly.