Need Help really bad

Hi all

Dont know am I posting in the right place but i restarted my comp and it wont load everytime I start it says system 32 problem insert windows cd rom and press r
which I do but the same thing comes up.It just keep restarting.
I have wipped the cd and cleaned it but still the problem keeps happening.
Is there anyway to fix this problem without deleting or reformating my computer as I need all the info on it as I only backuped half
Any suggestions or help would be amazing
Thanks

 

you have to boot from the windows cd and enter windows xp setup....once it's loaded, there's an option to repair your windows install by using recovery console. It looks like a DOS prompt (it will ask you which windows installation to log in to, and you probably only have 1, so select 1, then it will ask for the administrator password) once in there type the command 'chkdsk /p' that will try and repair your installation.

 

I put in the windows cd but it just restarts my comp after i press r

 

Not sure if im clear on this, you definitely are getting into the windows xp setup? or are you getting the same error before the windows xp setup begins?

 

Welcome to Major Geeks. It sounds to me like the PC is not booting to the CD. Right when you first turn on the PC, you'll normally see something that says "Press <Del> to enter Setup" or it might be "[F2] to enter BIOS setup". Different PC's use different keys: the most common are Del, F1, F2, F10, and occasionally Esc. If all you see is the manufacturer's logo (like on some older HP computers) press Esc or Tab to show what's happening 'behind' the logo screen. When you get into the BIOS/setup, you're looking for a category called "boot device priority" or it might be "boot order". It is usually part of the "Advanced BIOS options" menu. Anyway, set it so that the CD drive is the first boot device, before the hard drive. Be sure to save the settings and exit BIOS. When the PC restarts, and the Windows CD is in the drive, you will see "Press any key to boot from CD...." and you'll press any key. You'll get a blue screen with white letters and a white bar at the bottom. After a bit you will see a menu where one of the choices is "R" for the recovery console. Press "R". You will then get a black screen with white letters and something abot installing a non-standard keyboard; DO NOT press anything. This message is on a 5 second timer, so just wait. Then you'll need to press 1 (usually) to enter the Windows installation. Then you'll enter your Admin password; if there's no password, press Enter. You will then be at a command prompt. Type chkdsk /r and press Enter. There is a space before the slash "/". Running chkdsk can take a long time, over 6 hours in extreme cases, so be patient. It may appear to lock up, it hasn't. The percentage counter may actually go backward occasionally; this is normal so don't worry. When it's done, type fixboot and press Enter. You'll get a warning; press "Y" to continue. When that's done, type exit and press Enter to restart the PC. Hopefully that will work. If not, here's some easy to follow steps that might help:
http://www.short-media.com/articles/repair_windows_xp

Good luck!

BTW- if you can post the EXACT error message, we may be able to offer more specific advice....