You can install the Recovery Console on your computer to make it available in case you are unable to restart Windows. You can then select the Recovery Console option from the list of available operating systems on startup. It is wise to install the Recovery Console on important servers, and on the workstations of IT personnel. This article describes how you can install the Recovery Console to your Windows XP computer. To install the Recovery Console, you must have administrative rights on the computer.

Although you can run the Recovery console by booting directly from the Windows XP CD, it's much more convenient to set it up as a startup option on your boot menu. To run directly by booting from the CD see the "Using the Recovery Console" section later in this article.

To install the Recovery Console, perform the following steps:

Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive.
A Windows Setup Dialog Box appears, which describes the Recovery Console option. The system prompts you to confirm installation. Click Yes to start the installation procedure.
Restart the computer. The next time you start your computer, you will see a "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" entry on the boot menu.
By the way, the time that the boot menu is displayed defaults to 30 seconds but can be changed from the "my computer" properties




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You can give Recovery Console access to all directories by doing this (although you generally will not need it):
This step-by-step article describes how to use Group Policy to add more power to the Recovery Console. Windows XP provides a Group Policy that lets you add power to the commands that are available in the Recovery Console. Under normal conditions, the Recovery Console imposes limits on the environment in which it operates.


Use Group Policy to Add Power to Recovery Console
If you pre-install the Recovery Console on a computer, you should use Group Policy to enhance the environment settings, adding power to the available file operations. To do so:

Click Start, click Run, type mmc in the Open box, and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in, and then click Add.
Click Group Policy, and then click Add.
Click Local Computer, click Finish, and then click Close to return to the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box.
Click OK to return to the Console window.
Expand the Local Computer Policy object to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options.
Select the Security Options object in the Console pane to display the security policies in the Details pane.
In the Details pane, double-click the Recovery Console: Allow Floppy Copy And Access To All Drives And Folders policy.
Click Enabled, and then click OK.
Quit the MMC. You can save the console in case you want to make changes.
After you have enabled this Group Policy, when you enter the Recovery Console you can change the environment settings with the set command, by using the set variable = TRUE or FALSE syntax.

NOTE: Be sure to use a space on each side of the equal sign. If you do not, the set command generates a "syntax error" error message and does not work.

The following variables define the default environment. The variables, when set to TRUE, enlarge the scope of the environment setting and have the following meanings:

AllowWildCards = TRUE Enable wildcard support for some commands (such as the del command)
AllowAllPaths = TRUE Allows access to all files and folders on the computer
AllowRemovableMedia = TRUE Allow files to be copied to removable media, such as a floppy disk
NoCopyPrompt = TRUE Do not prompt when overwriting an existing file
To see the current settings for the environment, type set without parameters at a command prompt.