The A+ Certification & PC Repair Handbook (Charles River Media Networking/Security)

The Recovery Console is discussed in Chapter 11. The Recovery Console has a limited number of commands. Many of the commands are the same, but most of these have different switches and parameters. Additionally, there are other commands that are unique to the Recovery Console. Because the functions of the shared commands are very similar or the same as in the standard commands, only the differences, if any, will be noted. Moreover, only selected commands and switches will be presented here. For a complete list, search Windows’ Help for “Recovery Console.”

There are a few rules to be concerned with when using the Recovery Console:

• Except where indicated, wildcard characters don’t work.

• Type quotation marks around folder and file names containing spaces.

• Only certain folders can be accessed (attempts to access other folders will cause an “Access Denied” message):

  • The root folder of any hard drive partition.

  • The Windows or Winnt folder and its subfolders.

  • The Cmdcons folder, which is the folder, usually in the root folder of the C:\ drive, that contains the Recovery Console. It is hidden by default.

  • Removable media, but only to read and copy files. Files on removable media cannot be modified using the Recovery Console.

  • The Windows installation media.

• The /? switch for help works with all Recovery Console commands.