Emergency recovery

Can't get Windows XP to load in any shape or form? Your drive might have crashed badly, or it might just be that Windows no longer works, in which case your data is still on the drive, but inaccessible.
   If the hard drive is virus-free, one solution involves having access to a second PC with a spare hard drive bay. Remove the hard drive from your non-functioning PC, make sure its jumper is set to Slave and then hook it up to the working PC.
   If you're lucky, when the PC boots into its version of Windows, the drives will be accessible, enabling you to copy off the data using normal means. If you still can't access the drive on that machine, use the techniques mentioned in Recover data in Windows and PC Inspector File Recovery to help recover data.
   Once the data is saved, you can format the drive and reinstall it into your old machine (remember to set the drive jumpers back to 'Master'!). Then it's just a case of reinstalling Windows XP from scratch - see here for a guide to doing just that.
   If this isn't an option, but you have a BartPE recovery disc (see here), you can use that instead to recover your data. The below assumes you have the Windows XPE plug-in installed; if not, skip the following section.

Recover data with BartPE
Once the disc is created, test it by restarting your PC with the disc inserted - you need to make sure your PC is set to boot from CD first (enter your BIOS set-up program if this isn't the case and make CD-ROM the first boot device). Press any key when prompted and BartPE will start to load.
   You'll be told setup is inspecting your hardware configuration, and then a screen saying that Windows XPE is loading will appear. Eventually you'll see the Windows start-up screen - don't be fooled, though, as this is simply BartPE.
   Once loading is all but complete, a facsimile of the familiar-looking Windows desktop will appear, with a desktop background loudly proclaiming this is BartPE. You can browse your computer like any other by double-clicking the My Computer button - BartPE will pick up any attached devices (such as external hard drives, Zip drives or flash drives), enabling you to retrieve data to those drives by drag-and-drop.
   If your only external device is CD or DVD, then use the CD Burner XP Pro plug-in instead by opening your CD drive in My Computer, browsing to Programs\CDBurnerXPPro and double-clicking cdbxp.exe. It works in an identical way to its Windows equivalent - elect to create a data CD or DVD, drag and drop the files you wish to recover into the appropriate window and then just burn your disc.
   Another alternative is to recover your files to a shared folder on another PC on your network - network support automatically starts with BartPE, so you should be able to browse your network via My Network Places. If necessary, change your workgroup in the usual way (right-click My Computer, select Properties > Computer Name tab and click Change), but ignore the request to reboot - the changes will be made instantly. You can tweak your network adapter settings - including the IP address - by clicking Start > Settings > Network Connections and selecting your network adapter.

Navigate BartPE without Windows XPE
When the BartPE desktop appears, you'll be prompted to set up your network if you're connected. It's reasonably straightforward to follow - choose the dynamic or automatic settings if you're not sure what to do, and you should gain access.
   Once that's complete, you'll be left with an empty screen and a Go button. Click this followed by Programs to begin the task of data recovery. Pick CDBurner XP Pro if you're recovering to CD (it works exactly the same way as its Windows equivalent); select A43 File Management Utility if you're recovering to a Zip drive, external hard drive, USB flash memory drive or a shared folder on your network. The walkthrough below reveals how
   BartPE is a superior alternative to the Recovery Console if you need to rescue data from a drive that's visible, but failing to load Windows. But even if you can't access the drive in the usual way, all is not necessarily lost. If you've installed the PC Inspector File Recovery plug-in, launch filerecovery.exe from the Programs\filerecovery folder on your CD, then follow the walkthrough here.