Although having the Recovery Console installed in advance of requiring it is handy if you run into problems booting XP, you can still get by without it as long as you have your Windows XP CD handy. To start the Recovery Console on an XP system where it hasn’t been installed, simply boot from the XP CD as if you were about to begin reinstalling the operating system. When you get to the Windows XP Setup screen, press the R button to select the option to repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console. Doing so will load the console on your system for immediate access, but does not install it for future use. As a general rule, make installing the Recovery Console a priority, so that you won’t need to hunt around for the installation CD when problems arise.
