Welcome t o ERD Commander, the advanced system utility that finally brings
boot-floppy functionality to W indows NT. When problems arise in Windows
3.1 or Windows 95 that render a system unbootable, there is always the
possibility of booting off of a DOS floppy disk so that the drives of the
machine can be accessed for repair and salvage. In the past, Windows NT
administrators have gone without this recovery option.
1.1 ERD Commander Functionality
ERD Commander enables you to boot NT off of a floppy disk in order to
access and repair a dead NT installation. It is a command-line shell that runs
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off of a set of NT boot disks giving you full access to non-bootable NT
systems with a robust set of familiar command-line file manipulation tools.
Because ERD Commander relies on a standard set of NT boot floppies, any
NT system is accessible, and because ERD Commander runs on top of NT,
all NT file systems, including FAT, NTFS, and CDFS are visible. ERD
Commander has no reliance on data located on a system’s hard disk f or it to
boot and run – NT is actually booted on the floppies. W indows NT does not
even have to be present on the computer in order to use ERD Commander to
access the computer’s drives.
1.2 Upgrading to ERD Commander Professional
ERD Commander Professional Edition augments the basic set of ERD
Commander functions with advanced features and additional commands.
These include:
♦= Support for fault - tolerant drives (striped sets, volume sets, and
mirrors)
♦= Allows replacement of lost administrative passwords with the
PASSWORD com mand
♦= Supports the CHKDSK command for r epair ing corrupted drives
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♦= Allows Device and Service startup options to be reconfigured in the
registry (Boot, System, Automatic, Manual, or Disabled) in order to
enable/disable defective drivers
♦= Built in FAT32 support
♦= Built in EXPAND functionality for decompressing and copying files
from the NT Inst allat ion CD- ROM, or restoring backup registry hives
created by RDISK
An upgrade is available for registered users of ERD Commander to ERD
Commander Professional.
1.3 Overview of Use
ERD Commander can be used as a tool in solving problems such as:
Removing or Replacing Buggy Drivers
You can use ERD Commander to delete the image f iles of drivers or services
that, because of a bug or m isconfiguration, prevent NT fr om booting.
Updating Out-of-Date System Files
Incorrectly applying service packs or system software updates can cause
system DLLs to become out of sync with each other, preventing NT from
booting successfully. ERD Com mander can copy up-to-date versions of old
files from f loppy disk s or CD- ROMs onto a system.
Correcting Misconfigured NTFS Security
If security attributes that are too restrictive are applied to cert ain system files
or directories on NTFS boot drives, NT will become unbootable. ERD
Commander includes a special command, ACCESS, which unlocks otherwise
inaccessible files or directories.
Updating Locked Files
Once NT is up-and-running m any system files cannot be replaced because
the system keeps them locked. ERD Commander makes it possible to update
such files because it runs when NT is off -line.
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Correcting Registry Problems
A number of NT boot problems are the result of misconfigured Registry
values. With ERD Commander you can copy Registry hives (located under
<winnt>\system32\config) off the system to a floppy disk or other writeable
removable media for m odification on another NT m achine (using Regedt32’s
Hive loading capability). Modified hives can then be copied back.
Copying Important Files off of a Dead System
ERD Commander enables you to access files on an NT system t hat fails to
boot. Important f iles can be salvaged onto a floppy disk or other removable
media.
Note that ERD Commander is not intended t o resolve disk corruption errors,
and that only drives that are consistent enough t o be recog nized by Windows
NT file systems will be accessible with ERD Commander.
You will need three blank floppy diskettes. Optionally, you can supply an
existing set of Windows NT Setup diskettes, which ERD Commander will
modify. Please note that such modif ication is permanent; you will not be able
to reinstall NT from t hose disks in the future.
Additionally, you must have local administrator access to the machine on
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which you are installing ERD Commander.
2.2 Creating the Boot Diskettes
When the ERD Com mander Setup program is executed, it will allow you to
create a set of W indows NT boot floppies conf igured with ERD Commander.
You will be prompted for the Microsoft Windows NT
and for the three floppy disket tes.
The Setup program will install two versions of the boot floppy creator onto
your hard drive. The 32–bit version is the program that is run dur ing t he initial
Setup. The 16–bit version allows you to configure boot floppies with ERD
Commander from a DOS boot f loppy or f rom Windows 3.1. This is necessary
in cases where your Windows NT installation is non–bootable and you do not
have access to a second NT machine or to Windows 95.
4.0 Installation CD-ROM
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2.3 ERD Commander for the DEC Alpha Edition
The ERD Commander Setup progr am will allow you to create a set of Alpha
NT boot floppies that are configured with ERD Commander. The Setup
program will also allow you to install the ERD Commander boot f iles into a
directory on a hard drive or removable media. Follow your ARC OS loader
instructions to initiate a boot of ERD Commander, specifying “SETUPLDR” as
the boot file. Most ARC OS loaders accept the command “A: SETUPLDR” for
booting off a floppy.
After the installation has complet ed you can run the Setup program from the
ERD Commander program gr oup to create additional sets of diskett e set s .
Portions of Alpha NT boot disk creation copyright BEI, makers of UltraBac
backup software for Windows NT (http://www.ultrabac.com).
2.4 Adding Third-Party Drivers
Some systems have non-standard SCSI disk drives that require third-party
drivers to function under Windows NT. A set of ERD Commander boot
diskettes will not prompt you to specify such drivers like the standard
Windows NT boot diskettes do. However, it is possible to add third-party
SCSI device drivers to ERD Commander boot diskettes by following the
procedure outlined below. Note that this is not a supported option, but
presented here for your convenience.
Copy the driver(s) to floppy #3 and edit the txtsetup. sif file, which located on
floppy #1. Add a line for each driver in the f o llowing thr ee sections:
1. Under the [SourceDisksFiles] heading:
oemdrvr.sys = 1,,,,,,_3,4,1
2. Under the [SCSI.Load] heading
oemdrvr = oemdrvr.sys,4
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3. Under the [SCSI] heading
oemdrvr = "HAL 9000 SCSI Host Adapter"
Enter as shown above, replacing ”oemdrvr” with the name of the third-part y
driver that you need to add. The form at should match that of other entries in
each section.
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3 Starting ERD Commander
3.1 Booting Up
After the disks are loaded, a stripped–down version of Windows NT will start,
displaying the familiar boot–time Blue Screen that presents the NT version
number, system memory size, and number of processors present. ERD
Commander then starts automatically and enters a command–line
environment nearly identical to the one NT implement s in Command–Prompt.
3.2 Sample Screen
Figure 3-1 is a presentation of what a typical display looks like after ERD
Commander has started. ERD Commander presents information on the disk
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drives that are recognized and the drive letters it has assigned for them.
Volume name, file system type, and drive size data should help you identify
particular drives. (Note that this inf ormation can be reproduced with the MAP
command while using ERD Commander.)
Microsoft (R) Windows NT (TM) Version 4.Ø
1 System Processor [128 MB Memory]
ERD Commander has a sophisticated command-line processor and it
implements a large subset of NT’s command-line command set, complete
with all standard file-related commands. The environment mirrors the
standard NT command-line environment so that using ERD Commander is
intuitive – if you’re familiar with the commands and command-line editing
capabilities present in NT, then you already know how to use ERD
Commander.
The command-processor’s editing features include:
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♦= Arrow key navigation (e.g. left-arrow to move back, right-arrow to
move forward)
♦= Special key navigation (e.g. Home t o go to the start of a line, End t o
go to the end)
♦= Insert mode
♦= Command history
A sample of the commands available in ERD Commander includes:
Subsequent pages describe the command processor in greater depth.
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4.2 Command-line Editing
The command-line editing capabilities of ERD Com mander are very similar to
those supported by NT’s command-line processor. Below is a reference of
recognized special keys.
ESC
HOME
END
LEFT, RIGHT
DEL
BACKSPACE
UP, DOWN
Resets the input line.
Moves the cursor to the start of the input line.
Moves the cursor to the end of the input line.
Moves the cursor left or right one character
Deletes the character under the cursor.
Deletes the character to the lef t of the cursor.
Navigates through the command-history buffer,
which is 30 commands deep.
INSERT
Toggles between insert and overwrite mode. The
default is overwrite.
Note that the ENTER key that is part of numeric keypads is disabled.
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5 The Command Set
The command set of ERD Commander, like its command-line editing
features, is similar that of NT. The command set includes all standard filerelated commands, and virtually all support the same options as their NT
counter-parts. This list shows the full set, with each command linked to its
documentation. This list can be obtained inside of ERD Commander by
entering the HELP command, and detailed information on the syntax of a
particular command can listed by typing “command / ?” or “HELP command”.
Note that the commands are interpr eted in a case-insensitive manner so that
“HELP” is the same as “help”.
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ACCESS
ATTRIB
CD
CHDIR
CLS
COPY
DEL
DIR
ERASE
EXIT
HELP
Gives Everyone full access to a files or directories.
Displays or changes file attributes.
Displays the name of or changes the current dir ect or y.
Displays the name of or changes the current dir ect or y.
Clears the screen.
Copies one or more files to another locat ion.
Deletes one or more files.
Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a direct ory.
Deletes one or more files.
Quits ERD Commander and reboots the system.
Provides Help information for ERD Commander
commands.
MAP
MD
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Displays drive letter to partition mapping.
Creates a directory.
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MKDIR
MORE
MOVE
QUIT
RD
REN
RENAME
RMDIR
SERVICE
TYPE
Creates a directory.
Displays the contents of a file
Moves one or more files from one directory to another
directory.
Quits ERD Commander and reboots the system.
Removes a directory.
Renames a file or files.
Renames a file or files.
Removes a directory.
Displays and modifies service and driver startup settings.
Displays the contents of a file
VER
VERSION
XCOPY
Displays ERD Commander version number.
Displays ERD Commander version number.
Copies files and directory trees.
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5.1 ACCESS
Gives Everyone full access to directories or files.
Syntax ACCESS [[drive][path]filename] [/S]
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Switches /S
Processes files in all subdirectories in the specified path
This command is a custom ERD Commander command. It is possible to
render a NT system unbootable by inadvertently applying security restrictions
to NTFS files or dir ectories that prevent NT f rom loading f iles it requ ires. The
ACCESS command will add a security entry to the security attributes of
specified files or direct ories which gives the Everyone group full access. The
Everyone group includes all groups and accounts, so this is the most
permissive security setting possible.
If the file or directory specified is inaccessible because the System account or
Administrators group is denied access, ERD Commander will first take
ownership for the Administrators group. This allows it to then modify the
security settings to give Everyone full access.
The command can even be applied to root directories of drives that have
been totally locked down. Such drives will show up in the drive mapping as
having a file system type of “???”. Simply specify the directory, e.g. “G:\”, as
the parameter to allow Everyone full access to the root directory. Files and
directories within the drive can then be unlocked through subsequent
applications of the ACCESS command.
NOTE: Because this command mak es files and dir ectories f ully accessible to
any user, which opens potential security holes, you should lock-down files
and directories on which it is used after the system is booted normally.
Prompts for confirmation before deleting each file.
Force deleting of read-only files.
specifies the file(s) to delete; specify multiple
files by using wildcards
/S
/Q
/A
Attributes R S H A
-
Delete specified files from all subdirectories.
Quiet mode, do not ask if ok to delete on global wildcard
Selects files to delete based on attributes
Read-only files
System files
Hidden files
Files ready for archiving
Prefix meaning not
The display semantics of the / S switch are reversed in that it shows you only
the files that are deleted, not the ones it could not find.
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5.7 DIR
DIR displays a list of files and subdirector ies in a dir e ct or y.
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Syntax
Notes [drive:][path]filename
Switches /P
/A
Attributes R S H A
-
/O
Sort order N S D
DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/P] [/W] [/A[[:]attributes]][/O[[:]sortorder]] [/S] [/X]
Pauses after each screenful of information
Displays files with specified attributes
List by files in sorted order
specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list
Read-only files
System files
Hidden files
Files ready for archiving
Prefix meaning not
By name (alphabetical)
By size (smallest first)
By date and time (earliest first)
/S
/X
Displays files in specified directory and all sub directories
This displays the short names generated for non-8dot3 file
names. If no short name is present, blanks are displayed in
it’s place
Prefix to reverse order
Use the /P switch to cause DIR to pause after each screen of information.
Use CTRL-C to exit from DIR output back to the command prompt. If you
inadvertently omit this switch you can pause DIR’s output with CTRL-S or
terminate it with CTRL-C.
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5.8 EXIT/QUIT
Exits ERD Commander and reboots the system.
Syntax EXIT
QUIT
Be sure to remove the boot floppy from the floppy disk drive before the
system reboots.
5.9 HELP
Provides Help information for ERD Com mander commands.
Syntax HELP [command]
Notes Command
Displays specific information on the specified command
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5.10 MAP
Displays drive letter to partition mappings.
Syntax MAP
This command’s purpose is to help you determine the drive letter
assignments ERD Commander has made. ERD Comm ander does not rely on
Disk Administrator drive letter mappings because there may be multiple NT
installations on the hard disks, each with their own mappings. For each drive
you’ll see the device name, volume label, file system type and drive size.
If the System account or Administrators group is denied access to a NTFS
drive because of the security settings applied to the dr ive’s root directory, t he
file system type will be <?>. Use the ACCESS command to unlock the drive.
MKDIR creates any intermediate directories in the path, if needed. For
example, assume \a does not exist then:
Syntax MKDIR a\b\c is the same as
MKDIR \a
mkdir \a\b
mkdir \a\b\c
5.12 MORE/TYPE
Displays the ASCII contents of a f ile.
Syntax MORE filename
TYPE filename
The MORE/TYPE command autom atically pauses after each screen of data.
If you wish to terminate a MORE/TYPE output bef ore the ent ire contents of a
file are displayed, enter CTRL-C at t he pause pr ompt.
5.13 MOVE
Moves one or more files from one directory to another dir ectory.
Syntax MOVE Source [Target]
Notes Source
Target
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Specifies the path and name of the file(s) to be
moved
Specifies the location and/or name of the new files
Pauses after each screenful of information
Copies files with the archive attribute set, doesn't change the
attribute.
Copies files with the archive attribute set, turns off the archive
attribute.
Prompts you before creating each destination file.
Copies directories and subdirectories except empty ones.
Prompts you to press a key before copying.
Continues copying even if errors occur.
If destination does not exist and copying more than one file,
assumes that destination must be a directory.
Does not display file names while copying.
/F /H /R /T
/U /K
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Displays full source and destination file names while copying.
Copies hidden and system files also.
Overwrites read-only files.
Creates directory structure, but does not copy files. Includes
empty directories or subdirectories.
Copies only files that already exist in destination.
Copies attributes. Normal XCOPY will reset read-only
attributes.
6 Troubleshooting
When ERD Commander is booting I get an err or that a f ile is corrupt, or that
the boot cannot continue for some reason. What is the problem?
Errors during ERD Commander’s boot process are almost always due to
defective floppy disk media. (This damage will only be detected by
running a low-level sector scan of the disk.) Try creating the boot
diskettes using a new set of f loppy disket t es.
Can I run external programs or commands once I've booted with ERD
Commander?
Because ERD Commander runs before the Win32 subsystem begins
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executing, it is not possible to r un any programs other than t hose built
into ERD Commander .
How do I install a new driver for hardware ERD Commander doesn't
recognize?
If you have a SCSI disk device that you'd lik e to access f rom within ERD
Commander that is not being r ecognized with the def ault set up, you can
add a new driver to the boot diskette set as f ollows:
Copy the new driver to floppy #3. Edit TXTSETUP.SIF from floppy #1,
and add a reference to the driver in the following three sections, copying
the format f or existing dr ivers:
Under the [SourceDisksFiles] heading:
oemdrvr.sys = 1,,,,,,_3,4,1
Under the [SCSI.Load] heading:
oemdrvr = oemdrvr.sys,4
Under the [SCSI] heading:
oemdrvr = "HAL 9000 SCSI Host Adapter"
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ERD Commander
Version 1.03
At the end of the boot sequence ERD Commander blue-screens with an
"INACCESSIBLE BOOT DEVICE" er ror.
This occurs when a driver necessary to access your floppy disk is not
installed and when using PCMCIA-based floppy drives for laptops. To
correct this, manually install the PCMCIA driver on the ERD Commander
diskettes.
XCOPY doesn't seem to work correctly for me.
You must specify the /H switch to copy system and hidden files, and the
/R switch if you wish to overwrite read-only files.
How can I edit files on the machine after I've booted with ERD Commander?
ERD Commander does not contain a text editor. However, you can copy
files to a floppy disk, edit them on a second machine, and then copy
them back.
I own ERD Commander but I need to change
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Does ERD Commander work with the NTFS 5 enhancements that come with
Service Pack 4/5 and Windows 2000?
The SP4 enhancements to the NTFS driver do not modify the file
system, and do not interfere with ERD Commander .
If you wish to use ERD Commander with a volume that has been
upgraded to NTFS 5 (which occurs automatically when you install
Windows 2000 on a system) you must replace several files on the ERD
Commander boot diskettes with new versions from a Service Pack 4/5
CD-ROM:
♦= Copy NTKRNLMP.EXE to Disk 1.
♦= Copy NTDLL.DLL to the SYSTEM32 folder on Disk 2.
♦= Copy NTFS.SYS to Disk 3.
How do I create a bootable CD-ROM containing ERD Commander ?
Instructions for creating a bootable ERD Commander CD-ROM can be
found in the Windows NT FAQ at:
http://www.ntfaq.com/ntfaq/recovery21.html
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7 Technical Support
♦= If you encounter a problem that isn’t resolved by the suggestions
listed above and wish to receive technical support, please e-mail us
at:
support@winternals.com
♦= You can also view our Frequently Asked Questions and download
free updates from our web site at:
http://www.winternals.com
♦= For urgent matters, please call the following number and request
Technical Support:
512-330-9861
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Version 1.03
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