How can I determine the installed edition of Windows XP if the OS does not boot up?

How can I determine the installed edition of Windows XP if the OS does not boot up?

I have a drive that I cannot boot, but it has an installation of Windows XP on it. I need to know what type of XP it has, and MS's solution (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310104) presupposes I can load the OS. Is there a folder or file I can look at that might give me a clue as to the flavor of XP (Home, Pro, MCE, etc) I need to use for a recovery installation? Thanks.

Asked by: Guest | Views: 346

Total answers/comments: 2

Comments display order:

Guest [Entry]

"If you are able to boot to the command prompt you can type in:

type c:\windows\system32\prodspec.ini

and it should show you what version of XP you have installed. Similar to something like this:

;
;Note to user: DO NOT ALTER OR DELETE THIS FILE.
;
[SMS Inventory Identification]
Version=1.0

[Product Specification]
Product=Windows XP Professional

Version=5.0
Localization=English
ServicePackNumber=0
BitVersion=40
[Version]
DriverVer=07/01/2001,5.1.2600.0"

Guest [Entry]

"I don't think you need the (exact) same version of recovery/repair CD if your only goal is to fix the boot files. The files are the same any flavour of Windows XP

In case you want to fix your boot files have a look at this TechRepublic article:
10 things you can do when Windows XP won't boot"