I am trying to use the "repair' console with my XP CD and after selecting the directory to repair, it prompts me for the admin password... I KNOW that that there was never a passowd entered when I installed (because I always set it to 'assume user login is admin'). During the install I left the admin password blank. My question is whether there is a 'default' password in this console that will be recognized? I am not using the ASR as there was never a boot disk made. Greatly appreciate a solution! Tnx.

Recovery console is a serious tool that could help you fix your windows as well as do some serious damage to it if there was a default password that just lets you in. So, to my knowledge I never heard of the default password for recovery console.

Thanks for the info... I chose the "install XP' option this time and it gave me an option to repair the current install. I am trying that now....it appears to be doing a full install (possibly the same way it does the upgrades, by leaving data files alone) hopefully this is true and my personal files will still be there. Kind of curious though on that PW issue...so if you do not choose to input a PW during the install...you are hosed unless you have the emergency floppy. Seems strange. Tnx again!

This was a known issue with XP and there is a fix that may or may not work that you can dl from their website http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308402

If you didn't enter an admin password when you first installed xp then when you are prompted for a password at the recovery console don't you leave it blank and just press enter! or am I wrong.

like JC said it is a known issue, some systems have "NO" access to the RC, password or no password, mainly laptops i have found.

You are correct, If you have never set an Admin password you just press enter. This threw me for a loop at first. Your admin password for recovery consol is not your admin password for windows.