Acer laptop won't boot

Trying to save some windows files in corrupt windows system with version 3.8.1 cd which has worked on numerous other systems. Does not boot and tried the following:
boot: knoppix acpi=off pnpbios=off noapic noapm - started to boot and then got Kernal Panic- not syncing attempted to kill init! and froze
boot: vga=0 debug -b 3 - got uncompressing linux ... ok booting the kernal - and then froze
Model is Acer Aspire 1691 PM715/512/XPHome
I need to get it to boot with support for usb memory key to transfer files - any ideas, cheatcodes, HELP
Thanks.

yo bro,
im having the same prob tuh with my acer aspiron 1690..luckily..after trying to boot using this statement below...knoppix can load successfully

Quote:

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boot: knoppix acpi=off pnpbios=off noapic noapm

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hey dudes. k, i was wondering ( i too have the 1690 ) what will happen to the Acer eRecovery software thats on the drive! if i wish to restore my winxp to the factory, how would i do this if the entire drive is in linux?

Use dd at command line to copy the entire partition through gzip to compress it and then burn it to a CD. I believe you will need to have a swap partition or swap file to accomplish the splitting and burning of the image. You can do the same thing with/to the boot sector/partition table. This gives you stored images to restore if you want to restore the machine to its original state. Find a thread or book on computer forensics. There is discussion and examples of linux command lines which will copy, compress a partition and even send it over a LAN to be saved or analyzed

I have succesfully booted knoppix 4.0 CD-LIVE on my

ACER ASPIRE 1692 WMLI
Centrino 1,73 GHz, 512 Ram, 80 giga HDD.

Just have to type failsafe before booting.

failsafe does just that. Loads the o/s without any other bits added so no wonder it loaded.
you then have to add all the extras back on to get touchpad dhcp etc working.

not easy if you are using knoppix as an easy tool for recovering data from a stuffed laptop normally running xp.