Windows XP Cannot start XP.

[dumbfounded]

mmm, i Just changed the boot order (after previous issues) and it said the following "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt \windows\system32\config\system"

Any hope of booting it up just once? Is all my data gone?

My optical drive has not worked for ages so can't use the repair function.

 

[dumbfounded]

mmm, i Just changed the boot order and it said the following "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt \windows\system32\config\system"

Any hope of booting it up just once? Is all my data gone?

 

[cybercore]

Try :

1. Repair XP boot sector

Link Removed


2. Repair install

Repair Windows XP - How to Perform a Repair Installation of Windows XP


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


How to Create an Emergency Windows Rescue CD

Link Removed - Invalid URL

 

[dumbfounded]

Tried this optical drive not working. Maybe have to buy a cheapie online? THrough eBay?

 

[bridog1980]

You could build a bootable USB flash drive. Just get into your bios (F1, F2, or Delete keys), and make sure USB is #1 in the boot sequence. Here's a great guide to create a bootable USB Xp Recovery Console:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21049

If that's too hard, here's how to make a boot CD on a USB disk:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-ultimate-pc-repair-toolkit-in-your-pocket-ultimate-boot-cd-on-a-usb-stick/

I hope this helps you. You can also find ways to make a bootable floppy as well.

 

[dumbfounded]

Great idea, thanks. Except oddly enough changing to USB in the BIOS is not an option, yet I do have three USB ports. Man, talk about murphy's law (and I have no floppy drive).

 

[JoshuaGaler]

I face this kind of problem many a time and then what I do was format the whole drive with bootable CD. The link and the application that you mentioned over here seems to be really nice. From next time onwards I think I don't have to format the whole system.

First create a bootable USB and change the bios setting to USB it will automatically detect the USB drive.

 

[dumbfounded]

And I won't lose my data then?

 

[dumbfounded]

OK, I managed to replace my optical drive and can FINALLY boot from my DVD (I tore out a old optical drive from an unused lap top and installed it even though it didn't fit perfectly. man I felt like a genius).
When I boot from the DVD I get the option to "repair" the XP installation (I need two files on the HD which is the whole point of my pursuing this). However rather than repair it goes straight to the following:

The recovery console provides system repair and recovery functionality
Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer
C:\>

That's it. No option to actually CONTINUE with the repair.

If I chose the install route and follow through it warns me that it will overwrite any current data which I don't want to do since there is that crucial pesky file I am trying to obtain.

Any other ideas? Or is the HD beyond any reasonable repair (ie not paying hundreds of $).

 

[pcs3657]

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 322756 (How to back up and restore the registry in Windows XP ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To resolve this issue, use the appropriate method. Link Removed
Remove the Promise Technology ATA66 PCI Controller

If this issue occurs during the Windows 2000 installation process and a Promise ATA66 controller is installed in your computer, remove the Promise Technology ATA66 PCI controller card, check your BIOS settings to make sure that the IDE controller on your motherboard is enabled, and then run Windows 2000 Setup again. Link Removed
Restore a Backup of the System Hive

IMPORTANT: This procedure will not work on an active directory domain controller, because if you use the REPAIR folder system hive, then you are no longer a domain controller.

Use the Repair Console tool to replace the backup copy of the System hive from the repair folder. If the Repair Console tool is not installed on your computer, you can run it from the Emergency Repair process:

1. Use the Windows 2000 CD-ROM or the Windows 2000 Startup disk to start the computer.
2. When you see the "Welcome to Setup" message, press R for "repair."
3. Press C to run the Recovery Console tool.
4. Select the installation that you want to repair.
5. Type the administrator password.
   
   If the computer is a domain controller, type the password for Directory Services Restore Mode when you are prompted to do so.For additional information about the Recovery Console tool, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Link Removed (Link Removed ) How to Change the Recovery Console Administrator Password on a Domain Controller
   Link Removed (Link Removed ) Protection of the Administrator Account in the Offline SAM
6. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following commands, pressing ENTER after you type each command: cd system32\config
   ren system system.old
   ren system.alt systemalt.old
7. If you have run the Emergency Repair Disk Wizard from Windows Backup and Recovery tools, copy the backup of the System hive from the %SystemRoot%\Repair\Regback folder.
   
   If you have not run the Emergency Repair Disk Wizard, copy the default System hive from the %SystemRoot%\Repair folder.
   
   IMPORTANT: You need to restore the most recent copy of the System hive. You also need to reinstall any hardware device drivers or programs that run as services that you installed since the last time that you updated your Emergency Repair Disk.
   
   To copy the default System hive, type the following command, and then press ENTER: copy c:\winnt\repair\system c:\winnt\system32\config
   To copy the System hive that was backed up the last time that you ran the Emergency Repair Disk Wizard, type the following command, and then press ENTER: copy c:\winnt\repair\regback\system c:\winnt\system32\config
8. At the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER to restart your computer.

Link Removed
Reduce the Size of the System Hive

If a large number of resources are shared on the computer, the registry may become too large. To resolve this issue, use the following steps.

1. Start registry editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate and click the following key in the registry:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Share
3. On the Registry menu, click Save Key.
4. In the File name box, type Shares.new, and then click Save.
5. Locate and click the following key in the registry:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
6. On the Registry menu, click Load Hive.
7. In the list of files, click the System.old file, and then click Open.
8. In the Key Name box type System.old, and then click OK.
9. Locate and click the following key in the registry:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Select
10. Note the setting for the Default value.
11. Locate and click the following key in the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System.old\ControlSetx\Services\LanmanServer\Shares
    where x is the number that you noted in step 8.
12. On the Registry menu, click Save Key.
13. In the File name box, type Shares.old, and then click Save.
14. Restore the Shares.new key to the System.old registry hive:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System.old\ControlSetx\Services\LanmanServer\Shares
15. Click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System.old key.
16. On the Registry menu, click Unload Hive.
17. Quit Registry Editor.
18. Restart the computer to the Recovery Console.
19. At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line: ren system system.org
    ren system.old system
20. At the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER to restart the computer.

 

[dumbfounded]

sigh, just when I think I'm 1 step away from an easy solution. Thanks very much. Is this the same for XP as for Windows 2000 (above)?