Bootup Blue screen with strange unknown error

[Guest]

Hi everyone, I am using Windows XP home edition

Last night when I hibernated my notebook computer, it hanged and I pressed
the power button for a few seconds to force shutdown. After restarted, the
windows sudddenly gave a screen that I haven't met before. It tolds me I shut
down the computer abnormally and told me to choose from the five options:

1. Safe Mode
2. Safe Mode with network
3. Safe Mode with Command Prompt
4. restore the last working configuration
5. Normal startup

After I chose normal startup, after few seconds of loading, the computer
hangs with a blue screen with the following error message:

"


STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The registry cannot load the hive (file):
\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE
or its log or alternate.
It is corrupt, absent, or not writable.

"

Even after I shut down and restarted, and choose "safe mode" or "last good
config", the same blue screen occurs.

I would like to know if my windows died? What is "Hive" and what files are
in "\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE"? Is my computer affected by any
virus?

I have installed Linux in my other partition and now I can only boot to it.
Could I mount the C:\ and replace the corrupt/absent file ?

Please help and thanks a lot!

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

Please try the following link to Jim Eshelman's web page - right hand column
(218)

http://aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your solution, however the problem is my WinXP is OEM version and
there is no separate winXP disc except a bunch of recovery disks

In the solution, it was stated that "Warning Do not use the procedure that
is described in this article if your computer has an OEM-installed operating
system. The system hive on OEM installations creates passwords and user
accounts that did not exist previously. If you use the procedure that is
described in this article, you may not be able to log back into the recovery
console to restore the original registry hives"

I am not sure if I can use the method suggested in the page.
I look forward to your reply. 1000 thanks!!!!!

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

Does your OEM disk have a 'Repair' option on it, or is an XP CD that can
only perform a 'Clean' install of XP?