Cannot boot up windows 2000 pro workstaion

[Ziyad]

When the computer starts I am getting the message
Windows 2000 could not start because the followinf file is
missing or corrupt: \winnt\system32\config\system

I started the pc using windows 2000 cd and did the manual
recover with all 3 boxes checked but that did not fix the
problem, can any one help

thanks

 

[Dan King]

Did you ever make a recovery disk?
If so, the files will be located in a \WINNT\SYSTEM32
\recovery folder, if I remember right. The file it
references is a registry file. A repair rebuild will not
fix the problem, since it does not recreate the registry.
You either need to do a full rebuild, or hope you have the
file backed up somewhere.

Good luck

 

[Dave Patrick]

If the system hive, and assuming you already tried LKG, It may be possible
to rename the system hive found in
%windir%\system32\config\system
to system.old
then rename
%windir%\system32\config\system.alt
to
%windir%\system32\config\system

You can also try using the most recent backup found in
%windir%\repair\regback

If that fails you haven't much choice but to copy/ use the
original-as-installed system hive from
%windir%\repair\system
to
%windir%\system32\config\system
You'll need to reinstall the device drivers for any hardware added since the
original OS install.

To start the Recovery Console, start the computer from the Windows 2000
Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If you do not have Setup
floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the Windows 2000 Setup CD,
use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the Setup floppy disks.
Press ENTER at the "Setup Notification" screen. Press R to repair a Windows
2000 installation, and then press C to use the Recovery Console. The
Recovery Console then prompts you for the administrator password. If you do
not have the correct password, Recovery Console does not allow access to the
computer. If an incorrect password is entered three times, the Recovery
Console quits and restarts the computer. Once the password has been
validated, you have full access to the Recovery Console, but limited access
to the hard disk. You can only access the following folders on your
computer: %systemroot% and %windir%