hp laptop won't boot, file missing

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi,
all of a sudden, the laptop wont boot.
so...

we get this message:
"Windows could not start because this file
is missing or corrupted:
c:\windows\system32\config\system
Using original setup cd select "r" at
first screen to start repair."

The laptop is about 4 years old and is running
xp home edition.

what i did was get the cd and run it like it said
and got to the control counsel and ran chkdsk
which reported the drive was ok.

so here i am at a command line and don't
know what to do. Is the missing file on the
cd, and can i use the command line
to get it and put it back where it should be?
If yes, can anybody tell me how to type the
command into the command line?

secondly, can i launch a restore point from
the comand line in the repair console? That would be easier I think.

thanks for any help with this

Mike

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from
Starting
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545

Once you've recovered, you might want to look here, as well:

How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822705


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Mike Hollywood]

Hi,
all of a sudden, the laptop wont boot.
so...

we get this message:
"Windows could not start because this file
is missing or corrupted:
c:\windows\system32\config\system
Using original setup cd select "r" at
first screen to start repair."

The laptop is about 4 years old and is running
xp home edition.

what i did was get the cd and run it like it said
and got to the control counsel and ran chkdsk
which reported the drive was ok.

so here i am at a command line and don't
know what to do. Is the missing file on the
cd, and can i use the command line
to get it and put it back where it should be?
If yes, can anybody tell me how to type the
command into the command line?

secondly, can i launch a restore point from
the comand line in the repair console? That would be easier I think.

thanks for any help with this

Mike

 

[Mike Hollywood]

thanks Bruce, it's a bit convoluted, but i think i can
follow the directions in the link you posted.
I'll report back on what happens.
thanks again.
mike

 

[~Mike Hollywood]

Hi Bruce,

I read the info you refereced and followed the instructions to automate the
process.
I downloaded the guided help file and put it on a floppy.
In the repair console there is no run command.
How do you run an exe file in the command consule without a run command?

I tried it at the A prompt, but it i get an error saying the command isn't
supported.
here's what I wrote:

a> run Guided_Help.exe

I copied it to the widows folder on the hard drive and tried to run it
from there, copy is supported, ha ha, but got the same error msg when
i try to run it.

I started the system with a win98 boot disk so i'd have a run command
but it didn't work. Said the program won't run from a dos prompt.

Mike

 

[~Mike Hollywood]

the continuing saga, after booting with a win98se boot disk, figuring i
could run the command from there, it wouldn't run in that environment, so i
gave up and
reinstalled windows.