Windows Cannot Start.. File missing or corrupt

[RicanStarz]

Hi my laptop is not starting up. yesterday i connected the laptop to my flat
screen and when i did it showed the startup and then the tv said invalid
format so i unplugged it from the tv restarted the laptop and this message
shows up:

"windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt...
\Windows\system32\config\system
you can attempt to repair this file by restarting windows setup using the
original setup CD-Rom
select "r" at the first screen to start repair"

Ok so the computer is a toshiba satelite A305-S6837
And was formally a Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit and got downgraded to a
windows xp home edition 32-bit
i dont have the setup cd due to it being installed at a computer repair
shop. so is there anyway that i can at least save the stuff on my laptop
befor i restore it back to vista which is the only setup cd's i have. the
stuff in there are crucial to my job and cant loose them. your help will be
appreciated.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

Hi my laptop is not starting up. yesterday i connected the laptop to my
flat
screen and when i did it showed the startup and then the tv said invalid
format so i unplugged it from the tv restarted the laptop and this message
shows up:

"windows could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt...
\Windows\system32\config\system
you can attempt to repair this file by restarting windows setup using the
original setup CD-Rom
select "r" at the first screen to start repair"

Ok so the computer is a toshiba satelite A305-S6837
And was formally a Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit and got downgraded to
a
windows xp home edition 32-bit
i dont have the setup cd due to it being installed at a computer repair
shop. so is there anyway that i can at least save the stuff on my laptop
befor i restore it back to vista which is the only setup cd's i have. the
stuff in there are crucial to my job and cant loose them. your help will
be
appreciated.

The easiest method to save your files is to remove the hard disk and install
it in an external USB case. They are available at most computer shops. You
can then connect this case to some other WinXP/Vista PC and salvage your
files.

If these files are crucial to your job, why don't you back them up daily or
at least weekly? Not doing so is asking for trouble! Next time you might
lose the lot, e.g. if the hard disk file system gets corrupted.

 

[Paul]

Hi my laptop is not starting up. yesterday i connected the laptop to my flat
screen and when i did it showed the startup and then the tv said invalid
format so i unplugged it from the tv restarted the laptop and this message
shows up:

"windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt...
\Windows\system32\config\system
you can attempt to repair this file by restarting windows setup using the
original setup CD-Rom
select "r" at the first screen to start repair"

Ok so the computer is a toshiba satelite A305-S6837
And was formally a Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit and got downgraded to a
windows xp home edition 32-bit
i dont have the setup cd due to it being installed at a computer repair
shop. so is there anyway that i can at least save the stuff on my laptop
befor i restore it back to vista which is the only setup cd's i have. the
stuff in there are crucial to my job and cant loose them. your help will be
appreciated.

The file you're missing, is part of the Windows registry. The registry
is a database that keeps all sorts of settings.

One recovery procedure, involves going to the repair folder, and copying
the original registry files, in place of the current ones. Then, once that
is done, doing a regular reboot, which brings Windows back up. Then,
using a System Restore point, you restore the system files to a previous
date, where the registry got backed up. That way, the registry is then
very close to being up to date.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

I suspect you could also carry out that procedure, by using a Linux LiveCD.
A Linux LiveCD allows you to boot a computer into the Linux operating
system, without installing any files on the hard drive. It all depends
on the system RAM, to provide a place for temporary files. I use Linux
all the time, for doing trivial maintenance operations, such as
removing or copying files.

But that is probably no easier for you to obtain right now, than a
WinXP CD.

Paul