Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\

[eljainc]

Hello,

I have WinXP home on a computer here at work. I was trying to install
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. It reported that I didn't have WinXP SP2.
So I installed SP2 and everything was fine until I rebooted. I got the
following message:


Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

I rebooted with the original WinXP home CD (SP1 though) and went into
the repair console. I tried some other users recommendations to copy
the old SYSTEM file using:

copy c:\windows\repair\system

This did not work though. Is there anything else I can do to get my
system working again? I need to have SP2 on it.

Thanks.
Mike McWhinney

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hello,

I have WinXP home on a computer here at work. I was trying to install
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. It reported that I didn't have WinXP SP2.
So I installed SP2 and everything was fine until I rebooted. I got the
following message:


Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

I rebooted with the original WinXP home CD (SP1 though) and went into
the repair console. I tried some other users recommendations to copy
the old SYSTEM file using:

copy c:\windows\repair\system

This did not work though. Is there anything else I can do to get my
system working again? I need to have SP2 on it.

Thanks.
Mike McWhinney

I hope you kept the original copy of the SYSTEM file. The
one you found in the repair folder may be quite old, especially
in view of you installing SP2. I recommend you restore it
immediately.

The message you see is probably caused by the inability of
the boot process to locate the SYSTEM file. This can happen
when the hidden file c:\boot.ini is incorrect. What does it look
like on your PC?

 

[dave xnet]

I hope you kept the original copy of the SYSTEM file. The
one you found in the repair folder may be quite old, especially
in view of you installing SP2. I recommend you restore it
immediately.

The message you see is probably caused by the inability of
the boot process to locate the SYSTEM file. This can happen
when the hidden file c:\boot.ini is incorrect. What does it look
like on your PC?

This is the problem.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545&Product=winxp

Dave

 

[eljainc]

I made a backup copy of the SYSTEM file before copying the old one.

Here is my BOOT.INI file:

[boot loader]
timeout=20
;default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINDOWS
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation
Version 4.00"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation
Version 4.00 [VGA mode]" /basevideo /sos
C:\="MS-DOS"

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Your boot.ini file suggests that you have three OSs on our
machine:
- WinXP on partition 4
- WinNT on partition 1
- Win98

Questions:
- Is this correct?
- Do WinNT and Win98 work?
- Is WinXP really on partition 4?

You might want to play with the parameter x in
"partition(x)" (two places), by making x=1, 2 or 3.

You can do this most easily by creating a WinXP boot diskette:
- Format a floppy disk on some other WinXP PC.
Don't do it on a Win9x PC - it won't work.
- Copy these files from the \i386 folder of your WinXP CD to A:\
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Copy c:\boot.ini to the floppy disk

This will enable you to modify a:\boot.ini on a second
machine until it is correct.