winnt/system Registry Hive HELP!!!

[Dark Mikey]

Upgraded a computer at work to broadband, spent most of the night d/
l'ing Norton. Restart to complete the install, and the registry hive
is messed up, too big I think??

Look ALL OVER the place, and can't find the #$@##%^ CD!!!

Is there ANYTHING I can do, besides find a WIN 2000 computer?? Aww,
crap my boss is gonna kill me.....

Found a chkreg program, but fat lotta good that will do if I can't
boot up! I can't even access the hard drive from DOS.....

Four frickin' computers right here in the office: 2 WIN 98, one XP,
and this stupid 2000 that is now busted....

HELP!!!

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Dave Patrick]

You didn't mention the problem but if the system hive is corrupt, and
assuming you already tried LKG (F8 and choose Last Known Good), It may be
possible to rename the system hive found in
%systemroot%\system32\config\system
to system.old
then rename
%systemroot%\system32\config\system.alt
to
%systemroot%\system32\config\system

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

If that fails you haven't much choice but to copy/ use the
original-as-installed system hive from
%systemroot%\repair\system
to
%systemroot%\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. At
the "Welcome to Setup" screen. Press F10 or 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. Note If the registry is corrupted
or missing or no valid installations are found, the Recovery Console starts
in the root of the startup volume without requiring a password. You cannot
access any folders, but you can carry out commands such as chkdsk, fixboot,
and fixmbr for limited disk repairs. 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: drive
root, %systemroot% or %windir%


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Dark Mikey]

You didn't mention the problem but if the system hive is corrupt, and
assuming you already tried LKG (F8 and choose Last Known Good), It may be
possible to rename the system hive found in
%systemroot%\system32\config\system
to system.old
then rename
%systemroot%\system32\config\system.alt
to
%systemroot%\system32\config\system

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

If that fails you haven't much choice but to copy/ use the
original-as-installed system hive from
%systemroot%\repair\system

As I said, I can't even access the hard drive, it says it's an invalid
drive specification. Is this normal?

Mike

 

[Dave Patrick]

As I said, I can't even access the hard drive,

*** How are you trying? Try starting the recovery console.


it says it's an invalid

drive specification.

*** That's usually a DOS error message. The system bios may have incorrect
settings.


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Dark Mikey]

As I said, I can't even access the hard drive,

*** How are you trying? Try starting the recovery console.

it says it's an invalid> drive specification.

*** That's usually a DOS error message. The system bios may have incorrect
settings.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]http://www.microsoft.com/protect

I don't have any startup disks for Win 2000. Is there any way to
access the console without a startup disk?

Mike

 

[Dave Patrick]

Not unless you installed the RC as a startup option.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect