XP Pro won't boot after Windows Update

[3 Cats]

Life was good until 2 days ago. Then Windows Update downloaded 5 new updates.
Now Win XP Pro 32 won't boot. "Windows could not start because the following
file is missing or corrupted:" \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM.
I used my XP Installation Disk to load Recovery Console and typed "r" to
initiate repair. The system then just sits at the C:WINNT> prompt. How do I
continue with the repair to get the system to boot? Do you think the Windows
Update is unrelated? My C drive is a RAID array with 2 SATA disks in RAID 0.
Do Raid drivers need to be loaded before Recovery Console can do it's job?
Thank you very much for your help.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Always state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3) when posting to
this newsgroup, please.

What updates did you install?

 

[3 Cats]

My Windows version is WinXP SP3, 32 bit. My Windows Update is set to
automatically download and install updates. Since the computer won't boot, I
can't give you the precise updates, but since I update daily, it would be
very recent offerings. I will try to do more detective work to be more
specific about the updates. Do you have any idea why repair will not proceed
through Recovery Console? My installation disk is for WinXP SP1. Does that
play a role in the inability of Recovery Console to perform repair? Thank you
for your help.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

I cannot answer your questions without having hands-on access to the
machine.

Start a free Windows Update support incident request:
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?gprid=6527

Support for Windows Update:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/wusupport

For home users, no-charge support is available by calling 1-866-PCSAFETY in
the United States and in Canada or by contacting your local Microsoft
subsidiary. There is no-charge for support calls that are associated with
security updates. When you call, clearly state that your problem is related
to a Security Update and cite the update's KB number (e.g., KB123456), if
possible.

For more information about how to contact your local Microsoft subsidiary
for security update support issues, visit the International Support Web
site: http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx

For enterprise customers, support for security updates is available through
your usual support contacts.

 

[Andy]

On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:10:00 -0700, 3 Cats <3

Life was good until 2 days ago. Then Windows Update downloaded 5 new updates.
Now Win XP Pro 32 won't boot. "Windows could not start because the following
file is missing or corrupted:" \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM.
I used my XP Installation Disk to load Recovery Console and typed "r" to
initiate repair. The system then just sits at the C:WINNT> prompt. How do I
continue with the repair to get the system to boot? Do you think the Windows
Update is unrelated? My C drive is a RAID array with 2 SATA disks in RAID 0.
Do Raid drivers need to be loaded before Recovery Console can do it's job?
Thank you very much for your help.

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from
starting
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/en-us>

 

[3 Cats]

Thank you Andy. I followed the protocol listed for 307545/en-us, but
tragically, when I typed the first copy command into the Recovery Console, I
received an access denied response. I will try Windows Update support as
suggested by PA Bear or take the desktop to my local repair shop if all else
fails. Thanks again.

 

[3 Cats]

Good News! PA Bear,
I changed the boot sequence in the bios to another disk in the system that
used to be the C drive and had windows still installed, but is now used as a
slave drive. Once the system booted with this drive, I shut the system down,
changed the bios back so that the RAID array was once again the C drive, and
now the system boots just fine. Whether the Windows Updates had anything to
do with this episode is still unclear to me. The updates that I downloaded on
9-12-08 wereKB890830, KB956080, KB954326, KB951944, and KB938464. Thank you
for your help.

3 Cats