BSOD at startup and a physical memory dump

[GM5698]

My laptop wont boot into XP. I turn it on and the first thing i see after the windows logo is a blue screen of death reading

STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The registry cannot load the hive (file)
\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SECURITY
or its log or alternate.
It is corrupt, absent or not writeable.
Begining dump of physical memory
Physical dump of memory complete.

I didnt even do anything to it. One day is was running fine, then when i was using an IM it froze and it hasnt been able to boot since.

Its a toshiba satellite A85-S107. There havent been any OS or hardware changes from when i bought it. I couldnt give any more specifics becuase it wont turn on for me to find them.

 

[muckshifter]

STOP: c0000218 is a "catch all" error message ... it could simply be a corupted Windows file or some hardware failure.

Did you get, oh have, a real CD of Windows ?

 

[GM5698]

it came with xp on it so i dont have the windows CD, all i have is this toshiba startup disc that doesnt help

 

[mudfrog]

Microsoft

Opps soz I forgot you don't have the install disks.

 

[mudfrog]

Bloody annoying that they don't supply the XP cd. Should be made available to help sort issues like this out.

Do you know of anybody with an XP cd of the same version that you could borrow?

 

[GM5698]

I dont think i know anyone who upgraded to XP so the best i could manage would be some hp recovery disc for our family computer but i dont think that would work. Is an XP cd the only way to recover it?

 

[spd]

I have exactly the same problem with XP. Reading other blogs I tried running the Recovery disk Setup option. Everything OK until I get to the select installation page. My installation is listed but there is no Repair option - as suggested by other users. So where do we go from here?

Further checks on the microsift website suggests this may be due to the fact that the installation done by suppliers on pre-installed systems (no XP system disk supplied) is different from the installation done from a standard system disk. I think this must be because the OEM installs additional invisible profiles enabling him to access the system prior to user playtime! It goes on to suggest that any attempt to repair may result in loss of the OEMs profiles and thus the thread to your profiles. So all is then lost.

I am not an expert but so far have been unable to find anyone else who has resolved the above problem and instigated a successful repair without total loss of the profiles and files and all the other software installations that will take weeks to re-install!

HELP!

 

[peahouse05]

BSOD at startup and a physical memory dump

Hi
I had this problem with a Toshiba Satellite A30 about a year ago. After stripping it down twice and rebuilding, it turned out to be what the vague error messages had been whispering all along (but not loudly enough to convince me) - a failed strip of RAM. More to the point the so-called recovery disks were useless, I had to buy a 'proper' XP disk - luckily I had no important stuff on the HDD (which I also replaced without need) but I did lose MS Office. The only consolation was that amongst the Toshiba crap disks there was a copy of MS Works.
Cheers
peahouse05

 

[spd]

Hi Peahouse05,

Can you tell me, when you used the recovery disks did you get the option to Repair the installation setup (that's the blue screen setup screens, not the black/white textual Recovery Console Repair).

I saw an excellent step by step guide by someone, using the setup screens which were screen dumped into the guide. The only problem was that the "R" Repair option was missing when I got to his Step 6. So although the setup recognised my configuration and highlighted it, I was unable to select a Repair, only a re-install.

I am desparately trying to avoid this becuase it will take me weeks to get it all working again.

cheers

 

[peahouse05]

BSOD at startup and physical memory

Hi spd
Sorry I can't remember, but I think I would have used it if had been an option but I was more concerned with getting the laptop working than saving any data on the HDD.
I used an XP OS disk from another PC to try a repair the OS in the laptop but it didn't work but this may be a clue as to the nature of the original. Also tried a clean install of XP and several Linux distros and the installations worked until it came to writing partitions to the HDD, which made me think it was the HDD at fault. Eventually, I think it was with XP, I got an error message which led me to the faulty stick of RAM.
The original OS would sometimes boot but then soon crash with BSOD and error codes. It was soon obvious that nothing could be done with it - that's when I attempted the repair and clean installs.
Please note that I am not an expert either but members have commented in many posts on the shortcomings of these 'diskless' OEMs.
Good luck
peahouse05

 

[spd]

Thanks Peahouse,


Interesting, maybe I also have a RAM fault, but it never shows in the RAM boot check. It is strange that sometimes the machine will boot happily, then next time will not boot. I did wonder whether it was a HDD fault (the machine is about 4 years old) and I think I will end up separating the OS from the rest of the system. Funny but I never seem to get problems with applications, its always the OS. The next PC I buy will have two HDD. The OS on one, and the files and applications on the other. At least then I can reformat the HDD and start again without fear of losing my files.
And I will never buy a pre-installed OS system again!

I will let you know how I get on.
Cheers

 

[navaid siddiqui]

Just Take Original CD of XP for your laptop from anywhere and just repair your installation it will be prform parfectly.
Ask your vendor for original CDs. other wise reinstall your XP from any CD and download Drivers for your model from internet and then configure your machine manually.

 

[spd]

Navaid,
How?
Obviously you have not read the rest of the thread:

Three points:

1. I do not have the XP disk as it is a pre-installed OS.
2. Are you talking about Recovery Console Repair? If you mean Recovery Console repair option, (black screen) then, done that and it doesn't work.
3. If you are talking about Setup Repair (blue screens), then, having tried somebody else's XP CD, and also a Recovery disk, there is no Repair option presented.

So. How?

Regards

 

[navaid siddiqui]

then I think its not sofware level fault I think RAM not working properly or Harddisk has bad sectors , get the hardware level checkup of your machine from any hardware technician.

 

[peahouse05]

BSOD at startup and a physical memory dump

Hi spd
I thought at various times it was the the MB or HDD. Do you have two sticks of RAM in the machine? If so remove them in turn and reboot. If not, it's worth the cost of a new stick to find out, you can always sell it on if it does not solve the problem. Even a new HDD is not a vast amount of money compared to the cost of a new laptop (£35 for my Satellite A30).
If it's not the MB (in which case it's ------) it will eventually work with a new version of XP OEM at approx £55.
Unfortunately none of this rescues any data.
Cheers
peahouse05

 

[spd]

Thanks Peahouse (strange name!),
I have now given up sorting it myself and have called in the "professionals". My gut feel is that it's goosed and we will end up re-installing the OS. But I will certainly suggest the RAM problem when the guy comes round.
My only reservation is that, even if it is the RAM, then the OS files are already so badly corrupted that it still will not boot without a re-install.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers
spd.

 

[muckshifter]

You may want to download and burn this rather good "must have Tech tool" that contains a myriad of useful programs.


http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

 

[peahouse05]

BSOD at startup and physical memory dump

Hi spd
I think you are right regarding the OS, but Mucks and others were a great help to me in the couple of months it took to get my daughter's Toshiba working again (tried, gave up, tried again), so try all suggestions. Very interested in the pro's verdict.
peahouse05 is a result of moving to our retirement bungalow in 2004 - the gable ends had t&g at the pointed ends painted in pea green - my daughter christened it the peahouse and of course it is number 5.
Cheers
peahouse05

 

[spd]

Hi Peahouse,


OK finally got my PC up and running. Had to call in the professionals!

The guy was very good. I asked him to put in a new hard drive for the re-install of the operating system, and slave the old one.

Also asked him to expand memeory.

Guess what. Having installed the new drive it still would not boot and he traced the problem to a stick of RAM on which only half of the memory was available.

Trouble is the memory check on boot is so quick you don't notice it is a few Meg short!

Up and running OK now, just got to install a few of my programmes.

Many thanks for your help. As it turns out you were spot on with your analysis!

Thanks all.

Cheers spd.

 

[peahouse05]

BSOD at startup and a physical memory dump

Hi spd
Thanks for that. So pleased you have it working.
Cheers
peahouse05