C:\windows\system32\config missing or corrupt

[timlegg]

I've had my Dell Inspiron 8600 for a year now and this problem seems to
keep popping up.

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

I know how to repair the registry to fix the problem
(http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q307545&ID=KB;EN-US;Q307545),
but I'm wondering if anyone knows what could be causing it. I have
reformated several times but the error still comes up every now and
then; it seems like its becoming more frequent now; like once every
three weeks or so.

I originally thought it might be a hard drive problem, but the Seagate
tools claims my drive and controller are in working condition. What
else might cause the error?

 

[R. McCarty]

You might try the User Profile Hive cleanup service. It helps to
write and close the Registry at system shutdown. There might be
a hardware issue underlying it. I once had motherboard in a PC
that seemed to develop that issue. Check the following MS KB
article for some info:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822705&SD=tech