can't boot up xp

[Ted Wilson]

I cannot start win xp. When I try to boot I get a message
saying that the D:/windows/system32/config/system file is
corrupted or missing. It says that I should repair windows
pressing 'r' when it boots from a win xp cd. The drives
makes a strange sound and when I press 'r' a boot up
nothing happens. Can someone please tell if have to re-
install the whole xp or give any help?

thanks

 

[Rock]

I cannot start win xp. When I try to boot I get a message
saying that the D:/windows/system32/config/system file is
corrupted or missing. It says that I should repair windows
pressing 'r' when it boots from a win xp cd. The drives
makes a strange sound and when I press 'r' a boot up
nothing happens. Can someone please tell if have to re-
install the whole xp or give any help?

thanks

This error indicates registry corruption. See these links:

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from
Starting:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307545

How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=822705