Can't boot Win2K after editing Lilo.conf

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jason Ducharme
  • Start date Start date
J

Jason Ducharme

Hi,

I have a dual boot system - RH9 and Windows 2000

I edited lilo.conf and changed the Windows label from "DOS" to "Win2K." I
also changed the default boot system to "Win2K." I then ran Lilo at the
command prompt by typing "lilo" to effect the changes.

After restarting the system, I could no longer boot Windows. I got the
message:

" Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\winnt\system32\config\SYSTEMced "

I have since fixed the Windows boot problem by following the instructions
at:

http://www.jsifaq.com/SUBF/TIP2700/rh2783.htm

But my question is, why did this happen, and what should I do differently if
I ever want to edit Lilo.conf again?

Thanks in advance,
Jason Ducharme
 
Probably just coincidence.

--
Regards,

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


:
| Hi,
|
| I have a dual boot system - RH9 and Windows 2000
|
| I edited lilo.conf and changed the Windows label from "DOS" to "Win2K." I
| also changed the default boot system to "Win2K." I then ran Lilo at the
| command prompt by typing "lilo" to effect the changes.
|
| After restarting the system, I could no longer boot Windows. I got the
| message:
|
| " Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt:
| \winnt\system32\config\SYSTEMced "
|
| I have since fixed the Windows boot problem by following the instructions
| at:
|
| http://www.jsifaq.com/SUBF/TIP2700/rh2783.htm
|
| But my question is, why did this happen, and what should I do differently
if
| I ever want to edit Lilo.conf again?
|
| Thanks in advance,
| Jason Ducharme
|
|
 
I wondered about coincidence too, but it seemed odd that I've rebooted Win2K
several hundred times, in the past years, and only ever encountered this
problem immediately after editing lilo.conf.

Jason
 
No idea really on lilo.conf but I also don't see this causing damage to the
system hive of the registry.

--
Regards,

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


:
|I wondered about coincidence too, but it seemed odd that I've rebooted
Win2K
| several hundred times, in the past years, and only ever encountered this
| problem immediately after editing lilo.conf.
|
| Jason
 
Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm no expert on Windows or Linux, but I agree
that from what I've read about the system hive, it doesn't appear that
editing lilo, a boot loader, should affect it. I wonder perhaps if the
Master Boot Record, somehow references the \winnt\system32\config\system
file, and changing the Windows label incorrectly corrupts it? Just
speculating...

Jason


"Dave Patrick"
 
If that were true then system.alt wouldn't have worked either.

--
Regards,

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


:
| Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm no expert on Windows or Linux, but I
agree
| that from what I've read about the system hive, it doesn't appear that
| editing lilo, a boot loader, should affect it. I wonder perhaps if the
| Master Boot Record, somehow references the \winnt\system32\config\system
| file, and changing the Windows label incorrectly corrupts it? Just
| speculating...
|
| Jason
 
Part of the fix of the problem involved renaming system.alt as
system.alt.old. I assumed that copying c:\winnt\repair\system to
c:\winnt\system32\config recreated a new system.alt file.

Actually, upon re-reading the fix instructions, I see I was supposed to
rename system.alt to systemalt.old, but I used system.alt.old instead. Not
sure if that had any impact.

Jason
 
The choices should have been in this order;

1.) %systemroot%\system32\config\system.alt
2.) %systemroot%\repair\regback\system
3.) %systemroot%\repair\system

--
Regards,

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


:
| Part of the fix of the problem involved renaming system.alt as
| system.alt.old. I assumed that copying c:\winnt\repair\system to
| c:\winnt\system32\config recreated a new system.alt file.
|
| Actually, upon re-reading the fix instructions, I see I was supposed to
| rename system.alt to systemalt.old, but I used system.alt.old instead.
Not
| sure if that had any impact.
|
| Jason
|
| >"Dave Patrick"
| > If that were true then system.alt wouldn't have worked either.
| >
| > --
| > Regards,
| >
| > Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
| > Microsoft Certified Professional
| > Microsoft MVP [Windows]
| > http://www.microsoft.com/protect
| >
| >
| > "Jason Ducharme" wrote:
| > | Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm no expert on Windows or Linux, but I
| > agree
| > | that from what I've read about the system hive, it doesn't appear that
| > | editing lilo, a boot loader, should affect it. I wonder perhaps if
the
| > | Master Boot Record, somehow references the
\winnt\system32\config\system
| > | file, and changing the Windows label incorrectly corrupts it? Just
| > | speculating...
| > |
| > | Jason
| >
| >
|
|
 
Curiosity got to me, and I just made the same changes. This time everything
worked fine. You were right, it must have been a strange coincidence.

Thanks
Jason
 
Thanks for the feedback on this.

--
Regards,

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


:
| Curiosity got to me, and I just made the same changes. This time
everything
| worked fine. You were right, it must have been a strange coincidence.
|
| Thanks
| Jason
 
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