Corrupt WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM Data Loss

[RogerC]

I received this message yesterday. I have followed the discussions and it
seems to me that 307545.exe is the way to resolve it.

I would appreciate knowing what the consequences of doing this will be? MY
HD is partitioned. I have Windows XP SP3 on the C: partition. I have 2
programs on the C: and have the original discs to reinstall them if
necessary. My other programs and photos etc are on the D: and E: partitions.

By carrying out the instructions in 307545.exe will I lose any data on the
D: and E: partitions? Would reinstalling XP be a simpler option or not a good
idea?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

What's 307545.exe? Are you referring to KB307545?

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

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
What third-party firewall (if any)?

Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on the
computer (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
it)?

 

[Jose]

I received this message yesterday. I have followed the discussions and it
seems to me that 307545.exe is the way to resolve it.

I would appreciate knowing what the consequences of doing this will be? MY
HD is partitioned. I have Windows XP SP3 on the C: partition. I have 2
programs on the C: and have the original discs to reinstall them if
necessary. My other programs and photos etc are on the D: and E: partitions.

By carrying out the instructions in 307545.exe will I lose any data on the
D: and E: partitions? Would reinstalling XP be a simpler option or not a good
idea?

That is usually an incorrect (and sadly) a very popular assumption,
but you can certainly try KB307545 if you want. The usual consequence
of "trying" things are whatever you try will not work, you waste a lot
of time, ou get frustrated, you make a simple problem worse or
completely unfixable.

Many XP startup error message with no boot situations report missing
or corrupt files and in spite of what the message says, the files are
hardly every really missing or corrupt - XP just can't find them and
does the best it can with the error message. If they are really
missing, just replace them.

A missing or corrupt hal.dll is another example. Folks will fret and
fuss all day long trying to figure out how to replace their "missing
or corrupt" hal.dll and the fact of the matter is the file is not
missing or corrupt at all. It takes about 30 seconds these things
99.9% of the time - if you can get to it before folks applying advice
that begins with words like try, maybe, could be, might be,
possibly....

I have fixed or help fix the problem that brings about that error
message 100+ times and never used KB307545 to do it.

I have never reinstalled XP to fix this problem - or any other problem
for that matter. Never.

If you have a power interruption, aborted restart, ungraceful
shutdown, used your power button or did some plug pulling on your
system, your file system is likely corrupted.

Did any of these events occur?

If yes, then you should boot into the P Recovery Console and verify
the integrity of your file system before you do anything else.

If any of those events have occurred, you should boot into the Windows
Recovery Console using a bootable XP installation CD, or create on a
bootable XP Recovery Console CD. This is not the same as any recovery
disks that might have come a store bought system.

If you are not sure what kind of bootable CD you have, make a bootable
XP Recovery Console CD and be sure.

For each of your hard disk partitions, you should then run:

chkdsk /r

For example, from the Recovery Console prompt, enter:

chkdsk c: /r

You can create a bootable XP Recovery Console CD when no XP media is
available by follwing the directions in this link:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic276527.html

For each of your hard disks, you should then run:

chkdsk /r

For example, from the Recovery Console prompt, enter:

chkdsk c: /r

 

[RogerC]

What's 307545.exe? Are you referring to KB307545?

Yes. Not sure why I put .exe

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

Which, in my confused way, was what I referring to.

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
What third-party firewall (if any)?

NIS 2010. Current. None. None

Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on the
computer (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
it)?

Norton System Works 2005. Still on PC. Norton Personal Firewall and
Antivirus 2005 uninstalled via Norton before I installed NIS.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Contact Norton (Symantec) Support or...

1. Uninstall all Norton/Symantec applications (including NSW, Live Update &
any Norton Add-ons) via Add/Remove Programs & reboot.

2. Download/run the Norton Removal Tool & reboot:
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe

3. Do a clean install of NIS 2010 but do NOT install any add-ons (e.g.,
Norton Anti-Phishing).

4. Reset IE per http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737

5. Reset Windows Update per...

How do I reset Windows Update components?
[Access KB971058 via Internet Explorer (32-bit) only; Run the Fix It in
DEFAULT and AGGRESSIVE modes]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

6. Reboot & test.

 

[RogerC]

Thank you PA Bear,

How do I do this? I cannot start my PC. The message I get, andwhich led me
to KB307545, is:-

"Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM.

You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the
original Setup CD-ROM. Select 'r' at the first screen to sart repair"

I have triedmy XP CD-ROM and got Welcome to Setup. It runs its course and I
get ascreen with 3 choices, Repair being one of them. Is it at this stage
that I make the changes you suggest? If I make the changes as detailed in
KB307545, what will I be doing and what effect(s) i.e. data loss/change will
there be?

Contact Norton (Symantec) Support or...

1. Uninstall all Norton/Symantec applications (including NSW, Live Update &
any Norton Add-ons) via Add/Remove Programs & reboot.

2. Download/run the Norton Removal Tool & reboot:
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe

3. Do a clean install of NIS 2010 but do NOT install any add-ons (e.g.,
Norton Anti-Phishing).

4. Reset IE per http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737

5. Reset Windows Update per...

How do I reset Windows Update components?
[Access KB971058 via Internet Explorer (32-bit) only; Run the Fix It in
DEFAULT and AGGRESSIVE modes]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

6. Reboot & test.

Yes. Not sure why I put .exe


Which, in my confused way, was what I referring to.


NIS 2010. Current. None. None


Norton System Works 2005. Still on PC. Norton Personal Firewall and
Antivirus 2005 uninstalled via Norton before I installed NIS.

.

 

[RogerC]

Thank you Jose,

I have a XP CD-ROM.

I started my PC. The monitor screen was distorted so I did a reset and the
rest is KB307545 history.

I am I right in assuming the instructions you provided will only check my
disk (C for errors, but will not rectify the problem?

 

[RogerC]

Further to my last message to you, I have just run chkdsk c: /r but I still
cannot start my PC.

 

[Jose]

Further to my last message to you, I have just run chkdsk c: /r but I still
cannot start my PC.

When you "did a reset" does that mean you used the power button or
pulled the plug?
Did you create the Recovery Console CD per the instructions or use
some other CD?
Once you booted into the Recovery Console, were you in the C:\WINDOWS
folder or the C:\ folder?
When you ran chkdsk /r did it report any problems?
When you ran chkdsk /r did it complete successfully with no errors?
Did you run chkdsk /r on all your HDD volumes/partitions (C: D; E?
You should run chkdsk /r until it reports no errors and it does not
hurt to run it if there are no problems.

Hint: It is helpful to to know what happens when you do things or how
your results differ from the suggestions, not just that you did them!

The crystal ball is on vacation again (stupid ball).

 

[Daave]

I received this message yesterday. I have followed the discussions
and it seems to me that 307545.exe is the way to resolve it.

I would appreciate knowing what the consequences of doing this will
be? MY HD is partitioned. I have Windows XP SP3 on the C: partition.
I have 2 programs on the C: and have the original discs to reinstall
them if necessary. My other programs and photos etc are on the D: and
E: partitions.

By carrying out the instructions in 307545.exe will I lose any data
on the D: and E: partitions?
No.

Would reinstalling XP be a simpler option or not a good idea?

Not a simpler option. It's a good idea if nothing else works. ;-)

Definitely follow the instructions for KB307545. Just make sure all your
data is backed up first ("just in case"). If you need guidance, post
back.

 

[RogerC]

Thank you Daave,
How do I go about backing up my D: and E: partitions when I cannot start my
PC? That is what I really need.

Thank you for answering my original question, whether I would lose data in
these two partitions should I carry out the instructions in KB307545.

 

[Daave]

You're welcome, RogerC. The rest of my reply is inline.

Thank you Daave,
How do I go about backing up my D: and E: partitions when I cannot
start my PC? That is what I really need.

I understand. You are wise to want to do this. Although there is a
99% chance you will not lose any data, it is always best practice to be
safe and make sure all data is backed up.

The easiest way to accomplish this with a PC that doesn't boot into
Windows is to use a bootable live Linux CD like Knoppix or Ubuntu
(lately I have enjoyed using Linux Mint 9). (Another option is to use a
Windows-environment rescue CD like Bart PE or UBCD4Win. However, there
is more work involved in creating these. Still, they are wonderful tools
to have at your disposal.)

You would need to use a working PC to download the proper .iso file of
the live Linux distro of your choice and use a program such as ImgBurn
to create the bootable CD. Once this is done, you will need to enter
your PC's BIOS setup program to make sure that the CD drive precedes the
hard drive in the boot order (then again, certain PCs give you an option
to go directly to a boot menu, negating the need to alter your BIOS
settings). What is the make and model of your PC?

While in the BIOS, you can eject the CD tray and place the CD in it and
close it. Save changes and reboot. Now, since you are booting off the
CD, your PC is working again (albeit in a limited manner, and you will
not be running Windows).

You will need to be connected to an external hard drive. Then simply
copy the data you wish to save to it. If the amount of data is not huge,
you can probably use one of those small USB flash drives (as long as it
is large enough). But for your long-term strategy, you really should be
using an external hard drive *regularly* to back up data. Better yet,
use a hard drive imaging program like Acronis True Image to regularly
create images of the entire hard drive. (If you had been using that
program, using the Microsoft KB article wouldn't even be necessary; all
you would need to do is restore the most recent working image.)

If you want to live dangerously (not really), you can skip the above if
you are in a hurry to fix the problem. I very much doubt you will lose
any data. Still, it's always a good idea to be as safe as possible.
And in the future, you should really consider an ongoing backup
strategy.

Thank you for answering my original question, whether I would lose
data in these two partitions should I carry out the instructions in
KB307545.

You're welcome, Since the others didn't answer your question, I figured
I might as well will.

Here are useful links:


Live Linux CDs/DVSs:

http://www.knoppix.net/

http://www.ubuntu.com/

http://www.linuxmint.com/


Bart PE

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/


Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

http://www.ubcd4win.com/


Accesing your PCs BIOS:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm


Acronis True Image Home 2010

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

 

[RogerC]

Thank you for the information, Daave. My apologies for not getting back to
you earlier. My ancient laptop, that I am presently working on, suddenly lost
its internet connection and I was unable to read your reply.

As it was, I decided to take my PC to a local dealer who will copy my D: and
E: partitions onto my external HD. It is a Seagate HD and I had already
downloaded their freebie to enable me to transfer data, but S**'s L**, my PC
crashed before I could do so. Hopefully I will be getting it back soon.

 

[RogerC]

Hello Daave,

I have my PC back and I have attempted to repair the problem. The trouble is
when I get to the Recovery Page I do not see 1. C:\WINDOWS. Instead I get C:\
and when I try to input the instructions I get 'access denied'. Is there a
way to return to 1. C\:WINDOWS?

 

[Daave]

Hmmm...

Please tell me what you have on C:, D:, and E:. I wonder if Windows
might be on D; or E:!

Note: I just re-read your post. You have a confusing partition scheme.
You should not install programs to two different partitions like you
did! While it is perfectly fine to dedicate a different partition to
data (such as photos), programs should always be installed to C: to
avoid confusion with regard to registry entries, etc.

So, if you wind up reinstalling Windows, remember that C: is for your OS
and all the apps!!!

Also, use this page as a guide:

http://ask-leo.com/what_is_the_recovery_console_and_how_do_i_get_at_it.html

At what point does your screen deviate from what is shown on that Web
page?

For instance, after you press R to enter the Recovery Console, you would
get a screen that looks like this:

http://images.ask-leo.com/xp_recovery_choose_installation.png

(Then again, this is assuming Windows XP is on C: and there are no
installations on the partitions.)

What does your screen look like at that point?

If RC doesn't work at all, a Repair Install (or even a Clean Install)
might be necessary (assuming your hardware is sound and connected
properly).

What was the original problem with your PC? Was there malware? A bad
update? Or did this behavior seem to crop up entirely out of the blue?

It is also possible that the person you gave this PC to screwed
something up to prevent you from using the RC. :-( (Stranger things have
happened.)

 

[RogerC]

Hi Daave,

Just a quick update to round this one off.

I could not do anything so cut my losses and reinstalled XP. Had to use my
Win98 to start it off but all is well and my PC is almost back to where it
was. I had to download a lot of microsoft security updates but that was to be
expected.

I installed the Acronis freebie from Seagate and now have a copy on my
external HD and a startup CD. Hopefully I am now armed sufficiently to help
myself should a similar thing happen again.

I have tried to answer your questions within your previous message.

Please tell me what you have on C:, D:, and E:. I wonder if Windows
might be on D; or E:!

C: OS
D: Work and programs, photos etc
E: Word

Ext HD: copies of photos, films etc

Note: I just re-read your post. You have a confusing partition scheme.
You should not install programs to two different partitions like you
did! While it is perfectly fine to dedicate a different partition to
data (such as photos), programs should always be installed to C: to
avoid confusion with regard to registry entries, etc.

Having my programs on the D: made reinstalling them very straightforward.
They were all still there. I had a download folder on D: with zipped installs
of the programs I had downloaded, along with their Install codes. Where I had
the original CDs I was able to reinstall them as normal. I only lost two
programs and they were on my C:

So, if you wind up reinstalling Windows, remember that C: is for your OS
and all the apps!!!

I am no PC expert and it may not be good practice and though I do appreciate
your advice, I have stuck with what I have learnt. OS on C:, programs on D:
;-)

At what point does your screen deviate from what is shown on that Web
page?

For instance, after you press R to enter the Recovery Console, you would
get a screen that looks like this:

It did initially but after I tried chkdsk (sic) it never returned to the
correct prompt and I couldn't find an answer anywhere. This was a question
asked by others on the web.

http://images.ask-leo.com/xp_recovery_choose_installation.png

(Then again, this is assuming Windows XP is on C: and there are no
installations on the partitions.)

What does your screen look like at that point?

What was the original problem with your PC? Was there malware? A bad
update? Or did this behavior seem to crop up entirely out of the blue?

Out of the blue. Monitor picture on s/u was compressed so I did a quick
restart. Problem from then on.

It is also possible that the person you gave this PC to screwed
something up to prevent you from using the RC. :-( (Stranger things have
happened.)

No way! The problem happened when I was trying to sort things out. The PC
man helped no end. He even renamed my contacts folder so they were not
overwritten and I could reinstall favourites with no hassle. Not sure how he
did it but he was a godsend.

He also copied my D: and E: partitions into a separate folder on my external
HD. I did not need them as my D: and E: remained untouched throughout, but it
was thoughtful of him.

As I previously mentioned, my PC is almost the same as it was before the
crash. This exercise has in fact got rid of a lot of weight. My PC seems to
running more efficiently and is quicker to start.

Thank you once again for taking the time to help. I was concerned with
losing my work on the two partitions. You put my mind at ease on that matter.