Missing/corruped file.

[Guest]

I was trying to install Windows XP on my system. Halfway through setting up,
I got a blue screen that says Windows had detected a problem and was shut
down to prevent damaged to the system. There was an error file
"UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME"

Anyway, I'll skip over the error message details. So after I reboot the
system three times, I got a black background screen which says "Windows could
not start because the following file is mssing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM"

Next paragraph, it says "You can attemp to repair this file by starting
Windows setup using the original setup CD-ROM. Select 'r' at the first screen
to start repair."
Wwhat should I do?
Any information will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[dev]

/Jason/ said:

I was trying to install Windows XP on my system. Halfway through setting up,
I got a blue screen that says Windows had detected a problem and was shut
down to prevent damaged to the system. There was an error file
"UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME"

Anyway, I'll skip over the error message details. So after I reboot the
system three times, I got a black background screen which says "Windows could
not start because the following file is mssing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM"

Next paragraph, it says "You can attemp to repair this file by starting
Windows setup using the original setup CD-ROM. Select 'r' at the first screen
to start repair."
What should I do?

Try a boot into Safe Mode, by hitting F8 just before the "Starting
Windows" screen would appear (takes a bit of practice).
Choose LAST GOOD.

If that does nothing, use a working PC to read this first...
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q823614
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm

Related info is here...
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q307545
describes a three-step process to extract a copy of the registry
from the System Restore SVI folder.

Info on dealing with corruption issues...
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822705

Reinstall/repair tutorials (if needed) are here...
http://WWW.WEBTREE.CA/windowsxp/
http://michaelstevenstech.com

After your system is restored, the ERUNT utility available here may
make it easier to fix the problem if it recurs...
http://HOME.T-ONLINE.DE/home/lars.hederer/erunt

If the problem persists, try swapping current RAM (even if it checks
good) for a single, high-quality 512Mb chip. XP reportedly is sensitive
to memory timing.

 

[Guest]

Well, "\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" repeatedly cannot be found. There for
it's useless for me to continue with the necessary solutions.

Has it got to do with partitioning? Or worst, is it possible that my system
is infected with virus?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Well, "\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" repeatedly cannot be found. There for
it's useless for me to continue with the necessary solutions.

Has it got to do with partitioning? Or worst, is it possible that my system
is infected with virus?

It's not very likely that this was caused by a virus. You have a
corrupted registry.

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from
Starting
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545

Once you've recovered, you might want to look here, as well:

How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822705

--

Bruce Chambers

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