Scott said:
Somehow my kids did something to remove or corrupt the
windows\system32\config\sysytem file...So now the computer locks on boot
stating it is missing or corrupt. It said to use the windows set-up disk and
use r for repair. I went into the BIOS to have the system boot from the CD
rom with no luck... Just goes back into a loop... I am not sure how to get
around this. Anyone else experience this problem in the past? Would
appreciate any help!
Scott
Download the create the six boot floppy disks. Boot from those and
enter the recovery console that way.
How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994/en-us
To run the Recovery Console from the Windows XP startup disks or the
Windows XP CD-ROM, follow these steps:
1. Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or
insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the
computer.
Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from
the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted.
2. When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the
Recovery Console.
3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the
installation that you must access from the Recovery Console.
4. When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. If the
administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
5. At the command prompt, type the appropriate commands to diagnose and
repair your Windows XP installation.
Then follow the instructions in this link:
How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from
Starting:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307545
After things are running you might want to backup the registry
regularly. I suggest using ERUNT. It has a means for recovering from
such a problem by restoring the registry.
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/erunt.txt
Installing and Using ERUNT
http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_eruntuse.html
http://www.winxptutor.com/regback.htm