Missisg or corrupt Windows\system32\config\system

[JM]

I had installed windows xp home edition on a clean drive.
This is the message I get when I boot up my computer now
Missing or corrupt Windows\system32\config\system
and the system hangs. I reinstalled 3 month ago windows xp
home edition from scratch and again I get this error
message, does anyone knows why this keep happening?

Thanks.

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

See if the following helps:

"How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry That Prevents Windows XP from
Starting"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307545

 

[Guest]

Thanks I have read and followed this procedure before and
did not work. I had to reinstal from scratch. Now I am
getting the same message. Maybe you might know what could
create this problem.
JM.

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

The Registry can become corrupt in various ways - using a wrongly configured
Registry cleaner, updated drivers, 3rd party 'tweaking' programs etc.

 

[Guest]

Thanks but could it be a hardware problem? I know it's
difficult to say but actually it's the third time in a
year that it happened. I even changed my scanner, but did
not help.
JM

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

It maybe a driver for the hardware as the Registry holds all information and
settings for all hardware, but also for user accounts, preferences, software
etc.

 

[Guest]

I'll continue my quest for the truth, thanks for your input
JM

 

[Sharon F]

Thanks but could it be a hardware problem? I know it's
difficult to say but actually it's the third time in a
year that it happened. I even changed my scanner, but did
not help.

Yes, it could be hardware. Bad RAM, marginal hard drive are two
reasons I can think of.

Reminder about shutdown practices: Be sure to use the Windows menu (or
one of the alternatives built in to the operating system) to power
off. A lot of housekeeping tasks need to be done by the operating
system at the end of a session. The normal shutdown procedure
accommodates those tasks.

 

[star]

I'll continue my quest for the truth, thanks for your input
JM

My friend is having the same message on his computer. I've run across
several articles from folks having this happen on Dell computers with
bad ram. My friend's computer happens to be a Dell. This may be a
cause.

 

[Kelly]

To fix the "windows\system32\config\system file is mising or corrupt" where
Xp wont boot:

Go to Recovery Console and type:

cd system32\config
ren system system.old
ren system.alt systemalt.old
copy c:\windows\repair\system
copy c:\windows\repair\regback\system
exit

Recover from a Corrupted Registry Preventing Win XP from Starting
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307545