msconfig file missing or corrupt!

[Barney]

My computer will not boot up.
I get a message telling me that the 'msconfig' file is missing or corrupt
and I need to reinstall Windows Xp Pro.
1: How could this file have been removed of corrupted?
2: When I try to repair the file with the XP installation disc, I am asked
for the Administrators password. All I use is a password to log on to
Windows, which is not accepted as the Administrators password. How can I
get passed this point to do a repair?




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[Bruce Chambers]

My computer will not boot up.
I get a message telling me that the 'msconfig' file is missing or corrupt
and I need to reinstall Windows Xp Pro.

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

1: How could this file have been removed of corrupted?

Any number of ways, actually. 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

2: When I try to repair the file with the XP installation disc, I am asked
for the Administrators password. All I use is a password to log on to
Windows, which is not accepted as the Administrators password. How can I
get passed this point to do a repair?

The password being requested is that of the built-in
_Administrator_ account, not the password for any other administrative
user accounts that the computer's owner may have created. Unless the
owner deliberately set the Administrator's password via the Management
Console (_not_ the Control Panel), it's probably still blank. WinXP
Pro asks the installer to set the Administrator's password during
installation, but WinXP Home doesn't.






--

Bruce Chambers

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