msconfig missing not a virus

W

witsend

Can anyone figure this one out. I type msconfig and all other iterations of
same to get it to run. It doesn't. I copied a copy of the program itself
from an internet source provided by a previous discussion group onto my
desktop and tried running it from there (as a test to see if it works). It
doesn't.
I just "ghosted" my OS over to a new hard drive within the same machine and
have the OS on both drives now. The settings in the registry under HKEY
CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\System

and

HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\System

and

HKEY USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\System

are identical on both hard drives, yet on the original drive I can boot up
and msconfig will work. On the new drive msconfig doesn't work.
I went to the "windows xp from a to z" site downloaded the repair for a
corrupt msconfig file. It ran and it couldn't make it run. I even copied
the original msconfig from my windows installation cd onto the new hard drive
into the appropriate location and even that couldn't get it to go.
I'm stumped. I am not a computer specialist by any means. All the above
solutions and observations were come by through these very forums.
Can anyone help with this?
 
W

witsend

I should also mention that "msconfig" is present in
C:\WINDOWS\pchealth\helpctr\binaries and in
C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386 on both drives. It only works in the
original drive and not in the new drive.
 
C

Colin Barnhorst

Have you considered running the system file checker? You will need an XP cd
that is at the same service pack level as the installed XP. The method is:
Start>Run, type cmd + Enter. In the Command window at the prompt type
sfc /scannow + Enter

If that does not fix things, consider doing a Repair Installation of
Windows. Like sfc, you will need an XP cd at the same service pack level.
 
W

witsend

Hello Colin. Thanks for your reply. My system started out as an original xp
system...that is to say with no service packs. It is now fully up to date
using windows/microsoft update therefore I haven't an xp cd at the same
service pack level as whats on the system right now. Can I do something
similar using the "good system configuration" on the other hard drive? If
so, would you mind walking me through that? I seem to remember trying to
make such a cd at one time a while back by merging the original cd with an
online copy of sp2...with no success. Again, I was following instructions on
a microsoft website on how to do this...and was not successful.
 
C

Colin Barnhorst

It certainly doesn't hurt to try but Last Known Good resets the config to
the last time you successfully started Windows. It doesn't alter any system
files themselves. LKGC does not let you roll back to a time of your choice
like System Restore does. LKGC is a choice on the Windows Advanced Options
Menu. Restart the computer and keep tapping F8 while it is booting to get
to the WAO menu.

The solution to being stuck with an old XP cd is to make an up-to-date one.
This is called slipstreaming and is quite easy.

I use nLite (http://www.nliteos.com/guide/ and
http://www.nliteos.com/download.html). This program has you put your XP cd
in the drive as the source and the downloadable version of SP2 (called "SP2
for IT Professionals"
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en)
as the service pack. The program then merges the two and creates a bootable
..iso file which you then burn to a new cd. Then when you need to use your
XP cd you use the slipstreamed one. Your product key will work with the
slipstreamed cd just fine. Hint: Download the SP2 file to your desktop so
it is very easy to find while you are working.

It only takes a few minutes and you should definitely have one at service
pack level 2.

While you can also have the program use the Windows files already on the
hard drive I would not do that in this case because one or more of those
files may be what you need to fix.

There are other slipstreaming programs and there are MS knowledgebase
articles about slipstreaming. It doesn't matter how you do it, just so you
do it.
 
W

witsend

Once again, I thank you for your reply. I will indeed try your suggestions
and will be sure to follow up and let you know how things go. Wish me luck!

BTW LKGC would probably not work as I just ghosted the machine yesterday and
msconfig was the first thing I checked as I have experienced this problem in
the past when I have ghosted. Its a long story but suffice it to say I have
been having a few interesting weeks learning about and playing with
re-installing windows.

FYI.. I'm not actually using Ghost but Western Digitals Data Lifeguard Tools
instead. The 2 drives are indeed Western Digital drives. "Ghost" in this
context is just a handy verb!
 
C

Colin Barnhorst

Good luck! Get that XP SP2 cd made before you go any further. It will be
invaluable.
 
W

witsend

Hey Colin. Ok, created the slipstream windows disk and ran system file
checker. I had to enter retry numerous times as the blue status bar made its
way across, but managed to get through it. At the end of the process, it
just stopped...ie no "operation completed" message or the such. Is that how
it ends? I tried msconfig from start>>run and nothing happened. Will reboot
and try again to see if that works. If not will try repair installation.
However, would that not set me back to xp with sp2 only...ie no updates?
 
W

witsend

SUCCESS!! SUCCESS!! SUCCESS!! You, sir, are a hero. Thanks for the
advice. After a repair install >using the slipstreamed cd< all is as it
should be again. I thank you very kindly.
Now that I have a completely fresh and functional OS, I'm afraid to use it
out of fear of something going awry once again! Can you suggest a way of
capturing this point in this computers life so that I have a hard copy of all
system settings, etc.
I did have to download upwards of 100 updates after the repair install and
would rather not have to do that again! Is there a microsoft site that has
sp2 with all associated critical updates available to download. I noticed in
"nlite" that there is an option to include other updates along with sp2 into
the slipstreamed disc. However, to do this manually, one update at a time,
would take more time than it is worth, I believe.
Once again, I thank you.

Chris.
 
C

Colin Barnhorst

C

Colin Barnhorst

XP SP3 will rollup those hundred downloads. SP3 should be out in a couple
of months. No need to fiddle with nLite until SP3 releases.
 
W

witsend

Can hardly wait for sp3 then. In the meantime, I seem to remember some sort
of image capture function in Nero. Perhaps will throw that back onto the
machine and see what about it. I guess that backup in windows xp pro doesn't
have something similar?
 
C

Colin Barnhorst

No way. It is a file backup not an image backup. If the version of Nero
is late enough you should be OK with it.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Similar Threads

msconfig does not start from console 4
2 Strange entries in MSCONFIG | Startup 7
msconfig startup blank 3
Having problems! Please read task mgr.-Pop-ups 5
MSCONFIG START UP ITEMS MISSING IN REGISTRY 7
Blank line in msconfig 5
windows xp locks up 9
Duplicate Entry in MSCONFIG 8

Top