Registry problems due to hd corruption [XP Pro]

[Guest]

Hello,

A program crashed on my notebook and froze up the computer so that I had to
perform a hard reset. After that, the computer wouldn't boot anymore.
Checkdisk at the recovery console also stopped and rebooted every time it
reached something like 30 %. Got some other software to repair the bad
sectors, and got to the point where one claimed everything was ok, and the
other had 2 instances left where it wasn't sure.
Afterwards, I was able to boot Windows to the point where I received a
registry error. In other words, the computer didn't really boot, but it was
progress.
The error I got mentioned "\Windows\System32\Config\System". I then found
kb309531 which describes a procedure to replace the damaged registry hives
with backups from the installation, and then use a system restore point to
get back to a more current state.
I performed step 1, and indeed, the system would show the animated
bootscreen. However, just when Windows is ready to show the login screen, the
computer reboots.
Also, checkdisk run from the recovery console freezes at 70 % or so, every
time.

I'm wondering now if I have any other options to restore my installation.
I already did a parallel install of XP next to the corrupted installation,
so I can access the data and pull it off if necessary, but I'd hate to have
to reinstall everything.
Any ideas?

Thank you.

 

[DatabaseBen]

did you try a windows repair installation?
it sounds like if you had the option
to replicate your o.s., you could have
repaired the former one...

 

[Guest]

A repair installation? I didn't see an option for that. The recovery console
suggested it at well, but Setup didn't offer the option. At least I didn't
see it. Setup just warned me that it was going to delete all the old users
and their files if I installed over the existing installation. Since I still
needed the data, I performed a parallel install instead just to get at the
data [I was tired of copying things over manually at the console prompt].

 

[DatabaseBen]

there is more info on windows repair installation
at microsoft.com.

I think you did a good job
by setting up that secondary o.s. and you should
keep it as an emergency backup that you can
log into. The boot.ini can be modified later
to provide you with both options for booting into the main o.s.
or backup. One example is that since you created
a secondary o.s. you can backup up the primary o.s. and
restore it back from the secondary o.s. Lots of
other options are avail as well but only because you
were able to create that secondary o.s. to work from.
Aside from the programs, i would certainly copy all
the personal files n docs n pics over onto the secondary
o.s.

but briefly, when you select new install or upgrade
windows will search your hd. Then it will
give you a list of the partitions avail and the
o.s.'s it finds. If you select a o.s. (like your
crashed one) then it will come back and ask
if you want to repair it or reinstall everything
over it (my wording is not exact)

if you select repair, then it will repair
the damaged and or incompatiable system
files and leave everything else in tact. Later
is a third party program doesnt work in windows
it was likely due that it caused the malfunction and
your repair removed the bad files....

again, you might want to read up on it
at microsoft.com and if you got the time
and patience and space, create a backup
of that primary, just in case. If your repair
goes well, then delete the bu file and create
a new one again. (just some food for thought
i don't trust backups but sometimes its all
you got. Look into disk imaging like driveimage
xml. I have been very successful with this method)

A repair installation? I didn't see an option for that. The recovery
console
suggested it at well, but Setup didn't offer the option. At least I didn't
see it. Setup just warned me that it was going to delete all the old users
and their files if I installed over the existing installation. Since I
still
needed the data, I performed a parallel install instead just to get at the
data [I was tired of copying things over manually at the console prompt].

did you try a windows repair installation?
it sounds like if you had the option
to replicate your o.s., you could have
repaired the former one...

 

[Guest]

Things are getting stranger and stranger.

But first, thanks for suggesting the repair installation.
I went back and this time, the option was available - I guess my previous
attempts to restore the registry had at least some effect - so I selected it.
It was quite a pain though. But at least the pre-installation scandisk made
it through without freezing or crashing. Then I ran into that "asms" issue,
then it setup was looking for intelppm.sys, which of course was not on the
CD, then I had to find some device drivers... But at last I saw my old login
screen. I managed to get in, and most things were still working - some
weren't though.
So then I shut down just to perform a controlled shutdown, and now the
stupid box won't boot again. There's some kind of STOP error, but it flashes
by so fast, and the computer reboots so quickly, that I don't know what's
going on.
Lovely.