Setup did not find any HardDrives Installed

  • Thread starter Thread starter Marshall
  • Start date Start date
M

Marshall

Using WinXp Home with SP2 Installed problem started with>

"Missing or corrupt \windows\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" error

I have reviewed the MS KB Article Q307545 (How to recover
from a corrupted registry that revents Windows XP from
Starting)and related web articles (Q303012 - Cannot Start
Windows XP if the System or Software Hive is Missing or
Damaged)and used my WinXp CD Program disk to boot.
However, after getting to the R recovery option I keep
getting the message - "Setup did not find any HardDrives
installed" Various attempts recycle me back to the same
error message.

I have managed to use my HP Laptop Reovery Disk to get me
to the A: prompt which I can change to C:\, do a DIR and
find all of my files on the Hard Drive(s) Thus I know the
HD's are intact.

I used the procedure in Q303012 above and just did the
correction technique to: ren system system.bak. I did not
do all of the other procedures, i.e. --- software, sam,
security, default.

On rebooting, I now get the Win Startup Splash Screen,
but then it reverts to the previous error status - i.e.
HD not found.

QUESTIONS-HELP

1. Is the recovery process dependent on working with the
instructions that normally come with using the Recovery
Disk ?.... or

2. As long as I get to the C:\ am I OK? and can do my
repairs?

3. Should I continue with the full changes recommended in
the MS KB Q307545 article , i.e change security, etc. to
bak?

4. Any other articles, techniques, references that are
available.

Thanks all, anyone for your response(s)
P.S. Fortunately my HP Laptop is on "Wireless Net" so I
can communicate here.
 
Did you try doing a repair install instead of recovery?

Boot from the XP CD and at the Recovery prompt hit Enter instead of R and
see if the drives are now detected and tell Windows to repair the existing
installation. (Of course, if the CD is OEM rather than a retail version this
won't work.)
 
-----Original Message-----
Did you try doing a repair install instead of recovery?

Boot from the XP CD and at the Recovery prompt hit Enter instead of R and
see if the drives are now detected and tell Windows to repair the existing
installation. (Of course, if the CD is OEM rather than a retail version this
won't work.)




.
Thanks Jerry - I booted from the Win CD to the Windows
Click to expand...
Setup Screen from which the bottom line message "Setup is
loading files" and proceded to do so.

Then a message - "Setup is Starting Windows" andwhen the
options appeared I used the RETURN as you suggested. Same
error message occurred agin - i.e. can't find HD

More ideas?
 
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