System file missing - OEM version of XP restore won't work?

[The Servant]

So if we bought our computer in parts to put together ourselves, and bought
the OEM software to install on it, we can't repair when system goes missing?
Is this some sort of cruel punishment for not buying more expensive
software? If the software is crippled by the manufacturer on purpose, I
suspect the system missing error might also be part of the plan. I've always
championed Microsoft, but this worries me. Perhaps I've been naive.

I think I must not be getting the right information, surely Microsoft has a
repair for the OEM version of XP sp2.


N.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

A generic OEM version of Windows XP can perform
the same repairs as a Retail version.

What exactly is your issue?

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| So if we bought our computer in parts to put together ourselves, and bought
| the OEM software to install on it, we can't repair when system goes missing?
| Is this some sort of cruel punishment for not buying more expensive
| software? If the software is crippled by the manufacturer on purpose, I
| suspect the system missing error might also be part of the plan. I've always
| championed Microsoft, but this worries me. Perhaps I've been naive.
|
| I think I must not be getting the right information, surely Microsoft has a
| repair for the OEM version of XP sp2.
|
| N.

 

[The Servant]

Carey,

I had a system missing error one morning. It had been days since I installed
any new software and Norton Antivirus has run well. I had defragged
regularly etc. I have a relatively new system I assembled with an Asus P5ld2
motherboard with Intel dual core 3.2 GHz processor, 4 GB ram and 800 GB hard
disk space. I actually put 2 of these systems together, and installed the
separate OEM XP software on each one. They both worked great, until one day
one came up with the system missing error. I've tried to use repair from the
CD, but it tries to run before the drivers get installed that allow the EIDE
controller drivers to load for the Asus motherboard.

I installed the software again in another directory and used a dos prompt to
copy the system file from the windows2/system32/config/ directory back to
the same directory on the original install which is just called /windows.
That actually got XP to start booting, but then after the splash screen it
hangs again.

If I use SAFE mode with dos prompt I see it stop at MUP.dll or sys I can't
remember which, but it's in the drivers directory. I really don't want to
have to reinstall and reconfigure software that I've been tweaking for
months, if I can avoid it. I have Office 2000 and Adobe Photoshop and things
like that I bought new software for. I am writing this from my older XP sp1
PC which is still running concurrently with the new PCs, and am I glad I
have it.

Once repair acted like it was going to work when I left my driver disk in A
and it seemed to find it, but it acted like it stalled part way through and
did not complete.

Any help would be appreciated.

I read in this forum, a link to a Microsoft document that said the Repair
would not work with an OEM version, and that scared me. Thanks for your
prompt response. I feel a lot better now. I have always been a Microsoft fan
and like the integration that has been done with the software. Now I'm
venturing into audio and video at home and put together a PC for each. My
writing is still done on my old PC but may move it to one of the new ones
when it settles down. I have a regular copy of XP on my old PC, and 2 OEM
copies for my new PCs. My wife is about to whack me because my new PC is out
of the water. Thanks for your help.

N.

 

[D.Currie]

Carey,

Here is the article that warned about OEM versions.

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from
starting
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 307545
Last Review : September 1, 2005
Revision : 10.0

This article was previously published under Q307545
On This Page
SUMMARY
MORE INFORMATION
Part one
Part two
Part Three
Part Four
REFERENCES
APPLIES TO

SUMMARY
This article describes how to recover a Windows XP system that does not
start because of corruption in the registry. This procedure does not
guarantee full recovery of the system to a previous state; however, you
should be able to recover data when you use this procedure.

Warning Do not use the procedure that is described in this article if your
computer has an OEM-installed operating system. The system hive on OEM
installations creates passwords and user accounts that did not exist
previously. If you use the procedure that is described in this article,
you
may not be able to log back into the recovery console to restore the
original registry hives.

First, that article refers to oem-installed software, which means
preinstalled software from Dell, Gateway, etc., and it refers to password
problems that might not let you back into the recovery console; it doesn't
actually say that the repair won't work. but in any case, you built your own
computer, so this doesn't apply.

Next, your other post doesn't clearly state what the original problem was,
except that it had something to do with "system" which you are calling a
file. Depending on what the original message was, it may have been referring
to a corrupted registry, and specifically the "System" hive.

Last, your comment about the repair running before the eide drivers
load...I'm not sure exactly what you mean by that (or how you came to that
conclusion) but if your hard drive controller requires specific drivers, you
need to hit the f6 key when prompted, then load the drivers from a floppy.
But if you didn't need to do that on the original install, you shouldn't
need to do that on a repair install. If that's not what's going wrong, maybe
you can clarify what the problem is.

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

So if we bought our computer in parts to put together ourselves, and bought
the OEM software to install on it, we can't repair when system goes missing?
Is this some sort of cruel punishment for not buying more expensive
software? If the software is crippled by the manufacturer on purpose, I
suspect the system missing error might also be part of the plan. I've always
championed Microsoft, but this worries me. Perhaps I've been naive.

I think I must not be getting the right information, surely Microsoft has a
repair for the OEM version of XP sp2.


N.

Take a look at these sites:-

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=822705


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

 

[The Servant]

D. Currie,

Thanks for the help. Yes I did have to install special drivers by hitting F6
on the original install, but when I reran the CD it gave me an option to run
repair before it seemed to lead the drivers. I'll go try it again. The
motherboard I have has an extra set of fast eide connections that require
the special driver.

The original problem was missing or corrupt system file in the
c:\windows\system32\config\ directory.

When I installed XP again into a c:\windows2 directory, I then booted up and
was able to go see what was happening in the c:\windows\system32\config
directory and there was no file called system there, but there was one
called system in the C:\windows2\system32\config\ directory. So I rebooted
into a safe mode dos prompt and copied that file called system from the
c:\windows2\system32\config\ path to the first install,
c:\windows\system32\config directory.

After that the first install started to boot and got to the splash screen
for windows, then went black and stalled. So I tried booting in safe mode
with a dos prompt and saw the files load and when it got to the drivers
directory it stalled on a file called mup.sys or mup.dll, and I couldn't
tell if that was the last file loaded or the file that hung the install.

So I am hoping to somehow repair my first install a little more.

That registry help file was something I saw in this newsgroup. I didn't know
if what I was experiencing was a registry problem or not. When I compared
the config directories on both installs the only missing file on the first
install was the system file.

I really appreciate your help. I was interrupted by a long distance call
just as I was about to answer your post a little earlier, and am just now
able to reply. Sorry for my delay.

Is there more than one place to run repair when installing from the CD? The
choice I had to run repair seemed to come before the prompt for the f6 key
for special drivers. However it's been a few days since I did this and I may
need to run it again to see. At this point, I may wait to see what you
recommend before I attempt it.

N.
------------------------

 

[The Servant]

Greenie LeBrun,

Thanks. I saved and printed those files and will study them carefully and
try what they recommend.

N.
-------------------------

 

[Leythos]

The original problem was missing or corrupt system file in the
c:\windows\system32\config\ directory.

When I installed XP again into a c:\windows2 directory, I then booted up and
was able to go see what was happening in the c:\windows\system32\config
directory and there was no file called system there, but there was one
called system in the C:\windows2\system32\config\ directory. So I rebooted
into a safe mode dos prompt and copied that file called system from the
c:\windows2\system32\config\ path to the first install,
c:\windows\system32\config directory.

I've seen the problem you describe - it can be solved by booting from
the Windows XP cd, going into recovery mode and from the Dos Prompt
doing a CHKDSK /R a couple times. If you only run it once it won't fix
the entire structure, the minimum I've seen is twice.

Now that you've copied the one structure over-top the other I think you
will need to do a repair/reinstall and use the F6 option to install
drivers first.

You may find that the copy didn't work and you still need to do a CHKDSK
/R in order to repair the FAT.

 

[The Servant]

Thanks, I'll try that. I did run chkdsk /R but only once. The only file I
copied over was system, but I'll now try the chkdsk /R again before ,
running repair.

N.

-------------------------

 

[The Servant]

TO: Greenie LeBrun and any other MVP that sees this ... Pl;ease help.

Booting from XP Professional OEM CD:

The F6 key is not working to allow the drivers to install when I try the
procedures outlined in the HOW TO PERFORM A WINDOWS XP REPAIR. I just keep
getting to the screen where it asks you to pick a volume and none are
configured, because the driver did not run even though I hit F6 when
prompted.

One other respondee mentioned I should try and run chkdsk /r on that hard
drive twice. So I am on the second chkdsk scan now, after which I will
attempt to run this procedure again.


If you have any ideas about how to get my driver disk to be recognized I
would appreciate it. When I first installed XP the first time I hit F6 and
along the way was prompted to insert a driver in A drive and hit S. No such
screen comes up now after many attempts.

Thanks.

N.

------------------------------

 

[The Servant]

TO: MVPs

I have tried running chkdsk /r twice, and have then tried to run the repair
procedure. I finally got the drivers to load by having the drivers on a
floppy in A drive before I started. Then when I get to the screen where I
can click repair, the only choice is:

C:\windows2\

but the version I want to repair is in:

C:\windows\

Any more ideas?


N.

-------------------------

Thanks, I'll try that. I did run chkdsk /R but only once. The only file I
copied over was system, but I'll now try the chkdsk /R again before ,
running repair.

N.

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