System32 directory corrupted - how to repair?

[simonbrentford]

Hi there,

I have the following error:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

I have tried following a knowledge base article (kb307545) which says
to repair the files, however in DOS I cannot navigate to the system32
directory. So I have 2 questions:

1. How am I supposed to repair operating system if the directory is
corrupted?
2. Is it possible to mount a USB hard disk and remove important data
before rebuilding?

Cheers, Simon

 

[Lee Chapelle]

Hi there,

I have the following error:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

I have tried following a knowledge base article (kb307545) which says
to repair the files, however in DOS I cannot navigate to the system32
directory. So I have 2 questions:

1. How am I supposed to repair operating system if the directory is
corrupted?
2. Is it possible to mount a USB hard disk and remove important data
before rebuilding?

Cheers, Simon

Did you use the Repair Console? Did you get prompted for an
Administrator password? If not, the system may be hosed too badly to
repair.

Yes, you can mount the hard drive in a USB caddy and pull data off,
assuming the partition table isn't messed up as well, in which case it
gets harder... Another way to do it is with a BARTPE disk.
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ but you'd need to build it first.

You could try to Setup Windows, and if it offers to (R)epair an existing
Windows installation, do it. But you're kind of risking entering into
version soup by doing that with XP, so a complete rebuild might be a
better idea.

Lee

 

[simonbrentford]

Thanks,
I will take a look at this and try to remove the bad data.
Cheers, Simon

 

[Jim]

Thanks,
I will take a look at this and try to remove the bad data.
Cheers, Simon

The file is a registry hive. There is an article in Help & Support about
recovering from a corrupted registry.
You should review this article before starting anything.
Recovery may not be possible on an OEM system.

Jim

 

[Doug Knox - [MS-MVP]]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q307545
How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from
Starting

 

[Guest]

The file is a registry hive. There is an article in Help & Support about
recovering from a corrupted registry.
You should review this article before starting anything.
Recovery may not be possible on an OEM system.

Jim

Adding to Jim, did you tried Last Good Know configuration by Taping the F8
on Start Up?.
How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from
starting
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/en-us

How to perform a Install/Repair of XP:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
HTH.
nass