systemced error

[Kevin Hilton]

My question is in regards to:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: \winnt\system32\config\SYSTEMced

I received this error after defragmenting my hard drive for the first
time with perfect disk. I have perused all the forums regarding this
error and nothing seems to work, here are my exact details

Copied system to system.old
copied sytem.alt to systemalt.old
Copied c:\winnt\repair\system to c:\winnt\system32\config
Computer went through normal booting process, after the progress
bar went all the way on the win 2000 logo screen, my computer
immediately rebooted and then paused after the motherboard bios info.

I tried copying a system file located on a secondary hard disk from an
older installation: d:\winnt\repair\system to c:\winnt\system32\config
however received the BSOD.

Am I just screwed or what???

 

[Aurelien [MS]]

My question is in regards to:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: \winnt\system32\config\SYSTEMced

I received this error after defragmenting my hard drive for the first
time with perfect disk. I have perused all the forums regarding this
error and nothing seems to work, here are my exact details

Copied system to system.old
copied sytem.alt to systemalt.old
Copied c:\winnt\repair\system to c:\winnt\system32\config
Computer went through normal booting process, after the progress
bar went all the way on the win 2000 logo screen, my computer
immediately rebooted and then paused after the motherboard bios info.

I tried copying a system file located on a secondary hard disk from an
older installation: d:\winnt\repair\system to c:\winnt\system32\config
however received the BSOD.

Am I just screwed or what???

_________________

Hi,

The following article should help you to resolve your problem:
269075 Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because the Following File Is
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=269075

Aurelien Goillot
Microsoft France

 

[Leonard Severt [MSFT]]

(e-mail address removed) (Kevin Hilton) wrote in

My question is in regards to:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: \winnt\system32\config\SYSTEMced

I received this error after defragmenting my hard drive for the first
time with perfect disk. I have perused all the forums regarding this
error and nothing seems to work, here are my exact details

Copied system to system.old
copied sytem.alt to systemalt.old
Copied c:\winnt\repair\system to c:\winnt\system32\config
Computer went through normal booting process, after the progress
bar went all the way on the win 2000 logo screen, my computer
immediately rebooted and then paused after the motherboard bios info.

I tried copying a system file located on a secondary hard disk from an
older installation: d:\winnt\repair\system to c:\winnt\system32\config
however received the BSOD.

Am I just screwed or what???

When you copied the system hive from the repair folder you fixed the
system registry hive, that is why you didn't get the error. I think the
defrag caused some file system problems and damaged some files. I would
start with running chkdsk /p in recovery console. If that doesn't do it
then do an emergecy repair. Finally you may have to do a repair install
booting from CD, choosing setup and choosing to repair the current
Windows.

Leonard Severt

Windows 2000 Server Setup Team

 

[Kevin Hilton]

(e-mail address removed) (Kevin Hilton) wrote in


When you copied the system hive from the repair folder you fixed the
system registry hive, that is why you didn't get the error. I think the
defrag caused some file system problems and damaged some files. I would
start with running chkdsk /p in recovery console. If that doesn't do it
then do an emergecy repair. Finally you may have to do a repair install
booting from CD, choosing setup and choosing to repair the current
Windows.

Leonard Severt

Windows 2000 Server Setup Team

Thanks to all for addressing my problem, however this is the situation
where I now stand
#1. The cited reference http://support.microsoft.com/?id=269075
doesnt help me problem. I preformed the recommended steps as far as I
could, however no luck.
#2. I ran chkdsk and after some time, nothng came back as far as an
error message. I mean - nothing after than telling me what it
scanned.
#3. Since I just installed 2000 pro sp4 approx 1 week ago and was
still in the process of updating the system, I didnt yet go through
the process of making backup disks or preforming a registry backup.
When I try to do the emergency repair all I get is "Setup can not find
a Windows 2000 installation to repair. Unless you provide the ERD for
the installation you want to repair, Setup cannt make the repair"
#4. Is there any other option than reinstalling a dirty copy of
windows on top of the current package???

What I would like to do if possible.
Im not sure if the problem is the system registry hive as systemced
would seem to indicate. My system file is 2891776 bytes in size. Is
this too large and could this be the problem???? If this is the
problem, what I would like to do is install win2k from scratch on a
hard drive I have laying around. I would then like to boot to this
backup drive having the original drive as the D: drive. Based on the
knowledge I have seen out on the internet, can the orginal system
registry file be edited and reduced in size using the backup
installation?

Lastly -- a few comments, not directed at any of those helping me --
but what the heck is going on with the Win2k Pro OS??? This is the
5th time Ive had a problem with the OS crashing, all for different
reasons. In the other 4 cases I had a problem with BSODs which after
extensive searching, each problem was nonrecoverable, forcing a total
reinstallation and data loss. I would really like to avoid this this
time around. Setting up an OS and reinstalling programs takes hours.
Ive guarded against most data loss by backing up the my documents
folder to an external harddrive nightly, however it seems I can not
prevent crashes with the OS.

In this particular instance, sometime after running Perfect Disk
Defragmenter (Im not sure what the time was since I was asleep), I
received a popup screen in windows that recommended I run the chkdsk
utility because something was wrong or corrupt with the system. I
shutdown windows and now have been unable to log back on due to the
systemced error. The chkdsk utility comes out clean. I really
disheartened!!!

Thanks

 

[Leonard Severt [MSFT]]

k

Thanks to all for addressing my problem, however this is the situation
where I now stand
#1. The cited reference http://support.microsoft.com/?id=269075
doesnt help me problem. I preformed the recommended steps as far as I
could, however no luck.
#2. I ran chkdsk and after some time, nothng came back as far as an
error message. I mean - nothing after than telling me what it
scanned.
#3. Since I just installed 2000 pro sp4 approx 1 week ago and was
still in the process of updating the system, I didnt yet go through
the process of making backup disks or preforming a registry backup.
When I try to do the emergency repair all I get is "Setup can not find
a Windows 2000 installation to repair. Unless you provide the ERD for
the installation you want to repair, Setup cannt make the repair"
#4. Is there any other option than reinstalling a dirty copy of
windows on top of the current package???

What I would like to do if possible.
Im not sure if the problem is the system registry hive as systemced
would seem to indicate. My system file is 2891776 bytes in size. Is
this too large and could this be the problem???? If this is the
problem, what I would like to do is install win2k from scratch on a
hard drive I have laying around. I would then like to boot to this
backup drive having the original drive as the D: drive. Based on the
knowledge I have seen out on the internet, can the orginal system
registry file be edited and reduced in size using the backup
installation?

Lastly -- a few comments, not directed at any of those helping me --
but what the heck is going on with the Win2k Pro OS??? This is the
5th time Ive had a problem with the OS crashing, all for different
reasons. In the other 4 cases I had a problem with BSODs which after
extensive searching, each problem was nonrecoverable, forcing a total
reinstallation and data loss. I would really like to avoid this this
time around. Setting up an OS and reinstalling programs takes hours.
Ive guarded against most data loss by backing up the my documents
folder to an external harddrive nightly, however it seems I can not
prevent crashes with the OS.

In this particular instance, sometime after running Perfect Disk
Defragmenter (Im not sure what the time was since I was asleep), I
received a popup screen in windows that recommended I run the chkdsk
utility because something was wrong or corrupt with the system. I
shutdown windows and now have been unable to log back on due to the
systemced error. The chkdsk utility comes out clean. I really
disheartened!!!

Thanks

Let me try to address some of your questions.

Currently you had more than one problem. You did have the system.ced
problem which is a corrupt or too large a system hive. Yours was 2.9 meg
which isn't too large. The limit on the system hive is around 10.3 meg in
size (this is based on 16 meg memory limit when system hive is loaded).
When you copied the system hive from the repair folder you didn't get the
system.ced error and made it much farther in the bootup process. This
indicates that there were other problems, most likely files damaged. So the
steps in 269075 did work with the system.ced problem. You ran chkdsk but it
didn't find any problems so not a file system problem. So files are
damaged, most likely from the defrag process failing. Windows detected a
read/write problem on the disk after running Perfect Disk, that is why it
said to run chkdsk.

You mentioned the emergency repair process could not find Windows. The only
reason I know for this to happen is if the disk is Dynamic. Also you can't
install to a Dynamic disk. Did you make your disk Dynamic and if so why?

So you have had a problem with stop errors. Almost all stop errors are
caused by bad drivers or hardware problems. If it is a bad driver the stop
error will be the same. If it is a hardware problem the stop errors will be
different and you might cycle between 4 or 5 different stop errors. The 4
other times you had stop errors were they the same or different?

I really suspect you have a hardware problem with the number of problems
you have had. I would start by going here

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Download the memory tester, make the floppy and boot with it. Configure for
the thorough test and run overnight.

Let me know what happens.

Leonard Severt

Windows 2000 Server Setup Team

 

[Kevin Hilton]

Thank you for your helpo again.

To address your points:
#1. I dont know how to make my disks dynamic. I could perform a
google search and actually find out what this means and how to do it,
however Im not sure what you mean by this. Bottom line is that I
installed win2k locally on the local hard-drive and really never did
anything different than I have normally done in the past. I know this
doesnt answer your question, however again Im not sure how to make a
dyanamic disk.

#2. Thank you for the provided link. I will run the provided utility
and report to you the errors (if any) that are found. I possess 2
hard drives (both currently not operational) that can not boot the
same copy of win2k. The current systemced disk and onve over drive
that can not get past the BSOD. I will report to you the errors on
both.

#3. You keep pointing to a hardware problem, however I really doubt
that is what happened. Beyond the Dell provided MBOS, CDRW, Floppy,
RAM, etc. and only the hardware I have installed - new WD HD, NIC, HP
scanner 5470c, and HP Desk Jet 500 printer I really havent had any
problems. On the old hard-drive (the one that will undergo testing) I
ran all of these devices for over a year until suddenly one day ---
BSOD on startup. I have confirmed I can read to HD (after
installation of a new HD (the current systemced HD) since I could
accesss all the files on the disk, ruling out a HD failure.

Anyway, Ill just run the tests and get back to you.
Thanks

 

[Kevin Hilton]

I ran the diagnostic memory tests - extended set -- all checked out
OK. I think once again as Ive done so many times, reinstallation is
the only option. The thing that makes me angry is that the built in
defragmenter contained in windows is the "stripped down" version of
the full installation of Perfect Disk. How can a defragmentation
program ruin the OS??? Anything is possible however I thought the
2000 OS more more inherently stable and secure.

Thanks for your help

 

[Leonard Severt [MSFT]]

(e-mail address removed) (Kevin Hilton) wrote in

I ran the diagnostic memory tests - extended set -- all checked out
OK. I think once again as Ive done so many times, reinstallation is
the only option. The thing that makes me angry is that the built in
defragmenter contained in windows is the "stripped down" version of
the full installation of Perfect Disk. How can a defragmentation
program ruin the OS??? Anything is possible however I thought the
2000 OS more more inherently stable and secure.

Thanks for your help

The version of Defrag in Windows is based on Diskkeeper I think. It does a
good basic job but not as quick or efficent as any dedicated program. A
degrag problem can be caused by or cause a file system problem which leads
to corrupt files. You never did mention what stop errors you were getting
in Windows?

I think Windows 2000 is very stable. Now in this case it appeared that your
problem was caused by a defrag, what about the other problems you
mentioned? I t-shoot several stop errors every week usually looking a
dumps. In almost all cases it is a 3rd party driver and in a few cases it
is hardware.

Let me know what happens. Good Luck

Leonard Severt

Windows 2000 Server Setup Team

 

[Kevin Hilton]

Well I guess my problem with the systemced hard disk is over for
discussion -- as far as the other corrupt hard-drive it has to do with
the BSOD stating Page fault in non paged area. Ive down extensive
research through other community forums on the web, and as you stated,
many (but not all) found it to be a driver of hardware problem.

Again my memory RAM test passed. I pretty much took out or
disconnected as many of the devices from my MOBO as possible, however
this didnt do the trick, possibly it is a driver or something.

I can boot up using a spare hard disk with win2k installed, and access
the contents of the BSOD disk. My problem is this specifically
however --- I ran this prior copy of win2k for over a year and a half.
When I received the BSOD, I had not added of changed any new hardware
in over 6 months. When I reinstalled everything to a second hard disk
trying to mimic the situation (the current systemced disk), I never
received this error, until receiving the systemced error. Prior to
receiving the systemced error, I had defragmented at least 10 times on
the new drive (one defrag every night). Nothing from what Ive told
you has ruled out it oculd not be a driver problem, however I think I
could reproduce the error if I attempted to set up the same system
again, and I dont think the system would run stable for over 6 months
without adding new hardware.

I do perform a lot of downloading and software installs. If anything
I would point to this as the culprit.

What I really want would be a virtual win startup emulator. Since in
all cases I can use both of these disks as secondary slave devices, I
wish there was a startup emulator that could use the system files
contained in these disks. It would make it a lot easier to
troubleshoot, since changes to the registry, etc could possibly be
made directly and then the configuration restarted in emulation mode.
Anyway, thanks for your help