systemd

[Valerie]

i have 2 pc's that are roughly 2.5 years old.
recently we've been receiving an error on boot-up saying
"windows 2000 cannot start because the following file is
missing or corrupt /windows/system32/config/systemd".
we've followed the microsoft knowledgebase article 826721
and successfully repaired the registry hive. however, the
same problem occurs days after. in all, the problem has
happened 6 times over the course of 2 months.

 

[Guest]

If I were you I would repair the windows using the windows
disk or just do a clean install(the files won't be deleted
either way)

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Anon.

That's dangerous misinformation!

On a Clean Install, the application files and data won't be "deleted", but
the Registry - including the .\config.system file - will be deleted, so
Win2K's memory of the apps will be erased. All the applications will have
to be installed again.

If the problem requires a reinstallation of Win2K, then follow the
instructions for an "in-place upgrade"; this will reinstall Win2K itself but
usually will preserve the installed applications and data. See:
How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q292175&

After this, get your firewall and antivirus working again, then get online
and go to Windows Update to be sure your copy of Win2K has all the necessary
fixes. With the re-installation, plus the time to download and install the
updates, you'd better plan on half a day for this project.

A "repair", using the Recovery Console or the Repair procedures from the
WinXP CD-ROM, might or might not fix the booting problem, depending on what
causes the failure to boot. In Valerie's case, the problem seems to be in
the Registry files, not in the System files, so this kind of repair probably
will not help.

RC

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Valerie.

Have you seen this KB article:
Error Message: Windows 2000 Could Not Start Because the Following File Is
Missing or Corrupt: \Winnt\System32\Config\System
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=319011

Note that the "d" in "systemd" is a spurious character left over from
whatever message was on your screen before this one appeared. (It often
appears as "systemced" or "system.ced", depending on the length of your
%SystemRoot% foldername.)

Since your problem comes back after you've successfully repaired it, you
need to be looking for the root cause. This particular KB article suggests
McAfee as a cause; are you running McAfee?

Google turns up 34 hits for "config\system + 2000". Perhaps one of those
holds a clue to your solution. How about this one:
How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822705

RC