WinXP Pro Installs, But Won't Start

[\ AA Smith\]

I installed a new motherboard and processor on one of my computers today.
In connection with that I wound up having to format my hard disk (slow)
today and reinstall WindowsXP Pro as a clean new installation. However,
that didn't work right.

After WinXP Pro completely finished the installation, it rebooted the
computer. After the motherboard startup displays finished during the reboot
process, the following messages appeared in white letters on the black
background:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

You can attempt to repair this by starting Windows Setup using the original
CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.


I tried to use the Repair Console, but I'm not familiar with it and have no
idea how to use it to solve the problem.

I am now stuck. So, I shall greatly appreciate your help to get WinXP Pro
to start like it should after installation.

 

[Haggis]

I installed a new motherboard and processor on one of my computers today.
In connection with that I wound up having to format my hard disk (slow)
today and reinstall WindowsXP Pro as a clean new installation. However,
that didn't work right.

After WinXP Pro completely finished the installation, it rebooted the
computer. After the motherboard startup displays finished during the
reboot process, the following messages appeared in white letters on the
black background:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

You can attempt to repair this by starting Windows Setup using the
original CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.


I tried to use the Repair Console, but I'm not familiar with it and have
no idea how to use it to solve the problem.

I am now stuck. So, I shall greatly appreciate your help to get WinXP Pro
to start like it should after installation.
--
With kindest regards,

Dick Smith
(e-mail address removed)

you can use the same routine you used to install XP ...with it already
installed the option to repair will come up during the "reinstall"

 

[Guest]

What you need to do is insert the XP disk, and then restart the computer. It
should attempt to boot from CD, and you will see a couple of options. One
will say to install windows, and the other choice will be to repair an
existing installation. Click on the repair installation, and it will search
through your files, and reinstall ones that are missing or bad. This should
fix your prolem with a missing system config.
Daryl

 

[\ AA Smith\]

Thanks for your feedback, Haggis!

I am already familiar with that repair process; have used it several times.
Would have used it today, but something screwy happened while I was starting
the computer after installing the new motherboard. I didn't catch it all,
but something like chkdsk ran. It displayed a whole slew of messages after
stating it needed to check for disk inconsistency. I'm not sure what
happened because I had been momentarily distracted on another problem. But
after that, when I tried to run the Repair that's usually offered AFTER
Repair Console is offered, the second repair option never appeared. That's
why I was forced to delete the partition and reformat the hard drive. I
wound up running the entire installation process twice. During one
installation, I had the setup program do a complete (slow) format. During
the second installation, I let it run a fast format; in both cases I setup
NTFS.

Yet after BOTH installations, which ran without a hitch until it rebooted
after Finalizing installation, I got the messages described in my original
post on this problem.

I'm not sure whether the error messages I received imply that Windows or
Setup thinks that the CD-ROM I'm using is not the original CD used to
install WindowsXP Pro on that computer, but I'm certain it is the same CD.

So, I still need guidance as to how to overcome this absurd problem.

 

[\ AA Smith\]

Thanks, for your feedback Daryl!

However, I am very familiar with the Repair option to repair an existing
Windows installation. But that option was never presented during my first
attempt today. Somehow, after I replaced the motherboard and processor this
morning, the system thought something was wrong with the hard disk. So,
evidently Setup could not SEE an existing Windows installation.

I've worked on a lot of computers, but I've never had anything like this
happen before.

As of now Setup has formatted my hard disk twice; once for each time I tried
to reinstall WinXP Pro. In both cases, the installation ran without a
hitch. Setup finished the Finalizing Installation step, then rebooted. The
error messages that I described in my original post appeared during the
reboot process following both installations.

Life sure gets tedious sometimes.

 

[da_test]

Thanks, for your feedback Daryl!

However, I am very familiar with the Repair option to repair an existing
Windows installation. But that option was never presented during my first
attempt today. Somehow, after I replaced the motherboard and processor this
morning, the system thought something was wrong with the hard disk. So,
evidently Setup could not SEE an existing Windows installation.

I've worked on a lot of computers, but I've never had anything like this
happen before.

As of now Setup has formatted my hard disk twice; once for each time I tried
to reinstall WinXP Pro. In both cases, the installation ran without a
hitch. Setup finished the Finalizing Installation step, then rebooted. The
error messages that I described in my original post appeared during the
reboot process following both installations.

Life sure gets tedious sometimes.

This is talking about corruption in the system hive part of the
registry. The only instance I've heard about where it can happen
after an install is when XP is having a problem with the disk
controllers.
Do you have your harddrive attached to any special controller
or is it the standard IDE ?
Dave

 

[\ AA Smith\]

Hi, Dave!

I appreciate your interest in this problem,.

The hard drive is attached to a Promise Ultra ATA/100 controller.

 

[Guest]

As long as you have a legit copy of XP it SHOULD boot. But i hate that word
should.

Just some details. Here is how the repair consol works
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

boot up with the winxp floppy disk. then in the console choose repair. then
the computer will take you to a black dos command prompt screen. the computer
will ask you for a password but if you dont have one, just hit enter to skip
it.

then on c: type in "chkdsk /r" without the "". this will take a while
depending on the error. after this is finish, type "fixmbr" also and then
reboot the computer. see if you can get into windows.

i grabbed that from waffleweed who helped sove a problem similar to yours @
http://www.techsupportforum.com/showthread.php?t=47604

It could also be an sp2 problem. There are quote a few, or it could have
been a virus or corrupt file of some kind.

If all else fails MS gives free help installign windows, just tell them its
our first time and they will help

Hope i helped

Cheers

Quintin
MVP wannabe

 

[AA Smith]

Hi, Quintin!

Actually the problem now is that I don't have a hard disk with a working
copy of Windows to Recover. I have formatted the two hard drives 4 or 5
times today, and deleted the main partition each time. So, I could not
benefit from use of the Recovery Console, and I can't simply have Setup
Repair an existing WinXP Pro installation because there isn't any existing
installation of WinXP Pro on that computer on any hard drive.

I have tried to get Setup to run on a 40gb hard drive and I even tried
getting it to install WinXP Pro on a brand new Western Digital 80gb hard
drive, but Setup would not run through to successful com,petition on either
hard drive. Wondering if something might have gone wrong with my
installation CD, I tried running Setup with a spare copy of WinXP Pro (that
is not installed anywhere else,) but that copy of Setup wouldn't run to
completion on the problem computer either.

I have seen your wealth of information on my other post. I'll dig into all
of that tomorrow. Thanks again, for your help!

 

[Malke]

Hi, Quintin!

Actually the problem now is that I don't have a hard disk with a
working
copy of Windows to Recover. I have formatted the two hard drives 4 or
5
times today, and deleted the main partition each time. So, I could
not benefit from use of the Recovery Console, and I can't simply have
Setup Repair an existing WinXP Pro installation because there isn't
any existing installation of WinXP Pro on that computer on any hard
drive.

I have tried to get Setup to run on a 40gb hard drive and I even tried
getting it to install WinXP Pro on a brand new Western Digital 80gb
hard drive, but Setup would not run through to successful com,petition
on either
hard drive. Wondering if something might have gone wrong with my
installation CD, I tried running Setup with a spare copy of WinXP Pro
(that
is not installed anywhere else,) but that copy of Setup wouldn't run
to completion on the problem computer either.

I have seen your wealth of information on my other post. I'll dig into
all
of that tomorrow. Thanks again, for your help!

Check the RAM. Check the power supply. ISTR in your other post you said
something about a new motherboard. If I'm misremembering, check the
motherboard. Failure to install an MS operating system usually means
bad hardware, with faulty RAM being the first suspect.

Malke

 

[da_test]

Hi, Quintin!

Actually the problem now is that I don't have a hard disk with a working
copy of Windows to Recover. I have formatted the two hard drives 4 or 5
times today, and deleted the main partition each time. So, I could not
benefit from use of the Recovery Console, and I can't simply have Setup
Repair an existing WinXP Pro installation because there isn't any existing
installation of WinXP Pro on that computer on any hard drive.

I have tried to get Setup to run on a 40gb hard drive and I even tried
getting it to install WinXP Pro on a brand new Western Digital 80gb hard
drive, but Setup would not run through to successful com,petition on either
hard drive. Wondering if something might have gone wrong with my
installation CD, I tried running Setup with a spare copy of WinXP Pro (that
is not installed anywhere else,) but that copy of Setup wouldn't run to
completion on the problem computer either.

I have seen your wealth of information on my other post. I'll dig into all
of that tomorrow. Thanks again, for your help!

When you load XP are you installing the promise driver?
There's a place during the install where you press F6 and give
it the driver disk.
Dave