XP unable to start up due to missing or corrupt file

[Guest]

I am having difficulty starting up Win XP Home, hopefully someone could point
me in the right direction on resolving this issue. During start up, an error
comes up stating, "Windows could not start because the following file is
missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" then it goes on to say "You can attempt to
repair this file by starting windows setup using the original setup CD-ROM."
So, I insert the original disk, setup begins, then asks to either set up Win
XP, repair Win XP, or quit setup. If I choose to either set up or repair Win
XP I get a REGISTRY_ERROR the technical info is *** STOP: 0x00000051
(0x00000003,0x00000001, 0x00006000,0xE11EB060)

I am unable to start the machine up in safe mode, unable to access the
screen that allows you to do so on start up, the original error comes up
before that, but I am able to access the bios. Now this is where I'm at a
loss, if anyone could point me in the right direction to resolve this issue I
would appriciate it. Thanks.

 

[Jon]

Could try pressing f8 on startup and choosing "Last known good
configuration" from the menu

Jon

 

[Guest]

when I do press F8 on start up and select any of the available options
including "Last known good configuration," "Safe mode," etc. the error
comes up stating "Windows could not start because the following file is
missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" then it goes on to say
"You can attempt to repair this file by starting windows setup using the
original setup CD-ROM." and then the later problem arises. Thoughts???

 

[Malke]

when I do press F8 on start up and select any of the available options
including "Last known good configuration," "Safe mode," etc. the
error
comes up stating "Windows could not start because the following file
is
missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" then it goes on
to say
"You can attempt to repair this file by starting windows setup using
the
original setup CD-ROM." and then the later problem arises.
Thoughts???

Here's a place you can research your Stop Error:

http://www.aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm

It wouldn't hurt to do a RAM test, either. I like Memtest86 from
www.memtest86.com. Make either a bootable floppy or bootable cd and
boot with the media. The test will run immediately. Let it run (unless
you get errors right away) for a few hours at least. If you get errors,
replace the RAM.

Malke

 

[Nepatsfan]

You might want to take a look here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

I am unable to access the Recovery Console command prompt to attempt to
resolve that issue, due to the stop error and from what I have read all the
fixes are for Win 2000 and require me to login to the machine, which I am
unable to do. Is there a way to reformat the drive without using the Win XP
disks??

 

[Nepatsfan]

Download the Win98se file from here: www.bootdisk.com and create a bootable
floppy. You'll be able to format a FAT32 partition. If your disk is
formatted with NTFS, you're going to have to use the FDISK command to delete
any non-DOS partitions and create new ones which you can then format as
FAT32. HTH.

Nepatsfan

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I am having difficulty starting up Win XP Home, hopefully someone
could point me in the right direction on resolving this issue.
During start up, an error comes up stating, "Windows could not start
because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" then it goes on to say "You can
attempt to repair this file by starting windows setup using the
original setup CD-ROM." So, I insert the original disk, setup
begins,
then asks to either set up Win XP, repair Win XP, or quit setup. If
I choose to either set up or repair Win XP I get a REGISTRY_ERROR
the
technical info is *** STOP: 0x00000051 (0x00000003,0x00000001,
0x00006000,0xE11EB060)

I am unable to start the machine up in safe mode, unable to access
the
screen that allows you to do so on start up, the original error
comes
up before that, but I am able to access the bios. Now this is where
I'm at a loss, if anyone could point me in the right direction to
resolve this issue I would appriciate it. Thanks.

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

Once you've recovered, you might want to look here, as well:

How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822705

--

Bruce Chambers

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