so, I tried to boot xp this morning, only to receive the message:
windows\system32\config\system file is missing or corrupt.
I have seen many methods to correct this, only I do not have the xp cd ora
recovery cd.
Have tried to set to last k nown good configuration etc... only I cannot
move the cursor to access any of the options.
I am now at my wits end and in desperate need of help!
Any suggestions would be very gratefully received.
Eliminate or repair possible file system corruption from a power
failure,
ungraceful shutdown or aborted restart.
Have any of these events occured?
You should firs boot your PC into the XP Recovery Console using a
bootable
XP installation CD or a bootable CD with the XP Recovery Console on
it.
You can make a bootable Recovery Console CD by downloading an ISO file
and burning it to a CD.
The same XP Recovery Console commands can be run from the bootable
Recovery Console CD.
The bootable ISO image file you need to download is called:
xp_rec_con.iso
Download the ISO file from here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ueyyzfymmig
Use this free and easy program to create your bootable CD:
http://www.imgburn.com/
It would be a good idea to test your bootable CD on the computer that
is
working.
You may need to adjust the computer BIOS settings to use the CD ROM
drive
as the first boot device instead of the hard disk. These adjustments
are
made before Windows tries to load. If you miss it, you will have to
reboot
the system again.
When you boot on the CD, follow the prompts:
Press any key to boot from CD...
The Windows Setup... will proceed.
Press 'R' to enter the Recovery Console.
Select the installation you want to access (usually 1: C:\WINDOWS)
You may be asked to enter the Administrator password (usually empty).
You should be in the C:\SYSTEM folder. This is the same as the
C:\WINDOWS folder you see in explorer.
RC allows basic file commands - copy, rename, replace, delete,
cd, chkdsk, fixboot, fixmbr, etc.
From the command prompt window run the chkdsk command on the drive
where
Windows is intalled to try to repair any problems on the afflicted
drive.
Running chkdsk is fine to run even if it doesn't find any problems.
Assuming your boot drive is C, run the following command:
chkdsk C: /r
Let chkdsk finish and correct any problems it might find. It may take
a long
time to complete or appear to be 'stuck'. Be patient. If the HDD
light is
still flashing, it is doing something. Keep an eye on the percentage
amount to
be sure it is still making progress.
Remove the CD and type 'exit' to leave the RC and restart the
computer.
You do not have to adjust the BIOS again to boot on the HDD since the
CD will
not be present.
Here is additional information about how to start Recovery Console:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058
Here is additional information about the Recovery Console commands
you
will be using:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058
You can consider adding RC as a boot option to your system.
A good idea (now that you have had this experience) is to create a
bootable
XP installation CD with the latest Service Pack already installed.
