Corrupt or System Missing

Hi,

My laptop won't turn on because of the following problem:

\windows\system32\config\system corrupt or missing

I have a few questions.

1) In my move, I have misplaced the original XP-SP2 backup disks. Is there still a way for me to go about creating one when my computer is on the fritz?
2) Is there a way for me to address this without losing all of the data on my computer?
3) How does something like this happen?
4) How do I prevent it from happening in the future?

Thanks!

G.

 

Tim - thanks. I have found my original windows disk but it is embedded with other things (Toshiba package when I purchased my laptop). Is there any way for me to specifically access this information on the disk? If not, is there any way for me to access the information on a different computer and make a disk? Is it a boot disk or something more?

Oh - and last question - how do I prevent this from happening again in the future?

 

That error messege is cause by a corrupt registry. A repiar install is not necessary.

If you do not have the XP CD and have a floppy drive. Download teh XP system disks and create Disk 1. It is the only one you need to access the Recovery Console.

How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks



[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting[/FONT]


[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Please print out these instructions so that you can operate with All Browser Windows CLOSED.[/FONT]

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This article describes how to recover a Windows XP system that does not start because of corruption in the registry. This procedure does not guarantee full recovery of the system to a previous state; however, you should be able to recover data when you use this procedure.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Warning: Do not use the procedure that is described in this article if your computer has an OEM-installed operating system. The system hive on OEM installations creates passwords and user accounts that did not exist previously. If you use the procedure that is described in this article, you may not be able to log back into the recovery console to restore the original registry hives.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]You can repair a corrupted registry in Windows XP. Corrupted registry files can cause a variety of different error messages. See the Microsoft Knowledge Base for articles about error messages that are related to registry issues.

This article assumes that typical recovery methods have failed and access to the system is not available except by using Recovery Console. If an Automatic System Recovery (ASR) backup exists, it is the preferred method for recovery. Microsoft recommends that you use the ASR backup before you try the procedure described in this article.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]NOTE: Make sure to replace all five of the registry hives. If you only replace a single hive or two, this can cause potential issues because software and hardware may have settings in multiple locations in the registry.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]When you try to start or restart your Windows XP-based computer, you may receive one of the following error messages:
[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log or alternate

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]System error: Lsass.exe
When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]The procedure that this article describes uses Recovery Console and System Restore. This article also lists all the required steps in specific order to make sure that the process is fully completed. When you finish this procedure, the system returns to a state very close to the state before the problem occurred. If you have ever run NTBackup and completed a system state backup, you do not have to follow the procedures in parts two and three. You can go to part four.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Download and save [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]regcopy1.txt[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] and [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]regcopy2.txt[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] to Floppy[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Part one[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]In part one, you start the Recovery Console, create a temporary folder, back up the existing registry files to a new location, delete the registry files at their existing location, and then copy the registry files from the repair folder to the System32\Config folder. When you have finished this procedure, a registry is created that you can use to start Windows XP. This registry was created and saved during the initial setup of Windows XP. Therefore any changes and settings that occurred after the Setup program was finished are lost.

To complete part one, follow these steps:

[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]1. Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer. Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]2. When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]4. When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]5. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following commands and press ENTER after each line:[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]copy a:\regcopy1.txt c:\[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]copy a:\regcopy2.txt c:\ [/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]batch regcopy1.txt[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]DO NOT run regcopy2.txt at this time, it is needed latter in Part three of this article.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]6. Type [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]exit[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]NOTE: This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]windows_ folder[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] if it is a different location.[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Part two[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]To complete the procedure described in this section, you must be logged on as an administrator, or an administrative user (a user who has an account in the Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]NOTE Print these instructions before you continue. You cannot view these instructions after you restart the computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system, also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]KB309531[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif].[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]1. Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]2. Press the F8 key.

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]3. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]4. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the arrow keys to select the installation that you want to access, and then press ENTER.

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]In part two, you copy the registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is generally not visible during typical usage. Before you start this procedure, you must change several settings to make the folder visible:

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]1. Start Windows Explorer.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]2. On the Tools menu, click Folder options.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]3. Click the View tab.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]4. Under [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Hidden files and folders[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif], click to select [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Show hidden files and folders[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif], and then click to clear the [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] check box.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]5. Click [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Yes[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]6. Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to display a list of the folders. If is important to click the correct drive.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]7. Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]NOTE This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F- F86E30B3E7F8}".

NOTE You may receive the following error message:[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied. [/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]If you receive this message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and continue with the procedure:[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]309531[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ )[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]8. Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RP[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]x[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] under this folder. These are restore points.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]9. Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder. The following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC- A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot[/FONT]
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10. From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder: [/FONT]

• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM[/FONT]

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11. Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows: [/FONT]

• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM[/FONT]
• [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]
These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file that the Setup program created, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. Therefore, it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time.

The current system configuration is not aware of the previous restore points. You must have a previous copy of the registry from a previous restore point to make the previous restore points available again.

The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in the C:\Windows folder are moved to make sure that the files are available under Recovery Console. You must use these files to replace the registry files currently in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. By default, Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot copy files from the System Volume folder. [/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]NOTE The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system.[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Part Three[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:

[/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]1. Start Recovery Console (or by using a Windows 98 Boot Disk).[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]
2. At the command prompt, type the following command and press ENTER after you type the line: [/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] batch regcopy2.txt[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]
3. Type [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]exit[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts.[/FONT]
[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]NOTE This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]windows_folder[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif] if it is a different location.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Part Four[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]2. Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]3. Click System Restore, and then click [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif]Restore to a previous RestorePoint[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter,serif].[/FONT]

 

Wow - you guys are amazing! Prompt and very knowledgeable. Thank you! I was able to borrow XP - SP2 disks and have it boot to the disk. Instead of giving me system recovery options though - my disk just started to run - which worried me. So I exited the system. Upon restarting my computer, it simply booted normally without triggering an error. When I removed the disk and restarted without it (because I was curious about what would happen), it just started normally without any errors - that I can see. Should I still go through all of the steps outlined because there may still be other errors in my registry that I need to be concerned about?

I am currently in the process of backing up everything on my computer because when/if it happens again, I don't want to be up a creek without a paddle.

How can I prevent this from happening again in the future? Any suggestions?

 

If the system is booting without any error messages, then there is no need to go through the procedure.

As far as preventing that from happening again, there isn't much you can do; other than performing routine maintenance on your system. Defrag your drive, clean the registry periodically.

There are numerous reasons why the registry can become corrupt. System crashes and "hard" shutdowns are among those causes.

 

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll go ahead and try them!

G.

 

That's sort of true, and it's not. Every time you boot windows a portion of the registry gets overwritten, booting from the CD does not preload files. When you began booting the system from the CD it overwrote just enough of the registry to eliminate whatever errors may have existed, thus allowing your system to boot successfully.

Doing as TimW suggests will make sure the physical hard drive is fine, if not it will attempt to fix what errors are found. Some times registry corruption can be caused by drive errors. This is not usually the case.