Help!!! Windows can't load

I'm not sure what is going on, the babysitter was using the computer and now all I can get is a black screen saying the system config file is missing. I don't have my XP disc anymore and don't know what to do. She says she was on kidspix and the screen went blue with an error message(she doesn't know what!) and the computer shut down. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

No it doesn't work in safe mode, unless I am not doing it right!

 

D3m3nt3d is correct without the XP install CD there isn't anything that can be done, as any solutions would need to be done from the recovery console and you need the XP CD to access the recovery console.

 

Thanks for the help! I will borrow a CD and hope it works, the registration number will be different!

 

Well when oyou get the cd heres what you do, u just go in the recovery console and when u get in u just type chkdsk /p let scandisk run, then restart the computer and everything will run.

 

that mean you can chose safe mode for running but it can not run ?
If that's right I think computer has been lost some files : *.ini, such as Win.ini, System.ini
If You can not log in to boot win dows that mean computer has been lost boot.ini file

 

no that means the computer will not run... period. but the system WILL boot from the cd into the recovery console. I have had my kernal go before and the scandisk trick worked beautifully. Its a real easy trick. If you have the account called administrator it will go into that and if you dont use that account it doesnt have any password by default. cause first it will ask you what partition windows is on. (if u only have one windows installation it will be 1) All you have to do when it asks that is press 1 or whatever number its on and press enter. Then it will ask you for the administrator password. (Which the default all you have to do is press enter) Then you will be at the directory: C:/WINNNT: then run chkdsk. (you can also do chkdsk /p but that scans the entire drive and depending on the size and amount of data on the drive that can take forever) so if you just chkdsk and press enter it should fix the boot problem automatically. then just type exit and wait for the computer to restart. Once it does this take the windows start disk out and it should boot up normally. If that fails do a system repair. You do that by going as if you were normally installing windows from scratch and then you will get to a screen will it will look for other installations of windows.
When it sees your other install select it and press r and it should start the repair. Tell me if i solved your problem
PS: Try the scandisk trick first!!!!!!!! Cause the repair takes like a really long time to do and it takes off all windows updates execept for those bundled on the cd. Also sometimes going straight to the repair thing doesnt always work because it may not recognize the volume because of the corruption. (trust me on that one it tried to reformat mine when i had the kernal trouble)
Again, let me know if that helps

 

Hold on. You do not need the CD to use the recovery console, unless there is a filesystem problem (chkdsk is only included on the CD).


http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310994

This will work fine for replacing the registry, in which the original poster is getting a registry error:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545&sd=tech

An fyi for others in this thread. Never, and I do mean never reccomend a repair installation to fix registry problems. It makes the situation irreversible. Repair installs will not fix corrupt registries.

 

Windows XP does not require the legacy files system.ini or win.ini to boot. If the boot.ini was trashed, then the registry error wouldn't be coming up. It would be something entirely different.

 

Thanks Adrynalyne I had forgotten you could use the recovery console from the setup disks.

 

yeah, I know what you mean. these above files are windows configuration when windows login. In this case I just show that Win problems when it can not boot or login.

 

wait... what exactly did you do to get to the recovery console to fix the problem without chkdsk? Well i guess you learn something new every day....

 

I get the feeling you didn't read this thread very closely.

 

Sorry i forgot to read the microsoft information page... So i guess you download those files and made floppys that the system can boot setup from instead of the cd... and that takes you directly to the recovery console i presume. And thats how you did it without the disk. Heres some command that will rewrite certain boot files to run the os.
fixboot- re-writes your bootsector files
fix mbr- rewrites the master boot record
there are others all you need to do is type help and you should get a list of more.
lemme know if it helps ya
ps: WARNING: DO NOT USE THOSE COMMANDS IF YOU HAVE A SPLIT BOOT WITH ANOTHER OS IN IT (ie: windows and linux) IT MAY REWRITE THE BOOTLOADER FOR THE OPERATEING SYSTEM.

 

Don't use these commands period. This is not the problem. Read all of the thread, and related articles.

 

This is a registry error, as seen here:

Be it filesystem, or registry damage, either one lies past the MBR and bootosector. Rebuilding either isn't going to help.

 

oh I c it is a registry problem/ missing file. So how would you go about fixing it. Sorry bout this im just a little confused. I know some stuff but not everything.

 

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545&sd=tech

this article.

if the filesystem is damaged, chkdsk will be needed, of course.

 

Oh ok now i think i understand it. The problem is a file system error and you have to use the recovery console to run a chkdsk on the system to fix it?

 

No, it is a registry error there is no need to run chkdsk; unless there is a problen with the file system.

 

Oh ok so how would you find the bad registry entries and rewrite them?

 

You don't...

You follow the article I've posted twice in this thread.

 

The following errors indicated registry problems.

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log or alternate

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.

The Below Microsoft Article decribes how to correct the above errors.
How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting

 

oh ok so its a registry problem and that windows article explains how to fix it.

 

YES!

 

Halejuila! I Figured It Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!