Random crashing/corrupt system files

Firstly, I am running:
AMD 3000 on ASUS a78nx
1 GB PC3200 Crucial
160 GB Samsung Spinpoint HDD
20 GB Maxtor HDD
GeForce FX 5700 by PNY
300 W PSU
Onboard LAN and Sound
Windows XP Pro SP2
McAfee AV software
Adaware
Spybot S&D

My computer is randomly restarting and sometimes when it restarts it fails to boot stating that c:\windows\system is missing or corrupted. I run my XP cd recovery console and run the command 'fixboot' and that fixes the booting problem temporarily. I have a 300 Watt PSU, is that enough for my machine and could it be causing my problems? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

This is a registry problem, the below Microsoft article will describe the problem and how to fix it.

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting

 

Many, many thanks. I think this is the most *annoying* problem that I have encountered with computers.

 

not to take over your thread or anything...but my comp freezes and sometimes freezes and restarts...for absolutely no reason...i just did a fresh reinstall of windows...it just freezes at completely random points. helP?

 

Are you receiving any error messages?
What OS and Service Pack Level do you have installed?

Do the following:

Right-click My Computer

Select Properties

Click-on Advanced tab

Startup and Recovery click-on Settings

In Startup and recovery window under System Failure UNCHECK Automatically Restart

You will now be able to view error messages without the computer restarting.

 

btw...all my stuff is in my sig...but in case you cant see it, i have xp pro sp2. and no, i get no error messages whatsoever.

 

I read several threads a day. I don't look at sigs to find info that should be in the post.

Did you disable Automaticcaly Restart option. That way the next time it crashes you will see any error messages the system generates.

 

Re: can't find directory

Hi
I read this thread and tried to follow the directions on the XP problem. I started with the XP CD, made a backup copy of the files but when I tried to do the third step, restore to C:windows it said it could not find the files. I don't think I have installed XP in any other folder than C: and even if I did, would I have been able to find and copy the system files in the previous 2 steps?

BTW-my problem is my Dell PC keeps restarting...it won't stop. It gets to the Desktop and then it whirrs and shuts down and restarts. I thought it was a hardware problem so I rebooted with a Linux CD to see if everything works...it does. I want to make a copy of some of my files in My Documents folder before I wipe and reload XP and my software.

Why couldn't I complete the instructions given here? Any ideas?

 

Re: can't find directory

Your not retoring the files to C:\Windows but to C:\Windows\System32\Config

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting
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Please print out these instructions so that you can operate with All Browser Windows CLOSED.
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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.

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.

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.

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.

When you try to start or restart your Windows XP-based computer, you may receive one of the following error messages:

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 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.

Download and save regcopy1.txt and regcopy2.txt to Floppy

Part one

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:

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.

2. When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.

3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.

4. When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.

5. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following commands and press ENTER after each line:

copy a:\regcopy1.txt c:\

copy a:\regcopy2.txt c:\

batch regcopy1.txt

DO NOT run regcopy2.txt at this time, it is needed latter in Part three of this article.

6. Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.

NOTE: This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_ folder if it is a different location.

Part Two

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.

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 KB309531.

1. Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).

2. Press the F8 key.

On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.

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.

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:

1. Start Windows Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Folder options.

3. Click the View tab.

4. Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)

5. Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.

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.

7. Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder.

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:

check box. C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.

If you receive this message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and continue with the procedure:

309531 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/) How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder

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 "RPx under this folder. These are restore points.

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:

C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot

10. From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder:

· _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT

· _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY

· _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE

· _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM

· _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM


11. Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows:

· Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT

· Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY

· Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE

· Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM

· Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM

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.

NOTE The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system.

Part Three

In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:

1. Start Recovery Console (or by using a Windows 98 Boot Disk).

2. At the command prompt, type the following command and press ENTER after you type the line:

batch regcopy2.txt

3. Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts.

NOTE This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.

Part Four

1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.

2. Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.

3. Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous RestorePoint.

 

I typed the whole command as posted in the instructions...and it gave me a message that it couldn't find the file. It seemed ok for the first and second set of commands that is why I don't understand why the third set of commands doesn't work.

 

it doesn't work in the third set of commands here

I followed the instructions posted on this thread, and at this point:

At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
>>THESE EXECUTED OK>>
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak
<<THESE EXECUTED OK>>
delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default
<<THESE DID NOT WORK--I got a message saying it could not find the files or such>>
copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

Any idea why? I checked and doublechecked my typing.

 

Re: it doesn't work in the third set of commands here

Boot from your Linux CD. And see if the directory Windows\Repair exists, if so does it contain the above files. If the answer is no to either one of those you can try a repair install, if that fails then you are going to have to do a clean install.

 

OK, it looks like I will have to do a clean install...does that mean my files are toast? I had my boyfriend's resume and my last pics from London (not backed up) :-( The rest I have backups for so it won't matter.

 

You can use you Linux CD to backup those files, I am assuming your a using a Knoppix 'Live CD'.

 

If you have access to a second pc, you could add the 'problem' as a slave and access files that way.

This serves 3 purposes:

1. Gives you a chance to recover documents you may wish to keep.
2. Lets you edit system files on the 'problem' drive (as descibed above).
3. Lets you carry out other health checks on the drive.

If you are suffering the problem as listed above and you can get your drive into a different PC, then simply running CHKDSK may fix the installation.

What worked for me:
I added my son's hard drive into an external USB drive case. Hot plugged it into my own system. After XP had installed the relevant drivers, the drive became available in MyComputer.

Then goto START then RUN and type chkdsk F: /f
(where F: is your 'problem' drive letter.)
XP may ask to unmount the drive, just agree.
After CHKDSK has finished, your drive should be ok again and ready to replace back into your PC.

I hope this helps someone.

Mike