Windows\system32\config\system missing!!!

Hi, I have a Toshiba Laptop loaded with Windows XP Home Edition and it has been subjected the elements of the Iraqi desert for several years. Lastnight it locked up outside in the heat and humidity so I did a hard shutdown. Upon reboot I recieved the following message: /windows/system32/config/system is missing or corrupt. I have an OEM XP disc from another PC so I can boot from the cd and I can get to recovery console and C:\. I have tried everything in the related threads, the microsoft links contained therein and everything I found thru Google, still just dead ends. Ran chkdsk, found errors, ran chkdsk /r, fixed the errors, the problem remains. I am wondering, is there a way I can get my hands on that missing system file because that specific file is not on my XP disc? Possibly rename and repair/rebuild or something like that? Or, is my hard drive completely shot, if so can I get my files out thru another PC? I have over 3000 pics and video from my deployments in Iraq, and about 35,000 songs. I know I should have backed up but I can't lose those files now. Any experienced help I can get on this would be greatly appreciated! Gracies son, Dave. Thanks so much!!!

 

Hello,
This is a method to get your data off the hard drive. Not a fix for the system issue. You can download a small linux distro. I prefer Puppy because it small and does everything you need it to do. Download the iso of Puppy and then burn the iso image with ImgBurn or equivalent software.

Boot the Puppy CD and you will see your hard drive in the bottom left of the screen. Click it once and it should automatically mount for you. Then, connect a USB flash key or external hard drive. An icon should appear for the usb drive. Then just drag and drop the files and folders you want to the flash key. Copy, not move.

Hopefully your hard drive is not defective.

Edit: What you have is corrupted registry. You can try to go back to an earlier date by using the following procedure. It is quite lengthy and if you are not comfortable editing the registry, you can try to do a system restore using another piece of software called ERD commander. Let me know if you are interested in using ERD.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

 

Sorry,
I forgot the most obvious fix. :-o Did you go into safe mode by pressing F8 at startup and select "Last Known Good Configuration"?

 

Good evening, Thank you for the prompt reply! Yes, I have tried all the options in the F8 menu. I will follow the instructions in you're first post regarding the Puppy dnld. I'm used to lengthy procedures so when..... "IF" I can get the files out that I need to salvage, then I will try using you're ERD procedure. I am learning so much about my PC so I am looking forward to it. I am a supervising Electronic Technician so this might help me at work too. I need to run out and get a flash drive because mine is Army issue. It's password protected and requires loading software to access it. I will post my outcome tommorow evening.

Thank you again!!! Dave

 

Tgell, Something just hit me. Can't I copy the registry hives to a tmp file, delete and rebuild/ repair them? I thought I read something like that in another posted link.
Thanks! Dave

 

You cannot rebuild them but you can restore the ones that were backed up by system restore. That was the link I referenced in my first post. But, the ERD method is a lot easier to do. Hopefully you had System Restore enabled. If ERD does not work, then you will have to do a repair install with an XP install CD. Or, once you get off all of the info you need with Puppy, there may be a restore partition on your computer. Using that, it would take it back to the factory state when purchased.

On thing about Puppy. When first booted, clicking on the drive in the left should automatically mount the drive. When you connect a USB flash drive or external drive another icon will appear after a bit. Clicking that drive will cause another dialog box to appear. Click the tab showing the USB drive and click mount.

Maybe it is too late but if you live near a Best Buy, they are selling a PNY 8GB flash drive this week for $10.

Edit: I would recommend that you try the Puppy CD first to see if you can access your hard drive.

 

Thank you, I have burned the OS you linked me to and got it running on the laptop. I can access my HD and I can see every file in there. I think I'm gonna need something a little bigger than a flash drive. Turns out the total file size I need to keep is around 25G, lol! I needed to get an external HD anyway. I'm going shopping at Best Buy this friday. I'm afraid to try any repairs until my files are safe. Thanks again!!!

 

Hello tgell, I have succesfully removed all the files I needed from my hard drive...THANK YOU! I moved on to try and repair or reinstall using an XP disc from another PC. I think it's registered to that system because I tried every which way I can think of to install and it still won't work. I don't have the OEM disc for this laptop so I am going to try the ERD link. It says don't use if you have an OEM installed version of XP, which I do, because you may not be able to log back in. What do you say? Do I do it anyway? Thanks Again! Dave

 

I have a realted problem: My Windows XP is giving me the following error:
The application or DLL C:Windows/System 32/Winhttp.dll is not a validwindows image.
Please checkagainst your instalation diskette. Google.exe Bad Image
I am also getting the error: Google Update instalation failed error 0x80040890

Do You Have any clue as to what I can do to fix this??? Thanks, Jim

 

Glad you got your files. Okay, now for the next step. This might not work because you have tried a reinstall already. If not there is still a chance we can go back to a factory state. Even though it is an OEM installation, it should work if the restore points are still valid.

Go to this link and download the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset. The site is german but the software will be in english. What you are interested in is the ERD commander iso that it will put on your hard drive as explained here.

After you download the file, install it. It will put an iso file in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset\erd50.iso It will be a 30 day demo but it you will only need it to do a system restore. Now that you have the iso file, burn it with Imgburn at no higher than 8x speed. You can also burn the iso image with Nero if you have it or any burner program that will burn an image file. Just remember that you cannot just copy the iso file to a CD. You will know that you did it right if after you burn the iso file, you can see a number of files on the CD.

Now boot the CD you created and use the software to do a system restore.

Go to Start and select System Tools>System Restore. If you have a Restore Point available, the date on the calender will be bold. Restore a date just prior to the problem you had.

http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/perform-system-restore-rollback-on-non-bootable-xp-computer/

 

Hi Jim, I've never seen that before. This link may help you: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...8f16-367e-e011-9b4b-68b599b31bf5?tab=MoreHelp

 

Great, I'll do that right away! Thanks!

 

Ok, I did all that, tried to boot from CD and it says, "STOP: c000021a {Fatal System Error} The Windows Logon Process system process terminated unexpectedly with a status of 0x00000080 (0x00000000 0x00000000). The system has been shut down. Now I'm starting to worry! Any ideas?! Thanks

 

I am not sure why it would do that booting from the CD. This is a Winlogon failure. How far into the boot did it go before it bluescreened. Try burning the iso again but at a slower speed. The one you just burned may have been corrupted.

Edit: If it fails again, there is another download we can use but it is quite large. Download Hirens boot cd and unzip the iso file. Burn at 4x speed. See if you can boot with it.

 

The black Windows XP Home Edition screen came up with status bar showing loading progress. Then it went to light blue, blank screen 10 seconds later, then to dark blue screen with the error message about 15 seconds later. I will try burning again at slower speed, was 5x, I'll try 4x or 3x. I can writed over the one I just created, right? It's a DVD-RW. Thanks

 

Okay, See my post #14. Do you have any CD-R's that you can burn to. I am going to look at mine erd commander. I cannot remember it having XP Home Edition at boot.

 

No I don't, I only bought DVD-rw. Just tried 4x and it gave some error message, I don't recall what it said. I'm going to try 2x one more time. I think this CD drive is only capable of 2x anyway. Also, I forgot to mention, when I turn the power on and press F12 to boot from CD, I select CD and hit Enter. It doesn't say "Press any key to boot from CD" on the next screen like it always did before. Like it doesn't even see the disc, it just keeps trying to restart windows setup. Thanks

 

Ok, burned at 2x, tried to boot CD and same error msg. It won't recognize the CD. I'll take another shot at it tommorow morning with the other link you posted. Let me know if I must use CD-R instead of DVD-RW. Goodnight and Thanks!

 

I just burned and booted the erd iso file. There is a white progress bar at the bottom during boot that says starting erd commander. There is no Windows Home Edition shown. I think what is happening is that you are not booting from the DVD and it it then boots to the hard drive. You said you tried to do a reinstall. I think you are seeing that install trying to boot up. Can you still boot from the Puppy CD. Just wondering if something got changed when you tried to do a reinstall.

 

thanks for the help! I will try it in the morning! Jim

 

Hello jag123059,
That post was for @gracie312. I do not know if will help your situation. Please start a new thread with your problem. It gets too confusing with two unrelated problems in the same thread.

 

Yeah, that seems to be exactly what's happening. I can still boot the puppy CD, it's running now. It looks like all the Windows system files are still intact. I don't get why it won't recognize the ERD disc. You want me to try the Hirens boot cd? Thanks

 

Edit: misread your post. Okay, if you can boot puppy, download Hirens and burn the iso file.

We can also try to return the computer to it's factory state if you wish.

 

Okay, I'm losing patience with this laptop. I can boot only the puppy cd, it just won't even recognize either of the two boot cd's. It just keeps trying to run windows. Is there some command I can enter at C:\ to run the cd? I was supposed to burn the unzipped Hirens as an image file, right? If we can get it back to the factory state, that would be great! Thanks

 

Correct. Unzip the Hirens boot CD and you get the iso file. Then burn this iso file with burner software that can burn an image. Try to burn it at the no faster than 4X speed and use a CD-R disk. Also, can you go into your computer's BIOS and make sure that boot from CD is the first selection. I am not sure what key Toshiba uses but it may be the DEL key. I can not understand why only puppy is booting. There is one more thing we can try if booting from the CD does not work. We can try to boot from a USB key.

Other than looking at the BIOS and making sure you boot from CD before the hard drive, there is no command to make a cd boot.

If you want to restore the computer to the way it was when first purchased, you can try to do a factory restore. If your computer has the recovery partition on it, power down the computer. Press the 0 (zero) key and keep it pressed as you power on. Release the zero key when you see the warning screen. Only do this if you are absolutely sure you have taken all your data off including emails if you use an offline email reader like outlook or outlook express.

 

I found a few CD-R's but the minimum supported write speed is 8x. Will that be ok? Thanks

 

Yes,
that should be okay. But before you do another burn, were you able to check the boot order in BIOS?

 

Yes. I pressed Esc at powerup then F1. I changed the order to CD first. I will re burn Hirens and try again. Actually, I think I'll try ERD first. If that doesn't work, I'll try Hirens. Thanks

 

You might want to see if the DVD you tried before will now work before you do another burn.

 

Tried the ERD DVD, then the Hirens CD-R at 8x, neither works. The screen says Intel Boot Agent...Establishing Link.....Media Test....Failure, Check Cable. I changed the boot order to CD-ROM->LAN->HDD->FDD. HDD Priority = Built-In HDD->PC Card, Network Boot Protocol = PXE. Still won't work. But, I can still boot the puppy cd.

 

Establishing Link.....Media Test....Failure usually means it is trying to look at the network. Which means it is bypassing the CD. I really do not understand what is happening here, especially since puppy boots okay. And, it does not look like the BIOS can support boot from USB.

When you look on the CD with ERD what files are in the root directory of the CD?

 

Files Currently on the CD: Documents and Settings, I386, bootsect, license, win51, win51is, win51is.sp1 and winbom.

 

That looks ok. Since you burned this on another computer, have you tried booting the CD from there? I believe it will boot.

Before we go any farther with this. I need to know if the restore points are still on your computer. I should of done this sooner. sorry.

Boot up puppy and go to the following location

In the root directory of the hard drive

System Volume Information

Then open the subfolder in System Volume Information.

It should look something like this,

_restore{B953E33D-89C7-4CCF-B556-D9BD04D399F8}

in this folder there should be folders with a RP and number. Do you have these?

Edit I would change the boot order to this:CD-ROM->HDD->FDD->LAN

 

Okay, I will try to boot the CD on the PC I used to make it. It takes at least 10-12 minutes to reboot this PC. It's very slow. Have to log out. I'll be right back. Thanks

 

In the System Volume Information folder, there is a subfolder called EfaData, tracking.log, and MountPointManagerRemoteDatabase. In the subfolder EfaData there is SYMEFA.DB. Nothing in here looks like restore.

 

Well,
I am sorry but it does not look like you will be able to restore to an earlier date as you do not have the restore points. I should have thought of this sooner. The only option is the factory restore or a repair install but to do that you need the OEM disk for your specific computer brand because their are activation issues.

Do you still want to try a factory restore where is sets everything back to the day it was bought? Toshiba has a web site where you can order the restore CD's for a nominal charge. This is if the computer is newer than 2006.

 

I GOT IT! I disabled the built in LAN in BIOS so it had no other option but to boot from CD. Then I rebooted with the Hirens CD and It came right up. What's next?

 

Okay,
If I can remember correctly, there is an icon that says HBCD tools. Double click that and a box will come up. Click Programs>Registry or Registry Tools >Registry Restore Wizard.

A box will come up showing it being expanded. Then follow the prompts. It will ask which OS to scan. It will be c:\Windows - first on the list. Then click next and you should see some dates for restore points.

 

It's showing a long list on a black screen. Mini Windows XP, DOS programs, Linux.....etc. It doesn't show HBCD tools. Do I have to open one of these options first? EDIT: I see, Custom Menu... (Use HBCDCustomizer to add your files), is that it?

 

If there are no dates, there is still a chance for recovery as outlined in my first post; Try the solution here using MinXP.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

 

Yes, on that long list highlight minixp with your arrow keys and hit enter.

 

OK, I hit MiniXP and it says find --set-root /HBCD/XP/XP.BIN, Error 15: File not found, anyy key to continue.

 

I have that file on my Hirens CD. I am not sure what is happening. If you put the CD in your other computer, do you have that file? If so, what size it it. Right click>properties. It should be 370,268 bytes.

Maybe the burner you are using has a problem. Can you get anybody else to burn the iso file.

 

I will check the Hirens file size on the other PC. Do you want me to go back to using ERD now that I can boot from CD?

 

You can try Erd commander. Hopefully it will work.

 

On the Hirens disc I found HBCD Menu (icon) and HBCD Customizer.

 

Right, but unless you can get minixp loaded, HBCD menu will not work. What did ERD commander do?

 

ERD did nothing and now I can't even get the Hirens disc to load again. I think you're right, I need to get some very good copies burned of these discs, burned at a very slow speed. I'm gonna have to try again tomorrow after work. Thanks so much for all the help and for you're patience with me, I appreciate it. I'll get back to you as soon as I have some progress with what you already told me to do. Thanks

 

Hello tgell! Well, I'm just getting back to working on my laptop today. I wanted to try the command C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, just to see what happens. I put the XP recovery disc in and went to recovery console and this time it asked for Administrator Password, which I do not have. It never asked me that before during these repairs. What do you think is the quickest way to get past this password issue? If this command doesn't get me anywhere, I will try ERD & Hirens a few more times by reburning the CD's then I'll have to contact toshiba for the OEM XP disc. Do you think my hard drive is shot? I don't think it is because I can still see and move the files on it via the Linux OS cd. Thanks much!!! BTW, I was wondering where you're located, in the U.S. or another country?

 

Just hit enter when it asks for an admin password. That should work. Good job with the C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe That is another way to get to system restore with the recovery disk.