help windows wont start
 

just switched on my main pc and its come up with this,

windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt :
\windows\system32\config\system
then it talks about repairing it with the setup disc how do i do that?

Re: help windows wont start
 

Depends how computer saavy you are - it's not a trivial recovery :(
This is an MS KB article here which you could follow. You will need your WinXP setup disk - hope you have one.
Alternatively, if you are not confident messing with recovery consoles, you may need to take it to a decent local computer repair shop.

---------- Post added at 13:50 ---------- Previous post was at 13:48 ----------

The last time I had this was due to a disk hardware problem, so it 'might' not be the only corruption.

Re: help windows wont start
 

Thanks Aragorn I'll have a look at it, I've never used the recovery console before but I wont let the panic set in until i've read it! lol

Re: help windows wont start
 

just do a repair install of xp its simplest way,
By the time you read and digest instructions the repair install will be finished lol

Re: help windows wont start
 

I've just read the KB and it looks scarey!do you mean overwrite it or do a completely new installation? if I can overwrite it where does it give me the option to do it?

Re: help windows wont start
 

Well The person(Paul) who usually rides to my rescue is not online at the moment.But Zingy is pretty helpful and in fact has won one of the the Most Helpful Post awards in the past.:tu: I bet he can get you sorted.If he's not too busy.;)

Re: help windows wont start
 

You can do a repair install like this -
Start the computer from the XP Setup CD
Press ENTER to set up Windows XP, and then press R to repair the selected installation.
It will try to rebuild the registry and load XP over the top of your existing files, but will keep programs intact and most of your settings. Iirc, if your setup disk is not SP2 you would need reapply the SP afterwards.

Re: help windows wont start
 

Oh dear! this is what i get

Re: help windows wont start
 

is it a sata drive? can you get into bios and check the status of the hard drive there? Can you boot from the xp cd either by setting cd to boot first in bios or pressing f11 and selecting cd rom?

Re: help windows wont start
 

Are you still getting the same error when you try to start without the CD, eg 'system file missing or corrupt'? or does the BIOS fail to find the disk as well?
It could be the boot sector (MBR) or partition table has been corrupted. Either way it's not looking hopeful.
Can you get into the recovery console and login to to the windows installation?

Re: help windows wont start
 

I've just had a thought it might be because my hard drives are in a raid array and I need to do the F6 to install the driver

Re: help windows wont start
 

Zing - that window is from the XP setup - eg it does boot from the CD!

---------- Post added at 15:31 ---------- Previous post was at 15:30 ----------

Yes - if the RAID driver isn't on your CD, you would need to F6 it.

Re: help windows wont start
 

yeah I know thats why I asked if its a sata drive.

Re: help windows wont start
 

Aragorn - the bios finds the HDDs Zinglebarb I'm using the laptop at the mo

Re: help windows wont start
 

so you got 2 drives in an array is the array striped or mirrored? it sounds to me like 1 of the drives is fubared and the array has broken. Can you access your raid controls and see if this is the case? If it is then you have to assertain which drive has died and remove this and create a single drive.This of course is worst case just how it sounds to me

Hope to be found to be totally wrong and an total noob on this of course ;)

Re: help windows wont start
 

You aren't using the built-in RAID on an NForce mobo are you (NVRaid)? That's what corrupted my Raid 1 array!

Re: help windows wont start
 

the sata drives are striped and they are only a few months old, do you mean the raid configuration utility in the bios?

---------- Post added at 15:47 ---------- Previous post was at 15:46 ----------

yes I am it's an abit AN7 mobo

Re: help windows wont start
 

yes. If the drive is striped it will show as 1 drive if the array is broken the drive in theory will not show in setup as its broken. The array could be damaged or a drive died in the array showing windows as a broken hdd,This in turn will show why files are missing or corrupt when you try to boot

Re: help windows wont start
 

Try this page out:-

http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=313


EDIT: Sorry, just noticed this is a RAID issue.

Re: help windows wont start
 

this what you mean?

Re: help windows wont start
 

The AN7 uses a Silicon Image controller, not the NVRaid I had probs with.

That Pic looks like the RAID bios screen. What does it say about the Striped set - healthy, degraded? Can't see in the pic.

Re: help windows wont start
 

It's showing as healthy, both drives appear in the top part on SI BIOses when this is so. You will need the driver to F6 when using an XP CD though. I would have put this down to a corrupted registry, which you could try rolling back (http://www.winternals.com/Products/R...r/Default.aspx) or try making a WinbootCD (PE type disk) and booting from it and using the registry rollback tool.

Re: help windows wont start
 

Guess who can't find their driver disk! I'll have to go and find it, I'll let you know how I get on when I do and thank you all for the help

Re: help windows wont start
 

it will be a floppy anyway.You will be able to download the floppy iso and create one anyway

Re: help windows wont start
 

http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/...es=1&model=158

Re: help windows wont start
 

that is what I was going to look for but its 3 meg in size so I'll need to put it on a cd I assume

Re: help windows wont start
 

The zip file contains a 'disk' subdirectory which is the 270Kb you need on the floppy disk. The rest is for installing once Windows is running.

Re: help windows wont start
 

Thanks mate and consider yourself repped:D

Re: help windows wont start
 

So is there a Helpful Post nomination here? :)

Re: help windows wont start
 

Just want to say thanks to Aragorn, Zinglebarb and every one else who has tried to help, I'm now back using my main pc, I did a repair overwrite and the only thing that appears to have got corrupted is my AVG antivirus, everything else appears to have survived.

Incognitas, I think you are right so how do I do that?

Re: help windows wont start
 

I think she is offline atm, so I hope she won't mind me butting in :)

Right click on the post number in the top right hand corner of the post you want to nominate & choose 'copy shortcut' from the context menu.

Then find the 'Helpful Post' thread in the 'Website Discussion' forum & post a reply, i.e. type the name of your nominee & paste in the shortcut you copied.

- job done :)

Re: help windows wont start
 

Actually spiderplant already did it..;) Sorry but I was rendering a very intensive image,took me all afternoon to get it right.

Re: help windows wont start
 

He saved me the job then! I love the avatar btw love

Re: help windows wont start
 

Actually that would have been me;)

Re: help windows wont start
 

Sorry! Had a senior moment there.;)

Re: help windows wont start
 

This exact same thing just happened to me.. have there been any large discoveries in fixing this or am I just going to have to repair?

---------- Post added at 11:58 ---------- Previous post was at 11:56 ----------

On the upside, i'm considering using linux - windoze seems to be more unstable than a female teenager with self-esteem issues. -.-

Re: help windows wont start
 

Is there a button for the most sensible idea somewhere i wonder?????

:D

EDIT:Steady now zing;)

Re: help windows wont start
 

Well I always find NOT to muck around with RAID to be the best way. XP and Vista are, in the main, perfectly stable.

Re: help windows wont start
 

I didn't read the entire thread, but I haven't touched RAID in the slightest :(

Re: help windows wont start
 

I have no problem at all with anyone who wishes to use Nix. Lemony is a very clever lad. He didnt say Hey I have a windows install and need help fixing it and then was met with "try linux" posts ergo I would not have a problem so no need to steady me ;)

Re: help windows wont start
 

I'm just sick of the XP instability with the memory/motherboard/machine i've spent money on so tbh I'd rather try something else that may actually give me some stable results and won't cock up after a few months of use :td:

Re: help windows wont start
 

Good luck to ya mate and hope all is well :)

Re: help windows wont start
 

No worries zing ok.:)
Lets at least be able to mention alternative OS options though without it being a problem.Sorry for the "steady" thing btw......i`m tooooooo much of a joker at times it seems.

Anyway,if an OP ever finds any suggestions of using alternative operating systems out of the question then i`m sure they themselves can inform the posters doing the recommending.They really dont need anyone else making assumptions on their behalf.

Of course someone struggling in the midst of some XP nightmare certainly dont need to hear about Linux at that moment but someone ....say, with a blank drive to start out......thats slightly different me thinks;)

Personally,learning how to use our computers is much more fun than learning how to just keep them usable.Thats all i seemed to do during the short time i actually had Windows.

Re: help windows wont start
 

what's the spec kid and what problem are you having? ie symptoms.

---------- Post added at 00:42 ---------- Previous post was at 00:39 ----------

Very clever doesn't even go half. He's a smart kid, shame he likes "neer" really.