What happens if you switch the two sticks of memory? If the system chokes it almost certainly means one stick is bad. If not, you may want to check your BIOS settings, see if a newer BIOS is available, or try different slot combinations.
Memtest-86 would go a long way towards answering these questions.
You know what, I've posted it this many times.. Im going to put it in my signature!
Hi, I'm having the same problem as others in this thread, however when i try to repair the system file it says that the file can't be found . Any suggestions on how else to fix this?
Hi, I'm having the same problem as others in this thread, however when i try to repair the system file it says that the file can't be found . Any suggestions on how else to fix this?
Thanks
(Kelly's Korner) If you cannot run the preceding command successfully (because the file is missing), skip to step 3
Unfortunately, the steps don't appear to be labeled. Is there any other info in the error message you're getting?
"windows could not start because the following file is mising or corrupt:
\windows\sytem32\config\system"
I used the recovery cd i have to get into the Recovery console. I then hit 'r' and attempt to fix the problem by typing "cd c:\windows\system32\config" then "copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system"
After i hit enter it comes up with the message that the file cannot be found.
I'm trying to fix this so i dont have to lose all the information on my computer. And i have tried to do a repair installation but it doesnt recongnise the existing windows that is on there so i'm only left with the option to install or exit.
I have same issue as others in a 3 month old Emachine...Have tried to use their" PC Angel Recovery" but it has not worked. There is an option in the Recovery that offers to back up all your data files in a folder and repair the system. I have not tried this for fear all my photos, music, and personal files will be wiped out.
Anyone that can help ???
...I have not tried this for fear all my photos, music, and personal files will be wiped out...
It used to be that almost any "Restore" program from a computer manufacturer would wipe your drive clean. Since this is not what most people have in mind when they think of "restoration", companies started writing their program so that it would theoretically leave your data intact. This may be quite true, but there is no way in the world I would trust it unless I had used the program many times with no problems.
Scratch that - I'd never completely trust it...
Have you tried the other suggestions in this thread?
Thanks for the "heads up" prof...i was more than a little concerned about trying their "restoration" I do not have a copy of XP available right now. I assume that would be the first fix that I should try since it would save my files ? i am not that computer literate to attempt much of what was suggested.
Thanks !
Have you tried the other suggestions in this thread? [/QUOTE]
The "PC Angel Recovery" might work, but I'd be willing to bet that unless all of your data was in the default location (almost certainly My Documents, or one of its subfolders) it would not back it up.
If you can borrow an XP CD to use for the recovery console techniques, that would be a lot safer. Another alternative would be to try plugging your hard drive into another computer, then copying your data to its existing hard drive. If you have questions about that, ask first.
If you try the second option you might then give the eMachines recovery program a shot as an experiment to see if it actually does what it advertises. That could be handy information for future reference.
Finally, you should be doing regular backups to a device not connected to your computer, such as a DVD or CD-R, making sure to verify that the disc is properly burned and can be read from another machine. If you knew that all of your data was safely archived on disc you could run the restore program with full confidence that you'd still have it afterwards - no matter what.
Hello, I have this same problem with my lap top. I'm living for the moment in Germany, so i had to ask my sister to send me my recovery cd, by the way the lap top is a Toshiba. When I insert the cd and boot from it, it tells me that it will format evrything, etc. So I haven't dared to press ok to this screen. What can I do? Is it possible to just "burn" the windows content of the recovery cd into another cd and try to boot from there??? I need urgent help please!!!
Hello, I have this same problem with my lap top. I'm living for the moment in Germany, so i had to ask my sister to send me my recovery cd, by the way the lap top is a Toshiba. When I insert the cd and boot from it, it tells me that it will format evrything, etc. So I haven't dared to press ok to this screen. What can I do? Is it possible to just "burn" the windows content of the recovery cd into another cd and try to boot from there??? I need urgent help please!!!
If it actually says its gonna format then .... yes I bet it does just that.
If your data is important I would try and find the cheapest copy of the SAME version of XP (home or pro) online in a oem format and just bite the bullet. It will always have its uses down the road for ya anyway.
Seems I am having a similar issue with a few complications:
PC 1 - Dell
PC 2 - built at home
PC 2 was working fine for several months. I got a new video card, fan controller and case for XMas. A few days ago, I pulled apart the PC and reinstalled all components (including the dual video card setup and fan controller) into the new case. Booted up and the PC shut down. Post message on the motherboard indicated some problem with the CPU fan (it was working but apparently did not like being hooked up to the fan contr.). I switched the fan back to the motherboard and booted again. This time, I was able to get to the admin login where the PC froze. Subsequent reboots generated the Corrupt Windows/system32/config/system message. I tried using the recovery console, but unfortunately did not do my homework first and only got to the command prompt... did not know where to go from there. After serveral agonizing hours, I decided to try a full reformat and reinstall.... The drive reformatted, but now I cannot install - getting a message saying that windows cannot install on the partition due to disk errors.
Now for the dumb part.... I took the drive from my Dell and put it into the second PC. Booted..everything seemed to work fine. I shut it all down and put the drive back into my Dell... and now I get the same corrupt file message. The kicker is that I can't run the recovery console as it tells me no hard drive is recognized. I checked the connections several times, so all looks good there. Any ideas? I hate to think I did something stupid and broke 2 pcs on the same night!!
Windows xp pro sp2 freezes when try to load. Tried booting in safe mode but get this message: Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:\windows\system32\config\system
I don't have the xp disk so I'm kind of screwed. is there any way to fix it. I have a windows xp home disk but no product key. Will reformat if i have to but would prefer if i didn't.
comp specs
xp pro sp2
512 ram
250 gig sata hd
nvidia 6600gt 128 ddr3
Windows xp pro sp2 freezes when try to load. Tried booting in safe mode but get this message: Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:\windows\system32\config\system
I don't have the xp disk so I'm kind of screwed. is there any way to fix it. I have a windows xp home disk but no product key. Will reformat if i have to but would prefer if i didn't.
comp specs
xp pro sp2
512 ram
250 gig sata hd
nvidia 6600gt 128 ddr3
Do you have a floppy drive...?
If so.. grab these 4 floppy disk images of a Windows XP Setup Boot Disk...
Alright i have the same exact problem as the guy you gave this advice to.
My Brother did an unsafe shutdown of our PC which has XP Home edition.The result was the error message:
\windows\system32\config\system
The problem is my Windows Setp Disk is on my hard drive.(I know dumb of me not to burn a copy) So i followed the above advice and downloaded the setup images from microsoft. It needed 6 floppy disks.
So i follow the steps from the "blue screen" windows setup screen. when it gets to the 5th Floppy disk it stops installing and says:
The file disk.sys is corrupted.
Press any key to continue.
It then says:
Setup failed. Press any key to restart you computer.
Then my pc restarts and stops again at square one.
"Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt.
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
etc...."
So is there a way to save my data/pictures/files/video or is the problem so deep that i have to put in the emergency recoveryCD-ROM and lose everything.
Man! the file doesn't fit with the rest of the files already on the floppy. I deleted the first disk.sy_ and tried toreplace it with the one you gave me but they are not the same size. After deleting the first file the floppy is 1.35mb and it can only hold 1.44mb. the file above, unzipped is 35.5kb.
the drive says it only has 32.5kb of free space left on the floppy disk
I too like many others have this problem- 'Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM. I've tried practically everything I could think of: I tried to do a reinstall using the bootdisks and CD, and it gave me a Blue screen of death error similar to sherazad on page 2 and won't let me install or repair or anything. Then I tried the recovery console- it didn't ask for a password or anything when I went to it- just went straight to the command prompt thing... and then it keeps giving me 'Access is Denied.' errors every time I try to create a folder or copy or paste or anything in those instructions that Shorty mentioned. *sighs* This is driving me insane...Is my computer done for? x_x;
Thanks a trillion in advance...*threatens his computer with weapons of mass destruction*
I'd try making the set of XP floppies again from a fresh download. You might want to replace the diskette that had the problem.
Thank you! :celebrate :
I Just wanted to say it because I've noticed so many people ask for help and never come back to show their appreciation.
It was a bad floppy. I do have some questions though. First i followed your steps on that hive repair site. It ended up asking me for the admin Password. But the passwords i put in didn't work. (In the 3 years i've had this pc i used 2 different admins) None of thenm worked and after a 3rd try it told me to hit enter to restart the computer. so i removed the floppy and hit enter.
The end result was just a fresh reboot without any loss of data or settings. A pleasant surprise to say the least. My Question is:
Any idea on what these results tell you about my (former) computer problem?
Comments
Memtest-86 would go a long way towards answering these questions.
Hi, I'm having the same problem as others in this thread, however when i try to repair the system file it says that the file can't be found
Thanks
"windows could not start because the following file is mising or corrupt:
\windows\sytem32\config\system"
I used the recovery cd i have to get into the Recovery console. I then hit 'r' and attempt to fix the problem by typing "cd c:\windows\system32\config" then "copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system"
After i hit enter it comes up with the message that the file cannot be found.
I'm trying to fix this so i dont have to lose all the information on my computer. And i have tried to do a repair installation but it doesnt recongnise the existing windows that is on there so i'm only left with the option to install or exit.
If not, try this:
Anyone that can help ???
Thanks !
Scratch that - I'd never completely trust it...
Have you tried the other suggestions in this thread?
Thanks !
Have you tried the other suggestions in this thread?
If you can borrow an XP CD to use for the recovery console techniques, that would be a lot safer. Another alternative would be to try plugging your hard drive into another computer, then copying your data to its existing hard drive. If you have questions about that, ask first.
If you try the second option you might then give the eMachines recovery program a shot as an experiment to see if it actually does what it advertises. That could be handy information for future reference.
Finally, you should be doing regular backups to a device not connected to your computer, such as a DVD or CD-R, making sure to verify that the disc is properly burned and can be read from another machine. If you knew that all of your data was safely archived on disc you could run the restore program with full confidence that you'd still have it afterwards - no matter what.
If it actually says its gonna format then .... yes I bet it does just that.
If your data is important I would try and find the cheapest copy of the SAME version of XP (home or pro) online in a oem format and just bite the bullet. It will always have its uses down the road for ya anyway.
probably can be had for around $80 or so I bet.
Tex
Tex
PC 1 - Dell
PC 2 - built at home
PC 2 was working fine for several months. I got a new video card, fan controller and case for XMas. A few days ago, I pulled apart the PC and reinstalled all components (including the dual video card setup and fan controller) into the new case. Booted up and the PC shut down. Post message on the motherboard indicated some problem with the CPU fan (it was working but apparently did not like being hooked up to the fan contr.). I switched the fan back to the motherboard and booted again. This time, I was able to get to the admin login where the PC froze. Subsequent reboots generated the Corrupt Windows/system32/config/system message. I tried using the recovery console, but unfortunately did not do my homework first and only got to the command prompt... did not know where to go from there. After serveral agonizing hours, I decided to try a full reformat and reinstall.... The drive reformatted, but now I cannot install - getting a message saying that windows cannot install on the partition due to disk errors.
Now for the dumb part.... I took the drive from my Dell and put it into the second PC. Booted..everything seemed to work fine. I shut it all down and put the drive back into my Dell... and now I get the same corrupt file message. The kicker is that I can't run the recovery console as it tells me no hard drive is recognized. I checked the connections several times, so all looks good there. Any ideas? I hate to think I did something stupid and broke 2 pcs on the same night!!
PC2 specs are as follows:
ABIT Fatality SLI mobo
Antec TruPower 550W PSU
Maxtor Diamond HDD
cd/dvd burner
2 eVGA nVidia 7800 GT
2Gig OCZ Plat RAM (PC3200)
Thermaltake Hardcano13 Fan controller
I don't have the xp disk so I'm kind of screwed. is there any way to fix it. I have a windows xp home disk but no product key. Will reformat if i have to but would prefer if i didn't.
comp specs
xp pro sp2
512 ram
250 gig sata hd
nvidia 6600gt 128 ddr3
If so.. grab these 4 floppy disk images of a Windows XP Setup Boot Disk...
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=15491F07-99F7-4A2D-983D-81C2137FF464&displaylang=en
Then follow my previously posted quick and simple fix
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm
Don't want a flopy drive and i fixed it last night. Forgot that I had Ghosted it last week so it's all fixed.
Alright i have the same exact problem as the guy you gave this advice to.
My Brother did an unsafe shutdown of our PC which has XP Home edition.The result was the error message:
\windows\system32\config\system
The problem is my Windows Setp Disk is on my hard drive.(I know dumb of me not to burn a copy) So i followed the above advice and downloaded the setup images from microsoft. It needed 6 floppy disks.
So i follow the steps from the "blue screen" windows setup screen. when it gets to the 5th Floppy disk it stops installing and says:
The file disk.sys is corrupted.
Press any key to continue.
It then says:
Setup failed. Press any key to restart you computer.
Then my pc restarts and stops again at square one.
"Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt.
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
etc...."
So is there a way to save my data/pictures/files/video or is the problem so deep that i have to put in the emergency recoveryCD-ROM and lose everything.
Thanks for any help given.
the drive says it only has 32.5kb of free space left on the floppy disk
What now?
I too like many others have this problem- 'Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM. I've tried practically everything I could think of: I tried to do a reinstall using the bootdisks and CD, and it gave me a Blue screen of death error similar to sherazad on page 2 and won't let me install or repair or anything. Then I tried the recovery console- it didn't ask for a password or anything when I went to it- just went straight to the command prompt thing... and then it keeps giving me 'Access is Denied.' errors every time I try to create a folder or copy or paste or anything in those instructions that Shorty mentioned. *sighs* This is driving me insane...Is my computer done for? x_x;
Thanks a trillion in advance...*threatens his computer with weapons of mass destruction*
Ding ! number one answer on the board! Step to the front and collect your prize.
J/K
LYM
Tex
Thank you!
I Just wanted to say it because I've noticed so many people ask for help and never come back to show their appreciation.
It was a bad floppy. I do have some questions though. First i followed your steps on that hive repair site. It ended up asking me for the admin Password. But the passwords i put in didn't work. (In the 3 years i've had this pc i used 2 different admins) None of thenm worked and after a 3rd try it told me to hit enter to restart the computer. so i removed the floppy and hit enter.
The end result was just a fresh reboot without any loss of data or settings. A pleasant surprise to say the least. My Question is:
Any idea on what these results tell you about my (former) computer problem?