windows\system32\config\system missing or corrupt

[gtghm]

Ok I got a guys rig here that is getting this message "windows\system32\config\system missing or corrupt" at bootup. Then it says to put in the windows XP systems disk and type "r"...

Usualy if I control-alt-delete it will reboot and go right into XP normaly.

I tried to resolve it through software but couldn't.
I eventually told him that we need to format and reinstall - geeky would love that... lol

He was cool about it so thats what I did.
But before I did that I noticed that I was getting corruption during the formatting process so I changed IDE cables and moved it to IDE 2. That seemd to work fine. I did a low level format and a sector scan from the data lifegard tools from WD and all seemed ok... So I assumed that it was a flakey IDE1 port that was the problem... So I was going to put in an ata IDE card to move his hard drive to and then move his CDroms back to IDE 2 so that every thing would be fine.

Well after 2 days of benching all seemd fine until this afternoon...
I came home after work expecting to see a rig that had completed 6hrs of 3D mark loops, which was running fine at lunch time, like 5 hours in, and when I walked into my room the system had rebooted and the error message was there...

So now, I doubt that its the IDE I'm leaning towards memory... he did say that he thinks that its 2 differnt brands... I'll dfeinatly look into that..., but the voltages in the PSU look ok... 1.82 for the CPU 3.28 on the 3V line 5.05 on the 5V and 12.38 on the 12V line.
Temps are 43C. I suppose that it could be a flakey PSU but what do you guys think?

Search in google and MS kb turned up almost nothing on the message except one person suggested bad ram...

What next... I have very little trouble shooting tools and no extra parts to swapp in and out... Also I can't seem to do any one thing to duplicate the error. Seems completely random as to when it happends.

"g"

[Thrax]

I've tried to mix RAM in my darker, darker past. This is typically the resultant error. Additionally, I've had memory that simply didn't like the motherboard, and this was also the resultant error. Give it a check.

[gtghm]

Cool thats what I'll check next...
"g"

[gtghm]

So its a stick of crucal 256ddr c2.5 and a stick of kingston value ram ddr 256 c2.5

Board is a lame ass FIC AD11

[gtghm]

Ok now an odd thing is occuring...
I take out and only put one stick of ram in dosen't matter which stick or in which dim slot.
It boots to a point that says
Updateing ESCD... Success
Building DMI Pool.................................Success
but then it stops....
I can push reset and soft boot into the system but everytime I do a hard shut down and restart I get this...

[gtghm]

I'll try reseting the CMOS/BIOS

[Thrax]

Clear CMOS, and try single sticks in every dimm channel. So put it in DIMM1, boot, see if it goes. No? Move it to DIMM2, boot, see if it goes. Et. Al.

Then try the same with the other stick of RAM. Loosen the timings completely, and give it an extra .1v.

[gtghm]

Ok after clearing the CMOS and seting to failsafe defaults all went well in both slots... with the stick of Crucal haven't tried the Kinston yet...

Its looking more and more like just incomatible sticks of ram trying to play together. As you pointed out....

Thanks I'll update more later.

[gtghm]

All righty then....
I had the stick of Crucal in and was running a single bench of 3d mark when towards the end like after the fish I heard a click from the hard drive and a little change in the fans which was followed by an automatic reboot that went to a black screen.

I pulled that stick of memory and am running the same test on it, but I'm wondering if I should be thinking PSU now...?

Would bad memory cause a reboot?

[Thrax]

Most definitely. That Crucial stick also seems to be exhibiting similar systems to the 6 dead Crucial sticks I had that spontaneously died 17 months ago.

[gtghm]

Well at least I think that I might have a bead on the problem then.
I'm running loops of 3d mark now and all seems to be fine with this other stick.

If it completes I'll chalk it up a dead stick of Crucal and call it good... I hope this is the prob.... (crosses fingers)

I'll update after it completes tomorrow if that was the cause... If I post agin tonight you'll know that that wasn't the problem... lol

Thanks guys,
"g"

[gtghm]

Just a quick update....
Woke up this morning to a screen saver but no 3d mark results Prime95 was still running fine after 12 hours but it appeard that sometime during the night 3d mark crashed back to the desktop...

So I change a couple of settings in the display settings and the BIOS, and am re-running the tests.

The settings changed were:
Changed to lower quality settings in openGL and Direct3D
Chagned from AGP 4X to 2X
Disabled Video Shadow in the BIOS...

I hope that helps

[MediaMan]

www.simmtester.com

Download the program DOCMEMORY and run it with only one stick in place. If that comes clean...run it with the second stick in place but remove the first. If that comes clean...run it with both sticks in place.

DocMemory will show 1 of 2 things. A) one stick is bad or B) each stick by itself is good but incompatible together.

Hope this helps. I know it is frustrating trying to trace a problem like this.

[gtghm]

Well, I was able to do 2-4&1/2 hour loops of 3dmark without it crashing to the desk top... One of them was with Prime95 running in the background. So I have concluded that the stick of Crucal was toast...
I was able to reload all of his software and stuff with out a single problem.
I tested his DVD drive with a copy of Dr No that ran perfectly... Also tested the burner and it worked just fine... I set a couple of restore points and set it back home... like I said, I hope that I got it fixed.... :rolleyes: :)

Thanks for all of the speedy relpys you guys were great. :)

See ya round,
"g"