windows\system32\config\system file missing/corrupt
Hi there, this is my first post here, so greetings to all and many thanks in advance. Before i start my boring story, i feel i should point out that i did search the forums for this problem and found a very promising thread here (<can't post links>), but sadly, none of the wonderful advice did the job for me. so here is my tale of woe...
The system in question is Dell Inspiron 1150 that I got for my mother 3 or 4 years ago. It worked great for her for a very long time, but, as with all computers, after enough time passed, it started to slow down and chug along. Reformat and clean XP install at regular intervals is my motto for my own systems, using the dell cds, i did just that on my mom's lappy. Everything went swimmingly and most of the system's original perkiness was restored along with the fresh install. The only nagging issue was that on boot up, i got the select OS screen which showed two installs of XP Home. The first was my fresh install, and the second was not at all functional. I tried a few things to get rid of the phantom install, but none seemed to work. However, it didn't seem to affect anything negatively, so i just stopped bothering.
Flash forward a year or so to last week--everything fine in the meantime--when my mom and i went to the beach. I took her laptop hoping to do some writing. I did some writing and played a lot of solitaire, but not once was the computer ever connected to the internet. Nothing unusual happened, but when we got home, my mom turned her computer on and got the error message: "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: windows\system32\config\system".
Things I've already tried to fix the problem:
-searched MS KB and followed the instructions to use the recovery console to copy registry files, etc. Result: could not find files to copy.
-tried the procedures mentioned here (<can't post links>) which involved copying files from a system restore file through the recovery console. result: again could not find files to copy
-tried the advice in the aforementioned thread which included a recovery install...no visible XP installations to repair.
-tried to fix boot.ini file according MS KB instructions. Procedure was successful, but did not fix the original problem.
-tried the "fixmbf" command at recovery console, as per advice from aforementioned thread. result: procedure was successful, but now i have three listed XP installs..the last is not functional (the original "phantom install") and the first to lead to the original error.
If this were my computer i would just format and do a fresh install. But, sadly, despite my urgings, my mother has not yet developed the habit of backing up her files. Consequently, if at all possible, i would like to recover the original installation and eliminate the "phantom installs." At the very least the files i'm interested in recovering are word documents stored in "My Documents" and e-mail which is stored locally through outlook express and later thunderbird.
In any case, thanks very much for reading.
The system in question is Dell Inspiron 1150 that I got for my mother 3 or 4 years ago. It worked great for her for a very long time, but, as with all computers, after enough time passed, it started to slow down and chug along. Reformat and clean XP install at regular intervals is my motto for my own systems, using the dell cds, i did just that on my mom's lappy. Everything went swimmingly and most of the system's original perkiness was restored along with the fresh install. The only nagging issue was that on boot up, i got the select OS screen which showed two installs of XP Home. The first was my fresh install, and the second was not at all functional. I tried a few things to get rid of the phantom install, but none seemed to work. However, it didn't seem to affect anything negatively, so i just stopped bothering.
Flash forward a year or so to last week--everything fine in the meantime--when my mom and i went to the beach. I took her laptop hoping to do some writing. I did some writing and played a lot of solitaire, but not once was the computer ever connected to the internet. Nothing unusual happened, but when we got home, my mom turned her computer on and got the error message: "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: windows\system32\config\system".
Things I've already tried to fix the problem:
-searched MS KB and followed the instructions to use the recovery console to copy registry files, etc. Result: could not find files to copy.
-tried the procedures mentioned here (<can't post links>) which involved copying files from a system restore file through the recovery console. result: again could not find files to copy
-tried the advice in the aforementioned thread which included a recovery install...no visible XP installations to repair.
-tried to fix boot.ini file according MS KB instructions. Procedure was successful, but did not fix the original problem.
-tried the "fixmbf" command at recovery console, as per advice from aforementioned thread. result: procedure was successful, but now i have three listed XP installs..the last is not functional (the original "phantom install") and the first to lead to the original error.
If this were my computer i would just format and do a fresh install. But, sadly, despite my urgings, my mother has not yet developed the habit of backing up her files. Consequently, if at all possible, i would like to recover the original installation and eliminate the "phantom installs." At the very least the files i'm interested in recovering are word documents stored in "My Documents" and e-mail which is stored locally through outlook express and later thunderbird.
In any case, thanks very much for reading.
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Comments
- The other article you found here may have been Thrax's Repair XP in 8 Steps. If not, I'd try that first, though that may be what you tried and some files are corrupt and won't copy/rebuild
- Your number one concern seems to be docs. Best way to get 'em off fast.....assuming the hard drive is still healthy....is with a USB-IDE adapter. Plug mom's hard drive into the adapter, then plug it into a USB port and it shows up just like a flash drive. Here's one at Newegg that works with SATA drives also. If you live near a computer store they probably have 'em too.
- The two operating system thing was probably just an extra entry in boot.ini. I'd do the Dell diagnostics on that hard drive and make sure it's healthy before you rebuild. Then when you rebuild just reformat the whole thing.
Check out that USB-IDE adapter though. They're a life saver and the easiest way to get files off a laptop drive.