Winows crash

Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message (paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks

If D: is your CD Rom(you can check by typeing map at that
prompt)I'm assumeing D: is the drive the disc is
in,type.
expand d:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows
system
notice the space between expand and d and system and c:
this will expand the file to your c drive,you'll get 1
file expanded then type exit and enter,it should boot for
you.If you have a problem like access deny.type D:\ and
enter that then retype the expand thing again.That will
work if C:\ is your hard drive and D:\ is the first CD
rom.Post back to this tread if that works or not.Thanks.
-----Original Message-----
Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message (paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks
.

Dont think that will do Tony,think he needs to check out
this article
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;307545
He could find it by typing windows\system32\config\system
in the search from this newsgroup page and running it
thru.
-----Original Message-----
Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message (paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks
.

-----Original Message-----
Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message (paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks
.
here's what you need to do
Part one
In part one, you start the Recovery Console, create a
temporary folder, back up the existing registry files to
a new location, delete the registry files at their
existing location, and then copy the registry files from
the repair folder to the System32\Config folder. When you
have finished this procedure, a registry is created that
you can use to start Windows XP. This registry was
created and saved during the initial setup of Windows XP.
Therefore any changes and settings that occurred after
the Setup program was finished are lost.

To complete part one, follow these steps:
insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and
then restart the computer.
Click to select any options that are required to start
the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to
do so.
When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to
start the Recovery Console.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select
the installation that you want to access from the
Recovery Console.
When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator
password. If the administrator password is blank, just
press ENTER.
At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the
following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system
c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software
c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security
c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default
c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32
\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32
\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32
\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32
\config\default


Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will
restart.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed
to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows
to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different
location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you
can copy the text in step two, and then create a text
file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example). To create this
file, run the following command when you start in
Recovery Console:
batch regcopy1.txt

With the batch command in Recovery Console, you can
process all the commands in a text file sequentially.
When you use the batch command, you do not have to
manually type as many commands.
Part two
To complete the procedure described in this section, you
must be logged on as an administrator, or an
administrative user (a user who has an account in the
Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home
Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you
log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows
XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP
Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.

Note Print these instructions before you continue. You
cannot view these instructions after you restart the
computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system,
also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article
KB309531. Step 7 contains a reference to the article.
Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off
Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click
Restart).
Press the F8 key.

On a computer that is configured to start to multiple
operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the
Startup menu.
Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode
option, and then press ENTER.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the
arrow keys to select the installation that you want to
access, and then press ENTER.
In part two, you copy the registry files from their
backed up location by using System Restore. This folder
is not available in Recovery Console and is generally not
visible during typical usage. Before you start this
procedure, you must change several settings to make the
folder visible:
Start Windows Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Folder options.
Click the View tab.
Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show
hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the
Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check
box.
Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want
to display these files appears.
Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to
display a list of the folders. If is important to click
the correct drive.
Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is
unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a
super-hidden folder.

Note This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID}
folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-
F86E30B3E7F8}".

Note You may receive the following error message:

C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is
denied.
If you receive this message, see the following Microsoft
Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and
continue with the procedu
309531 How to gain access to the System Volume
Information folder

Open a folder that was not created at the current time.
You may have to click Details on the View menu to see
when these folders were created. There may be one or more
folders starting with "RPx under this folder. These are
restore points.
Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder.
The following path is an example of a folder path to the
Snapshot folder:
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-
A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot

From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the
C:\Windows\Tmp folder:
_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM
Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows:
Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM
These files are the backed up registry files from System
Restore. Because you used the registry file that the
Setup program created, this registry does not know that
these restore points exist and are available. A new
folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume
Information and a restore point is created that includes
a copy of the registry files that were copied during part
one. Therefore, it is important not to use the most
current folder, especially if the time stamp on the
folder is the same as the current time.

The current system configuration is not aware of the
previous restore points. You must have a previous copy of
the registry from a previous restore point to make the
previous restore points available again.

The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in
the C:\Windows folder are moved to make sure that the
files are available under Recovery Console. You must use
these files to replace the registry files currently in
the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. By default,
Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot
copy files from the System Volume folder.

Note The procedure described in this section assumes that
you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system.

For additional information about how to access the System
Volume Information Folder with the NTFS file system,
click the following article number to view the article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
309531 How to gain access to the System Volume
Information folder

Part Three
In part three, you delete the existing registry files,
and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the
C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:
Start Recovery Console (or by using a Windows 98 Boot
Disk).
At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing
ENTER after you type each line:
del c:\windows\system32\config\sam

del c:\windows\system32\config\security

del c:\windows\system32\config\software

del c:\windows\system32\config\default

del c:\windows\system32\config\system

copy c:\windows\tmp\software c:\windows\system32
\config\software

copy c:\windows\tmp\system c:\windows\system32
\config\system

copy c:\windows\tmp\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam

copy c:\windows\tmp\security c:\windows\system32
\config\security

copy c:\windows\tmp\default c:\windows\system32
\config\default

Note Some of these command lines may be wrapped for
readability.
Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer
restarts.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed
to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows
to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different
location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you
can copy the text in step two, and then create a text
file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example).
Part Four
Click Start, and then click All Programs.
Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a
previous RestorePoint.

At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the
following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system
c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software
c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security
c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default
c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32
\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32
\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32
\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32
\config\default


Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will
restart.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed
to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows
to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different
location.
-----Original Message-----
Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message (paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks
.

Thanks for all the help. I almost had it, then messed up
again. Now I've got a "password mismatch" error, and I
cannot get into either Windows OR into the Recovery
console. It asks for a password, which I have never had -
it wasn't doing that previously. I think I restored
four of the five files.

Thanks for the help so far, and thanks in advance for
this.

-----Original Message-----
Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message (paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks
.

Joseph,if it's asking for the administrative passsword
from the recovery portion leave it blank just hit
enter,it will accept it,it set to ask as default,if you
don't have one leave it blank,you can check to see if you
have one in the BIOS unless you bought it used from some
big corp.,like a hospital or fortune 500 company or bank
it iis blank.I guessing it asks for administraor password
and when you type it comes out*******. Leave it
blank.Good Luck...I know the felling with boot errors
took me 5 hours Monday to fix mine.
-----Original Message-----
Thanks for all the help. I almost had it, then messed
up
again. Now I've got a "password mismatch" error, and I
cannot get into either Windows OR into the Recovery
console. It asks for a password, which I have never
had -
it wasn't doing that previously. I think I restored
four of the five files.

Thanks for the help so far, and thanks in advance for
this.

-----Original Message-----
Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message
(paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks
.

.

Hey getting the same problem here too but when I leave the
password blank all I get is "C:\WINDOWS" and I am allowed
to type whatever and nothing else happens. Any clues on
how to fix it? (don't think I set my administrative
password.)
-----Original Message-----
Joseph,if it's asking for the administrative passsword
from the recovery portion leave it blank just hit
enter,it will accept it,it set to ask as default,if you
don't have one leave it blank,you can check to see if you
have one in the BIOS unless you bought it used from some
big corp.,like a hospital or fortune 500 company or bank
it iis blank.I guessing it asks for administraor password
and when you type it comes out*******. Leave it
blank.Good Luck...I know the felling with boot errors
took me 5 hours Monday to fix mine.
-----Original Message-----
Thanks for all the help. I almost had it, then messed
up
again. Now I've got a "password mismatch" error, and I
cannot get into either Windows OR into the Recovery
console. It asks for a password, which I have never
had -
it wasn't doing that previously. I think I restored
four of the five files.

Thanks for the help so far, and thanks in advance for
this.

-----Original Message-----
Hi and thanks -

My computer has crashed. I get the message
(paraphrased)

"windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt.
Re-install Windows from original CD, and press "r" on
first screen to attempt to repair"

When I do that, I get a recovery console . . . I
press "1" to select C:\windows, then I get a prompt.

What do I do now??

Thanks
.

.

.