Win 2000 Pro: can't start missing/corrupt file: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\

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Guest

When I start up the computer, it says:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Swetup using the
original Setup CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.

Well, I don't have the original Setup CD-ROM. I was given this computer. I
am able to boot to the Norton Ghost CD and have excess then to all the files
and folders on the comp. How do I fix this?
 
Scribe said:
When I start up the computer, it says:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Swetup using the
original Setup CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.

Well, I don't have the original Setup CD-ROM. I was given this computer.
I
am able to boot to the Norton Ghost CD and have excess then to all the
files
and folders on the comp. How do I fix this?
Click to expand...

Repairing a failed Windows installation without a Win2000
CD is next to impossible.
BTW: If God is to bless America, what about all the other
countries on the globe? Are you asking for some special
favours?
 
Well, I read one article that says that I can ask Dell to send me a repair
disk. However, I think Dell would probably charge me for that. I also read
about a stand-along version of Windows Repair. It is for Windows XP, instead
of 2000, but they said that it should work. They also said that there was a
chance of some of the programs not working afterward, though.
BTW: Very interesting and good point. I personally pray for the World too,
but I have to admit that I pray for America more often.
 
If the system hive is corrupt, and assuming you already tried LKG (F8 and
choose Last Known Good), It may be possible to rename the system hive found
in
%systemroot%\system32\config\system
to system.old
then rename
%systemroot%\system32\config\system.alt
to
%systemroot%\system32\config\system

You can also try using the most recent backup found in
%systemroot%\repair\regback

If that fails you haven't much choice but to copy/ use the
original-as-installed system hive from
%systemroot%\repair\system
to
%systemroot%\system32\config\system
You'll need to reinstall the device drivers for any hardware added since the
original OS install.

To start the Recovery Console, start the computer from the Windows 2000
Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If you do not have Setup
floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the Windows 2000 Setup CD,
use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the Setup floppy disks. At
the "Welcome to Setup" screen. Press F10 or R to repair a Windows 2000
installation, and then press C to use the Recovery Console. The Recovery
Console then prompts you for the administrator password. If you do not have
the correct password, Recovery Console does not allow access to the
computer. If an incorrect password is entered three times, the Recovery
Console quits and restarts the computer. Note If the registry is corrupted
or missing or no valid installations are found, the Recovery Console starts
in the root of the startup volume without requiring a password. You cannot
access any folders, but you can carry out commands such as chkdsk, fixboot,
and fixmbr for limited disk repairs. Once the password has been validated,
you have full access to the Recovery Console, but limited access to the hard
disk. You can only access the following folders on your computer: drive
root, %systemroot% or %windir%


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
 
I had the identical issue on almost the same day - renaming SYSTEM to SYSTEM.OLD, then copying across SYSTEM.ALT to SYSTEM asolutely did the trick for me - thanks!

Of course, I had to download a Knoppix distribution just to get access to my hard drive... ;-)

EggHeadCafe - .NET Developer Portal of Choice
http://www.eggheadcafe.com
 
Good to hear. You're welcome. Remember to backup the registry often. Using
system.alt probably fails more times than it works.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
 
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