I get an error message when windows starts up.....

Question

it reads windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt; \windows\systems32\config\system. It says that I can attempt to repair this file by starting windows setup using the orignal setup cd-rom select "r" at the first screen to start repair......well I try this and starting typing the command that i got over at microsoft and it says access denied. I think the first command is md tmp. What else can I do to get Window XP up again. Thanks:).

Barbara

pace1987 · Answer

Thanks again, another quick question I hope you dont mind. When it comes to the screen instead of entering the R i click enter for window XP where the Setup comes up for istalling but when it comes to that it says something about formatting, am I suppose to format?  TIA:) and I again apologize for asking so many questions

jankerson · Answer

You need to do a repair install. Don't press R, bypass that and you will have the option to do a repair install.

pace1987 · Answer

Thanks for replying so fast but will I lose everything on the hard drive?

jankerson · Answer

@pace1987 wrote: Thanks for replying so fast but will I lose everything on the hard drive? No you will really be installing Windows over itself.

DELL-Stephen S · Answer

Barbara,

Thank you for visiting the Dell Community Forum.

The error message you received may also indicate a problem with the hard drive such as a directory structure problem; in this case you cannot do a repair install of Windows on the drive.

Before doing anything else, I would advise running a diagnostic test on the hard drive and see if the drive passes the diagnostics. If the drive fails, it may need to be replaced.

You can also try booting to the Windows XP CD, pick r for the recovery console and when you get to the C: prompt, see if you can get a directory listing of the hard drive by typing “DIR” (without the quotes) at the command prompt and press enter. If you are unable to get a directory listing of files, there may be a problem with the file structure on the drive.

jankerson · Answer

@pace1987 wrote:

Thanks again, another quick question I hope you dont mind. When it comes to the screen instead of entering the R i click enter for window XP where the Setup comes up for istalling but when it comes to that it says something about formatting, am I suppose to format? TIA:) and I again apologize for asking so many questions

No don't format and it will give the option of "repairing.

shesagordie · Answer

pace1987.   Check this out.   http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm   Bev.

Storage, Drives & Media

I get an error message when windows starts up.....

Was this post helpful?