error message: missing or corrupt windows\system32\config\system

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1068335&c=us&l=en&cs=19&s=dhs

Reformat/Reinstall will destroy all your personal data and everything else on your hard drive, including all the software, Dell's PC/Restore partition, and the Diagnostics partition too.

You should try doing a Repair/Reinstall first which won't damage your personal files and software. You will have to reinstall all the XP updates/hotfixes after the Repair, but that's better than having to reinstall everything.

You can find Dell's step-by-step for XP Repair/Reinstall here:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1056993&l=en&langid=1&c=us&cs=19&s=dhs

Hope that works for you!

Ron

Repair Reinstall didn't work. I still get the lssas.exe error message and the machine tries to restart.  I can't boot to safemode, safemode w/ c: prompt.  Also, when trying to run repair reinstall for the second time, it was asking for and adminsitrator password.  I think that my solution at this point is to remove the hardrive and save the data to another machine, then do a new reinstall, completely erasing the c: partition on this drive and start over. (I'm going to partition the hard drive so that Data is separate from the OS and programs.  This machine can take XP2 bios, correct?  As this all started when I flashed to this version - after the memory upgrade. 

Hold on a minute. The XP2 bios is only for 8100 systems with a Creative Labs "Audigy" or "Audigy2" sound card installed. Does that fit with your system? If not, you need to flash back to the previous version of BIOS that worked or use 8100_A09.EXE which appears to be the latest non-XP2 version. Even if you have one of those Audigy cards, you might want to flash back to a bios version that previously worked.

There's always the chance that the XP2 flash (permanently) damaged the chip and the mobo is trashed.

Even if your system is compatible with XP2 bios, have you tried clearing NVRAM?
Instructions here:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1023538

I'd remove the added RAM and then reset NVRAM to see if you can get things back to where they worked. And are you sure it's compatible with this system? Have you tried removing the newly added RAM before you do the repair/reinstall?

And if none of that works, your only choice may be to slave the HD in another system to rescue your files, then do a clean reformat and reinstall of XP and hope the old mobo and bios are still working.

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 12-13-2005 10:29 AM

I got the XP2 bios from Dell downloads (http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R36258&formatcnt=2&fileid=40728)  which indicates that it should work.  I see that there's one for the audigy card but I didn't use that one.  I'll take your advice an work backwards for a while to see if it fixes anything.  Yes, I cleared NVRAM, (see original post on all the stuff I did)  I'll try A09. The memory is samsung 600 w/ a dell logo sticker on it and it came out of an 8100 at the office (given to me for free). 

Yes, as another freebie, same gave me a 20G ATA/IDE HDD to use as a slave.  I'm reading up on how to hook it up.  Adjust Bios settings right?  Is there a spare plug in the case to plug into it.  Or could you recommend a link on the process.

Thanks much for all the help.  I'm very new to troubleshooting and hardware/software manipulation and would say that its all a lot of fun.....that is....I would say that if I new for sure that I was going to fix this thing.  Cheers.

The link in your last post is "broken" according to Dell's website so I couldn't get there. But as I said, you may want to go back to square one and see if you can get the system running again. Then do one upgrade at a time. Install the new BIOS, make sure it works. Then install new RAM, make sure... Then new HD...

Be sure new RAM is compatible with your 8100 mobo (they may not all be equal) and as well as with the existing memory too. If it's a different type, even though previously used in another 8100, you may not be able to mix and match it with what you had orginally. And are there any limits on total amount of RAM the 8100 BIOS will recognize?

Check the docs for the 8100. You may need to configure the new drive as "cable select" not as "slave" so it's recognized properly. Don't know how many spare power and data connectors are available in your system. Each IDE data channel can handle 2 devices, so depending on how many IDE channels there are, you should could have data connectors for up to 4 IDE devices. If necessary, you may be able to get a Y connector that allows 2 devices to share one power connector. Just don't share the power connector that goes to the boot HD.

If you think all this is fun, I have a bridge for sale, as we say in the States... ;)

Ron

Sounds like a plan, as long as the 20GB is big enough to hold the XP installation plus all your software, which I tend to doubt. You probably want to disconnect the old drive until you get the new one formatted and XP installed. Then reconnect the old one and burn your personal files from that drive to CD.

Be sure to download all the latest drivers for your hardware (chipset, video, audio, modem, etc) onto CD before you start so you can install them as soon as XP is loaded on the new drive. Correct order is:
Format HD
XP installation
Chipset driver
Video driver
Audio driver
Any other drivers

You could reinstall all the software on the old HD as soon as you reformat it, but they probably won't run on the old drive "as is". The registry on the new HD won't have them listed and even if it did, and they're no longer on the C: drive where they were in their previous lifetime.

Your best bet may be to do a limited reinstall of XP on the new drive so you can back up the old one. Then reformat the old one and do the full install of everything there. You can then reformat the new one and use for data storage because it's kinda small.

Be aware that reformatting the old drive will erase the Dell Diagnostics partition and also the Dell/Symantec PC Restore if your system was shipped after July 15-2004. And if it was shipped after that date, try that before doing anything else (ctrl-F11 before XP boots).

Good luck!

Ron

Actually, my old HD is only 20GB.  So all the stuff from the old should fit on the new.  I'm going to limit the amount of junk that I load on this machine so two 20's should be fine.  I installed the new HD last night, but since I have XP as an upgrade from ME, I was not getting an incomplete install.  I should have started w/ the ME disk.  I should have guessed this.  So I ran out of time.  System was freezing at one point so I Jumped the RTCRST and was able to make it go again.  The new drive seems to be quite fast.   This machine was shipped right as XP was put out...2002 maybe, so I don't have the new diagnostics (F11).  I'll follow your recommendations on all else.  -Still getting errors on the amount of memory.  I really hate to take it out but I may have to.  Seems like there's light at the end of the tunnel.  Thanks again.

If your machine didn't ship with XP, it won't have the PC Restore partition, which was only shipped after July-2004. Is it worth it for you to buy XP with SP2 so you don't have to load ME, update to XP and then SP2? There are teacher/student discounts at some schools if you know anyone who can buy it for you. Be careful about buying off eBay and/or OEM versions from some vendors which may not be legal copies.

The light at the end of the tunnel is usually the train coming at you! OK, just kidding! Good luck with the reinstall.

Ron