missing or corrupt system32\config\system file....help!!!

Question

that's the message i get when trying to boot up my wife's dell lattitude c600. i installed xp over 98se but deleted the 98 when the xp seemed stable (bad move). now i can't reinstall the xp. message says i can go to windows setup and type 'r' to repair file. I can get that far but then i don't know how to proceed. i see a WINDOWS: prompt but if i type in the name of the corrupt file it says it's not a recognized command and help gives me a list of commands but i have no clue at this point. any suggestions? thanks

Manh · Answer

Put the XP disc in the drive.  Boot up from the CD.  You will get a few options when its coming up, so pay close attention to them.  Let windows go like its going to install a new copy of XP.  You will come to a screen to repair a previous installation of Windows XP.  Run that.  Let it completely reinstall windows (that's how it will get fixed), then reboot and you should be fine. At this point its the only thing you can do to fix it.   You shouldn't lose any settings, programs or data.  It will install a 'refresh' copy of windows xp over the exisiting one, and repair anything out of place along the way.

jazzgitah · Answer

Thanks, but my XP is the kind you install over an existing OS, in my case the 98se that I deleted thinking the XP install was stable. I guess I may need to find a copy of 98, install it and then reinstall my XP over it again (this time leaving the 98 just in case). Any other thoughts? Thanks

villanim · Answer

This error is a corrupt registry. The fix for it is to lenghty to detial here, but if you have access to another computer then go to microsofts web site and search for article ID 307545 - How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting. You only need to search for the number. The procedure may take up to an hour to complete, worse case. Good luck

sjgforumname · Answer

I have the same problem, except its on a dimension 8400.  I can boot from the installation CD, but when I select the repair option, it drops to a command prompt.  I can change to the CD and see the contents of the CD, but when I try to execute the setup.exe, I get command not recognized, type help for a list of commands.  Anyone have any suggestions on what to do here?

geekgirlxc07 · Answer

I am having the same problem except I cant get the disk the load.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545 This is what I was TRYING to follow but I can't get to the Startup screen.

speedstep · Answer

You should be able to redo WIN98 by booting from the 98 reinstall cd.

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