Windows won't boot windows\system32\config\system corrupt

So when i try to boot my computer it gives me the message it cant boot becuase the windows\system32\config\system thing is corrupt or missing. I don't really know anything about it but i did go to the microsoft page and there was an article about using the recovery console to fix a corrupt registry that sounded like my problem. I tried to use the recovery console but it asks me which installation of windows i want to use and at first the c drive wasnt even there it was just D:\I368 and D:\miniNT. but i used a couple of the different commands there and i rebooted and C:\ showed up but when i selected that one it said it the computer shut down windows to prevent damage. I don't have my original windows disk but i got like an upgrade disk or something that i borrowed but it wont work becuase it cant detect a past version of windows on my computer. Thats all i got i'm really not sure what to do. Any help would be great, i'm not very knowledgable about computer stuff like this. Thanks, Oh i don't have the recovery disks either and system recovery wont start. I tried everything easy that i could think of.

 

Given your particular circumstances, I would recommend that you make or get from someone, a BartPE boot CD to use for a repair tool.

It will allow you to boot to a substitute system which is contained on the CD and copy a backup version of the Registry that may enable you to boot your crippled system. When that occurs, you can then use System Restore to revert the system to a point in time before the problem occured.

There are other methods to accomplish this also but you'll have to focus on this method since you are unable to invoke the Recovery Console.

Do a Google search for BartPE and see if you think you're up to the task. Once you have the BartPE disk and it is tested to work for booting, post back and I or someone else can outline the method for recovery of your Registry hive.

 

Alright thank you. I'm trying to make a disk but i dunno if i'm going to be able to becuase i don't have any of the setup files. Thanks for the help though

 

ok my computer boots on the BartPE disk. I'm ready for whatever is next

 

OK.

Basically what you need to do is replace the existing Registry hive named SYSTEM with a copy that is located in a folder at C:\WINDOWS\repair\.

First you must rename the old file at windows\system32\config\system to system.old. Then copy the system file from the Windows\repair folder into the windows\system32\config folder.

The BartPE system has the necessary tools to do that with the normal Windows procedures.

Once you get that hive replaced, close out the PE system and try rebooting Windows. If it gets to a normal Windows Desktop, and assuming you had System Restore enabled, use it to restore the system to a point in time when it worked properly.

Post back with any questions if you don't understand or hit a snag along the way.

 

ugh. well thanks for the steps, i figured out how to replace and rename those files but it still gives me that message when i go to boot up. does that mean the system file in the repair folder is bad too? or did i just do something wrong? sorry

 

All is not lost yet. There are four more hives left that may also be corrupt.

They are:

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

Do them all the same way you did the system hive. Then try to reboot to Windows.

 

You never said what PE boot disk you are using!

But if you are running UBCD4Win it has a function to run System Restore.

Mike

 

Dang. Replacing all the hives didn't help, it still says that windows\system32\config\system is missing or corrupt. If i have like a working computer could i copy these files from its registry and use the PE thing to replace them instead? becuase they wouldn't be corrupt or whatever?