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AHH Corrupt system file, and recovery console won't detect my raid array. *fixed, in a strange way...*

Hyperlite

Hyperlite

Diamond Member
so i test an old MX440 PCI to see if it was still working, and sure enough, everything seems fine. so i take it out and switch back over to my 6800nu. windows no workie. "windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \windows\system32\config\system" it suggests using recovery console via the windows CD, so i give it a try. i press F6, load my raid drivers, and when i get to the windows installation selection screen, my raid array isn't there. when its loading, i see something flash across the bar at the bottom refering to a 158GB volume, which would be my array, but for some reason it doesn't show up as an installation. fortunantly i have everything backed up onto another drive, but its still a PITA to get everything running again. Anyone have any suggestions? btw, the Silicon image bios screen shows that the array is still intact... this sucks. i reseated every connection, tried unhooking my backup drive just to make sure some strange conflict hadn't arrisen...

i will give lots of :cookie:'s and :beer:'s to anyone who can help me out!
 
Syptoms like this is typical on a corrupt mbr or FAT table. You can try re-creating the MBR using the recovery console. This involve the DOS command "Fixboot" and "fixmbr". If this does not fix it, you can try third party software like partition commander to fix the mbr.
 
Originally posted by: Jiggz
Syptoms like this is typical on a corrupt mbr or FAT table. You can try re-creating the MBR using the recovery console. This involve the DOS command "Fixboot" and "fixmbr". If this does not fix it, you can try third party software like partition commander to fix the mbr.
Click to expand...
Fixmbr has worked for me in the past, too. This usually happens when I clock my Athlon XP's FSB too high =/.
 
Originally posted by: Jiggz
Syptoms like this is typical on a corrupt mbr or FAT table. You can try re-creating the MBR using the recovery console. This involve the DOS command "Fixboot" and "fixmbr". If this does not fix it, you can try third party software like partition commander to fix the mbr.
Click to expand...

Thanks, i will give that a try when i get home. Only problem is, the recovery console has to see the volume before it can repair it, right? By backup drive has a windows installation, volume C. The raid array in question is Volume E. when the recovery console asks you to select an installation, all i can see is C: and D: (the CD). I'll try it again when i get home just to make sure.

and interestingly enough (or oddly enough) this is the first time i have ever had an installation corruption that causes windows not to load. I'm still wondering if it was a product of the MX440 or just coincidence.


:cookie:
:cookie:
there you go guys. 😀
 
Recovery Console refuses to see my array...i'll give partition commander a shot i guess.

edit: uh, any free programs i can use to repair an mbr?
 
It's not an MBR problem.

The problem is that your registry hive for SYSTEM is corrupt. Unless you did a system state msbackup recently, then the system.sav that's in that directory will likely be the one that was created when you installed the OS.

You should get your console up with your raid drivers installed, are you sure you have them on the floppy in the correct folder and that it's actually loading them in?
 
yep, i select them off the floppy and they are displayed in the list...Si3112. Ok, so if this is not an mbr problem, is there a way to fix it? or should i stop wasting my time and reformat...
 
Boot up either the recovery console from CD, or knoppix.

Take a look at C:\WINDOWS\system32\config.

If the file in there called "system" is missing or the system.sav is pretty small (say, under a meg), then you've had it and a reinstall is your only option. You could rename the system.sav to system, but you'll basically be booting your machine as it was when you installed it (system-wise that is).

edit: my bad. The files that get touched every time you do a system state backup appear to be in c:\windows\repair, so if the file c:\windows\system32\config\system is missing and the file c:\windows\repair\system is fairly recent, then you stand a good chance by simply copying c:\windows\repair\system to c:\windows\system32\config\system

Let us know how you get on.

It's worth doing a system state backup regularly (even if you don't keep the backup file) just to update those files.
 
OK WTF. I missed the step to press any key to load from CD and it booted into windows. heh. now if i only i could figure out what just happened...AH WAIT! i was just at the C:\windows> prompt in the recovery console, i ran chkdsk. that must have fixed it. wow. well, thanks for the help lansalot. definantly ended up being a odd solution. btw, how do i go about performing a system state backup?
 
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