Locked in a duel to the death with Windows XP Pro

[ATacoGuy]

Basically, this whole thing got started with me messing with some RAM timings, which produced the error "Windows could not start b/c the following file is missing or corrupt /Windows/System32/Config/System". Now, rather than just running for help here at that point, I searched the forums like a good anandtech acolyte, and came up with this thread. Basically, I followed the procedure described by dclive for those who only have the XP Pro CD, and it did, in fact, allow me to boot normally to Windows. The only problem is I've gone to System Restore to try and turn back the clock, and all my restore points are gone! Now I had just recently done some major updating of drivers and such, so I know that they should be there. Anybody know what's going on?

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: ATacoGuy
Basically, this whole thing got started with me messing with some RAM timings, which produced the error "Windows could not start b/c the following file is missing or corrupt /Windows/System32/Config/System". Now, rather than just running for help here at that point, I searched the forums like a good anandtech acolyte, and came up with this thread. Basically, I followed the procedure described by dclive for those who only have the XP Pro CD, and it did, in fact, allow me to boot normally to Windows. The only problem is I've gone to System Restore to try and turn back the clock, and all my restore points are gone! Now I had just recently done some major updating of drivers and such, so I know that they should be there. Anybody know what's going on?

I understand you did this via recovery console, so do this:

just change the permissions on the System Volume Information folder in C:, go in there, copy the most recent System Recovery save of the registry files (sam, software, system, security) from that folder to the c:\windows\system32\config folder (make a backup of the files in c:\windows\system32\config first), and reboot, and your problem will be resolved.
_

Now, you won't be able to overwrite c:\windows\system32\config\ SAM, SOFTWARE, SYSTEM, SECURITY files on the live / 'hot' system, because they're in use, so you need to find a recent backup in the System Volume Information folder(of those four files), copy them to c:\windows\system32\config\recovery(create this directory), for example, and then boot in recovery console, copy those four files from c:\windows\system32\config\recovery to c:\windows\system32\config, and then you're good.

It's a lot easier if you have Bart's PE Boot Disk....

 

[ATacoGuy]

Thanks dclive. Worked like a charm.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: ATacoGuy
Thanks dclive. Worked like a charm.

Awesome. Happy to help. Make a Bart's PE Boot disk while you're thinking of it.