XP Corruption due to possible Hardware Problem

[effowe]

I got an error message in XP that said that Windows had run out of space for the System part of the registry, and further requests would be ignored. After rebooting the computer would boot to the "Last known good configuration" and Safe Mode screen. Anything I choose from there begins to load XP, then reboots.

This same problem has happened to me three times now, and I really have no idea as to what could be causing it. I tested my old ram and came up with 37 errors or so, so I replaced it with some good ram thinking that would solve the issue. I have crashed again since then so I'm thinking it's something else.

Does anyone have any idea as to what could be causing this problem? What sort of tests can I do to test all my hardware to see whats wrong? If anyone needs any more information about my computer just ask.

 

[eXx08]

I got the same thing but when I restarted it didn't do any of that.

When it happened the screen was blue with white typing, same with you?

 

[effowe]

Originally posted by: thekillerjks
I got the same thing but when I restarted it didn't do any of that.

When it happened the screen was blue with white typing, same with you?

Well the first time it happened, when I rebooted I got a blue screen error BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO. The two times after that it will just restart right as it tries to start windows.

Did you ever figure out what caused the error?

 

[Jiggz]

Try using a registry cleaner and then ran anti virus and spyware programs. Thereafter, do a system clean and then defrag. If the problem is still there, you will have to isolate hardware by removing them one at a time and testing along the way. If the problem persists, do a repair re-installation of XP.

 

[effowe]

Originally posted by: Jiggz
Try using a registry cleaner and then ran anti virus and spyware programs. Thereafter, do a system clean and then defrag. If the problem is still there, you will have to isolate hardware by removing them one at a time and testing along the way. If the problem persists, do a repair re-installation of XP.

Well this has happened three times, and when it does I am no longer able to boot into windows. I was able to set the drive as a slave and see all the files in it, but wasnt able to boot from it. As a result of this I'm pretty sure it is a hardware problem, but I have no real way to test it. The ram has been changed, and I don't have any pci devices or anything. If you have any suggestions as to how I can test my hardware that would be great.

 

[Bozo Galora]

Could still be bad/non compatible ram, try to run 2.8V on DIMM, and 1 stick

Registry prob means need to do a repair install of XP over the old from CD.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326679/en-us
http://www.osronline.com/ddkx/ddtools/bccodes_15bb.htm

Win 2K dual boot is also a prob
The BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO is a common problem while dual booting if you have Win2000 first:

A bit more specialized instanc:
The Windows 2000 bootstrap loader does not know how to load Windows XP.

NOTE: The Windows XP bootstrap loader knows how to load all previous Windows operating systems.

To fix the problem, start the computer in Windows 2000 and copy 2 files from the Windows XP CD-ROM to the root of the system drive. Copy NTLDR and Ntdetect.com from the I386 folder, and replace the ones in the C: root directory.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/archive/index.php/t-1793.html

 

[effowe]

Originally posted by: Bozo Galora
Could still be bad/non compatible ram, try to run 2.8V on DIMM, and 1 stick

Registry prob means need to do a repair install of XP over the old from CD.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326679/en-us
http://www.osronline.com/ddkx/ddtools/bccodes_15bb.htm

Yeah I figured ram was the source of my problems, so I bought new ram after finding errors in my old stuff. I know the SLI-DR can be a little testy with ram, so I was sure to use the ram compatibility list and my ram is in there. I Haven't tried running it at a lower timing or voltage, but this is something I will consider if the problem happens again. I haven't gotten that blue screen since the first time it happened, as it reboots where the blue screen would be.

Win 2K dual boot is also a prob
The BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO is a common problem while dual booting if you have Win2000 first:

A bit more specialized instanc:
The Windows 2000 bootstrap loader does not know how to load Windows XP.

NOTE: The Windows XP bootstrap loader knows how to load all previous Windows operating systems.

To fix the problem, start the computer in Windows 2000 and copy 2 files from the Windows XP CD-ROM to the root of the system drive. Copy NTLDR and Ntdetect.com from the I386 folder, and replace the ones in the C: root directory.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/archive/index.php/t-1793.html

I am not dual booting either. I only had XP on this drive, and the other drive it happened to. So this has happened once on my Raptor drive, and twice on a temporary IDE drive, leading me to believe its some other piece of hardware in my computer. The only other big thing I can think of is the mobo, but I don't know how that could lead to corruption or anything.

I'm pretty much at my wits end with this machine. Does anyone know of a place that I can take it to in the Chicagoland area where some sort of certified technician could test all my hardware and determine whats causing the problem?

 

[effowe]

Bump for Evening Crew.

 

[Hough NutZ]

Well since this Windows installation was installed and used with 'bad' RAM, it could be data corruption.

If I were you, now that you got the good ram installed, I would simply backup my data files then format and install windows from scratch.