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AAAARGH! "...missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM"

post #1 of 19
11/16/06 at 3:29pm
Thread Starter 
My home computer crashed, and this is what it had to say:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

help?!
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post #2 of 19
11/16/06 at 4:59pm
Got an xp boot cd? Boot to it and enter the recovery console (you'll see the option to push R and enter the console), once at the command line type "chkdsk /r" (without quotes)

Hope that helps.
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post #3 of 19
11/16/06 at 5:24pm
I had that happen a couple of years ago (was time for a reformat anyway), then found this for "next time"...

1.Restart the computer in safe mode/safe mode command prompt.
2.Go to the windows\system32 directory
3.Find and delete explorer.exe & system32.dll (ONLY from the
windows\system32 directory)
4.Go to the windows\ directory & delete secure.html
5.Restart the computer
6.Search for files called "HOSTS" (with no file extention) & delete them (usually 2)
7.Modify your homepage settings in IE to your favourite homepage.
8.Restart your computer & run all your programs to check you have a sucessfull "erradication".

Hints:
- be cautious, not to delete the original "explorer.exe" in the windows\-directory or the original "hosts" file in
Windows\system32\drivers\etc\. The malware files are smaller (about 4-5kB) and have a more actual date.
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post #4 of 19
11/16/06 at 6:30pm
Yeah, that's a good one. I forget how I fixed it, but it was a muther. I hate PCs with a passion now. Get a mac and don't look back...
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post #5 of 19
11/16/06 at 6:44pm

from the horse's mouth

microsoft's support page for this problem

I said screw it and reformatted when this happened to me a few months ago.
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post #6 of 19
11/16/06 at 6:53pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the responses.
i have a feeling our next computer will be a mac... just too many problems with windows... and i consider myself fairly computer-literate, if not a wiz.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanadu777
1.Restart the computer in safe mode/safe mode command prompt.
it won't even boot up in safe mode... gives the same missing/corrupt line.

my wife is going to try the chkdsk /r command, and see if that works.

if all else fails, i'll print out that microsoft support page and try that.

frikkin windows.
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post #7 of 19
11/16/06 at 6:55pm
Thread Starter 
you know... i downloaded Sun Microsystems' Open Office a few weeks ago... i wonder if that caused it.
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post #8 of 19
11/16/06 at 6:56pm
Thread Starter 
ok, now... the recovery console is asking "which windows installation would you like to log onto?" and it only lets you type one character.

what the hell do i do with that?!
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post #9 of 19
11/16/06 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by floydenheimer
Got an xp boot cd? Boot to it and enter the recovery console (you'll see the option to push R and enter the console), once at the command line type "chkdsk /r" (without quotes)

Hope that helps.
ok... now we're trying chkdsk /r and it says "command not recognized"
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post #10 of 19
11/16/06 at 7:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chadbang
Yeah, that's a good one. I forget how I fixed it, but it was a muther. I hate PCs with a passion now. Get a mac and don't look back...
+1
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post #11 of 19
11/16/06 at 7:34pm
Thread Starter 
well here's a good one...

after following Part One of the process on microsoft's support page.. it now gives me this:

ISASS.EXE - SYSTEM ERROR
WHEN TRYING TO UPDATE A PASSWORD, THE RETURN STATUS INDICATES THAT THE VALUE PROVIDED AS THE CURRENT PASSWORD IS NOT CORRECT.

then it just reboots itself over and over with the same message.

brilliant. i love technology.
i'm buying myself a MacBook for Xmukkah.
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post #12 of 19
11/16/06 at 11:12pm
Do you have the windows installation cd ? If so boot from the cd, chose install windows (not try to repair with recovery console) When prompted later "Do you want windows to try fixing this installation" chose that option. It then will replace all windows files without messing without anything else.
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post #13 of 19
11/17/06 at 12:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by VicAjax
well here's a good one...

after following Part One of the process on microsoft's support page.. it now gives me this:

ISASS.EXE - SYSTEM ERROR
WHEN TRYING TO UPDATE A PASSWORD, THE RETURN STATUS INDICATES THAT THE VALUE PROVIDED AS THE CURRENT PASSWORD IS NOT CORRECT.

then it just reboots itself over and over with the same message.

brilliant. i love technology.
i'm buying myself a MacBook for Xmukkah.
What if something goes wrong with the MacBook? What will you do then?

hope you solve the problem, I've had my share if windows problems. I doubt it was openoffice that caused it though, I've used openoffice for a while no problem.
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post #14 of 19
11/17/06 at 5:30am
You can find some good solutions here:

http://www.linux.org

and

http://www.apple.com

I use both and pretty much never have problems. Linux is very easy to install and use these days, too.

I have to use XP at work. My experiences are similar to yours; I bring in my PowerBook whenever there's a time-critical project that has to be done.
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post #15 of 19
11/17/06 at 6:00am
Macbooks will never go wrong!!!111ONEONE!!!

Eh. I doubt it will end up to be anything as bad as what can go wrong with Windows. A *nix-based OS helps a lot in that regard... Probably you'd just have to run DiskUtility and repair permissions - it seems to solve most problems.
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