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Thread: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

  1. #1
    Bob Guest

    Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

    Hi,
    My Windows Server 2003 x64 system can not boot in safe mode and is
    displaying the following message. I started the recovery console and can see
    the "system" file is there. I've a system state backup, but without being
    able to boot in directory services restore mode, I can't see how to replace
    it. Any thoughts?
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
    \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the
    original Setup CD-ROM.
    Select ‘r’ at the first screen to start repair.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    --
    Bob

  2. #2
    Myweb Guest

    Re: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

    Hello Bob,

    Your computer does not start if the SYSTEM hive is too large
    View products that this article applies to.
    Article ID
    : 306038
    Last Review : May 25, 2004
    Revision : 3.0
    This article was previously published under Q306038
    On This Page
    SYMPTOMS
    CAUSE
    RESOLUTION
    Method 1: Replace the SYSTEM Hive
    Method 2: Restore the SYSTEM File from the SYSTEM.ALT Backup File
    Method 3: Reduce the Size of the SYSTEM File
    Method 4: Restore the SYSTEM Hive from Backup
    MORE INFORMATION
    SYMPTOMS
    When you start your computer, you may receive the following error message:

    In Windows NT 4.0
    Windows NT could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
    \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    In Windows 2000:
    Windows 2000 could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
    \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMced startup options for Windows 2000, press F8.

    Back to the top

    CAUSE
    This issue may occur if Windows cannot allocate enough memory to the SYSTEM
    hive. The SYSTEM hive is typically around 3 MB, but when it is highly fragmented
    or damaged, its size may increase greatly. If a large number of programs
    have been installed and removed on your computer, or if the computer shares
    a large number of resources, the registry may become too large.

    Back to the top

    RESOLUTION
    To resolve this issue, use the following methods in the order in which they
    are presented.

    Back to the top

    Method 1: Replace the SYSTEM Hive
    Important: The WINNT\Repair folder contains a copy of the SYSTEM hive in
    the SYSTEM file. The SYSTEM hive is updated if you run the Rdisk.exe utility
    (available only with Windows NT), and then select the Update repair information
    option. If you have recently updated the SYSTEM hive by using the Rdisk.exe
    utility, go directly to "Method 3".

    Replace the SYSTEM hive in the Config folder with the SYSTEM hive from the
    Repair folder. To do so, follow these steps:
    1. Start the computer by using the Windows Setup floppy disks or the Windows
    2000 CD-ROM. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press R to repair, and then
    press C to start the Recovery Console.
    2. Type the number for the appropriate Windows installation, and then type
    the Administrator account password.
    3. To copy the SYSTEM file from the WINNT\Repair folder to the WINNT\System32\Config
    folder, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    copy c:\winnt\repair\system c:\winnt\system32\config\SYSTEM
    .. If you receive a prompt to overwrite the file, press Y, and then press
    ENTER.
    4. Restart the computer.
    Note: If you use the file allocation table (FAT) file system, use a Microsoft
    Windows 98 startup disk to start the computer.

    Back to the top

    Method 2: Restore the SYSTEM File from the SYSTEM.ALT Backup File
    Use this method if the WINNT\Repair\System file is old and the Rdisk utility
    has not been run to update the repair information.
    1. Start the computer by using the Windows Setup floppy disks or the Windows
    2000 CD-ROM. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press R to repair, and then
    press C to start the Recovery Console.
    2. Type the number for the appropriate Windows installation, and then type
    the Administrator account password.
    3. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    copy c:\winnt\system32\config\system.alt c:\winnt\system32\config\SYSTEM
    .. When you are prompted to overwrite the file, press Y, and then press ENTER.
    4. Restart the computer.

    Back to the top

    Method 3: Reduce the Size of the SYSTEM File
    This method reduces the size of the SYSTEM file by copying it two times.
    To reduce the size of the SYSTEM file, follow these steps:
    1. Start the computer by using the Windows Setup floppy disks or the Windows
    2000 CD-ROM. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press R to repair, and then
    press C to start the Recovery Console.
    2. Type the number for the appropriate Windows installation, and then type
    the Administrator account password.
    3. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following commands, pressing
    ENTER after you type each command:

    cd \winnt\system32\config
    copy system system.bak
    del system
    copy system.bak SYSTEM
    exit
    4. Restart the computer.

    Back to the top

    Method 4: Restore the SYSTEM Hive from Backup
    If the preceding methods do not resolve the issue, create a parallel installation
    of Windows, and then restore the SYSTEM hive from a tape backup to the original
    WINNT\System32\Config folder.

    Back to the top

    MORE INFORMATION
    When Windows starts, its memory is limited to 16 MB. If the SYSTEM hive exceeds
    the available memory, the computer cannot start and you receive one of the
    error messages that listed in the "Symptoms" section of this article.


    Best regards

    Myweb
    Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
    no rights.

    > Hi,
    > My Windows Server 2003 x64 system can not boot in safe mode and is
    > displaying the following message. I started the recovery console and
    > can see
    > the "system" file is there. I've a system state backup, but without
    > being
    > able to boot in directory services restore mode, I can't see how to
    > replace
    > it. Any thoughts?
    > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    > -------------------------
    > Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
    > corrupt:
    > \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    > You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using
    > the
    > original Setup CD-ROM.
    > Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.
    > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    > -------------------------





  3. #3
    Bob Guest

    Re: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

    Thanks MyWeb. You fixed it!

    Actually, I think the size of my system hive is okay at 5.2MB. I followed
    your suggested procedure and replaced it with my 5.1MB "repair" copy which I
    guess is created as part of the ntbackup systemstate procedure?

    I think I must have a hardware problem as my edb.log has been corrupted
    three times and today it is my system registry.

    I don't understand why these errors only show themselves upon bootup. If
    the hardware is corrupting these various system databases, why doesn’t
    Windows crash at the moment it happens? Why wait until bootup?

    I've run memtest86 and the Dell diags, but nothing is catching these
    intermittent errors (assuming this is hardware related).

    Are there any utilities I can run that might catch the problem when it
    occures?

    --
    Bob

  4. #4
    Ken Zhao [MSFT] Guest

    Re: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

    Hello Bob,

    Thank you for using newsgroup!

    I'd like to thanks the other peer who has provided you with more detailed
    resolutions and the root cause. I agree with your assuming and I suspect
    this issue may be related to hardware.

    Thanks & Regards,

    Ken Zhao

    Microsoft Online Support
    Microsoft Global Technical Support Center

    Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security <http://www.microsoft.com/security>
    ====================================================
    When responding to posts, please "Reply to Group" via your newsreader so
    that others may learn and benefit from your issue.
    ====================================================
    This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.




    --------------------
    | Thread-Topic: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    | thread-index: AceTFtFKRVCUI1viSFCgNU4zSMMNcw==
    | X-WBNR-Posting-Host: 207.46.19.168
    | From: =?Utf-8?B?Qm9i?= <86c6c2e6-2146512712@news.postalias>
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    <ff16fb662926b8c9612b9060db20@msnews.microsoft.com>
    | Subject: Re: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    | Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 08:21:01 -0700
    | Lines: 21
    | Message-ID: <D3CF79F6-A45C-40E9-BA01-FB3FBBE24A85@microsoft.com>
    | MIME-Version: 1.0
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    | Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.server.general
    | Path: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
    | Xref: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl microsoft.public.windows.server.general:12651
    | NNTP-Posting-Host: tk2msftibfm01.phx.gbl 10.40.244.149
    | X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.server.general
    |
    | Thanks MyWeb. You fixed it!
    |
    | Actually, I think the size of my system hive is okay at 5.2MB. I
    followed
    | your suggested procedure and replaced it with my 5.1MB "repair" copy
    which I
    | guess is created as part of the ntbackup systemstate procedure?
    |
    | I think I must have a hardware problem as my edb.log has been corrupted
    | three times and today it is my system registry.
    |
    | I don't understand why these errors only show themselves upon bootup. If
    | the hardware is corrupting these various system databases, why doesn’t
    | Windows crash at the moment it happens? Why wait until bootup?
    |
    | I've run memtest86 and the Dell diags, but nothing is catching these
    | intermittent errors (assuming this is hardware related).
    |
    | Are there any utilities I can run that might catch the problem when it
    | occures?
    |
    | --
    | Bob
    |


  5. #5
    Ken Zhao [MSFT] Guest

    Re: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

    Hi,

    I am just writing to see how everything is going. If you have any updates
    or need any further assistance on this issue, please feel free to let me
    know.

    Thanks & Regards,

    Ken Zhao

    Microsoft Online Support
    Microsoft Global Technical Support Center

    Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security <http://www.microsoft.com/security>
    ====================================================
    When responding to posts, please "Reply to Group" via your newsreader so
    that others may learn and benefit from your issue.
    ====================================================
    This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.



    --------------------
    | X-Tomcat-ID: 45816003
    | References: <8A5356D6-081E-4104-9ED3-EA2347A0725F@microsoft.com>
    <ff16fb662926b8c9612b9060db20@msnews.microsoft.com>
    <D3CF79F6-A45C-40E9-BA01-FB3FBBE24A85@microsoft.com>
    | MIME-Version: 1.0
    | Content-Type: text/plain
    | Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
    | From: v-kzhao@online.microsoft.com ("Ken Zhao [MSFT]")
    | Organization: Microsoft
    | Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 03:01:04 GMT
    | Subject: Re: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    | X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.server.general
    | Message-ID: <4fhWni3kHHA.1144@TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl>
    | Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.server.general
    | Lines: 69
    | Path: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
    | Xref: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl microsoft.public.windows.server.general:12693
    | NNTP-Posting-Host: TOMCATIMPORT1 10.201.218.122
    |
    | Hello Bob,
    |
    | Thank you for using newsgroup!
    |
    | I'd like to thanks the other peer who has provided you with more detailed
    | resolutions and the root cause. I agree with your assuming and I suspect
    | this issue may be related to hardware.
    |
    | Thanks & Regards,
    |
    | Ken Zhao
    |
    | Microsoft Online Support
    | Microsoft Global Technical Support Center
    |
    | Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security
    <http://www.microsoft.com/security>
    | ====================================================
    | When responding to posts, please "Reply to Group" via your newsreader so
    | that others may learn and benefit from your issue.
    | ====================================================
    | This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
    rights.
    |
    |
    |
    |
    | --------------------
    | | Thread-Topic: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    | | thread-index: AceTFtFKRVCUI1viSFCgNU4zSMMNcw==
    | | X-WBNR-Posting-Host: 207.46.19.168
    | | From: =?Utf-8?B?Qm9i?= <86c6c2e6-2146512712@news.postalias>
    | | References: <8A5356D6-081E-4104-9ED3-EA2347A0725F@microsoft.com>
    | <ff16fb662926b8c9612b9060db20@msnews.microsoft.com>
    | | Subject: Re: Corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
    | | Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 08:21:01 -0700
    | | Lines: 21
    | | Message-ID: <D3CF79F6-A45C-40E9-BA01-FB3FBBE24A85@microsoft.com>
    | | MIME-Version: 1.0
    | | Content-Type: text/plain;
    | | charset="Utf-8"
    | | Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
    | | X-Newsreader: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000
    | | Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message
    | | Importance: normal
    | | Priority: normal
    | | X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.2826
    | | Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.server.general
    | | Path: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
    | | Xref: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
    microsoft.public.windows.server.general:12651
    | | NNTP-Posting-Host: tk2msftibfm01.phx.gbl 10.40.244.149
    | | X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.server.general
    | |
    | | Thanks MyWeb. You fixed it!
    | |
    | | Actually, I think the size of my system hive is okay at 5.2MB. I
    | followed
    | | your suggested procedure and replaced it with my 5.1MB "repair" copy
    | which I
    | | guess is created as part of the ntbackup systemstate procedure?
    | |
    | | I think I must have a hardware problem as my edb.log has been corrupted
    | | three times and today it is my system registry.
    | |
    | | I don't understand why these errors only show themselves upon bootup.
    If
    | | the hardware is corrupting these various system databases, why doesn’
    t
    | | Windows crash at the moment it happens? Why wait until bootup?
    | |
    | | I've run memtest86 and the Dell diags, but nothing is catching these
    | | intermittent errors (assuming this is hardware related).
    | |
    | | Are there any utilities I can run that might catch the problem when it
    | | occures?
    | |
    | | --
    | | Bob
    | |
    |
    |


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