How Do I Restore/Repair Missing/Corrupt System File?

I turned on my computer and as it was starting up I accidentally turned off
the power strip on the floor, shutting off the computer. Now, when I try to
start up the computer I get the following error message: "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."

I tried the above suggestion by using the original Setup CD-ROM to start
Windows Setup and selecting ' r ' but after that I see the following, c:
windows>. I don't know how to proceed from here. Any suggestions? Thanks.

you might try


sfc /scannow

Have a look here..
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;307545

I gave it a try, but it didn't work.

I've had this problem before, and it's far from fun. At the point you're on,
you need to replace the current, non-working registry with a previous,
working registry. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/ specifically
targets this problem and should help you a lot.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it and see if it works.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it and see if it works.

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from
Starting
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;307545

Once you've recovered, you might want to look here, as well:

How to Troubleshoot Registry Corruption Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;822705

Hi Mike,

Are you able to boot into Safe Mode?

If so, try running running System Restore.

Bert,

No, I'm not able to boot in Safe Mode. I'm going to try the suggestion made
by Ricky and Remy ("How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents
Windows XP from starting"). I printed the 6 pages of instructions and am
still trying to digest all that information before I proceed. Thanks.

thanks Bert, Mike was the one who had the problem :)

[john697]

I get the following error message: "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."

I tried the above suggestion by using the original Setup CD-ROM to start
Windows Setup and selecting ' r ' but after that I see the following, c:
windows>. I don't know how to proceed from here. Any suggestions? Thanks

[JAMES_911]

Hi john697,

Are you trying to use the Command Console within Windows Recovery Console? The Recovery Console gives you limited access to the NTFS file system, FAT, and FAT32 volumes. Recovery Console prevents the familiar Windows Graphical User Interface (GUI) from loading in order to repair and recover Windows functionality. More information can be found here.

[kyu7308@gmail.com]

I got the same error "...system files missing or corrupt" in my xp system due to a sudden power off.
Since I could not boot up to any safe mode, how to repair the system files if I attach the hard drive to another working pc? Which files are needed to be replaced/repaired?

[Santy]

Well am good in reinstalling any operating system but i dont have any idea about repairing systems or which files to repair. But anyways, i found a good article with step by step and with all info about repairing OS. Hope it will help you. :
How to repair Windows XP
How to Reinstall Windows XP without losing any data