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Single file stops Windows from working
Topic Started: Nov 4 2007, 11:44 PM (1,139 Views)
cvn-tv-dip
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So much for my indefinite break from the forums.

Up to Friday (11/2) my computer worked fine. When I turned it on about 10AM on Saturday, this message comes up as the first screen:

Quote:
 
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.

This comes up before anything (Windows itself would not load). I tried rebooting multiple times yesterday and today, but the same problem still comes up. I don't remember doing anything special the last time I used it. The above extension link, I think, omits the C: part, but I'm not sure. To note, I have two hard drives: one with Windows XP and one I got from my previous computer (Windows 98). The XP drive is the C drive.

I use Windows XP SP2 and have been for over 3 1/2 years now. I got an available Windows XP CD and tried doing as the message told me to, but for some reason the CD wouldn't work (it seemed like the disc wouldn't load). When I click on r after inserting the CD, the computer just resets itself and once again shows the message. This is the same result I get when I click any key (with or without the disc).

I'm thinking of a few possibilities:

1. The CD does not work properly, so I should get another one and try again.
2. The CD would not respond because Windows is not functioning. If this is true, Windows must be active and ready to read the CD-ROM.
3. The CD-RW drive, for some reason, simultaneously stopped working with the Windows program and the hard drive containing it.

I doubt it's #1; I tried that Windows XP CD at another computer (where I'm posting) and it seems to be fine. It looks like it has all the files of a Windows Setup CD, and when I click on SETUP, the Windows installation window comes up. There is still a possibility that it's not a compatible disc, because I stopped at opening the installation window and didn't go further.

I'm expecting #2; when I inserted the CD on this computer, it didn't do anything until after Windows loaded and I manually clicked on SETUP, under My Computer -> D Drive. This means Windows is required to use the disc (making the message directions useless). But this makes me wonder how you would install Windows on a blank computer. Perhaps it may work with a fresh hard drive. BTW, on this computer, I tried clicking on F10 to do something with the disc before Windows loaded. But this wouldn't work on my own computer because the first screen I get is the above message, not an option for F10 or anything else.

#3 is also a possibility because the computer is a few years old and more than one system may have stopped working. This once again means I used the right disc but on malfunctioning hardware. I tried using some other CDs and they wouldn't really load either (my computer normally shows light and sound once a program disc is inserted). This supports #2 or #3.

If it's #2 (likely), I was thinking that maybe if I switch the two hard drives and make the 98 drive my main one, it would operate Windows for me and I can then fix the problem. If it doesn't work (probably because it's not an XP drive), I may need to get another XP drive, or a fresh hard drive and install XP on it, and then add the file somehow. If all I require is a functional XP drive, this is all I need to do. But if it matters what I set as my primary drive, I would need to take out my existing main drive and then add it later.

So I'm wondering, which one of the three is it? Does it matter which is the primary drive, or can I get any drive that has Windows installed? Is there something I can do other than what I mentioned?
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Deleted User
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Unless your computer is quite old, you should be able to boot directly to the CD drive.
Have you tried holding down F2 or whatever during startup to get into the BIOS to check your boot sequence?
It would probably have to have your CD drive listed first, or after the floppy drive would probably work as well if it's listed first.
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cvn-tv-dip
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PhranK
November 4, 2007 08:10 PM
Unless your computer is quite old, you should be able to boot directly to the CD drive.
Have you tried holding down F2 or whatever during startup to get into the BIOS to check your boot sequence?
It would probably have to have your CD drive listed first, or after the floppy drive would probably work as well if it's listed first.

I tried the following.

  • After computer starts and error message shows, I insert the disc and hold F2. As soon as I do that, (as with any key) the computer reboots itself, again shownig the message. Disc is not read.
  • Still holding F2 from previous attempt, I press r. But results are same as above, meaning F2 didn't work.
  • I manually restarted the computer with the disc in it and started holding F2 again before the message showed up (which it did; no avail).
So either I need to try another button, or as I guessed, this error message prevents me from accessing any options. I read somewhere that XP is not MS-DOS based, so maybe Windows is required for virtually all functions. There's a chance that the disc holds the needed components but does not have the proper autoboot function. So I'm about to try what you told me on the computer I'm using right now.

It's possible that both hard drive and disc drive are malfunctioning (although I don't remember doing anything to the computer). But if I somehow get a new hard drive with XP installed, it wouldn't matter if the disc drive has a problem.

[EDIT - this is before Das's post] It looks like I can hold F2 on this computer to load BIOS options (stopped at verifying that, because this computer requires a password to go any further). It doesn't work with my own computer because 1) it never lets me get to a screen with those options shown and 2) the disc doesn't seem to be loading (before I would see and hear it load).

So I think my hard drive is malfunctioning and preventing the disc from working properly when it would respond on a fresh drive.

[SECOND EDIT] F2 option works now. See below.
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Das
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Smells of rich mahogany
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As you hit the power button, beat "F8" like it owes you money. Unless you have an odd computer, there is no way Windows loads before the BIOS.
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cvn-tv-dip
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As I was following Das's suggestions I realized that my Function Lock key was off and that's why the function keys wouldn't work.

So with Function Lock on, I clicked on F8, and I saw a bunch of menus. However, any attempt to start Windows in any way caused me to return to the error message, and the disc still seems to not load. What should I do?
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Anesthesia
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Wow. Just wow. Do you know what I'm refering to?
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Have you tried leaving the CD in, turning it off, then back on and let it boot up with the CD still in? That one file is one of the most important files for windows.
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cvn-tv-dip
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Anesthesia
November 4, 2007 08:56 PM
Have you tried leaving the CD in, turning it off, then back on and let it boot up with the CD still in?  That one file is one of the most important files for windows.

Yes, but the CD seems to not even be read, let alone autoboot.

Another trouble with the Function Lock key was that I forgot that it's off by default every time the computer starts. With that and the fact that the error message comes up after only a few seconds, it took me several tries to finally get to BIOS options using F2 key.

What's next?
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Das
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cvn-tv-dip
November 4, 2007 09:54 PM
As I was following Das's suggestions I realized that my Function Lock key was off and that's why the function keys wouldn't work.

So with Function Lock on, I clicked on F8, and I saw a bunch of menus. However, any attempt to start Windows in any way caused me to return to the error message, and the disc still seems to not load. What should I do?

Put the disk in. Hit F8. Try to navigate the menus to "Boot [From] Disk" or "Boot Order."

If you find "Boot [From] Disk":
Then you should be good.

If you find "Boot Order":
Set your CD drive as the first in the boot order.
Turn off your computer.
Turn on your computer, and don't hit anything.
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cvn-tv-dip
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I did as you said in the BIOS options. Now when I start the computer, I first get a blank screen with a single _. The disc drive makes a sound, signifying that it's finally loading.

But then I get that error message again and pressing r still gives the same message. Does it mean I should try another disc, or a new hard drive?
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Das
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My guess is your BIOS has something to the effect of "don't auto detect disk" on.

Turn off the computer.
Boot into the BIOS (Apparently F2 for you).
Make sure the CD Drive is first.
Turn off the computer.
Turn on the computer.
Keep hitting "F8" (F8, not boot into BIOS).
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cvn-tv-dip
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I did that, and I'm on F8 screen with a number of options:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging
Enable VGA Mode
Last Known Good Configuration
Directory Services Restore Mode
Debugging Mode
Disable automatic restart on system failure

Start Windows Normally
Reboot
Return to OS choices menu

The disc seems to be loading well. But it's the same situation where attempting to load Windows fails because it's missing an essential file.

It's clear that I have to do something with the disc, not the Windows program. If it doesn't work, it's either the disc or the hard drive, not the process of using them. So how do I use the disc instead of Windows?
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Pete B
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I had a problem with Windows Updates and I had to use my Vista disk to repair windows.

During boot up, I pressed ESC, it brought up a list of possible boot devices, which was like, the DVD drive, and my HDD. I selected the Disk drive, and It took me to a low resolution screen which asked for the language I wanted to use, and after that screen I could either re-install or repair...

It might be totally different with your computer though....
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cvn-tv-dip
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I tried that (F10, not ESC). I manually selected the disc drive as the drive I want to boot. But once again, as the CD was loading, I got that error message.

I experimented with two XP CDs and a few other discs, and all led to the same result. Some of the discs showed the underscore (_), and then it moved for a bit (seems to be attempting to load), but then I just return to that same error message. Essentially this seems to be the equivalent of just setting disc drive as the first drive to autoboot. I also tried pressing r at the error message and then repeating the process with manual boot, with no difference. Clearly the r key won't help me with any of my existing discs, since all it does is reboot, making me go in a cycle.

From my observations, while the disc has still not fully loaded, I get a blinking underscore screen from the disc boot. But whenever the disc fully starts to load (I see/hear the normal operation going on), the error message appears. It seems like it's somehow blocking normal disc operation.

[UPDATE] Apparently, the two XP CDs are copies. That may imply that the proper booting function is not available in them even though most of the files are present to make the CDs work on Windows. I tried multiple CDs, including those two, on both my computer and this computer. On my computer, what I described two paragraphs above happened. On this computer, I simply got a page of text and box on top, including "booting from disc" message, but then Windows simply loaded. This probably means that these discs are not intended for autoboot function.

And then I tried making the disc drive as not only my primary booting drive but my ONLY booting drive; I disabled the others for the time being. This is because I figured that if the disc drive does not detect a CD that can be booted, ithe computer would just move on to the second in the list (Windows). So after such configurations, I inserted the CD and it said the following:

Quote:
 
Reboot and Select proper Boot device
or Insert Boot Media in select Boot device_


This would mean that the CD does not boot. This is supported by the fact that before these configurations, both my computer and this one just moved on to Windows even though I told them to boot the CD.
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Paper
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Quote:
 
Unless your computer is quite old, you should be able to boot directly to the CD drive.

If the Windows XP disk is a copy, then it sounds like someone copied it wrongly. The Windows XP disk adds files into the boot record on the CD. You must use a disk copying tool like nero to copy the whole disk as it is rather than making just a copy of the files.
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cvn-tv-dip
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My friend recommended me to use GPART to restore the necessary files by essentially dividing the hard drive in half, temporarily creating two partitions. Once Windows is restored, I can use it to revert things to normal.

So should I use Nero to create the GPART CD? I tried using the normal "copy to CD" function and it didn't seem to work in booting.
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