Windows XP Won't Start

Hi There, I hpoe you can help me....My Pc has been working fine then my wife turned it on this morning to be greeted with a black screen saying:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or currupt:

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

no matter what I press on the keyboard the pc re-boots & I get the error message again!! what do I do guys????
Please help...

 

Try booting in from your installation CD and do a repair

 

That'll be the disc that I can't find then!!! ******

 

What do I do now??

 

Already tried that & It won't even re-boot in safe mode!!

 

I would now seek professional help if I was you rather than fiddle with things I didn't understand. Something similar happened to me when I had Windows 98. Everything had to be reloaded and I lost all my running programs but was able to save data files. I know nothing about computers so always yell for help when they go wrong. Unless you know what you are doing (and I don't) then you run the risk of making things worse.

Good luck anyway and I hope it's not too expensive (might even be cheaper to buy a new computer :confused: )

 

If you've got a corrupt system configure file - then I think you'll find that even if you find the original rescue disc - that all that will do is to reinstall windows xp.

Reason I say this is that I had a corrupt something and couldn't get windows to start in safe or any other mode and had to use the disc supplied at installation. Windows reinstalled, without giving me the opportunity of a fix, and it then failed to recognise anything that was on there before.

If you've got a backup of your data - I would suggest getting the manufacturer to courier over another rescue disc. Then if it does fail to recognised things, then you can reinstall programmes and then your backup data.

If you haven't then maybe contact pc world. In our area, they seem to have set up some services that may be able to help you - and retrieve your data. A friend of mine had pc problems and found that they could be of help.

The only thing I can think of sorry. Are you sure you can't find the original disc??

I wish you luck. BTW - when your up and running again, then consider getting acronis - that backup programme disk allows you to boot straight into Acronis, bypassing windows and therefre able to restore from a full backup. Haven't tried it yet cos I got it after my pc failure - but I am advised it works.

 

Buying a new pc or a new harddrive/operating system to fix the problem seems a little drastic.. especially as xmas is closing in fast

If you (or perhaps a friend) have a 2nd pc.. you could install the glitched hard drive as a slave in the functional machine (quite easy to do), allowing you to repair/replace the missing msconfig file.

 

r200, your operating system (the bit that makes the system run) is corrupt ie damaged. It is something that happens. But all your data may well be OK.

If you don't have the original disks and/or the knowledge, I would suggest you take it to a proffesional. I find PC world a bit impersonal and expensive, there may be others who will do it. What they will do is temporily pair your disk with another working disk and transfer all you files over (ie do a complete backup). They will then try to repair the damage to your operating system. If its simple, your machine will be working again and all you original data and programs will also be working. If the damage is serious, they may not be able to repair it, but will instead reformat your disk (ie wipe it clean and reinstall the operating system as in a new machine). In the second case they will replace all the data that they backed up on the second drive. Whilst your data should be there, some of your programs won't run because they must be installed from original disks. Best of luck.

As this sort of thing could happen to any of us at any time, I would suggest keeping a box or one of those small CD holders, and storing ALL the original disks that came with the machine in it and all the original program disks that you have bought since.

 

I have purchased one of these...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270062890598&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RSEE_Pr4_PcY_BIN_IT&refitem=270064182667&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=C rossSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

Worth a try!!!

How do I hang my hard drive onto another pc if I need to back up the files?

 

Rather you than me R200 - I just wouldn't chance it unless I had a full backup of all my data. Now sure how this would fix a corrupt OS configuration file - especially at that price. But what do I know. :D

 

r200 - I have no idea what that item is or does.

Adding a second hard drive is very simple in principle, but if you don't know much about computers, it would be worth finding someone who does.

You must switch your computer off before you attempt to do anything. Then when you take the covers off you will see the motherboard (the large board with lots of chips on it). You will see a 2" wide flat cable, with one end attached to the motherboard. This cable allows two items to be attached to your motherboard. Note that on the motherboard there will be a second slot, next to the first, allowing you to attach a second flat cable and two more items, making four in all. At the other end of the first cable (you will probably only have one) there will be two connectors, one attached to your hard disk and one attached to your CD-ROM.

It is easy to replace the hard disk. You simply unplug it and plug the new one in, making sure the red line on the cable, which marks wire no 1, always goes into the correct end on both the motherboard and the hard drive. To add an extra hard drive, you are now wanting three attachments. You have a choice, you can remove the CD-ROM and attach it there. This is OK for a temporary backup - but no good on a permanent basis as you have lost the use of the CD-ROM. Or you will have to buy a second cable (cost about �£5). Plug one end into the second slot on the motherboard (keeping red /wire no 1 at the same end as the first cable) and attach your hard disk to either of the connectors on this. You will also have to plug in a power lead, which has just 4 pins - they only fit one way round. Your power supply will have plenty of spares.

At the back of every hard drive, in the middle there is a third set of pins. There are for the 'jumpers'. They tell the computer if the hard disk is a 'master' or a 'slave'. The setting details will be shown on the disk itself. If you have two hard disks on the same cable, you must make one the master, which will be the boot disk, and the other a slave. If you have one hard disk on each cable, each must be a master. In this case the boot disk will be the one attached to the cable in slot one on the motherboard.

Don't touch any of the chips or components if you can help it. And be careful of static - sit down and take your shoes of - if in doubt. This gives you an idea what is involved, but much better to get someone experienced to do it, or better still get a computer shop to look at your machine.

 

All good advice from PeterS.
Don`t forget to make sure the bios is set to "Auto" detect the hard drives

It surprises me that a lot of pc firms put the cdrom and hdd on the same ide cable.
Although they save the price of one ribbon cable (wow) it does compromise performance somewhat.. hdd`s are significantly faster than cdroms

An alternative to pulling the pc apart everytime you want to fit a backup a drive is to fit a mobile rack into your tower instead.
They`re usually under �£10.. so not expensive.

The rack consists of two parts, the tray and the housing, similar to how a car stereo is fitted.

Your backup hdd fits into the tray and the housing is permanently fitted into one of your spare 5.25" cdrom bays in the pc.

You can have as many backup hard drives as you like, each one is mounted in it`s own tray.
You simply slide the tray into the bay when you need to backup or retrieve data.

You might need a solid shelf once you have a collection of these trays, the old cd rack is just not going to be up to it :D

 

Hex - you are even more of a night owl than me! But its a good time for doing things. No distractions - no telephone calls - no TV.

r200. I meant to add that what a computer shop would do is take you disk out and put it as a slave in their machine, which will boot anyway. You could do the same in any other machine. But if you buy another hard disk and try to use it as the master in your own machine, you still have the problem of formatting the disk. You will not be able to do this without the original disks for your machine. Even if you get a second hand disk that is already formatted, it is unlikely to run in your machine as a master, as it won't recognise your motherboard set up.