Computer died. Need help, please.

[portisizzle]

I have the following 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



-----

I do not have the original CD. Can anyone lend assistance?

[RVAbrendan]

I'm assuming Windows isn't partitioned on your hard drive, so you will most likely have to obtain a copy of windows (legally or illegally) in order to get back up in running.

[portisizzle]

Windows is on my hard drive. This is a Dell computer. And I am not a computer customizer.

This happened when I went to update my ITunes. After turning the computer off then back on. This is what I saw.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

You try restarting the computer?

That's happened to me before and a simple restart did the trick. I have no idea why. I hate computers.

[skinfan2k]

are you gonna blame mike mussina for this too?

[portisizzle]

You try restarting the computer?

That's happened to me before and a simple restart did the trick. I have no idea why. I hate computers.

yes. many times.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

yes. many times.
Well I think you're ****ed then. Sorry.

[portisizzle]

are you gonna blame mike mussina for this too?

No. And since I have a lot of family pictures on that computer that I did not backup I will gladly give up the Mussina routine if I can get the computer up and running.

[portisizzle]

Well I think you're ****ed then. Sorry.

Pithy. :)

[skinfan2k]

No. And since I have a lot of family pictures on that computer that I did not backup I will gladly give up the Mussina routine if I can get the computer up and running.

well i was just kidding. If you can get your computer up and running at least, i can ask my friend for a program that can recover everything on your computer if it was once deleted

[Seabee1973]

try a blank cd

[portisizzle]

try a blank cd


??

What do you mean?

[Leonard Washington]

windows xp?

check out this website

[RVAbrendan]

If all else fails, you'll have to get to the set-up screen (pressing F11, F10, etc...depends on the computer) and set the boot order from the partitioned hard drive. that should re-install windows.

[portisizzle]

windows xp?

check out this website

it is XP......

[twa]

You could try starting in safe mode,there is a way to run CHDSK/scandisk from the startup but damned if I remember it.

[portisizzle]

If all else fails, you'll have to get to the set-up screen (pressing F11, F10, etc...depends on the computer) and set the boot order from the partitioned hard drive. that should re-install windows.

1. onboard or USB Floppy
2. OB or SATA HD
3. OB IDE Hard Drive (not present)
4. OB or USB CD-ROM
5. USB Drive (NP)


What do I do here?

[portisizzle]

You could try starting in safe mode,there is a way to run CHDSK/scandisk from the startup but damned if I remember it.


I have not yet seen this as an option available to me since this problem. I have in the past mistakenly getting to the safe mode you are talking about, though.

[Seabee1973]

??

What do you mean?

Mine did that so i put a blank cd in and it worked dont know if it will work for you but its worth a try

[portisizzle]

Mine did that so i put a blank cd in and it worked dont know if it will work for you but its worth a try

not for me. thanks though. :)

[Zuskin]

Dell sucks! and so does Microsoft. After a six month battle I was able to get them to send me the system disk that I should have received with the machine. It wouldn't load but I was able to reformat and load Ubuntu. Smooth sailing ever since.

[portisizzle]

Dell sucks! and so does Microsoft. After a six month battle I was able to get them to send me the system disk that I should have received with the machine. It wouldn't load but I was able to reformat and load Ubuntu. Smooth sailing ever since.

Did you lose information on your computer?

[twa]

This might help

To enter into the Recovery Console you have two options:
1.) Reboot the computer and before the Windows Logo screen appears tap F8. If you're lucky, you'll have the option to boot into Recovery Console.

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm

http://www.help2go.com/Tutorials/Windows/C:%5Cwindows%5Csystem32%5Cconfig%5Csystem_missing_ or_corrupt.html

[portisizzle]

This might help

To enter into the Recovery Console you have two options:
1.) Reboot the computer and before the Windows Logo screen appears tap F8. If you're lucky, you'll have the option to boot into Recovery Console.

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm

http://www.help2go.com/Tutorials/Windows/C:%5Cwindows%5Csystem32%5Cconfig%5Csystem_missing_ or_corrupt.html

This is a start. I now have Windows Advance Options menu. Let me check out the links....

[skinzzfan25]

Twa, I think that would only work if you have the WinXP disc available.

Check this out, it explains it a lot clearer than how I could.

http://forums.driverguide.com/showthread.php?t=2004

But basically, it's not a virus or anything too bad done to your computer. Essentially, you downloaded or updated a driver (software to help you run an appliance) and it messed with your system registry and the boot.ini files. Your registry is like the startup manual to boot your operating system and access your data.

Reboot your computer and go into the setup. Try to boot it off of the "Last known good configuration." If that doesn't work, you probably require a new XP disc.

EDIT: If the Last Known Good Config doesn't work, twa's method should work.

Good luck :cheers:

[portisizzle]

My wife came through. I now have my Dell XP Operating system disk. Is this as simple as putting it into the computer and going?

[PokerPacker]

Did you lose information on your computer?
considering he did a reformat, yes he did. but you can install ubuntu on your conputer without reformatting the whole thing. if you repartition the drives and make your ubuntu partion take up empty space not used, then you can install it next to your current system. or, you can run off of the liveCD ubuntu provides (OS on a CD) and transfer your important files to another medium before installing.

[skinzzfan25]

Here's the Microsoft support guide on how to do it.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307545

Based on what you have said so far, I think this should work for you.

[portisizzle]

skinzfan I am following your link. Looks like some bad news I think.


When I try to startup Recovery it says setup can not find any hard drives installed on the computer. And that setup can not continue.....

[RammsteinSkins]

buy bag of marijuana -- roll a joint smoke and your computer problems will be solved.:thumbsup:

[skinzzfan25]

Put the CD in and try to boot the computer from the CD-ROM drive. To do this, you have to open your BIOS (by pressing F8,F10,F11... it's different for every computer, but look quickly and press the appropriate key)

Go to the boot sequence, and move the CD-ROM with your WinXP CD to the top of the list. Exit the BIOS and save the changes. From there, follow the directions on the microsoft website.

I hope this works, I'm currently learning how to do this stuff in school LOL.

EDIT: Here's a link that explains the BIOS booting little better.

http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/support/bootcd.htm

[Yusuf06]

It's been a long time since I learned this stuff in networking school. However, one thing my instructor taught us to always do that will make your life simpler in the future is to never, ever install your O/S on the same partition as your data. Therefore, if and/or when your O/S gets corrupted all you have to do is wipe the small O/S partition you've created for it, reinstall the O/S and your data is unaffected.

Usually new computers come configured this way. Therefore, before I put anything on them I'll wipe them clean, create the special O/S partition and I'm off and running.

Good luck, I hope you're able to get the computer running again or at the very least recover your data.

[slackermike]

Does the computer recognize the drive at all?

[portisizzle]

At this point it could be anything now. I read one of the links and someone else (actually two people) had the same problem. I could not get into recovery console because setup could not find any hard drives.

Now this may be a simple fix. Because setup does give me the option to clink f6 in order to manually load drivers. I have a Dell 8400. So I will give this a crack tomorrow. My next step will be to find the driver for this hard drive......maybe I can use some of these fixes once I get that....


Thanks for the help everyone. And if anyone has some more ideas I would be glad to listen....

[portisizzle]

Does the computer recognize the drive at all?

At some point I was able to run some hard drive diagnostic. And it "passed" whatever test I was giving it. It shows up in ssetup that I can get to by pressing f2.

however, when I try to get recover console going. No dice.

[SUSkinsFan]

Thanks for the help everyone. And if anyone has some more ideas I would be glad to listen....Get one of these (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=7B723662&node=home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro), I did and haven't had a computer problem since:D

[kubstix]

Run into this msg quite a bit. Most likely some critical startup files got thrown on a bad sector of the hard drive. Pretty hard to repair this issue with the setup CD. You will find you will copy the file it's asking for to the system32 directory and it's just going to ask for a different file after you reboot.

[portisizzle]

Get one of these (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=7B723662&node=home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro), I did and haven't had a computer problem since:D

That will not help me get those pictures recovered from my computer.......

[PokerPacker]

i don't know if you would know this, but does your computer by chance have a SATA hard-drive? when i tried to install XP onto my laptop from an old DELL OEM CD, it couldn't find my hard-drive because the CD didn't have any SATA drivers built in. eventually found a program (i think it was called nlite or something like that) that allowed you to crack an installation CD, add SATA drivers, and burn a new CD that would be compatible and recognize the hard-drive.

[PokerPacker]

Get one of these (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=7B723662&node=home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro), I did and haven't had a computer problem since:D
yeah, they're pretty nice if you hate money.

[Fergasun]

Can't you just take your computer to a friend's house, have him install the HD and copy your pictures onto his drive temporarily? It seems like your data would still be there.

Alternatively, you need a copy of the "Ultimate Boot CD". If you boot from this you can do some diagnostics as well. I don't think you should worry too much about your data, it *should*, **SHOULD**, still be there... just make sure you don't accidently delete it. I suppose this is why having spare or backup CPUs/motherboards is handy...

[SUSkinsFan]

yeah, they're pretty nice if you hate money.or if you like having a computer that doesn't break every ten minutes

[PokerPacker]

or if you like having a computer that doesn't break every ten minutes
i'm running Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon 64-bit and haven't had a problem since installation, thank-you-very-much.

[JeffSchmeff]

What computer are you using right now? If it's a desktop, there's a good chance you can remove the HD from the broken computer and slave the drive to the one you're using. After doing that, you'll have an extra drive on your computer (ie. an "E" drive, or whatever the next available drive letter is) that you can access to save your data. After saving it, the best thing to do would be to do a clean install of Windows. Even still, if you need those pictures/data, you should be able to take the drive to someone and have them get the data off of it.

[Yusuf06]

Can't you just take your computer to a friend's house, have him install the HD and copy your pictures onto his drive temporarily? It seems like your data would still be there.

I thought about this but in a slightly different form. Couldn't he also buy and install a second HD and make the new one master and old one the slave. Then install his O/S on the new HD and his data would still be there for him...hopefully. He would then have a second HD which he could then use for backup, extra storage etc.

[Fergasun]

Yusof06,
Yes, he could do that as well. This is why I back-up everything like a mad-man... I've got something like 500 DVDs of data around (I actually haven't backed any programs). Any setup/install files I keep separately from the installed directories which is on a different partition than my data partition. I've never had any problems with Windows XP either... I guess also you could just borrow someone else's Windows XP disk? Or do you need a Dell disk?

[mattsb84]

I have the following 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



-----

I do not have the original CD. Can anyone lend assistance?

Being that you said you need the data, I would buy an external HD enclosure (you need to know if the drive inside the Dell is SATA or IDE first) and then plug that external HD into a working computer via USB and pull your data off that way. You may want to buy an external HD to move the data to until you get the issue with the Dell resolved.

My guess would be the drive itself is fine and most/all data is recoverable, just that the system files were corrupted, which is why you can't boot the machine.

If you're PC is still under warranty, dell will walk you through rebuilding the hard drive, if not =(.

Last possible solution is to take the computer to a ma/pa repair shop (not a big chain like best buy). Tell them you need the data recovered from the hard drive, and maybe provide them the external hard drive to copy the data to.

MAC people:
You guys crack me up. If MACs are so good, why does 90+% of the world still use a PC?

[portisizzle]

I wanted to take a second and thank everyone for the input. I do not have the time right now to work on this but I do have a second computer and could care less about the original computer. I will give these ideas some additional action tonight.

All I want are my family pictures. {That I did not back up}

I will get over it if they are lost or if the hard drive crashed.

[slackermike]

I wanted to take a second and thank everyone for the input. I do not have the time right now to work on this but I do have a second computer and could care less about the original computer. I will give these ideas some additional action tonight.

All I want are my family pictures. {That I did not back up}

I will get over it if they are lost or if the hard drive crashed.

If you do not care about the computer itself and are relatively computer savvy, just buy (or borrow from a friend) an external hard drive enclosure and try hooking the defective drive up to the other computer. If it recognizes it, you should be able to see the data on the drive and copy the photos to the working computer.

This solution might have already been mentioned, but I just wanted to mention it again because I've saved quite a bit of data off hard drives this way when the OS would not boot.

If the drive has completely crapped out, there isn't a whole lot you can do.

Another option is.... if you're familiar with Linux at all, you could download a LiveCD on the working computer and boot the dead machine off of it to recover the files that way....

More than 1 way to skin a cat. :) Hope some of these work for you.

Edit: Oops, mattsb84 already mentioned the external hard drive solution.