The problem it's not cause by the fact that the windows cd is not yours. It's because your file system is too corrupt. At this point I would either take the hard drive out and put it into a different system and backup all the data after which I would full format or if a different system is not available I would try a parallel installation backup and then full format.

But if i do that: get ,the hard drive out and plug it to another computer to extract al the data, don't i risk to cause problems to that other computer?
or is it ok...?

I own a computer repair shop in Omaha and one in Lincoln, NE. We have had over 30 customers come into our Service Centers in the past 3 days complaining that their windows/system32/config/system file is missing.

Normally we would just replace it with a backup and send them on their way. But there is a new problem that has emerged in the past few days. It seems tat now the entire c:\windows\system32\config folder is missing all together. Since this folder stores important information about your profile, applications, and registry, the computer will not boot and you can not log into the recovery console to attempt a repair.

There is no known remedy for this problem, other than backing up your data, reinstalling Windows XP, and then copying your data back over and reinstalling your applications. Even after that, it is entirely possible that your computer will simply crash again later with the same problem.

We have created a simple DOS batch file as well as a tutorial that shows you how to use it that will back up your config folder *in case* this should happen to you again. We have also listed instructions on how to recover your Windows installation using that backup in the event of a crash.

You can view the tutorial and download the backup tool at:
http://www.schrockinnovations.com/pr...ys32config.php. Sorry to anyone out there who has been nailed by this, and I hope this backup batch program will help save you in the future.

Ran into this same problem with a customer's PC at work today with exact same issues as tschrock described. I was cleaning viri from the PC and went to reboot and BAM, no registry! Good times!

I have this same problem with the windows\system32\config\system error. I don't know if this is a dumb question or not. Can I reinstall XP without reformatting? I have alot of pictures, music, papers, etc. on my computer that I need to copy on a CD or jumpdrive before I try and fix the problem. If I reinstall XP will I be able to retrieve these? Thanks for any advise.

I'm new here, and was driven to this site out of desperation. I have the same problem and already tried the MS Part 1 procedure - i.e. creating a tmp directory, copying files from "config" into "tmp", then deleting the named files in "config", and copying the files from the existing "repair" directory into "config."

My problem is that there is no "system" file in the "repair" directory! All the others are there, but no "system" which is the file that was currupt or missing in the first place.

Question - can this file be obtained from anywhere else in the windows directory? If not, how do I get around this? Thank you in advance for your help.

Knoppix to the rescue.

I found my way here having the same issue as y'all are talking on my desktop machine. Some have suggested pulling the hard drive to at least save your data before any more drastic measures, certainly a good idea, but theres a slightly more elegant way, if you have an external drive and don't mind getting your hands dirty on Linux.

Knoppix is an open-source Linux distribution designed to boot and run from a CD (easy to find, just google it). So, as I speak, I've booted my PC with Knoppix and am at least copying my valuable data to an external USB drive. Then if I have to take any drastic measures to get my PC bootable again, at least there has been no loss of data.

Don't worry if you've never used linux, Knoppix mounts your drives on the desktop just like Windows, and it's drag and drop from there. Applications for the most part will need to be re-installed, but you have your original CD's, right?

Wish there was an easier way to fix this Windoes issue though...

The instructions provided here worked for me, simpler than the MS solution:


http://www.schrockinnovations.com/pr...s32config2.php

In case the link doesn't work here are the abreviated instructions once you are in recovery console:

After you enter your password (or simply press enter) you should be at a prompt that reads "C:/windows". Type the commands below to navigate to your Windows/System32/Config directory and replace the appropriate file:

1. cd system32
2. cd config
3. ren system system.old
4. cd .. (note the space after cd it is important)
5. cd .. (note the space after cd it is important)
6. cd repair
7. copy system c:\windows\system32\config

Thanks for the reply. It came in a few days too late. I finally broke down and re-installed Windows. Most of the data was backed up, it was re-installing all the apps that was a real pain. I almost tried what you suggest, but the "repair" directory already had a missing (my fault) file.

Thank you. I'll keep a copy of your procedure for there next time ...and there will be a next time.

Oz

Thru' the recovery console, I checked that "c:\windows\system32\config\system" file has been renamed automatically to c:\windows\system32\config\systum and also other files like security etc are missing there. Also, these files are present in c:\windows\repair .

I tried to copy the system file from repair to config but it displays the error message - the file cannot be copied.

The copy command does not seem to be working. Can anyone help me out in this?