Config.sys issue for XP

[BloodyJack]

Hi everyone! My father just called me at work and says that whenever he tries to boot his computer running XP home, he gets the message that the config.sys file is either missing or corrupted. I have searched around, and all of the options I find to repair this require an XP CD. _He either does not have one/ lost it etc._

I got him to attempt safe mode but all of the safemode options get him to the same message. It doesn't help that I am getting all of this info from him third hand over the phone (now I know how help desk people feel!).

To summarize, is there any way to repair this w/out his XP disc? If I could get him my copy of XP can he use it to _repair_ his issue (obviously I don't want him to reinstall my XP disc on his computer or MS will flag the copy... maybe just pull a file from the disc to his computer?)

Anyway thanks for reading and in advance for any help!

[gerbil]

No.

[Nick Evan]

No.

Not agreed, sorry.

There is a way....
Pull the drive from the computer and install it as slave in another computer.
Then open [root dir slave]:\config.sys with notepad and post it's contens here.
If config.sys doesn't exist:
open notepad and save the file as [root dir slave]:\config.sys (there doesn't have to be anything in it.)
note: Be sure to open the right config.sys (not c:\config.sys but the config.sys from your slave)

Or:
Download knoppix linux, burn the iso on a CD and put the CD in your Dad's computer.
Start the computer and go into the bios by pressing 'del'
Somewhere in your bios there should be a 'boot order' option.
Change primary bootdevice to cd-rom
Save and exit
Restart
Wait for knoppix to load
Open config.sys with kwrite and post it's contens here.

regards Niek

[gerbil]

ok. iam guilty of a bit of ...what.. laziness..? here. Call it a hangover from DOS training. XP does not use a config.sys file. It may be there, along with io.sys and msdos.sys, but unused. DOS did...and i like a lot of others type that...sigh... : XP has a system32\config\system file.... which is what is usually the problem ppl are referring to in this sort of post. And one from someone else's puter is not going to do the job.
Get the full and correct text of the error....
... it took me long enough to stop referring to the DOS prompt in windows XP when i meant the command prompt... I'm almost at the point of nitpicking ppl over it now.. :)

[Nick Evan]

which is what is usually the problem ppl are referring to in this sort of post.

ah ok. I'm not that experienced yet with this forum, normally I just do C/C++.

Niek