Member Avatar for yoman123

Well ya,here is the problem
Windows could not start because the following files is missing or corrupt
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
my brand is samsung
ok, so, this time, a screen with saying insert a xp cd and press "r" to repair it had appear after the boot. here's the problem. This laptop is originally vista, so it came with only vista software disc. But then i changed it to xp by installin xp in it, and i did it in some other country few months ago, so i don't have a xp cd. Now here's the real problem

The screen with the "r" for repair should be after the boot, but after i press something like f4 or f7 for using backup, restore and install function during bootup, then the screen for "r" repair has disappear, now everytime i start the laptop up, only a screen with a flashing "_" appears. how can i fix this problem? and i don't want to reinstall window cause i have some important files in it.

hope someone can help me on that. thx

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 115 Views
  • 1 Day Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Suspishio

Dani AI

Generated

reported a classic “SYSTEM hive” boot failure. and made good points: the usual Recovery Console path may not be available on every OEM image, and moving the disk to another machine is one safe way to recover files. The immediate priority is to back up user data before attempting repairs; any repair that writes to the system partition can make recovery harder.

Two non-destructive ways to get files off the disk (no reinstall required):

  • Remove the drive and attach it to a working PC with a USB–SATA/IDE adapter, then copy the user folders to an external drive.
  • Boot the laptop from a rescue USB (Linux Live CD/USB or a WinPE-based rescue environment) and copy the data. Example Linux sequence (run these on the rescue system after identifying the Windows partition):
sudo fdisk -l
sudo mkdir /mnt/win /mnt/backup
sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/win
cp -a "/mnt/win/Documents and Settings/YourUser" /mnt/backup/

After the data is safe, try non-destructive repairs. On XP systems you can restore the registry hives from the built-in repair folder using Recovery Console (or from WinPE). From a Recovery Console prompt the copy commands look like:

copy C:\Windows\repair\system C:\Windows\system32\config\system
copy C:\Windows\repair\software C:\Windows\system32\config\software
copy C:\Windows\repair\sam C:\Windows\system32\config\sam
copy C:\Windows\repair\security C:\Windows\system32\config\security
copy C:\Windows\repair\default C:\Windows\system32\config\default
chkdsk c: /r

If a more recent registry backup exists (RegBack), restore those files instead of the older repair copies. If the disk is unreadable, clicking, or the partitions are gone, stop and consider professional recovery.

Do not run any OEM “factory restore” or recovery utility until files are backed up — those will overwrite user data. If unsure which route to take after backup, mention the rescue environment used and the folder names visible on the drive; that information helps choose the safest fix.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for caperjack

the second R is only there in full version of winxp ,not in recovery cd's or recovery images

Member Avatar for Suspishio

You can always get your data off by attaching the HDD onto another PC. Then you can re-build your Windows.

That's provided it's only data you're worried about. Applications - well I hope you have the install stuff.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.