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Recovery of corrupt WinXP System file on IBM A31p |
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| message from Julie Tobatias on 4 Jun 2004 |
How do I press "r" to recover from a corrupt Windows XP file?
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 Utility usnig the original Setup CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair:
b) And given I just received the two IBM recovery disks
(and also given somewhere on my hard drive is a recovery
windows XP I think). And given I don't have any pristine
(i.e., non IBM-supplied) Windows XP Professional CDROM.
And given all I want to do is press 'r' at the right time.
c) How can I follow the instructions?
That is, at which point do I press "r" to recover the one
missing or corrupt file?
1. When I try to use the IBM recovery disks, they try to
reformat and wipe out the whole system (all I need is the
one corrupt file).
2. If there is a Windows XP recover lurking on the hard
drive of the IBM A31p laptop (if it was there originally,
it's still there, somewhere, as I've never reformatted),
then how to I access that on-disk WindowsXP to press the
"r" button to recover the missing file?
3. Is there some other way to recover the one missing file?
Please help me as I'm dead in the water,
Julie
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| Orak Listalavostok replied to Julie Tobatias on 4 Jun 2004 |
You can't!
Since you bought an IBM ThinkPad, you don't get the "real" Windows
XP intallation CDROM (from which you can press the 'r' to recover).
The only thing the IBM installation CDROM can do is re-format
your disk and install a brand-new WinXP + IBM stuff image!
I'm afraid you're hosed (because IBM doesn't ship the Windows XP
Installation CDROM).
You're only hope is to find an IBM expert who knows how to run
the Windows XP Recovery Console from the secret spot on your hard
disk that came shipped with the ThinkPad.
Your other hope is to find someone who can show you how to boot
into Windows 95 (or whatever) from a floppy; and then to show you how
to manually fix the corrupted hive.
One other option, since the IBM A31p ThinkPad has two bays, you can
borrow a bootable disk for the first bay, and put your original boot
disk in the second bay ... and then maybe (I don't know how to make
the first disk recognize the second disk) fix the problem that way.
All in all -- you're totally hosed unless someione knows more than
I do & helps you.
Orak Listalavostok
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| =?Utf-8?B?TGF2YW4=?= replied to Julie Tobatias on 4 Jun 2004 |
disregard previous post, might be wrong.
if you have a friend who has windows xp you can do the following;
go to this site www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ and download pe builder.
on your friends machine run pe builder and it will ask for the i386 directory, put in any copy of windows xp and it will make you an iso image. burn that using burning software.
put the cd into your ibm and it will boot up, you will have access to your drive, then it's possible to do this
go into system32\config and rename system system.old and also rename system.alt systemalt.old
then copy c:\winnt\repair\system c:\winnt\system32\config
and also copy c:\winnt\repair\regback\system c:\winnt\system32\config
or if you can get a hold of a friends xp cd, it would make your life a hell of a lot easier.
|
| Gordon replied to =?Utf-8?B?TGF2YW4=?= on 4 Jun 2004 |
to download them
Please quote the post you are replying to - there are many people here who
do NOT use the Web access and thus may not be able to see the original post
depending on their view settings. It is much easier, and keeps the
continuity of the thread, if you quote.
Thank you.
|
| ZX4 replied to Julie Tobatias on 05 Jun 2004 |
I'm hoping that you have F11 option at the start up. Turn off the computer.
Press and hold enter key and reboot and enter the ibm bios and see if you
have F11 option. Press F11 and that'll take you to the secret location and
from there you can do whatever. I hope so.
|
| ZX4 replied to ZX4 on 05 Jun 2004 |
and if you don't have F11 option, then reboot the computer, press F8 when
IBM logo shows up, that'll show you another screen ( I hope) , scroll down
to 'last known good configuration' and press enter. That should get you
started.
|
| Jerry C. replied to ZX4 on 08 Jun 2004 |
I'm afraid that this is not what Julie asked for. I don't believe she
wants to return her computer to the state at which she bought it,
without the added programs, modifications, and probably considerable
amounts of data.
Julie, ignore the F11 option unless you want to wipe out everything
you've done and start over from the first day you bought the computer.
I'm not familiar with Kelly's solution, but I doubt that you can readily
go to the Recovery Console, thus eliminating that option as described.
Will proposed the same solution with a possible way to implement it, but
alas, that's not what you requested. There is no simple "R" to press
and your one file will be fixed. Check Orak's response, get some expert
help from IBM knowledgeable persons (better than Windows help), and
don't count on it being quick and easy. I allot 3 hours (for a simple
installation) to 10 hours (for a highly customized installation as I
have) to rebuild my C drive and applications following the F11 option.
Jerry C.
|
| Linda Donovan replied to Jerry C. on 11 Jun 2004 |
I too was like Julie in that I had the same error this weekend!
I tried Kelly's suggestion, but there was no Windows Recovery Console
in my Windows XP installation disk! It might be there, but there must
be some secret (unknown to me) command that boots into a recovery
console! So, until those secret steps are described, DO NOT FOLLOW ANY
INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS THREAD UNLESS YOU WISH TO DESTROY ALL YOUR DATA!
The bad news is I faithfully tried to follow Kelly's instructions.
(It's not her fault, but she must be missing a critical step or two
or three, so I post this only to warn others NOT to follow Kelly's
instructions unless you want to ruin your entire hard disk data!).
My hope is someone will post the FIX to Kelly's instructions
(which I'm sure work for an expert but do not work for a regular
person who doesn't know the missing set of steps to boot to the
recovery console!). I never got to a command prompt. Ever!
What happened to me was a total disaster.
Whatever "r" buttons I hit when I booted to the Windows XP
Corporate Edition SP1 CDROM instantly started installing Windowx XP
on top of my existing WinXP installation! When I tried to stop this
(by removing the Microsoft installation CDROM), it never (even after
three days of desperately trying) let me get back to the original OS.
Following Kelly's instructions to a T (a few steps must be missing!)
I ended up losing all my data! My disk is basically formatted clean.
Please tell me what I did wrong by following Kelly's instructions?
What steps did I miss? How many steps did I miss?
What was so bad about pressing "r" at the XP CDROM suggestion?
(Others will miss those same steps & ruin their disk!)
Linda Donovan
|
| Kelly replied to Julie Tobatias on 4 Jun 2004 |
Go to Recovery Console and type:
cd system32\config
ren system system.old
ren system.alt systemalt.old
copy c:\windows\repair\system
copy c:\windows\repair\regback\system
exit
Recover from a Corrupted Registry Preventing Win XP from Starting
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307545
|
| Donna Ducharmet replied to Kelly on 8 Jun 2004 |
"Kelly" <kelly@mvps.org> wrote in message
How do I get into this recovery console?
I tried (I really did) and tried (over and over and over again)
but I must've missed something as I'm really deep in it right now
even worse than when I started, I think.
I have an IBM Thinkpad laptop which had the same error above.
I have an OEM Windows XP product key printed on the bottom.
I got that error message above and Windows XP would not boot.
I borrowed a Windows XP Pro SP1 disk from our IT guys.
(little did I know it requires a Volume License Agreement serial
number!)
Here is what I did and I'm STILL not booted up (after many hours)
trying
to follow Kelly's instructions to get to the recovery console:
0. I set my IBM ThinkPad BIOS to boot from the CDROM.
1. I Placed a Windows XP SP1 CDROM into the CDROM drive of the IBM
A31p.
2. I Pressed the IBM A31p power button until the ThinkPad booted.
3. At the request to press any key to boot from the CDROM, I pressed
any key.
4. I pressed the 'recovery' "R" to get into the recovery console
window.
Note: This may have been my first mistake. But there was no
"Upgrade" option for me to then select "Repair" which
reputedly preserves applications & settings.
5. At the blue & white EULA (license agreement), I pressed F8 (I
agree).
6. This provided two blue & white choices:
- To repair the selected Windows XP installation, press R.
- To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without
repairing, press ESC.
7. Pressed this 'repair' "R".
Note: this is probably my second mistake. A recovery and then
repair to Microsoft is not a recovery repair. It's an
entirely new replacement installation of Windows XP, apparently. It
wiped out all my hard work
setting up applications.
Did I really wanted to upgrade & then repair?
8. Anyway, I saw the blue & white message:
"Please wait while Setup copies files to the Windows installation
folders. This might take several minutes to complete."
At this point, I was dead. I basically had to let it finish
destroying all my hard-earned configurations.
9. The machine automatically booted into the "Installing Windows XP"
menu, with the following items checked and open:
[x]Collecting information
[x]Dynamic Update
[x]Preparing installation
[ ]Installing Windows
[ ]Finalizing installatin
"Setup will complete in approximately 39 minutes."
10. Don't go away! They lied to you! Within a few minutes (at the 33
minute
mark), the setup hung and waited for me with the:
"Welcome to the Windows XP setup wizard" for
"Regional & Language Options"
11. Up comes the request for my 25-character Volume License Product
Key.
I type in my OEM stickered' number time and time again but it
just won't work with the IT disk (I didn't ask them for the ID).
12. I removed the Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 CDROM.
13. I rebooted the IBM A31p laptop without the CDROM.
14. I saw the blue screen of Microsoft saying "setup is being
restarted".
15. Soon it was back where I last left off.
16. To get out of tihs Microsoft hell, I did a cold reboot, with the
"Windowx XP Professional Service Pack 1" CDROM in.
17. This time, I tried the other answers when Windows Setup asked:
"Welcome to Setup"
This portion of the Setup proram prepares Microsoft(R)
Windows(R) XP to run on your computer.
o To set up Windowx XP now, press ENTER.
o To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console,
press R.
o To quit Setup without installing Windowx XP, press F3.
18. Despite the fact that I didn't want to install Windows XP
(I just want to boot to the recovery console like Kelly stated),
I pressed the ENTER button.
19. At the EULA, I pressed F8 (I agree).
21. This provided two blue & white choices:
- To repair the selected Windows XP installation, press R.
- To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without
repairing, press ESC.
22. This time, I pressed "ESC".
23. The screen showed my existing partitions on both hard disks.
24. I selected an unpartitioned area of the second hard disk.
25. I formatted the selected partition as NTFS.
26. I tried to reinstall Windows XP.
27. Yet, when I reboot, I am STILL be in the same situation!
Kelly ... Please ... what did I do wrong to get into this hell!
How was I supposed to get to the Windows Recovery Console?
Donna
|
| Ricky replied to Donna Ducharmet on 8 Jun 2004 |
Here's some info..
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654&Product=winxp
| "Kelly" <kelly@mvps.org> wrote in message
| > Go to Recovery Console and type:
| > cd system32\config
| > ren system system.old
| > ren system.alt systemalt.old
| > copy c:\windows\repair\system
| > copy c:\windows\repair\regback\system
| > exit
|
| How do I get into this recovery console?
|
| I tried (I really did) and tried (over and over and over again)
| but I must've missed something as I'm really deep in it right now
| even worse than when I started, I think.
|
| I have an IBM Thinkpad laptop which had the same error above.
| I have an OEM Windows XP product key printed on the bottom.
| I got that error message above and Windows XP would not boot.
| I borrowed a Windows XP Pro SP1 disk from our IT guys.
| (little did I know it requires a Volume License Agreement serial
| number!)
|
| Here is what I did and I'm STILL not booted up (after many hours)
| trying
| to follow Kelly's instructions to get to the recovery console:
|
| 0. I set my IBM ThinkPad BIOS to boot from the CDROM.
| 1. I Placed a Windows XP SP1 CDROM into the CDROM drive of the IBM
| A31p.
| 2. I Pressed the IBM A31p power button until the ThinkPad booted.
| 3. At the request to press any key to boot from the CDROM, I pressed
| any key.
| 4. I pressed the 'recovery' "R" to get into the recovery console
| window.
| Note: This may have been my first mistake. But there was no
| "Upgrade" option for me to then select "Repair" which
| reputedly preserves applications & settings.
| 5. At the blue & white EULA (license agreement), I pressed F8 (I
| agree).
| 6. This provided two blue & white choices:
| - To repair the selected Windows XP installation, press R.
| - To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without
| repairing, press ESC.
| 7. Pressed this 'repair' "R".
| Note: this is probably my second mistake. A recovery and then
| repair to Microsoft is not a recovery repair. It's an
| entirely new replacement installation of Windows XP, apparently. It
| wiped out all my hard work
| setting up applications.
|
| Did I really wanted to upgrade & then repair?
|
| 8. Anyway, I saw the blue & white message:
| "Please wait while Setup copies files to the Windows installation
| folders. This might take several minutes to complete."
| At this point, I was dead. I basically had to let it finish
| destroying all my hard-earned configurations.
| 9. The machine automatically booted into the "Installing Windows XP"
| menu, with the following items checked and open:
| [x]Collecting information
| [x]Dynamic Update
| [x]Preparing installation
| [ ]Installing Windows
| [ ]Finalizing installatin
| "Setup will complete in approximately 39 minutes."
| 10. Don't go away! They lied to you! Within a few minutes (at the 33
| minute
| mark), the setup hung and waited for me with the:
| "Welcome to the Windows XP setup wizard" for
| "Regional & Language Options"
| 11. Up comes the request for my 25-character Volume License Product
| Key.
| I type in my OEM stickered' number time and time again but it
| just won't work with the IT disk (I didn't ask them for the ID).
| 12. I removed the Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 CDROM.
| 13. I rebooted the IBM A31p laptop without the CDROM.
| 14. I saw the blue screen of Microsoft saying "setup is being
| restarted".
| 15. Soon it was back where I last left off.
| 16. To get out of tihs Microsoft hell, I did a cold reboot, with the
| "Windowx XP Professional Service Pack 1" CDROM in.
| 17. This time, I tried the other answers when Windows Setup asked:
| "Welcome to Setup"
| This portion of the Setup proram prepares Microsoft(R)
| Windows(R) XP to run on your computer.
| o To set up Windowx XP now, press ENTER.
| o To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console,
| press R.
| o To quit Setup without installing Windowx XP, press F3.
| 18. Despite the fact that I didn't want to install Windows XP
| (I just want to boot to the recovery console like Kelly stated),
| I pressed the ENTER button.
| 19. At the EULA, I pressed F8 (I agree).
| 21. This provided two blue & white choices:
| - To repair the selected Windows XP installation, press R.
| - To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without
| repairing, press ESC.
| 22. This time, I pressed "ESC".
| 23. The screen showed my existing partitions on both hard disks.
| 24. I selected an unpartitioned area of the second hard disk.
| 25. I formatted the selected partition as NTFS.
| 26. I tried to reinstall Windows XP.
| 27. Yet, when I reboot, I am STILL be in the same situation!
|
| Kelly ... Please ... what did I do wrong to get into this hell!
| How was I supposed to get to the Windows Recovery Console?
|
| Donna
|
| Linda Donovan replied to Ricky on 11 Jun 2004 |
hi ricky,
with all due respect, this can't possibly work.
Why not?
A. Because we can't boot to WinXP so there is no "Start ... Run" menu.
B. Because the WinXP CDROM doesn't provide a "Start ... Run" menu.
C. Because there is no recovery console in sight.
Did I miss something?
How do you boot from a Windows XP CDROM to get a "Start ... Run" menu?
I never saw it. Did I do something wrong? All I saw was blue screens
with white letters telling me to press "r" to recover & "r" to repair
or "u" to upgrade and absolutely none of these brought me anywhere
near a Microsoft command prompt or to a WinXP "Start ... Run" menu.
What did I miss (because I ruined my whole system trying)?
Linda Donovan
|
| Tony Hwang replied to Linda Donovan on 11 Jun 2004 |
Hi,
Isn't there manual or auto setting in recovery console?
Tony
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