Windows/system32/config/system file is missing

14/05/2008 by swordfish.

There are a lot of computer owners complaining that their windows/system32/config/system file is missing. And this is a problem that seems to be affecting many countries around the world.

For example, the other day I came across PC that would not boot past a screen that said the ‘Windows/system32/config/system file is missing or damaged.

The PC wouldn’t boot into safe mode and would not provide access to the BIOS. If that wasn’t bad enough, the CD drive couldn’t even read a Windows XP disc or a diagnostic disc.

A quick Google search showed just how much of a problem PC users are facing. It seems that on most of the affected computers the entire c:\windows\system32\config folder had gone missing all together.

Since the config folder stores important information about profiles, applications and registry settings, any computer with this problem will not normally boot and so you cannot use your Windows CD to log into the recovery console to attempt a repair (as the windows error message suggests).

One of the posts I read said “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”.

It does seem that some computer owners can get to a command prompt and if you can you should try the following:

Of course you will have to do this from a windows XP CD (so you need a working CD/DVD drive or floppy disc - you can get a set of Windows XP start up floppy discs from Microsoft to get your CD/DVD drives working).

Once you have got to the command prompt you need to run chkdsk /r. This process looks for bad sectors on your hard drive and tries to recover data from any bad sectors it finds. It will also automatically run chkdsk /p along with the chkdsk /r.

After chkdsk /r has finished its scan you should then run fixboot. When this is complete type exit and hit enter. Your computer should now reboot. As soon as it starts to reboot you’ll need to hit the F8 key to get into the windows start-up menu. Choose ‘last known good configuration’ and hit enter. Your computer should start up correctly.

If that doesn’t work you’ll need to fix your windows\system32 files by using a command prompt and your systems restore points. I found this page very useful if you want to try this for yourself - www.icompute.info/System_restore_from_xp_cd.htm

Finally, the big question is what’s causing this spate of errors??? And why are some computers impossible to permanently fix even if you can get to a command prompt???

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