Re: Missing system file in c:\winnt\repair when trying to restore damaged system hive

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<amarwick@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1128147315.193180.256350@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Hi all,
>
> I'm working on fixing the following problem with my laptop:
>
> Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because the Following File Is
> Missing or Corrupt: \Winnt\System32\Config\Systemced
>
> KB article:
> http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=269075
>
> I have followed the instructions to a T, which are:
>
> ------------------------
> 1. Use the Windows 2000 CD-ROM or the Windows 2000 Startup disk to
> start the computer.
> 2. When you see the "Welcome to Setup" message, press R for "repair."
> 3. Press C to run the Recovery Console tool.
> 4. Select the installation that you want to repair.
> 5. Type the administrator password.
> 6. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following commands,
> pressing ENTER after you type each command:
> cd system32\config
> ren system system.old
> ren system.alt systemalt.old
> 7. If you have run the Emergency Repair Disk Wizard from Windows Backup
> and Recovery tools, copy the backup of the System hive from the
> %SystemRoot%\Repair\Regback folder.
>
> If you have not run the Emergency Repair Disk Wizard, copy the default
> System hive from the %SystemRoot%\Repair folder.
>
> IMPORTANT: You need to restore the most recent copy of the System hive.
> You also need to reinstall any hardware device drivers or programs that
> run as services that you installed since the last time that you updated
> your Emergency Repair Disk.
>
> To copy the default System hive, type the following command, and then
> press ENTER:
> copy c:\winnt\repair\system c:\winnt\system32\config
> To copy the System hive that was backed up the last time that you ran
> the Emergency Repair Disk Wizard, type the following command, and then
> press ENTER:
> copy c:\winnt\repair\regback\system c:\winnt\system32\config
>
> -----
>
> AT this point, everything fails because there is no copy of the system
> file in c:\winnt\repair. And there is no c:\winnt\repair\regback
> directory. So basically there is no backup copy of the system hive.
> (No, I don't know how this happened either. I have a
> firewall/virusscan/adware scan going 24/7).
>
> This is a laptop so I can't just yank out the HDD and put it somewhere
> else. I don't care about any of the software on it, but many of my
> notes for my MA thesis are in the documents folder and I need a backup.
>
>
> Question 1: Is there any way to copy the system hive from somewhere
> else?
> Question 2: If not, can I do a repair install and keep all my
> documents? Or will that possibly erase my data?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
>
> A. Marwick
>

There are two groups of people: Those who believe in backing
up their important documents daily to an independent medium,
and those who don't. The latter will sooner or later join the
former. Their transition is often motivated by a major disaster
and can be extremely painful.

You have several way to save your thesis. Here are a few:

a) Boot the machine with a boot disk from www.bootdisk.com.
then run ntfsdos.exe from www.sysinternals.com. You can
now access your hard disk and copy your files to a floppy
disk - unless they are too big to fit.

b) Buy a $20.00 USB case for your laptop disk. You can
then plug it into the USB port of any Windows PC and
copy your thesis files.

c) Make yourself a Bart PE boot CD, then boot the laptop
with it and copy your files to a flash disk. To make this CD
you need a kit from www.bootdisk.com, a CD burner,
a WinXP Professional CD (but no licence number!) and
about three hours of your time. Using this CD is an
alternative way to b) to fixing your laptop.

After you have saved your files and fixed your laptop,
consider keeping the USB case and buy another 2.5"
disk for backing up purposes. You can then create
a string of backup copies of your thesis, one for each
new version.


.

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