Re: Suggestions, PLZ, for Win-based HDD diagnostic utilities & procedures

Bill,
A belated thanks for your suggestion. It did the trick. I *did* have to go through the process manually, because I didn't know of a way to execute the guided help (can't execute it from the Recovery Console). And instead of using the *\restore\"hive-files", I used hives I had explicitly saved with ERUNT. That was enough to help me bootstrap back into a working computer again. And sheesh, did I learn some stuff along the way.

Michael, DaveB, Bob --- Thanks so much for the attention, input and help!
Regards,
SueB

Bill Blanton wrote:
"Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM "

That message means that the Windows registry is corrupt. Though
it could be due to disk corruption, it's not necessarily so. Your disk
and file system diagnostics point away from that.

Have you tried using the "Last Known Good Configuration"? Boot to the
startup menu by pressing F8 immediately following the BIOS post, but
before Windows starts to load. You'll be given the above option from
the boot menu.

If that doesn't work, then see-
How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545




"Susan B." <newsgroup_only@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:%23S$lps8SHHA.4956@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks you, Dave B.
I *have* run the disk through the manufacturer's suite (loaded on a low-level-bootable partition of the drive); this is a Dell creation, so to speak (and sheesh do I *ever* hate all the crap they load onto their machines before shipment; I couldn't talk them into sending me just a plain computer with nothing installed!)

The drive passes its own internal self-test. I am re-running the suite now, to make sure that its results are consistent with what CHDSK and the initial self-test indicate, namely---The drive is "OK".

The "actual problem" is that I can no longer boot into WinXPproSP2 from the desktop's sole internal HDD. I initially get a msg to the effect "...\CONFIG\SYSTEM" is corrupted or missing. Please reboot from the original installation CD, and press 'r'".

Recognize that?

Sue

Dave B. wrote:
To test the hard drive for physical failure, use the drive mfg's test utility which is downloadable via their website.
Depending on why Windows isn't booting, chkdsk may be of no use getting it running again if it's not a disk or partition problem. What is the actual problem?



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