i need some help here with my computer.

my windows XP will not load becaues i am missing this file:

c:\windows\system32\config\system

should i reinstall win98 on the computer and then upgrade to XP again?

or is there anyone that has this file or knows where to get it from. this all kinda sucks.

 

Have you tried hitting F8 and boot into safe mode?
You can also boot off the XP CD and do repair mode.

What did you do exactly?

BTW thats not a file. Thats a complete directory you're missing.

 

Dont do the upgrade!!! Just completely format it to XP. When you just upgrade you lose files and becomes unstable (happened to a client of mine). Just boot off cd and try to repair..if that doesnt work just boot to cd and delete partition and reinstall.

 

if i boot into the safe mode then it will just send me to DOS, and i cant do anything from there

i found the file on my parents computer, and it is about 3.5 megs. however, i dont want to put it on disk, because it will leave my parents computer w/o it.


i just dont wanna lose any of my songs and videos. i already lost the one that i was editing.


monkeymato: i did the upgrade from 98 to XP last year and it worked fine until about 4 months ago.

 

actually it's a file. it's just called system, no extension. If it's gone, you are most likely fucked...you could try copying it to your pc, that won't affect your parent's system file at all. I would not recommend doing that though. You never know what may be system specific in that file...or if you are missing other files etc. Safest just to reload windows. You won't lose any data other than what's in c:\windows*.


edit: btw upgrades always suck...do a clean install.

 

I am still dead in the water and still am on the blue screen of death. Yup! Windows XP is fine as long as you are a techie like most of the guys here....

 

any more advice?

 

try this one out

http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;Q307545

 

you shouldnt be doing the upgrade. Do the full install.

 

OMG! im a fucking moron sometimes. i deleted the file below while in DOS before making a back-up of it. :shakehd:
now im really fucked. time to reinstall the operating system instead of trying to repair it.

c:\windows\system32\config\system


it's 2am... im frustrated as fawk, and im going to bed.

 

yo all you have to do is boot to the cd... but choose "install" rather then "repair"

then once it goes through the initial portion of the install it will ask wether you want to reinstall or repair your current installation. just let it repair it... it basically does a clean install on everything but your registry/program files.

 

btw windows xp doesnt have DOS... soooo....

 

but it's just the upgrade that i installed. i used to have 98.

so, i cant just reinstall, because now i really fucked the registry.

correction. it's not DOS, you're right. it's the recovery console that looks like DOS.

anywho... im just gonna install win2k and see from there. i should still have all my files.

 

if all you did was delete the file, try this out

i got it off of here http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;Q307545