Does anyone have a hdd laying around with a Windows XP os on it? My C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\system file has been corrupted and my computer will not boot. I took the hdd out and put it in a hdd enclosure to poke around and see what I could find. I thought about trying to copy it from another computer, but my dumb ass didnt realize this file was always in use and can't be copied. I'm afraid to go into process explorer and try to release all the handles on this file, and besides, there are probably too many.

I was just wondering if anyone was using an old XP hdd as an external disk, and might have this file. Please let me know. I have several other computers with a windows os, but my enclosure is sata, and all the other disks are ide. I really dont want to have to get a new enclosure.

I wish I could boot from the reinstall cd, but honestly I'm not sure if I can, and if I can I dont know how. It is the reinstall cd that came from Dell, so I'm not sure if its bootable.

12/5/2009 9:58:29 PM

It probably is. Try booting off of it and see if you can use the Recovery option.

Alternately, you might be able to use the System Restore option if you press F8 when your computer boots.

12/5/2009 10:00:16 PM

There is a virus on the computer that has disabled system restore

That is what got us in this whole mess to begin with. Its my father's computer, and he wanted to contact McAfee to have them remove it. Well, 5 minutes of them poking around, and the computer bsods. Now it wont boot, saying the aforementioned file is either gone or corrupted. Its there, so I figure its corrupted.

12/5/2009 10:10:45 PM

yeah, that's not good. you'd best go ahead with that Repair install, unless you have a linux live CD or something handy, and that's probably not going to help much in this case.

12/5/2009 10:14:16 PM

lol...why bother?

just pull his shit off and format the damn thing

[Edited on December 5, 2009 at 10:24 PM. Reason : but if you know what file(s) you need let me know and i'll them off my virtual PC running XP]

12/5/2009 10:20:21 PM

well, i mean, i'd at least try to do a recovery install before giving up entirely.

12/5/2009 10:40:25 PM

Thanks guys.

I was finally able to get it to recognize the recovery cd as a bootable disk. I did a recovery/repair install, and unfortunately it repaired the one file, but there are entirely too many system files infected.

I copied all of his data files he wanted to keep (mp3's, word docs, pics etc) and just blasted his OS away and started all over.

12/6/2009 12:07:38 AM