Anyone offer help with Windows XP Registry?

Hello all

A friends xp computer is refusing to start because it cannot find WINNT\SYSTEM\CONFIG\SYSTEM I did some googling and found this Microsoft Article which seems to correst the issue.

However, the article says not to use that method on an OEM installation, which unfortunatley is what my friend has. The only option i could find with an OEM is to reinstall windows! I'd love to but he needs some data and isn't backed up.

Any advice is welcome
Thanks
M

is there another computer around that you can take his hard drive out and add it to to retrieve the data? i would do that and then do a fresh install.

Take the hard drive out, plug it into another comp, then copy the files off it.

It must be posible to repair WindowsXP using the installation disk, wether it is OEM or regular version. Just restart the machine with the InstallationDisk on and follow the process until it offers you that option (second or third screen i think). However, it is allways recomendable to backup, and a clean installation does wonders for the performance.
You may need to contact Microsoft Customer Service for an activation number, so keep the serial number at hand.

The only option to repair the current installation uses the recovery console which is essentially DOS and unless i have instructions to follow i get lost and break things.

Copying the files into another computer is a last resort, i hoped to just replace the missing file and be on my way but i guess this wont happen.

Any more help is welcome, there must be a way to reset/repair the registry in an OEM installation???

As far as i know the main differences with the OEM and the regular versions have to do with the Activation Codes and process related. The OEM version sends the identity of your computer once it activates and leaves some info in your hard drive, so if you try to change your machine it will block the startup process until you reactivate it. It is easy to asume that that's why that article warns you abour that, sicne it seems to be an article intended to pros who may be fixing a computer for somebody else and wont have the data required.
Now, about that recovery console, i'm not sure what do you mean, it must be the same console you use to install WinXP/2000 in a new machine, so it should guide you trough all the process. Maybe i'm wrong.
Finally, i have tried before to just copy missing files on that level, most of the times it doesn't work. Try to look for another hd, one with 2gb must be enough to install WinXP and burn the files you need to keep so you can proceed to a clean install on your main hd, IMHO it will be less time comsuming and more effective.

The Recovery is the first Repair option. You go on and hit Agree and then it will search for a version of XP and then go to that screen where you tell it what drive you want to install windows on. Right there if it finds a useable install of XP will give you the option to REPAIR. It should be right at the bottom. R for Repair. Keep going past the first Repair option.

Hope you understand what I am saying. I do it all the time here with peoples messed up systems. The Repair you are going to is the Recovery Console. You can do a lot of stuff there but not repair the XP install. Keep going. If you can't find it on that drive selection screen let me know. That usually means XP is very messed up.

if the machine has two optical drives then their is an easy option

boot into something like Knoppix linux then burn all the essential data to disc with the other drive

mig.gentry said:

Copying the files into another computer is a last resort, i hoped to just replace the missing file and be on my way but i guess this wont happen.

Click to expand...

Well, if indeed the files are that important...

he needs some data and isn't backed up.

Click to expand...

...then the only really intelligent thing to do is to first find a way to backup said files. IMHO, to proceed with any sort of recovery without first attempting to backup the files is sheer lunacy.

Have you tried booting into safe mode? or tried the last known good configuration option?

These may both safe you from having to take your HD out.