c:\windows\system32\config\SYSTEM

I know how to fix it, it’s just that it keeps showing this error. I’ll fix it, then I’ll run my computer just fine for a couple days or so, then it says it again.

Does anyone know why it keeps saying this error? Thanks.

Here’s how to fix the problem

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q269/0/75.ASP
But i dont understand why it keeps doing this.

Here’s a thread with a temporary fix.
http://www.computing.net/windowsxp/wwwboard/forum/1321.html
BTW, it seems to be a memory issue, whether it be bad memory or a bad memory slot.

My Windows drive is NTFS.
When I turned my Computer on, I saw the message “The file system32\config\SYSTEM is corruped or missing”.

I did the following and solved the problem:

I restarted my PC from WinXP CDROM and went to the Recovery Console and typed these sentences to restore the file SYSTEM:

CD system32\config
REN system system.old
COPY ..\..\repair\system
EXIT

then, when I restarted my PC, I saw another message that said the file c_1256.nls was missing or corrupted.

I went to the Recovery Console again and restored the file from WINXP CDROM as following:

CD system32
COPY H:\I386\c_1256.nl_
EXIT

where “H:\” is my CD Drive.

after restarting, another message apeared that said c_720.nls was missing and I did above again for this file and after restarting I got my Windows healthy again!

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q307545

http://www.computing.net/windowsxp/wwwboard/forum/1321.html

[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.

Try it and see if you can boot to last known good config or safe-mode.

——————-

My problem was the following.. while attempting the installation of a second OS on a different HDD it seemed that it corrupted the registry of my original OS.. a WINDOWS XP. So when I got into the boot choice screen, whenever I choosed the 1st OS I would get the following screen message:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupted: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

I started by reading the KB article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ but then I saw the post of 7antrum that said he had gotten the problem solved without doing all the steps so I tried it too.. the conclusions I got were that I would indeed be able to boot into the system ..yay.. but it would leave the system without recognizing any mapped drives, other computers on the network and many applications were as if they werent installed.. This fast tip of 7antrum is great if you intend only to extract the data out to a backup HDD or fast install a CD/DVD recording program, get the data out and then format the computer.

The solution I found actualy solved the problem and without needing to install the OS again it is at 100% now.

Keep in mind that I had a second OS working to which I could easily access the HDD with the corrupted OS, so I could move files from one place to another easily. If you dont have the same luck I advice to simply take the HDD to a second computer and use it as a secondary HDD so that you are able to swap files from one place to another as I’ll state ahead.

I’ll assume you are working with a second OS installed on a different HDD ^_^ adapt this explanation to your actual situation if possible.

My steps were:

1. Copy the \windows\system32\config\ directory to a backup directory in your HDD. Copy all the files and folders there.

2. Copy the system, software, sam, security and default files from the \windows\repair\ to the \windows\system32\config and overwrite all.

3. Start the OS that was corrupted and enter into SAFE MODE. Dont get scared, when you finaly boot up and enter the OS it will look like it was reinstalled, so everything will be cleaned, no User accounts, no installed applications, nothing.. I say not to panic because I got myself freaked out when I saw it XD

4. Shutdown and enter in the working OS. Copy everything you had backed up to \windows\system32\config again.

And voila, when you start your corrupted OS again, everything will be in place, all programs recognizing well, all working ^_^