Problems booting & running recovery console

[mquinn0908]

I have a Win2000 PC that when it boots I get the error: cannot find winnt/system32/config/systemced the file is missing or corrupted. I have ran chkdsk and no error was found and I tried the registry repair disks from XP SP1 that I read in another forum but neither worked. I also tried to go into the recovery console to do what KB article 269075 said to do but when I go into the recovery console I am never prompted for the installation that I want to repair or for a user name and password. I can do a dir on the drive and see all the directories but when I try to access the directories I receive an access is denied error messsage. I am at a loss as to what to do next.


Mandy
MCP/A+/Network+

 

[wolluf]

Sounds like your hard drive might be dying - download and run the drive manufacturer's diagnostic utility.

When you say you're never prompted for the installation you want to repair - is there more than one installation on the drive? I ask, as the install process often has trouble finding installations if there are more than one.

Also - how did you run chkdsk if you can't get into o/s and recovery console doesn't load? Have you got a BartPE disk or ERD commander or something like that?

 

[mquinn0908]

I'm sorry if I didn't make my problem more clear. I can get to the recovery console but the screen comes up letting me know that I am in the recovery console but I am never prompted for a user name and password to log into the console. I can do a dir on the c: drive and I get a list of all the contents of the drive but when I try to change the directory to one of the directories on the drive I get an access is denied message. I can run chkdsk from the console and that is about it.

There is only one installation on the drive.

Thanks!

Mandy
MCP/A+/Network+

 

[wolluf]

so you ran chkdsk C: /p from recovery console and it made no difference?

Have you tried replacing the file winnt/system32/config/system with winnt/system32/config/system.alt (from recovery console - if it allows, given it sounds like its only giving limited access - otherwiase BartPE for example. Eg rename system to system.bak then system.alt to system)

 

[mquinn0908]

Running chkdsk made no differende. I ended up taking the drive out of this PC and made it a slave in another PC and copied the contents of the repair directory into the config directory and since this information was a little old then I had to reload most of the programs (Office, some in house programs, anti-virus etc) but all of my data was still in tact.

Mandy
MCP/A+/Network+

 

[wolluf]

so you didn't try my system.alt suggestion?

Do you know you can refresh the repair directory by running the backup utility to create an ERD (and tick the box to update repair info as well)? Might be worth doing in case of future problems (when you've everything back ok, and system is stable).

 

[mquinn0908]

I didn't get your system.alt suggestion until after I had already copied the info from the repair directory but I did put your suggestion in my file if I ever run across this problem again. As for the repair disk, I ran that as soon as I got the system back up and going again. Thanks for all of your help.

Mandy
MCP/A+/Network+