I installed win xp pro on a test PC. Each time I try to log into the system, I get the error message saying "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the original Setup CD-ROM. Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair." Does this sound familiar????? Please reply soon any help would be appreciated. I am sometimes able to access the system after typing 'r' a few times with the boot CD in situ, or even completely powering off the PC. But this ritual is beginning to make me feel depressed. Help!!!=)

Boot to the Recovery Console. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line: md tmp copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak delete c:\windows\system32\config\system delete c:\windows\system32\config\software delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam delete c:\windows\system32\config\security delete c:\windows\system32\config\default copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

You could also write all of this stuff in a text file which you would invoke from the recovery console with the "batch" command. So it's easier next time until you find the real problem, most likely a faulty driver.

This is exactly the same message my new HP xt series Pavillion notebook threw at me when I signed on to my isp the other day. HP is quite cavalier about the entire thing and they simply say "you are going to lose all of your data". They do not furnish a Windows XP boot disk, so I'm not sure I can get into the Recovery Console.

Mine appears to be up and running thanks to a very good technician at our ISP, who had an XP boot disk, and after some "growling" at HP, it turns out that going to microsoft.com, then click on Support and go to Knowledge Base. Enter these three file numbers and download them. They are Q310994, then Q307545, and Q307654. These will give you a set of boot disks and a Recovery Console. The part that got me is that the revisions are dated October 2001 and my computer was made in June 2002. Who was "behind the door"? Microsoft or HP? Someone really messed up. No thanks to them. I had to travel 500 miles to get the thing fixed -- on a brand new computer. Makes one wonder.