WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM is corrupt or missing - what is best way to go about fixing...

Hi,

I have a 4-year-old Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop with Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2.

When I turn it on it comes up with the message WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM is corrupt or missing.

I have read a few articles about how to fix this but I still have a couple of questions:

- I have tried putting in the Dell re-installation CD for Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 in the hope it would load a programme where I could hit 'r' and it would fix everything. However, when I put the disc in my laptop it wont load when I restart the laptop and just goes to the same error screen. Is there away to make the CD load manually?

- Should I just tap F8 while booting up (without CD in) and select the 'last known working configuration' option? Or will this cause further problems because my machine came with Windows installed on it (i.e. I think it is an OEM-installed operating system) ?

- Should I take the laptop to a computer shop first to recover my files off the hard drive before I try anything?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers

Continue reading...