XP Pro Problems

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K-C437

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My computer was working normally when I powered it down for spring break last week. When I powered back up, however, I kept getting the blue screen that says: "stop C0000218 registry system error cannot load (hive) file \system root\system32\config\SYSTEM or its log or alternate is corrupt, absent, or not writable..."
Another message I received said that <windows root>\system32\hal.dll was corrupt or missing.
I think I made matters worse when I inserted a CD that said it was my quick restore for Windows XP Pro. Instead it started out saying something about Windows 95 and ALtiris -- and started compressing files before I could get it out. Now I also get a message that says "NTLDR is compressed" so I can only boot off a CD, not from my C:\drive.
Can anyone provide me with any advice? I bought a book and I am wondering if I need to maybe buy a Windows XP Pro Upgrade CD and attempt to reinstall my OS. Are there any alternatives that anyone can offer?
 
Your s**t is jacked! I would just reinstall or roll back to last known good config. But really if it wont hurt you, I would just reinstall OS.
 
stop C0000218 registry system error cannot load (hive) file \system root\system32\config\SYSTEM or its log or alternate is corrupt, absent, or not writable...

SYMPTOMS
A Windows-based computer displays the following Stop error message:
Stop 0xc0000218 (0xe11a30e8, 0x00000000, 0x000000000,0x00000000)
UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR
-or-
Stop: 0xc0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The registry cannot load the hive (file):
\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SYSTEM or its log or alternate.
It is corrupt, absent, or not writable.
NOTE: The parameters in parentheses are specific to your system configuration and may differ each time.
CAUSE
A Stop 0xc0000218 error message means that a necessary registry hive file could not be loaded. This error message can occur if the file is corrupt or missing. To resolve this issue, you can reinstall the operating system and restore the registry files from a backup. The registry files may have been corrupted because of hard disk corruption or some other hardware problem.

This error message can also occur if the driver has corrupted the registry data while loading into memory, or the memory where the registry is loading has a parity error. In the latter case, turn off the external cache and check the memory chips.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
1. Start your computer by running the Recovery Console, run the chkdsk /p command on the drive, and then restart your computer. Test to determine whether the issue is resolved. If the issue is resolved, do not complete the remaining steps. If the issue is not resolved, go to step 2.
2. When Windows loads, press SPACE BAR when the "Load Last Known Good" message appears.
3. Complete a parallel installation, and restore the registry files from a tape backup. To do so:
• Reinstall Windows in a separate folder.
• Restore the damaged registry hive from backup. This procedure is specific to the backup application that you used to make a backup. Consult the documentation of your backup application or consult the vendor if you need assistance. Typically, this procedure requires you to restore a system state backup to an alternate location, and then copy the appropriate registry files to the %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\config folder of the damaged operating system.
• If you do not have a tape backup, include the backup of network servers and production workstations.
NOTE: If Windows is stored on a FAT partition, you can restore the files by using another computer and by copying the registry hive files to the %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Config subfolder.

[http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;156640]

<windows root>\system32\hal.dll

A thread with a lot of information on this

Insert your XP CD, and boot from it. When it loads up, press R to enter the recovery console. It'll ask you what windows installation to repair, in most cases you just type 1 and press enter. If prompted type your password. Once in recovery console, type:

C:\>chkdsk /p [enter]
fixboot [enter]
Y [enter]
exit [enter]

NTLDR is compressed

http://bootmaster.filerecovery.biz/appnote6.html

1 Create the BootMaster PLUS rescue diskette on a working computer of with the same operating system (2000 or XP) as the system where the error is ocurring.

Download and execute the installation file (you will need one 1.44 MB floppy diskette). After the rescue diskette has been created, go to START/RUN and exeucte the command "A:\NTDRV.BAT" . This will install the NT boot files (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, and BOOT.INI) to the diskette.

Note that at this point we do not have the correct copy of BOOT.INI on the rescue disk. In the next step we will rectify that.

2 Now, boot the system with the error using the BootMaster Plus rescue disk. When the Dual Boot menu appears select (1) - "Boot DOS".

From the main menu select (2) to go to the NTFS Browser For DOS menu, then press (2) to start NTFS Browser For DOS.

Select (1) - "Use Master Boot Record" - then select the boot volume from the next menu. When the "Volume Status Screen" appears, press ENTER.

NTFS Browser For DOS will then read the MFT and display the file system browse screen. Scroll down until you locate the file "BOOT.INI", and put the highlight on it. Press ENTER. At the "Save Files to..." dialog enter "A:\", the press ENTER.

The correct copy of BOOT.INI is now installed to the resuce disk.

3 Now, press CTRL+ALT+DEL to reboot the system. At the Dual Boot menu select (2) - "Boot NT". The system should boot up OK. If it does not, then more is wrong than just a compressed or missing NTLDR file.

4 Next, go to command prompt and enter this commands:

A:\CPYNTLDR.BAT

This will transfer NTLDR from the rescue diskette to the NTFS system partition.

Now, remove the rescue disk and boot the system from the hard drive. You should get a normal boot without error messages, otherwise there is something more wrong. In that case see our support guidelines.

Hope this clears some things up for you!
 
Thanks for your advice themajor and alex4r. With your help I was able to fix my NTLDR problem but I am still having complications with hal.dll. Now I'm getting an "invalid boot.ini" message and windows will not boot. My hal.dll is still missing or corrupt. In the recovery console I am unable to use bootcfg even though the chkdsk tells me that there are no problems. Help me out! Again!
 
Make sure you type it correctly:
BootCfg /Rebuild

You might also try:
BootCfg \Rebuild
or
BootCFG /Rebuild

but I am pretty sure its the first one.
 
When I do a bootcfg /list I am told that "there are currently no boot entries available to display. Then if I still try to do a bootcfg /rebuild I get an error message saying that the scan of disks for Windows installations failed and that this may be caused by a corrupt file system. It suggests that I use chkdsk to detect any disk errors, but like there are none, according to chkdsk at least.
 
OK. Try this in this order:
Attrib -H C:\Boot.ini <ENTER>
Attrib -R C:\Boot.ini <ENTER>
Attrib -S C:\Boot.ini <ENTER>
DEL C:\Boot.ini <ENTER>
BootCfg /Rebuild <ENTER>
Fixboot <ENTER>

At least try FIXBOOT if the others fail.
 
Yep, what TheMajor said... Also, none of the things in Windows are case sensitive, so you could write BoOtCfG \ReBuIlD and it would do the same thing.
 
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