OMG - Help! System 32 fatal error - Can I recover?

[justdeb]

Ok, here's the problem. Our daughter was on my mom's computer and got a System 32 error, system wont boot up or anything other than this black screen with the error msg. My mother cant find her original discs that came with XP on it....so here's my questions:

1. Can I recover data without blowing the hard drive should I find the original discs? If so...HOW do I go about that?

2. If I cant find the original discs - is there any way to get Microsoft XP without paying for it again and blowing the entire hard drive over?

I called Geek Squad but they want $230.00 to try to fix the SYS 32 error, $230.00 to hook up a zip drive to recover any files they can, AND an additional $253.00 for XP program since my mom cant find her disc, so all total we're talking over $700.00. Doesnt seem right to me but......I dont have the program to recover the files, nor a zip drive - and I cant use MY version of XP from my system to recover hers.....

Or could I?

HELP....

Thanks,
Deb

 

[Osiris]

Geeksquad, there crazy, dont even think about calling them back ever again. Well you can download XP from a torrent and run a repair on the OS, or if you have 3 harddrives, you can switch them so once you get XP installed on the other harddrive, you can drag off the files from the other harddrive and then format it

 

[justdeb]

Is there ANY other way to recover the files other than switching out the drives? She has an HP and I have a Dell so I dont think that would work - I dont have an external harddrive available to me either.

She cant find any of her discs but called HP and ordered a new recovery disc - my question (and I dont know if I'm right but I think I am...) is the Recovery Disc doesnt have XP or any of Microsofts programs on it - as in a total reinstall if needed - Correct?

It wont boot up in Safe Mode either - all I keep getting is Windows Config Start up error....

I found the same problem online and present it here to see if ya'll can verify this is what I need to do. You guys n gals are great by the way - Dave helped me fix my system last year - but it was nothing compared to this. Here is what I copied from a Tech from Microsoft....is it right?

My computer will not boot up. I am receiving the following error.
Windows\System32\Config\System. I have tried the chkdsk/r a couple of times
and a few other things. Nothing is working. I tried to do a repair
installation but it only wants to do a complete re-install and says that
their is already a copy of windows on that partition and I get a warning.
Does anyone have some more suggestions for me to try before I have to
completely re-install windows xp and possibly lose all the data on this
computer.

Thanks for your help!!


Darren Curtis
2004-11-17, 6:16 pm

Sounds like a corrupted System registry hive

Boot to the Recovery Console

Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console (314058)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314058

Once in recover Console you need to perform the following steps:

At the Recovery Console command prompt:

1. CD to the system32 folder "cd system32"
2. CD to the config folder "cd config"

The prompt should now look like C:\Windows\system32\config

Type "copy system system.bak"

It should say "one file copied (You just made a backup of your original system registry hive.)

Then type "copy c:\windows\repair\system system"

You are copying the backup system registry file from the c:\windows\repair folder into the c:\windows\system32\config folder.

Overwrite the file at the prompt (you made a backup first)

Reboot normally

If that doesn't work then either the backup system hive is too old or there are other problems.




Thanks in advance,
Deb

 

[Osiris]

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307545

follow this when you receive the recovery cd's

 

[justdeb]

Warez,

Thanks for your help - got one more ? for you - if the system wont reboot or do anything (all I get is a black screen that starts to run but then it stops and says I must insert the CD ROM)....will the Recovery CD load? Also - my parents have 3 computers, all have XP and all are HP's - (and all discs are missing that came w/each system - they dont know where they put them - go figure huh?). ANYWAY - is there a way I can copy any programs/files from any of the other systems and create backups of the programs/system - then reinstall it on the one that is messed up?

I tried to copy the System Restore file onto a cd and run it but it wont boot up anything other than that black screen. I cant even get a DOS prompt in Safe Mode. They do have the CD cover with MS Registration Number for the messed up PC - is there any way I can copy (legally) all the software and programs from one PC to discs and then install it on the other using the registration number originally provided?

Can I get any of this from bootdisk.com by chance or is that illegal to do? I just read where someone else had a problem they couldnt boot up and it was suggested they go there. ???

I know its alot of questions but I've been out of this field for SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many years I just dont want to mess up anything.

Thanks so much.

Deb

 

[Osiris]

check your pm