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Get the fix to the "<strong>Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM</strong>" boot error message affecting<strong> Windows XP</strong>.

[toc]
<h2>About the "<strong>\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM is missing or corrupt</strong>" error</h2>
[kbintro]
<h3>Description and Symptoms</h3>
The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.
<h4>Symptom 1:  \Windows\System32\Config\System is missing or corrupt error screen on startup</h4>
The <b>Windows Registry</b> is a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for applications that opt to use the Registry. When a computer loads, Windows tries to access the registry to get the loading settings, but if the registry is corrupted, then the loading process halts and the following error screen is displayed.

<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Windows-could-not-start_system_config.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4238 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Windows-could-not-start_system_config.png" alt="config\SYSTEM is missing or corrupt error screen" width="720" height="400" /></a>
<pre>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.</pre>
Note that the exact error message may vary depending on how exactly the registry was corrupted. All different error messages that are all related to this error are listed below:
<ul>
 	<li>
<div class="sbody-error">Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE</div></li>
 	<li>
<div class="sbody-error"> Stop: c0000218: The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log or alternate.</div></li>
 	<li>Stop: 0xc000000f: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is missing, or corrupt.</li>
 	<li>
<div class="sbody-error">System error: Lsass.exe When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct.</div></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Windows-7-registry-corrupt.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4404 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Windows-7-registry-corrupt-1024x768.png" alt="Windows 7 registry corrupt error screen" width="980" height="735" /></a>
<pre>Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."
3. Click "Repair your computer."

If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.

File: \Windows\System32\config\system

Status: 0xc000000f

Info: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is missing, or corrupt.</pre>
<h3><span id="Causes_of_this_Error">Causes of this Error</span></h3>
This error has been known to occur as a result of the following cause:
<h4>Cause 1: The Windows registry is corrupted</h4>
The Windows registry may become corrupted because of many different reasons, including but not limited to virus attacks, power outages, disk write errors, or mistakes made by the user while configuring the registry manually.
<h2>Fixing "<strong>\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM is missing or corrupt</strong>" on Windows</h2>
[setupcd]
<h3>Fix #1: Restore corrupted registry via Easy Recovery Essentials</h3>
[easyre error="\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM32\\CONFIG\\SYSTEM is missing or corrupt" bootscreen="xp"]
<h3>Fix #2: Reboot a PC into "Last Known Good Configuration"</h3>
Rebooting a PC into “Last Known Good Configuration” mode forces a computer to use a saved version of the Windows registry that was in place the last time that computer successfully booted. This should fix all registry-related boot errors, assuming the last registry backup is available and is good condition.

Here are the steps to restore a PC to a previous state:
<ol>
 	<li>Restart the computer</li>
 	<li>Wait for the BIOS to complete POST (the screen with manufacturer logo and/or system information)</li>
 	<li><em>Quickly</em> begin tapping <kbd>F8</kbd> repeatedly, until the list of boot options is displayed</li>
 	<li>Choose “Last Known Good Configuration (Advanced)”</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd> and wait for the PC to boot.</li>
</ol>
Here is an example of the Windows Advanced Boot options menu, with the "Last Known Good Configuration" option selected:

[caption id="attachment_4256" align="alignnone" width="720"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Last-Known-Good-Config3.png"><img class="wp-image-4256 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Last-Known-Good-Config3.png" alt="Last Known Good Configuration Boot screen" width="720" height="400" /></a> Last Known Good Configuration Boot screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #2: <span id="Fix_7_Check_your_disk_with_CHKDSK_utility">Check the disk file system with CHKDSK utility</span></h3>
Since the error is often caused by a corrupt registry, checking and fixing the Windows file system with CHKDSK might be a good solution.

Here are the steps to run CHKDSK using the Windows XP Recovery Console:
<ol>
 	<li>Insert the Windows XP installation CD</li>
 	<li>Restart the computer and boot from the CD</li>
 	<li>Press any key to boot from the CD</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>R</kbd> when the Windows Options menu is loaded to access Repair Console</li>
 	<li>Enter the Administrator password</li>
 	<li>When the Command Prompt appears, type the following command:
<pre>chkdsk C: /r</pre>
where <code>C:</code> (without a trailing slash: <code>/</code>) is letter of the Windows installation drive (it's usually <code>C:</code>)</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Remove the CD and type <code>exit</code>:
<pre>exit</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Restart the PC</li>
</ol>
Here is what the PC's console output should look like after chkdsk is done checking and fixing the drive file system:

[caption id="attachment_4257" align="alignnone" width="720"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/WinXP_CHKDSK1.png"><img class="wp-image-4257 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/WinXP_CHKDSK1.png" alt="Windows XP chkdsk results screen" width="720" height="396" /></a> Windows XP chkdsk results screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #3: Restore the registry manually</h3>
The corrupted registry may also be fixed by replacing it with a clean copy that was created on the hard drive when Windows was installed. Note that this operation will restore the system to a state that might be very far from its current state; however, it still should be possible to recover user data in that state. This procedure also should not be used if the computer has an OEM-installed operating system, because the system registry hive on OEM installations creates passwords and user accounts that did not exist previously. This means that if these steps are followed on an OEM machine, then it may not be possible to log back into the recovery console to restore the original registry hives.

First, a backup of all current registry files is made so that they could be restored if anything goes wrong. Then, the existing registry is deleted, and replaced with a clean copy from the C:\Windows\Repair folder.
<ol>
 	<li>Insert the Windows XP setup CD and restart the computer</li>
 	<li>Press any key to boot from the CD</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>R</kbd> to access Repair Console</li>
 	<li>Enter the Administrator password. When the Command Prompt appears, type the following commands, one at a time and press <kbd>Enter</kbd> after each command, replacing <code>C:</code> with the Windows' drive letter:
<pre>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</pre>
[caption id="attachment_4258" align="alignnone" width="720"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/reg_backupfiles.png"><img class="wp-image-4258 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/reg_backupfiles.png" alt="Backing up current registry hives" width="720" height="396" /></a> Backing up current registry hives[/caption]
<pre>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</pre>
[caption id="attachment_4259" align="alignnone" width="720"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/reg_delfiles.png"><img class="wp-image-4259 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/reg_delfiles.png" alt="Deleting current registry hives" width="720" height="396" /></a> Deleting current registry hives[/caption]
<pre>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</pre>
[caption id="attachment_5022" align="alignnone" width="720"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/reg_restorefiles.png"><img class="wp-image-5022 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/reg_restorefiles.png" alt="Restoring registry hives from a repair folder" width="720" height="396" /></a> Restoring registry hives from a repair folder[/caption]</li>
 	<li>Type <code>exit</code> and remove your CD:
<pre>exit</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
</ol>
Right after the boot process is completed successfully, it is possible to either backup all user data and reinstall Windows from scratch, or follow the procedure described in the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150621152804/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/307545">Windows KB corrupted registry article</a> to manually restore the system registry to a more newer version that was backed up by System Restore.
<h2>More Information</h2>
<h3>Linked Entries</h3>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/chkdsk/">chkdsk</a></li>
</ul>
[partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="xp"]