The instructions you got from the boot failure refer to booting a Windows Setup CD. The first R option when booting that accesses the Recovery Console.
You weren't using a Windows setup CD when you were warned that everything would be lost. You have a manufacturer's "restore CD" which wipes out everything and restores the hard drive to what it was the day you opened the box. If you can't beg, borrow, or steal a "real" Windows Setup CD* (doesn't matter what computer it came with when you only want to run the Recovery Console), you can use the following: http://snipurl.com/93cc (short for wrapped URL: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=15491f07-99f7-4a2d- 983d-81c2137ff464&DisplayLang=en ) which will prompt you to write 6 floppies. You boot the first floppy and insert others as prompted. After that you will get to the screen where you are prompted to press R. And when you get to the Recovery Console, you follow the instructions here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/ Carl * If you look at a real setup CD, it has folders \i386, \support, \valueadd etc. -----Original Message----- From: Windows Home/SOHO [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jim Dykes Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 11:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Windows Down - Restore My wife's computer is an eMachine running WinXP-Home SP2. This morning when she booted up she received an error message that Windows cannot be loaded because the following file is missing or corrupt. \windows\system32\config\system You can attempt to restore this file by using the original Windows setup CD. Select R at the first screen to start repair. Not the question: When we did this we got the message that everything would be lost, so we went no further. Seems to me that in an earlier discussion someone said that after you hit restore you would then get other choices, one of them being "repair" and that only when you made a selection would the action begin. Can I get a confirmation of this? Please help me or I'm dead meat!! I'll have to "leave home" <smile>. Thanks, Jim -- ---------------------------------------- WIN-HOME Archives: http://PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM/archives/WIN-HOME.html Contact the List Owner about anything: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Official Win-Home List Members Profiles Page http://www.besteffort.com/winhome/Profiles.html -- ---------------------------------------- WIN-HOME Archives: http://PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM/archives/WIN-HOME.html Contact the List Owner about anything: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Official Win-Home List Members Profiles Page http://www.besteffort.com/winhome/Profiles.html
