Missing or Corrupt config/system file?

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

If it is a year old, it must have worked before. How did you screw it up?
Your WindowsXP installation disk is also a bootable disk, use it? Try in
Safe Mode.
"How to Boot in Safe Mode"
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/capture/safemode.html

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
--
Some days you're the windshield,
some days you're the bug.


"Jackie" wrote:

> Our 2nd family computer, which is a year old and is a Dell 8400 with XP,
> won't turn on. Actually, it turns on a comes up with a message like this one:
>
> Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
> \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
>
> According to: http://support.microsoft.com/defau [...] -us;307545
> We're supposed to put our XP Startup disk in, but when we do that, nothing
> happens. We've tried restarting and we used the disk to this computer, but
> no luck. Can anybody offer us some advice?