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Windoze XP SP1 Error???

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3 replies

by mrafrohead

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Here's an outline of my pc...

XP on partition one disk one... (strictly for gaming)

2000 on partition two disk one... (main os for everything)

Windoze 2000 is at SP3.

I got and installed WinXP Service Pack 1 yesterday. It worked perfectly, but when I attempted to log back into 2K... I am given this error:

\winnt\system32\config\system
This file is missing or corrupt: Please boot from the original cd and press r for repair.

I have attempted all repair options and i have also attempted to boot from last known good config.

Nothing is working... At all...

Read all over the net, found one other person with this problem also. But no fixes for it.

I am curious. How many others out there are running into this type of problem and also, has anyone found a fix for it???

3 replies

by djent

hat are the partition sizes and types( FAT32 or NTFS). NTFS boot partitions should be limited to 1023 cyl ( 7.68 mb) per MS KB, otherwise boot files can be located beyond cyl 1023 and not be found at boot. did you convert a large FAT32 partition to NTFS? Thats a definate no no. Many OEMs format preinstalled OS for FAT32 to avoid partitioning and the supply restore disks can't do partitions, so you buy the OS but you can't use it as designed or intended. That is a MS edict, so you get a hobbeledrestore disk. I would guess that the XP SP relocated some boot files. If this describes your situation plug the drive into a working system as a second drive, backup data, wipe the disk and start over with a real copy of W2K and XP. Observe boot partition limits for NTFS! Great marketing idea, you need two copies of an OS to keep it working. Who said BG was dumb.

by mrafrohead

well this is how it looks...

on hard disk one:

ten gig partition is windoze xp

twenty gig partition finishes the drive for 2k.

I believe that this does fall behind the 1024 cylinder, BUT i have been using this config for literally years,and it has been fine, up until now:) hehehehe

As for the boot files moving... I am wondering if some of the files in 2k were overwritten with those from xp. I just dont' know how to fix it, other than a format which is coming closer and closeras we speak:) Need to get the box running again.

Newho - you have given me a direction to check into and i will take a gander at it and see what i can come up with, thank you for your time:)

Mrafrohead

by djent

You don't state which file systems are used on each partition. Since each drive is bootable the size limits under NTFS apply. Go to executive.com (diskeeper), the have an excelent explaination of this issue in thier knowledge base and FAQs, or search MS KB for NTFS partition size limits. I suspect that you converted your FAT32 drives to NTFS and got an object lesson on why this often fails. I don't mean to belabor this point but it appears to be the cause of your problems.

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