PC i built 6 months ago wont boot...read for details

AS45-70 · 12-16-2005, 21:19

Ok so i built a PC for a friends son and its been running fine until now. Pushing the power button gets me to this:

File missing or currupt

Windows/System32/Config/system

So i boot from the CD and try both Repair and then Install a fresh copy options.

That gets me to this:

No HDD

Now i take his SATA HDD and plug it into my PC and i can read it fine. Browsing to the File it says is currupt i can see my file and his file are different sizes.

1. How can i get his system to boot without it seeing the HDD, which also appears to be fine as i can veiw its contents from my PC when its connected to it.

I can get into the bios but that isnt helping me. It does show the HDD is SATA but i cant reinstall windows or perform the Repair option cause it says no HDD present.

WTF, any ideas ?

AS

***HAVOC*** · 12-17-2005, 00:05

The first error is a corrupt registry. Hope you have backups/restore points.

The second problem is probably a need for a driver for the SATA controller. When the CD is first starting, it'll say 'Press F6 to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver' or something to that effect. The motherboard should have come with a floppy disk for this purpose, or you can probably find the driver on the motherboard manufacturer's website. For Win2k or XP is HAS to be a floppy.

AS45-70 · 12-17-2005, 21:18

Ok i downloaded the SATA drivers from the ASUS site and used there make disk icon and created the floppy.

I still get the same error, no HDD detected.

Now i when i look in the bios it lists my SATA HDD so why do i get no HDD error when i try to Reload Windows or even try the repair option.

I pressed F6 when booting and followed allt he directions, i see it loaded the drivers and then takes me to this:

To install a fresh copy of XP press enter
To repair XP push "R"

I get nothing with both options. I am confused, my PC sees the data on the SATA drive so i know its working. Is the issue with the HDD or the MB driver for SATA ?

thx for the tips, keep them coming

AS

AS45-70 · 12-17-2005, 21:20

He doesnt have anything on the PC to save, he can reload his games. I cant even reload XP at this poitn cause it doesnt even see the HDD.

AS

Delta · 12-17-2005, 22:19

This may sound stupid to other people, it happened to me

Check the IDE cables on the board, if the machine does not see it, a cable may be loose.

Get another hard drive and see if his machine will see it.

B

AS45-70 · 12-17-2005, 22:50

I thought it was a loose cable but even after reconnecting them i still had the problem.

I think the extra HDD is the solution, that will at least tell me if the HDD is the issue or the MB, good call. Pity i dont have an extra HDD to test it with. I will borrow one.

thx

AS

fastvfr · 12-19-2005, 13:54

Um, did you swap out the file on your HDD for the one on his that was corrupt?

Lots of times that is all the fix amounts to; remember the command-line switch 'SFC' from the Win98 days? That is still there in XP, too, but it'll demand a disk with the proper Service Pack installed to do this. Which is a pain--the problem is not usually in a file that a SP alters but rather one that is easier for malware to hide in.

Of course, if that newer machine got rootkitted, then all you can do is reset the BIOS and reinstall the OS.

Good luck!

btoler · 12-19-2005, 14:11

possibilities are failing hard disk, bios, and failing power supply.

AS45-70 · 12-19-2005, 16:12

BT

its a 6month old WD HDD. I ran WD HDD tools on it and it passed with no issues on the longest test setting. Also, i replaced the PSU. Neither of those seem to be the issue.

Fast

Actually i forgot to ask this question. Can i copy my file and paste it to his HDD. The file sizes where almost a 1mb difference, mine being the larger of the two. I didnt do it yet cause i figured it was PC specific and i forgot to ask this earlier.

I will give SFC a shot, i was told about that today also, i didnt think to try it. thx for the heads up.

AS

AS45-70 · 12-19-2005, 18:16

Update:

SFC wont run on the drive, i get an error code and a reference to RPC server....

I ran SCF on my pc under the run command and it scanned my files correct ? so i tried to run it from the F drive ( his HDD in my PC)fromt he Windows/System32 Directory on F, i got some error code and a reference to RPC server...

So that didnt work for me.

Is it worth me putting a diff SATA drive in there and seeing if it will load XP to that ? I would have to take one of my SATA drives out of its RAID 0 config to do it and im not sure its gonna even tell me anything. It will create more work for me tho.

***HAVOC*** · 12-19-2005, 19:24

Yes, the SYSTEM hive file is hardware specific. If you have the same motherboard copying yours to his might work, more or less.

The first thing I'd try is putting that drive in your PC and see if it has another copy of the SYSTEM hive file. It almost certainly will.

C:\WINDOWS\repair should have a SYSTEM.bak file that can be renamed and put in the \config folder. It's a leftover from the day the OS was installed, but it should let the system boot, and you can (maybe) go back to a restore point. This is a better choice than using your registry in his PC.

Depending on your friends backup precedure, there may be other copies elsewhere.

As for why it won't let you reinstall...

That's a bit weird. Once you got the driver installed, it should have worked fine, and since it didn't choke and say you didn't have a fixed disk to install to, I'd say it took the driver and saw the drive.

It could be a drive problem, it could be some sort of boot sector or MBR virus on the drive that XP setup doesn't like. It could be the vagueries of Microsoft software.

But the only way to be sure would be using another SATA drive. If it works, it's the drive. If it doesn't.... well.....

AS45-70 · 12-19-2005, 19:43

using another drive is a good option but

1. i dont have an xtra
2. id have to use one of my drives from my RAID 0
3. Its time consuming and it may not even be the drive

I was planning to remove my RAID 0 and go with just the single 10k rpm raptor and move the other raptor to my back up pc. That being said its a lot of time to reinstall both the OS's on my PC and then redo his. Not to mention all the programs ect.. what i nightmare.

what to do, i dont know if i want to tackle it right now woth xmas, shopping and leaving on Fri.

i do thank you for your help and hope you have a great holiday season. I will most likely take my RAID 0 apart and re load all three PCs next week, oh joy :(

AS