XP OS won't boot_restore no help.

[spark-e]

I have a dell Lattitude notebook.WinXP OS. Everything was fine, then one day when booting up I got this error message:
"Windows could not start because following file is missing or corrupt \windows\system32\config\system"

Notice the "C:" was missing from the error message.

So I did a restore after which I got this error message on the next boot up:
"Windows could not start because following file is missing or corrupt C:\windows\system32\config\system\cp_437.nls"

So I tried the restore again but I got the same thing.

I went to my PC in the other room which has the same OS and saved its "cp_437.nls" file to a floppy and then copied it from the floppy to my Dell system32 folder.

The dell has swappable drives from CD to Floppy.

This time when I boot up I get the blue screen and this error message:
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.

There are no options for me to diable BIOS memory but I did disable power management and I get the same problem.

I ended up installing Win98 just so I can access my files, but this is temporary.

What do I need to do to get my initial OS back up and running?

At this point I am contemplating saving all my documents, reformatting the dell HD and doing a fresh install of XP.

However if that's too drastic I'm wiling to hear the wisdom of others.

I'm listening.


P.S. Sorry if there is more than one post, something glitched and the topic page reset itself before I was finished.

[PrntRhd]

I would test the HDD with the utilities from the drive manufacturer before trying a restore again.

[Paul Komski]

So I did a restore
Was this a system restore or another sort of restore.

You could try repairing the whole XP installation from the installation CD (if you have one). See http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

PageFaults in non-paged area can be either hardware or software related. Commonly bad RAM for the former or the wrong or corrupted drivers for the latter.

[spark-e]

yes, I followed http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htmthat sites instructions on repairing and the proceedure went off without a hitch, but I got the "Windows could not start because following file is missing or corrupt C:\windows\system32\config\system\cp_437.nls" message.

So the repair did not restore that particular file.

I will scan the hard drive for damage. Then do a clean install

[Whyzman]

As mentioned above, I would try with the manufacturer's harddrive diagnostics...

[Whyzman]

Was the XP install an upgrade, or a fresh install? I was trying to find some info regarding the problematic file and someone pointed out that the missing file was actually on WinMe and carried over during an upgrade, so the file would not be on the XP disk...

I'm not sure if the information is accurate or not, but it certainly seemed worth asking...:)