Fix Windows Registry Config System32 Error

Causes of Windows Registry Config System32 Error 

A corrupt Windows registry may prevent your Windows XP PC from starting up and will display an error message similar to the one listed below: 

“Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM”  

Steps to Manually Fix Windows Registry Config System32 Error

The following steps describe how you can use Recovery Console and System Restore to fix your registry. 

Note  : The following steps assume that your Windows XP is installed in the C drive. 

Step 1: Use Recovery Console to Backup Existing Registry Files and Copy Registry Files From Repair Folder to the  \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 Folder  

1.       Boot your PC with your Windows startup disk, and press R when the Welcome to Setup screen is displayed.  

2.       Provide the required inputs to start Recovery Console of the Windows XP installation you are trying to fix.  

3.       At Recovery Console Command Prompt type md temp and press enter to create the tmp folder.  

4.       Next, use the copy command to create a backup of the following files in the tmp folder: 

c:\windows\system32\config\system
c:\windows\system32\config\software 

c:\windows\system32\config\sam  c:\windows\system32\config\security  
c:\windows\system32\config\default

 

For example, to create backup of system, type and  copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak  Press Enter. 

5.       Next, use the delete command to delete these backed up files from the  system32\config  folder.   

6.       Next, use the copy command again to copy  the system, software, sam, security, and default files from the  c:\windows\repair\system  folder to  c:\windows\system32\config  folder.   

7.       Type exit to close Recovery Console and restart your PC.  

This step reverts your registry to the time when your PC was initially installed.  

Step 2: This step to fix registry config system32 error helps you restore the last backed-up healthy registry files from system restore snapshot.  

1.       Start your computer in Safe mode and log on as an administrator.  

2.       Open Windows Explorer, display the Tools menu, select Folder Options, and then open the View tab.  

3.       In the  Hidden files and folders section, select the Show hidden files and folders check box and clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.  

4.       Click Yes to confirm your decision.  

5.       Expand C drive and then right click on the  System Volume Information  folder.  

6.       On the Security tab, add the user to which you want to grant full right to the folder and then click OK to save your changes.   

7.       Now open the  System Volume Information  folder.   

8.       Navigate to a snapshot folder that was created some time back. 

9.       From here, copy the following backed up registry files to the C:\Windows\Tmp  folder and rename them in the following way: 

o         Copy  _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT  and rename to  DEFAULT   

o         Copy  _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY  and rename to SECURITY 

o         Copy  _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE  and rename to SOFTWARE 

o         Copy  _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM  and rename to SYSTEM 

o         Copy  _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM  and rename to  SAM 

Step 3: The next step in fixing registry config system32 error is to copy xp registry files retrieved from System Restore folder to system32/config folder.  

1.       Start your PC to Recovery Console.  

2.       At the command prompt, use the  del command to delete the following files: 

 c:\windows\system32\config\sam
 c:\windows\system32\config\security
 c:\windows\system32\config\software
 c:\windows\system32\config\default
 c:\windows\system32\config\system  

3.       Next, use the copy command to copy the  system  , software, sam, security, and default  files from the  c:\windows\tmp\  folder  to the  c:\windows\system32\config\  folder. 
Type exit to close Recovery Console and restart your PC.  

4.       Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts. 

Step 4: Perform System Restore   

1.       Open  Start menu, point to All Programs. 

2.       Next, point to Accessories, and then select System Tools.  

3.       Here, click the System Restore command to open the System Restore wizard. 

4.       Follow the instructions in the wizard to restore your system configuration to last known working state.  

This process may sound quite overwhelming for amateurs and even for those with a technical flair. Attempting to fix Registry problems may not only result in errors but you may also spend a lot of time completing this task. For this reason, many users, including computer technicians and IT professionals recommend that the best way to regularly and automatically maintain the registry is to use a good registry repair tool for scanning and cleaning. One such tool is  Error Fix.

With ErrorFix, you can quickly resolve a config system32 error.