Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt

[tharpdevenport]

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

My mother is getting this. She can't get to the OS, and I asked and she said it's loading straight to that error message, so I can't get her in Safe Mode.

She may not have the disc needed for a repair.


What do I do to help her? She knows nothing about computers, and I know some, but I am not advanced. She is running on a laptop, with XP. Says she can her the ard drive spinning.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Nobody can help?

 

[A True Folder]

Without a disk there is not much you can do.

With an XP disk she could boot to the disk and do a repair install.

If the drive has died then there is not much she can do either, how does she know the disk is spinning and it is not the cpu fan she can hear if "she knows nothing about computers"?

I'd suggest finding someone or a shop to do a repair install (providing the problem isn't a dead hard drive)