Windows XP won't load and gives an error. Windows won't boot, what should I do? Recovering boot files

It often happens to users that operating system Windows XP won't boot. As a rule, this happens for no apparent reason, since recently the OS loaded normally, but then problems arose.

There can be many reasons for this; there are a number of the most common reasons why the OS stops loading. Also, you should pay attention to exactly how the OS does not load, whether it does not load at all or stops loading after the Windows XP logo with a progress bar appears.

If the operating system does not load at all (the XP logo does not appear), then there may be 3 possible sources of the problem.

Firstly: you should check how well the HDD is connected to motherboard, since it often happens that the operating system stops loading because the computer simply does not see the HDD. In this case, it is enough to simply adjust the HDD connection to the motherboard.

Secondly: You should make sure that the HDD is free of defects. You can check your HDD for bad sectors using special programs, which are loaded from the BIOS. One of these programs is called Victoria, it allows you to check the HDD for bad sectors from the BIOS. In the event that the HDD contains bad sectors, we advise you to replace it, and to restore old data, contact a professional.

Third: The problem may be a defective OS. Most often, the OS is damaged due to viruses. To fix this problem, try reinstalling the OS. If you cannot reinstall the operating system, see the points described above. Also, if the problem cannot be determined, we advise you to contact a professional for help - he will quickly determine the source of the problem and fix it.

If the operating system boots (the XP logo with a progress bar appears), then probable problems maybe 2.

Firstly: The problem may be due to defects in the computer. In this case, you should carefully check the connections of various devices to the motherboard.

Secondly: The most common problem in this case is a defective OS. This means that the operating system is damaged and for this reason cannot boot. This problem was most likely caused by a virus. In this case there are 2 possible solutions, namely: try to restore the system or reinstall the OS.

The second option is more suitable, since even after restoring the system, viruses can remain in the system and again initiate damage. The best solution in such cases is to contact a professional, who, in turn, is well versed in these types of issues and will help you solve the problem as soon as possible.

Hello! Today I didn’t plan to do anything on the Internet, I thought I’d go skiing and relax. But this morning I decided to come in for a few minutes to check my email and respond to your comments on the blog. I turn on my younger brother’s computer (he’s running Windows XP) and here’s an error I’m already familiar with “Windows cannot start because the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\config\system file is corrupted or missing”

It’s a weekend morning, the main thing is that yesterday everything was turned off normally, but today there’s this “beautiful” error. I wrote about one way to fix this error in the article ““. Be sure to look at this article if the method I describe below does not help you.

So it was necessary to quickly solve this error with the missing one, or damaged file\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\config\system, I had no desire to play for a long time.

Therefore, before loading from boot disk, and replace the “system” file with a backup one (this is exactly the method I described in the article linked above), I decided to try loading the latest configuration, that is, with the settings when the computer was still starting.

Everything worked out, after selecting the boot with the last known good configuration, the computer turned on and works fine. Now I’ll tell you how to do all this. Just a couple of minutes.

Removing the error “Windows cannot start due to a corrupted or missing file \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\config\system”

I did all this on a computer with installed Windows XP, but I think that this method should also work on Windows 7, but I haven’t tried it yet.

This means the computer showed us an error that there is no file \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\config\system, or it is damaged.

We restart the computer and immediately begin to actively press the F8 key, a window will appear in which you can boot into safe mode etc. But we are interested in “Loading the last known known good configuration (with working parameters)”. So we select it by pressing “Enter”.

After selecting this item, Windows XP started loading and the computer turned on normally. After another reboot, the error did not appear.

It's that simple, you can remove the error:

Windows cannot start because the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\config\system file is corrupted or missing

If you are like this in a fast way nothing worked, then try the method I described in another article. By the way, judging by the number of views of that article, this mistake is very common.

That's all, today is a day off :), so as possible less work and as much rest as possible. Good luck!

If Windows won't boot, there is one simple way that can help us restore the operating system without getting into its "internals" :)

The reasons that Windows does not boot can be very diverse, for example, -, and each specific case requires its own individual approach. But, knowing the basic set of faults (“classics of the genre”), we can fix most problems ourselves Windows boot.

Let's digress a little and I'll tell you a little story from my practice, how I got into a situation where Windows won't boot and what did I do? I once worked in one of the geographically remote departments of our institution. In addition to all other tasks, it was necessary to install the fourth service pack (OS update) for Windows 2000 on one of the computers there.

Note: The method described below is absolutely identical for the Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.

So, I finished all my current affairs and thought: now I’ll quickly install the service pack and - for lunch. I'm launching, it means installation file, the installer unpacks the two-hundred-megabyte archive, then its installation begins.

During such a procedure, there is a massive update and an increase in the total number of system files and components of the OS itself, so it is strictly not recommended to turn off or restart the computer before it is completed!

What do you think happened at the moment when the installation progress indicator reached exactly the middle? The lights in the room have turned off! The electricians needed to re-route some cables and they decided to cut off the power to several rooms “for five minutes” :)

It is clear that a few seconds were enough for the computer (to my involuntary and not entirely literary exclamation) to turn off. It is clear that after turning on the electricity, I saw that Windows did not boot, but went into permanent cyclic reboot(at the stage of the appearance of his logo).

“Lunch is served and the planned quiet surfing on the Internet is over,” I thought. Windows will not boot, you need to take everything to yourself and “raise” the system (restore the OS boot).

How are we going to do this? In this case, the method on top of an existing one helped us. Let's figure out how to do this correctly?

A small note: With this method of recovery, Windows downloads that are missing or damaged system files and OS libraries are replaced with original ones, which allows (in many cases) to obtain a working system. Moreover very important that all user data, installed programs and registry settings are saved. The changes affect only service files and libraries.

So, Windows won't boot - let's start repairing it! We take the installation disk with Windows, insert it into , set the BIOS to boot from it and reboot.

Perhaps, to boot from a CD, we will be asked to press any key on the keyboard - press it. As a result, we should see a window like this:

Press the “Enter” key, as shown in the photo above. We discussed what it is and how to work with it in one of the previous articles and we will not dwell on this.

And let's look at another very important point, requiring separate explanation. To be able to use this recovery method, we (ideally) should have on hand the disk from which the particular copy of Windows that we are going to “repair” was installed.

Why is that? I don’t know exactly the answer to this question, perhaps this is related to the OS serial numbers from Microsoft? Let me explain my point: if you often had to install them, you probably noticed that sometimes the serial numbers are from one installation disk miraculously suitable for another (naturally, within the same product line).

Apparently, Microsoft produces original disks with copies of Windows in batches. And so, within one such “party”, serial number from one disk can be successfully applied to all others. This is precisely the nuance of successfully using the installation disk in a situation where Windows does not boot.

We need (ideally) the same disk from which initial installation system, or - a disc from the same batch!

At one time (even before the crisis), our organization purchased quite a lot of licensed products from Microsoft. Therefore, it is almost always possible to find a distribution kit in disk debris that will behave “correctly” during the installation process :)

What I mean? But let's see what the screenshots of this process look like next:

Standard window with license agreement. We need to accept it by pressing the "F8" key.

After this, we can see a very interesting inscription at the bottom of the screen:

It is at this stage that the OS from the distribution kit on the disk determines whether it can be used to restore the installed copy Windows? Those. - Are these two systems from the same series/batch?

What happens if the check is successful? A window exactly like the one in the photo below appears:

After this, press the “ R", confirming our desire.

Attention! If you don't you see the inscription "To try to restore the selected copy of Windows press R" - don't continue installation, otherwise you will irrevocably overwrite the already installed copy.

Then the screen changes and we see the following window:

After a few seconds, this is the picture:

In appearance, it looks very similar to installing from scratch, but we remember that we have Windows won't boot and we are doing exactly that recovery !

After the installation is complete, we reboot the computer and - Windows boots!

As you remember, in my case it was Windows 2000, but the result and the process itself looked exactly the same for XP.

Now I want to show you how the screenshots of the installation process differ if the distribution disk is not suitable for recovery using the method described above.

So, the initial situation is that Windows does not boot, we take (as it seems to us) the “correct” distribution (from the same batch) and try to boot from it. At first, everything is exactly the same as in the previous case, but only up to this point:

All! This is the last Redmond Windows warning :) If we go further, we will lose all the data, programs and settings that were made in previous system, and no emergency will help us.

Use the first option described at the beginning of this article!

I decided to write an article on restoration Windows XP downloads. In practice, I have often encountered a situation where Windows simply does not boot, and what comes to mind is “reinstall again.” But sometimes there is a need to simply restore the system without reinstalling. And this, I’ll tell you, is possible. In 80% of cases, the system can be restored without reinstallation. Windows installations.

I will write a lot, so right off the bat!

To get started, get a disk with a LiveCD or LiveDVD. You can download it here: LiveCD. Also, LiveCD is available in some program assemblies, for example, in ZverDVD. Be sure to burn this disc. Record on DVD-R or CD-R, as they produce deeper and higher-quality tracks. Never use RW discs. You will have problems with them.

Now let's get to the bottom of the problem. We are considering the issue of Windows XP not loading. That is, the computer turned on, the disks were initialized, but Windows boot Did not happen. The options described below are possible.

The computer goes into reboot

This means that when Windows loading failed, and in the boot settings it is stated that in case of a failure, the computer must be restarted. In order to understand where the failure is, you need to disable automatic restart of the computer in case of failures. This is done as follows.

While the system boots, hold down the F8 key. The method selection menu will open Windows boot. Select "Disable automatic reboot when system failure".

Blue screen of death opens

Blue Screen of Death is another name for BSOD. Its purpose is to show the user what happened to the system.

The picture shows three parts of the BSOD text that are meaningful to us. It is possible that some of the items may be missing. So what do these points mean:

• 1. The name of the file that caused the system crash.
• 2. Description of the error.
• 3. Stop code. It can be used to search for a solution on the Internet.

Your task is to study this data and find a solution. Alternatively, you can replace the faulty file with a file from the distribution. The second option is to boot from LiveCD, download CureIt and scan the file for viruses.

Computer is locked

Sometimes it happens that computer won't boot, and on the screen there is a white inscription on a black background indicating that the computer is blocked for one reason or another. It looks something like this:

No matter what is written on the screen, the main task is not to send SMS, not to pay bills and not to spend money on this beggar. We simply boot from the LiveCD and scan the disk with the system for viruses. CureIt is ideal for scanning. Usually, after disinfecting the system, the computer boots smoothly.

White cursor on black screen

If, while the computer is loading, a white cursor blinks on a black background, but loading does not occur, then the reason is one of the drivers or a program that hangs in startup.

In order to understand which file failed, you need to enable the system to display running processes at boot. This is how it is done.

Booting from LiveCD. Open the disk with the system in TotalCommander, and find in the root a file called “boot.ini”. Open it with notepad. We find a line like this: " multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional RU" /execute /fastdetect". You need to enter the parameter " /sos". The result should look something like this: " multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional RU" /execute /fastdetect /sos". Save the file and reboot. Now when the system boots, you will see what is loading. If loading a file takes a long time, then this file fails. The solution is to replace the file or update required driver. It might make sense to run the files through an antivirus.

Bottom line

I described the most common mistakes and their solutions if Windows XP won't load. But each case requires its own solution, so you will need to use your brain.

Scanning almost always helps. system disk antivirus program. My recommendation is CureIt.

That's all. Good luck in your achievements!

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We will fix errors in Windows 10. But approximately the same will need to be done in Windows XP, 7 and 8. In Windows 7 and later releases, the developers have improved the recovery system for startup problems. In older versions of the system, serious errors often have to be resolved by reinstallation.

Disable peripherals

Try to remember what changes you recently made to the system: did you install new devices or switch something. There may be a problem with one of the hardware components. Try disabling:

1. USB drives.
2. Card readers.
3. Printers.
4. Scanners.
5. Cameras.
6. All other external devices.

If this does not help, disconnect the keyboard and mouse: you need to exclude all possible sources of malfunction.

It may also be due to internal components, such as RAM. On a desktop PC, you can check the performance of the RAM by connecting the strips one by one.

Check power

If the computer does not turn on at all, pay attention to the power cable and sockets. Don't forget the power switch on the back of your desktop computer.

If everything works at this level, but the computer still does not turn on, then most likely the problem is in the power supply, which you are unlikely to be able to fix yourself: you will have to replace it or have it repaired by a specialist.

It is possible that the computer turns on, but only for a short time. This is the same problem with the power supply.

Configure the disk to boot the system

Errors may appear during startup: An operating system wasn’t found. Try disconnecting any drives that don’t contain an operating system. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart or Boot failure. Reboot and Select Proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device.

IN BIOS settings or UEFI may be set to boot from an external device or other logical partition rather than from the system drive. You can restore default settings like this:

1. To restart a computer.
2. Immediately after restarting, press the system key, for example F2. This may be another key: usually during system boot it can be found at the bottom of the screen with the logo of the laptop or motherboard manufacturer.
3. In the settings, set the desired disk to the first place in the boot.
4. Select the Save and Exit option to save your changes.

If the above does not help, you will have to restore the system bootloader. To do this, you will need a bootable USB flash drive or recovery disk with a system of suitable capacity. How to do bootable USB flash drive or disk, read Lifehacker about installing Windows.

Start the system from a flash drive or disk by selecting the desired option in the boot menu. In the Windows installation menu that opens, select “System Restore.”

From the recovery menu, select “Troubleshooting” → “ Extra options» → “Startup Recovery”. After this, the system will try to automatically fix the bootloader. In most cases, it solves the problem.

The same can be done manually via the command line, but it is better to select the automatic option so as not to aggravate the situation.

If this method does not help, the problem probably lies in the hardware: the hard drive is damaged.

From the recovery menu, select Troubleshooting → Advanced Options → Command Prompt.

IN command line you need to enter the commands one by one: diskpart → list volume (be sure to remember the name of the Windows disk) → exit .

To check the disk for errors and damage, enter the command chkdsk X: /r (where X is the name of the Windows disk). The check usually takes quite a long time, you will have to wait.

Start Windows in Safe Mode

Due to a sudden shutdown of the computer during installation of operating system updates, cleaning of viruses and unnecessary entries in the registry, or due to the fault of acceleration utilities Windows operation System files may become damaged. In this case, when the system boots, “ blue screen of death".

Try starting Windows in safe mode without loading drivers and programs in startup. If the computer is running in this mode, you will have to remove the drivers, perform a system rollback, and scan for viruses.

If you have restore points, this problem is quite easy to solve. You just need to roll back to the previous stable configuration.

Reinstall system files

The steps above may not help. Then you'll have to reset Windows settings and reinstall the system while saving the files. Unfortunately, all programs will need to be reinstalled.

In the recovery environment, select Troubleshoot → Reset this PC → Keep my files → Reset.

The system will roll back to the original settings.