PC Won't Boot - Catch 22

zenmaster

1. My PC will not boot into XP. A registry hive file is corrupt (system).

2. A quick Google shows that this file can be replaced with a recovery version from the repair directory.

3. When I attempt to do this (using Bart PE) the file will not delete or rename due to a CRC error therefore I cannot copy in the replacement.

4. To fix the CRC error I need to run CHKDSK.

5. When I run CHKDSK it will not run as the partition is active but asks if I want to run it on next reboot. I select "Yes".

6. Return to step 1 :mad:

I have thought of 2 possible solutions -

1. Boot from a Linux CD and delete the file from there. Would this bypass the Windows delete mechanism or (as I suspect) does the CRC error originate at the BIOS level?

2. Hack the Master File Table to change the file name.

Can anyone advise on the above or come up with another solution?

Thanks.

[Deleted User]

The data on the cd hasn't been recorded correctly and it's throwing a crc error out to tell you that. Have you got your original windows cd to hand?

Cerro

If you want to start changing active partitions and the like I would suggest using SuperGrub - very straight forward and useful tool for sorting out boot issues.

And yes, the other alternative of using a Live CD and booting into that is do-able. Ubuntu will be able to read/write to an NTFS partition, dunno about other Live CDs.

fwor

Have you tried booting from an XP installation disk, choosing Repair Console and then running CHKDSK from there? The partition should not be active under those circumstances, but beware, the switches are different there (IIRC you need to use /r instead of /f).

Alternatively, as Cerro suggests, a recent Ubuntu LiveCD will have GPARTED on it which will let you unmount and repair an NTFS partition through an easy to use graphical interface.