STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}. Great.

Messed Up Mind

Hello!

I know this question as probably been asked a zillion times before but this message appeared on my laptop (Sony Vaio VGN-FE31H - 2.5 years old) last week:

STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The registry cannot load the hive {file}:
\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE
or its log or alternate.
It is corruput, absent, or not writable.

Beginning dump of physical memory.
Physical memory dump complete.
Contact your system administrator or technical support group for further assistance.

The laptop then restarts and this message comes up again. Pain. Thankfully have just finished my studies and backed nearly everything up the week before. Unfortunately though, I'm currently unemployed and have little money to get my laptop repaired.

I know how to wipe my laptop, but is there any point in doing this if the software registry is gone? I don't have the recovery/software disks cos Sony don't give these out with their laptops for some reason (used to work for them for years and always wondered why not). So do I need to give it to someone to repair or will I just wipe it myself and start it all again?

CraggyIslander

Sony Vaio's dont come with restore disks but it will either have a restore partition or it will have prompted you to create the restore disks when you first got it (assuming it has a CD/DVD burner)

If you have an XP disk handy, you could try the recovery console and this article