Windows XP won't start....

stripysocks85

My laptop will not boot up.
I switch it on & it says "Sorry for any inconvenience caused but Windows did not start successfully" and gives me the option of starting in safe mode etc, but when I try through safe mode, it freezes with all the system32 file extensions on screen.

If I select start Windows normally, it goes back to the Windows screen & sounds like the computer turns off. I left it to see what would happen, and eventually the screen went blank, and then a blue screen came up with the following message:

Stop: c0000218 registry file failure
The registery cannot load the hive (file):
\SystemRoot\System32\config\SOFTWARE
or its log or alternate
It is corrup, absent, or not writable.

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

What is wrong, and what can I do to fix it? It's needed for work purposes but I've taken it upon myself to get it fixed.

Thanks in advance. Sounds like double dutch to me!

I'm not sure if I can lay my hands on the XP recovery discs, or even if they'd be any use to me. Do I have to contact the computer manufacturer to get them if I need them?

irish_stickman

Hi, here's Microsoft's official solution http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545
seems fairly straight forward

irish_stickman

make sure you read the warnings in the summary before proceeding

stripysocks85

Thanks,
I don't know what hives are, and it says to make sure you install all 5 again otherwise it won't work - if I don't know what they are, how can I be sure I'm installed them?!

I've looked up starting the recovery console, and it says you need the disc, so I will need to find these tomorrow & go from there.

Anything I press now says 'the following file is missing or corrupt: \Windows\system\vgaoem.fon

Have I deleted something? Didn't see this before!

stripysocks85

It's actually not even loading the Windows start up screen now [the black one with the green moving lines] - it did earlier. Uh oh.................

I suspect your hard drive might be dying.

stripysocks85

Okay got my hands on the product recovery dvd rom, and pressed 0 whilst computer was off, then tapped power on button. After reading reviews on google etc, the recovery is supposed to start from there, but instead it doesn't. I can hear the DVD Rom working, but it says "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\vgaoem.fon

Does anyone know what's wrong or what I can do? Thanks for help so far.

stripysocks85

Okay fiddled around, thought I was getting nowhere, and managed to get Boot from.... and 4 different options, +HCC or something, DVD/CD was one of em so clicked this so hopefully this is it - window up with REcovery Utility on it now, and it told me that all info from hardrive would be lost so I clicked yes! Hopefully this works! Will be chuffed if it does!

stripysocks85

Yay it works, DVD did not automatically boot up - it didn't seem to recognise it so I went through to some other menu [don't remember how] and found it! Woo!