I am running WIN XP SP3 which is an old original copy of windows xp that has been upgraded via downloads over the years which means my original disk is just win XP with no service packs.
i had a problem yesterday where my puter would not recognize my PS2 keyboard (i know, i need to upgrade to a USB and i am going to) so i rebooted the computer to try to get it working. well after a few attempts of trying to get it to work i get this message
unable to start windows due to missing or corrupt:
windows\system32\config\system file.
Here is the Wrinkle:
after resetting my BIOS to boot from CD and installing my original XP cd into the drive and letting it load i hit "R" to start the repair program and it brings up the question of which Windows operating system i want to repair and it type in "1" because that is the only operating system on my puter and then it doesnt do anything. i know the next step should be that it asks for admin password but it doesnt. and thats were i am stuck, i tried this several times after reboots with no change. i then decided i would just reload the OS and the disk wouldnt do that either.
So here are my questions:
1. since the disk is an original XP with no SP's would this keep it from working on my OS since its up to date and the CD is not?
2. i have read the online steps to recover the REG HIVES but since i cant get the repair console to load is there another way to replace the corrupted file?
3. is there another way to get a Command/DOS prompt where i can do it without the repair console?