Help please - missing or corrupt SYSTEM file - way to recover from backup?

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EmmaV

Bit poster
So, I'm running Windows XP, I got the BSOD, and now when i try to boot

"Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the
original Setup CD-ROM."

I can't get to the repair function, as XP won't boot up from the cd - probably because the installation cd is SP1 and now using SP3.

Is there a way to try just to switch back to an older version of the VM registry / disk? I seem to remember this should be possible, but cannot remember what files to replace. I have complete backup of the VM from time machine, and all the data should be safe on the mac os side.

Thanks so much for all help and suggestions!

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MacBook 2.2Ghz Intel, 4GB SDRAM, OS X 10.5.8
Parallels desktop 4.0 for Max Build 4.0.3846
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Time Machine does not understand Parallels virtual machine file structure, so you will not be able to recover that specific file.

Also that file is a physical file, not part of the registry. Which means if you get to the "switch to a previous known working configuration" it likely won't help, since I think that just rolls back the registry hives.

However, Time Machine will happily roll you back to what you had earlier, its just a matter of remembering the last time Windows Booted OK, or trying successively older backups until one works.

I do not know what that folder/file is for. Must be something new to XP. However, I can confirm from my machine that it appears to be part of Windows "real-time" machine hardware configuration recorder. Which makes it very important. And having it go missing likely indicates something serious has happened to your Windows install.
 
I ended up recovering the whole hard disk image (.hdd) from the back-up. As you point out, there's really no way to recover just parts of the VM... luckily i don't keep any data stored on the windows side, so this was rather painless in the end - at least now windows starts normally and all the programs seem unaffected. Just hoping this won't happen again - - Does anyone have experience on *why* or *how* this system file gets corrupted, and how to avoid that from happening in the future?
 
Well, its Windows! Bad things can and do happen to it. In general, stick to the "PRO" or "Premium" versions. Anything less has a history of having nasty internal problems.

If you let Windows get out to the internet, then you have to protect it. I recommend these FREE for personal use programs to keep it safe:

Virus scanner/realtime detector:
- www.free-av.com
spyware/adware, includes a realtime system change detector:
- http://www.safer-networking.org/en/ownmirrors2/index.html
Alternate malware scanner I'm testing:
- http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Because they are free, you have to manually update some and suffer pop-up ads for the other.
 
Hi Emma!

I'm experiencing similar problems as you and need to recover my VM from Time Machine. Since I've been experiencing a lot of issues after installing Snow Leopard, I'm concerned making the slightest mistake might cause me even more problems, so I'd really appreciate your help!

Thank you!

/Marie
 
Try out Stellar Phoenix Macintosh data recovery software.This mac recovery software supports HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper and FAT file system volumes.Software also supports Snow leopard.Software has GUI interface and its demo version is free in which you can see the preview of your recoverable file.
 
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