Sounds like an important system kernel crashed, and windows is not very good at repairing blasted kernel files, which if you do have any important data you need saved, you can try to rerun setup to get your operating system semi working to save your data, then I would consider a fresh installation of the operating sysem.
I am running XP Home, and I received a prompt to run Scan Disk. I did so immediately, but it did not complete the scan. An error message appeared that read, Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup by using the original Setup CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.
I tried the CD, but it never did anything. Only the above message continued to appear on the screen. I even tried by emergency backup floppy and that did not work.
How do I get rid of this DOS screen and make the machine recognize the XP CD again? Thanks so much!
Granny Sunny

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