File is missing or corrupt C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSYSTEM

File is missing or corrupt C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSYSTEM

I was answering a post a while ago and I posted there something about the registry going bad and its consequences. Well here's one of them :).

Whenever you get that error message, it means your registry is corrupted. The Windows registry holds all configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows platforms. So if your registry has somehow gone bad due to incorrect editing, or something has gone wrong with a removal of a program, then you're going to have these problems. Fortunately, there is a way to recover you data.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/307545/how-to-recover-from-a-corrupted-registry-that-prevents-windows-xp-from

The link above gives you a lengthy discussion on how to do a registry fix. This will not ensure, however, a complete system restore. It will just allow you to retrieve data so you can go ahead and do a re-installation of your Windows system.

There are also several other error messages with the workaround being the steps found on that site. Below are examples of these error messages:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSOFTWARE

Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): SystemRootSystem32ConfigSOFTWARE or its log or alternate

System error: Lsass.exe
When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct.

Whenever you see any of these messages, it is because of a corrupt registry.

Good luck!