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HD needs to be replaced?

post #1 of 5
12/19/06 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
Today my computer started to give me an error saying "Missing or corupt windows\system32\config\system"

I tried to do a system repair, but when it asks me which installation of Microsoft Windows I wish to log onto. When i hit 1 and enter, it just sits there. i let it sit there for about an hour just to make sure, and nothing happened.

Then i tried to reinstall Windows completely, and it just stops responding at the step where it says "Searching for previous versions of Microsoft Windows"
Again i let it sit there for quite a while, and nothing happened.

Does this sound like my HD needs to be replaced? Or does it sound like it is probably something else? Thanks in advance for the help.
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post #2 of 5
12/19/06 at 7:09pm
sounds like disk corruption/file system error.

Start your PC from your xp disc, choose to repair using recovery console , then run
chkdsk /r

from the RC.
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post #3 of 5
12/19/06 at 7:23pm
Thread Starter 
I already stated that I tried to do a repair with the CD, and it just sat there after i chose installation 1...nothing happened. It should have asked for the administrator password, but instead it just sat there doing nothin.
I also tried to reinstall Windows with the CD, and again, it stayed at the screen saying "searching for previous versions of Microsoft Windows" or whatever.
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post #4 of 5
12/19/06 at 8:04pm
Yes you did, but there are TWO different repair routines--one is a repair installation that essentially recopies your system directory (which is what I thought you tried), the other is the recovery console. Did you try that as well?

If so, this is what I would do:

a) download the following file

http://www.thecomputerparamedic.com/rc.iso

Burn this iso image to a cd, and boot your PC with it. This will give you a standalone recovery console from which you can try a chkdsk /r
or
b )pull the drive and drop it in a second machine (or external hd enclosure, or use a usb adpater to run it externally), and try the chkdsk /r

Failing that, it could be master boot record or boot sector related, but the fact that you actually got up to the missing file in the boot process would seem to indicate that is not the case.
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post #5 of 5
12/20/06 at 10:38am
I dont think your HDD is dying but you should use Western Digital Diagnostic tool to diagnos and see if the scan find HDD cluster error. If there's no error there might be MFT file system corrupted.

download WD lifeguard Diag @ www.westerndigital.com
to fix your HDD MFT i suggest Tuneup 2007 Utilities @ www.tune-up.com or System Mechanic 7 @ www.iolo.com .. both are 30 days trials

EDIT: sorry i didnt read that you cant even boot on the OS .. at this point i still suggest you also download WD lifeguard diagnostic DOS to do a full "write 0-bytes" full format than install windows .. but you need a floppy drive otherwise there's an ISO which you can burn it to CDR
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