Frequently Asked Questions

Technical Questions

Question: When I start my computer, I receive the following message: "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMced". What's wrong? I have Windows 2000 operating system, but do not remember the Administrator's password.

Answer: This error message is shown when the "System" hive in the registry is damaged or corrupted or becomes too big in size.

To restore your Windows 2000 operating system registry you have to use the Windows Repair Console and Active@ Password Changer bootable floppy (or CD). If Windows Repair Console is not installed on your computer, you can run it from Windows 2000 CD-ROM or the Windows 2000 Startup disk. You can use the following steps to restore your registry's "System" hive:

1. Boot with Active@ Password Changer bootable floppy (or CD).
2. Reset the password for Administrator account as described in Active@ Password Changer user manual.
3. Reboot your computer in Windows Repair Console mode.
   If it is not installed on your computer:
    
   1. Use the Windows 2000 CD-ROM or the Windows 2000 Startup disk to start the computer
   2. Press [R] for 'repair'. You will see the"Welcome to Setup" message
   3. Press [C] to run the Recovery Console

4. If you are asked to enter the Administrator password, just press "Enter" to proceed.
5. Rename the old "System" registry hive, using the commands below:

   cd \winnt\system32\config
   ren system system.old
   ren system.alt systemalt.old

6. Copy the default "System" registry hive from the "%SystemRoot%\Repair" folder by typing the following command:

   copy c:\winnt\repair\system c:\winnt\system32\config

7. Remove any bootable floppy or CD from your computer drives.
8. At the command prompt, type exit, and then press "Enter" to restart your computer.
9. Restart computer as usual and simply logon as Administrator with an empty password.

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