How to Repair XP Pro Registry

The Windows XP Professional registry, the "brain" of the operating system (OS), stores a hierarchical database of keys and values corresponding to each process, service and application on the system. A corrupt registry may produce the following error at startup:



"Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log or alternate."



If Windows XP Pro produces this or a similar error, you can repair the registry through the Recovery Console.

Things You'll Need

• Windows XP Professional CD

Instructions

1. Insert the Windows XP CD into the optical drive. Restart the computer. Press any key when prompted to boot to the optical drive.

2. Press "R" to access Recovery Console. Press the numbered key assigned to your install of Windows XP.

3. Type "cd \" into Recovery Console. Press "Enter." Type "cd system~1\_resto~1" into the console and press "Enter."

4. Type "dir" into the console and press "Enter" to view available System Restore points.

5. Type "cd RP#" into the console. Replace "#" with the number assigned to a restore point. Press "Enter." Type "cd snapshot" and press "Enter."

6. Type the following commands into Recovery Console, pressing "Enter" after each command:

   "copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system"

   "copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software"

   "copy _registry_machine_security c:\windows\system32\config\security"

   "copy _registry_machine_sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam"

   "copy _registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default"

7. Type "Exit" to quit from Recovery Console and boot to Windows XP normally.

Tips & Warnings

• Select the second to last restore point. If Windows XP fails to boot after restoring the registry from that date and time, access the Recovery Console and select another restore point from the list.

References

• The PC Guru: How to Restore the Registry When Windows XP Won't Boot At All