Nathan writes in with a Windows question.
Q. After a thunder storm when I turned my computer on it says:
Missing or corrupt WINDOWS\CONFIG\SYSTEM32\WINDOWS.
The operating system was loaded my the computer manufacturer and I don't have a reboot disk, except for one that takes you to DOS. What should I do? Someone said something about Windows XP Reboot and Recovery. There is so much out there I'm not sure what to get.
A. There should be a file name at the end of the path you gave saying what file is missing or corrupt. It could be a system file. If that's the case check out this link to see if it is one of the files listed on the page.
If you can’t fix the file or replace it then you can try a repair installation of Windows. A repair installation will reinstall Windows over your existing copy and leave your programs and files intact. It’s always a good idea to backup your data just in case something goes wrong. You will need a copy of Windows XP to do this.
I would also check to see if your recovery files are on a separate partition of your hard drive. Your computer may say something like press F12 for system recovery when booting. If that's the case you do not need a recovery CD because the files are on the hard drive itself. Keep in mind that doing the recovery will wipe out all your data on the computer.
The final option is to get a copy of Windows XP and do a format and fresh install. Once again this will wipe out all your data on the computer.
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