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Window$ XP Hell


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ive got a feeling this will be quite involved. back in the old Windows days i probably could have sorted any problem like this! but ive tried at this one and maybe there is someone here who could help? i would appreciate it very much!

when Windows XP Pro is loading, i get this error message in DOS

Windows could not start because the follwing file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the original Setup CD-ROM. Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair

i have attempted to start WIndows in various modes, using F5 key and F8 for advanced options, (such as Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Command Prompt, Debugging Mode, and so on) - but the same error occurs

the problem is when we bought this laptop (second-hand) - i dont think we got given the correct CD with Windows Setup on it. we definitely do not have a Windows XP Setup CD here at work - and im going to try my Dell CD later - its not the proper Windows CD - and its not for XP Pro, just XP :huh: but it may work.. and also going to see if we DID get the Windows Setup with the laptop (but i doubt it)

i cannot even get to the DOS command prompt instead of loading Windows, so i can access files and perform any operations (i do not know how this is done on a XP system) and try to repair or replace the corrupted file manually

any help with this problem i am eternally thankful!! (we cannot access anything for our business we are setting up!)

cheers

P.S. this "corrupted file" in the system configuration may not even be the root of the error, there could be an underlying problem.

also, all i can say that we have done today which hasnt been done before - is load on a lot of new fonts - about 800-900 are on there now. other than that, we had loaded saved game files onto there whcih, while not even done every week, has been done plenty of times!

the only other strange things were that Microsoft Works said that "there are over 500 fonts on the system. please correct this to display correctly" or SOMETHING like that. and the major error was only discovered after Adobe Photoshop would not load due to a "system error" i think. when the computer was restarted to see if this resolved the problem, the big problem came to light

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Hi grim... I've done a quick google and found this for you, it gives some tips for if you haven't got the XP CD  http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm

Ive followed the instructions to replace/repair the corrupted system file, and it stopped the error message and XP loaded, albeit with the display settings changed. but after logging on, a message is displayed headed Esb and reading Open drive \\.\MTC0001 Fail

Once we tried to run Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 again - it loaded the welcome screen and the series of changing messages, but the same problem occured. after the message "Reading Fonts" is shown and the welcome screen disappears, the message "Unable to continue because of a hardware or system error. Sorry but this error is unrecoverable" is displayed, and Photoshop closes

this leads me to believe all these problems have somehow been connected with the fonts added - as it is after that message is displayed in Photoshop. could just be a coincidence however! also there was the errors message Microsoft Works gave - about there being more than 500 fonts installed and something about not displaying properly

anyone have any ideas where i go from here? we are desperate for help

Photoshop has been re-installed but the same message is displayed after XP logs on, and when Photoshop is run.

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thanx nellie. it simply says to delete fonts until there are 500 or less :huh: i dont really want to do that - surely programs (well, Photoshop - i dont care about Works because we dont use it - and it still functioned anyway) are caapable of handling more than 500 fonts? thats not very good if they cant! Photoshop is for designing - it should be able to handle a lot more than 500 - and there are Font software packages with 10,000 fonts and quantities like that !! how could anyone use them?!

all i can do is try removing the fonts - and see if Photoshop works after that :unsure: this is very inappropriate for our type of business! we need all them fonts :angry: thanx anyway, if anyone can offer further advice, please do :) thank you

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yes well we could possibly shave off 300 or so of them - im sure there are plenty that are similar. that is gonna take hours to go through them all though! :(

we do need a lot of variations of fonts because this if for business use and various design work - not personal use

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According to Microsoft,

You can install a maximum of approximately 1,000 TrueType fonts in Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium. The exact number of TrueType fonts you can install varies, and depends on the length of the TrueType font names and file names.

I couldn't find limits for Windows 2000 and XP and I guess it is not an issue with these operating systems - or is much less of one.

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Found this on about.com as well.

But I want ALL my fonts!

Can't bear to part with your fonts but Windows is overloaded? You need a font manager. A font manager simplifies the process of installing and uninstalling fonts and allows you to browse your entire collection - even uninstalled fonts. Some have features for printing samples, automatic font activation, or cleaning up corrupt fonts.

In addition to font browsing, programs such as Adobe Type Manager or Bitstream Font Navigator allow you to create font groups or sets. You can install and uninstall these font groups when you need them for a certain project. Your core or most used fonts stay installed at all times but all your other favorites are tucked away ready to be used at a moment's notice. This provides you with ready access to 1000s of fonts while keeping your system running smoothly with a manageable number of installed fonts.

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lol.. im not sure if the problem will be solved

i am at home now and my brother has the laptop - at work tomorrow i will try bringing the number of fonts right back down; and trying out some of them font managers; and also check out Adobe Photoshop's ability to use its own font - - as this is what they are all needed for! but there is another problem, my brother told me that a game wont work now when hes tried to load it - at it says "cannot initialise direct draw" or something!

something definitely is still not right because there is that error message "Esb" reading "Open drive \\.\MTC0001 Fail" every single time Windows logs on..

if removing the fonts - and reinstalling software doesnt fix the problems - then it looks like it will be reinstalling windows for us :angry:

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