System Boot

[BigBadBaba]

Hi,

When my pc starts to boot up im getting an error "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: c:\windows\system32\config\system".

Now ive tried a few different ways and cant repair it in the console. Ive tried:

md tmp

copy C:\windows\system32\config\system C:\windows\tmp\system.bak

delete C:\windows\system32\config\system

copy C:\windows\repair\system C:\windows\system32\config\system

but it cant find the files.

I dont mind reinstalling windows but need to copy over a folder to a usb drive first. How do i start my pc in ms dos, so i can use the xcopy function?

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Welcome to the Windows Forum.

The first thing I would try is to boot into the Last Known Good Configuration; see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307852

If that doesn't resolve the issue, you can start the recovery console, which is similar to a DOS command prompt; see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654