XP Won't Boot; Urgent Help !

[sa3dos]

Hello folks,

very annoying problem I am facing, I powered on my PC today morning, boot up begins normally till a window that says:

Windows could not start because the following 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.

Here is what I did;
- I inserted XP "Home" CD
- Changed settings to Boot from CD Drive
- I reach to the blue window of Windows Setup, pressed 'r' to get in the Recovery Console
- After that, I reached to the a window saying:

Microsoft Windows XP Recovery Console.
The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality.
Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.
C:\>

Windows Xp is installed on a C drive of a 200GB Hard Drive, but surprisingly, if I type dir, I get the Directory of my Old 30GB Hard Disk instead of the 200GB. (By the way, both Drives are actually connected.)

The 200GB Hard Drive is connected through a SATA adapter.

I opened the PC, disconnected the adapter and hard drive wires and re-attached them, i power on the pc again, same thing.

Does anybody have an explaination and a solution to my situation
Is it the HardDrive? is it the SATA Adapter?

 

[Jesse1984]

You can read this microsoft knowlege base article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/ it addresses: Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Other than that im not sure about a faulty drive or sata adapter, it sounds like a corrupt registry. Maybe some type of virus or malware.

Goodluck!

 

[sa3dos]

thanks for the reply Jesse, I am aware of that post actually, I have tried to do what it says, but turn's out that the C drive is not the same one which windows is installed on, this C drive is for my old 30GB Hard Disk, which was H drive when my 200GB hard drive was working.