system file curropt, wont' reboot

[hellbringer]

ok in c: window/system32/config/ there is a file called system. This file is curropt. i have a bunch of stuff on c: that i have not backed up. i want to know how i can replace this file.

also i have another partition that i have had hidden with a spare windows which i have activated to get on here. when this is active my other os on c: witch is the one thats broke gets hidden and therefore i cann't access it from windows.

i also have a second hard drive which is half full of data not backed up. i tried putting another partition on it so i could put another os on, but for w/e reason i get a bunch of errors in partition magic and it won't do anything to that drive.

while on my spare os on c:/ i looked at the curropt file and its 4mb, i thought maybe i can throw this on other harddrive and do somethin with it in dos, WRONG the file is in use cann't copy. so, does anyone have any ideas or programs that might help.

here's what im guessing i need:

a way to copy files in dos,(an easy way or vary detailed hard way)
or
a way to access hidden hard drives in windows
or
a silver bullet.

thats all i can think of, a while back i copyed my valve/css file to my spare hard drive and now i try useing them and they are curropt.

what are the chances of getting 2 bad wd hard drives? 160gb each

[jimmalenko]

Slave up each hard drive you need to get stuff off to a working computer with sufficient HD space - a friend's, relative's, etc etc. Copy all the stuff you need off the bad hard drives. Alternatively, purchase a new hard drive (I assume you'll probably do this any way), get your box going again with a fresh install and then slave up the bad drives.

[hellbringer]

i know theres a way to move files in dos ive just never done it before. thats really what i need to do in this situation, because i won't be able to do any copying of files unless its in dos, because u cann't bboot 2 drives with an os on it, thats why i have to have one hidden. at least i think so? i beive to dual boot u have to have an os on 2 different hard drives. its been a while since i done it.

so i need to move

d:/windows/system32/config/system.com to
c:/windows/system32/config/system.com

how do i do this in dos?

[VenGeanCe]

well as far as dos command for move try this

c:\move ([path of file u wanna move]say like text.txt) [destination

here's an example
c:\move test.txt d:\

similarly proceed

[jollyjohn]

G'day
If the OS is W98, I think you can do "Xcopy c:\x.x d:\x.x" or something like that. May be some one else can Help there.
If the OS is WXP I think you can copy the file from the WXP CD in the recovery console. Again. Any one?? I could be wrong, too.
John

[hellbringer]

well in my usual quest for a brain i solved my problem after about 12 hours searchin and about 100 reboots trying different things. ultimitely this is what i did,

set broke win xp os partition to unhidden but not active. this allows my backup xp partition to see in when its run. and i can then mess with files in windows.

so then i found out that there are basic system file backups in your windows dir. in a folder called repair. i copyed the system file in there over the curropt one.

then my computer started, witch is great, but i had to reinstall antivirus/which i actually just repair. and video/sound/ drivers.

so if your reading this if i were u i would remember this because it will prob save you lots of time one day.

[jollyjohn]

set broke win xp os partition to unhidden but not active. this allows my backup xp partition to see in when its run. and i can then mess with files in windows.

[/quote]
G'day hellbringer. Where do you do that set up mate? In BIOS?
Thankyou
John

[hellbringer]

na, i do that with partition magic, it saves my butt so many times its not even funny. norton ghost is another great program