Longer directions to rescue Windows from itself:
Remove the hard disk from the computer, then attach to another computer that works.
Go to My Computer, open up any folder, then choose to view all files including system & hidden files.
Make a backup of the Hard-Disk-In-Question’s registry files to a temp folder somewhere on the computer that you have plugged the errant Windows hard drive into by copying these files (they have no extensions) to that temp folder:
Windows\System32\config\system
Windows\System32\config\software
Windows\System32\config\sam
Windows\System32\config\security
Windows\System32\config\default
Once you have a copy of these files (a just-in-case step), delete the above 5 files from the errant Windows hard drive.
Go to the root of the errant hard drive, look in the System Volume Information folder. You don’t have access. Right click on it, then grant yourself admin access to this folder. Now drill down to a folder in this system restore area to a few days before the problem happened. Keep drilling down til you see the above 5 files backed up of a given date. (View by details is the easiest way to determine the date of the files). The 5 files have different name stamps appended to them.
Now copy (do NOT move) the 5 files mentioned above from this folder in System Restore to the Windows\System32\config\ of the errant hard disk. All 5 files must be copied in tandem and renamed w/o extensions. Once the 5 files have been copied & renamed, safely remove the hard disk from the 2nd computer then reinstall the hard disk back in the computer that it came from.
If the registry was hosed before, it should work now. If not, repeat this process with the set of 5 registry files in the System Volume Informtation folder tree dated earlier than a few days prior to the known computer crash.
Remove the hard disk from the computer, then attach to another computer that works.
Go to My Computer, open up any folder, then choose to view all files including system & hidden files.
Make a backup of the Hard-Disk-In-Question’s registry files to a temp folder somewhere on the computer that you have plugged the errant Windows hard drive into by copying these files (they have no extensions) to that temp folder:
Windows\System32\config\system
Windows\System32\config\software
Windows\System32\config\sam
Windows\System32\config\security
Windows\System32\config\default
Once you have a copy of these files (a just-in-case step), delete the above 5 files from the errant Windows hard drive.
Go to the root of the errant hard drive, look in the System Volume Information folder. You don’t have access. Right click on it, then grant yourself admin access to this folder. Now drill down to a folder in this system restore area to a few days before the problem happened. Keep drilling down til you see the above 5 files backed up of a given date. (View by details is the easiest way to determine the date of the files). The 5 files have different name stamps appended to them.
Now copy (do NOT move) the 5 files mentioned above from this folder in System Restore to the Windows\System32\config\ of the errant hard disk. All 5 files must be copied in tandem and renamed w/o extensions. Once the 5 files have been copied & renamed, safely remove the hard disk from the 2nd computer then reinstall the hard disk back in the computer that it came from.
If the registry was hosed before, it should work now. If not, repeat this process with the set of 5 registry files in the System Volume Informtation folder tree dated earlier than a few days prior to the known computer crash.
