I have a dual boot system with w2k and xp. Everything is going ok until i update xp to service pack 2 [sp2]. When I tried rebooting into Windows 2000 I get an error message as soon as I start the boot process from the startup os selection menu -- winnt\system32\config\system is corrupt. After some research, especially this thread on anandtech, where everyone except one of the last posters completely missed the actual cause of the problem, poster perrociego was the only one to correctly note that the issue happened immediately after updating XP to sp 2, sp 1 also creates this issue by the way.

The solution requires replacing your original ntldr file from before the XP update to sp 1 or 2. If you don't have them, here's the Windows 2000 version, it's zipped, just unzip it and replace the winxp version with this one.

Once you replace the xp sp1 or 2 ntldr and ntdetect.com files with the old xp versions, pre update, your system should boot fine.

<update>The ntdetect.com file is not required to repair this issue</update>

More fun with Windows. Why microsoft felt the need to make this change in their ntldr and ntdetect.com files is absolutely beyond me, since xp sp 2 boots fine with the old xp ntldr and ntdetect.com files. Another Microsoft headache, thanks a lot redmond.

The really odd thing is that this only appeared to affect W2K service pack 4, I had another W2K install on my box, vanilla w2k, service pack 0 or 2, can't remember, which booted fine the whole time. Very strange.

Anyway, if any of you all out there have this problem, it's not a hive issue, it's not corruption of the file, it's a Microsoft bug, a programming error. As usual, why isn't this surprising to me? Anyway, add this to the list of SP 2 issues.
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Thanks to jeffd for pointing me to the anandtech forum thread, I tried to post there, but after 30 minutes gave up trying to register there so jeffd here gets the kudos, but it really goes to perrociego on the anandtech thread.

[Jeffd please post this there for them (and perrociego) to see if you can. Let me know]

I have an update for the above thread. In my scenario below, you only need to restore the pre XP SP2 install NTLDR file.

I just knew that XP SP2 was gonna give me trouble (I have loads of stuff on the PC, and dual-boot) so postponed the 3 month auto upgrade to 6 months until I had time, which turned out to be late Jan 2005. XP SP2 install (from the original full admin download) itself went fine first time, but I had jeffd's error above [ Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \winnt\system32\config\system ] when trying to boot to my alternative OS Windows 2000 server (I used it for ADSI script testing for servers at work).

My scenario was, oldest OS installed first as recommended by MS, so W2K on C:, shared data partition on D:, E/F CD/DVD, and G: the XP install drive. I have been through XP to XP SP1 and W2K SP upgrades in the past with absolutely no boot problems. Until XP SP2. I was at the time on XP SP1 with ALL Windows Update updates, even the minor and driver ones, and W2K SP4, again up to date, as the other OS. Then, in failing to boot W2K after the XP XP2 upgrade, (Jan 2005) I searched MS KB and failed to match, so only solution was to to de-install XP SP2, which went OK, and W2K server immediately bootable. Then until this week before I could try again, this time with the Windows Update XP SP2 install (just in case MS had fixed the problem), NOT A CHANCE. [NB MS KB searches this week on the fault still drawing blank] Exactly the same error as jeffd before. As I had of course pre-saved my NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files from C:root from before the XP SP2 install because of this thread, I was able to get back to booting my W2K server system.

BUT you only need to re-install the previous NTLDR file on C: (assuming this is where your MBR points). I left the XP XP2 NTDETECT.COM in situ on C:, and both OS's now boot fine. I felt it was a bit drastic using an old NTDETECT.COM, I might miss out on some new XP SP2 startup features. Luckily, it worked.

For newbies who have the problem, who did not back up these files before the XP SP2 install, just boot up XP, or Recovery console from CD if desparate, backup the current live copies, and locate the previous version of these files in x:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$ (where x: is your XP install drive) and copy them (or just NTLDR in my case) to root of C:\ (substitute your system's master boot drive here, normally C:)
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Thanks for the update, nightus, good to know it's simpler. The posting thing on anandtech is messed up, took me a while to get it working, Firefox issues, finally posted a link to this thread so people can read your update if they need to.

Glad you found the solution and didn't fall for that Microsoft guy's convoluted hive rebuilding advice. The real problem was that they had a Microsoft employee posting, who didn't bother reading what the original poster had actually said, and also of course, who didn't want to admit that this was a simple bug in the MS XP SP 2 setup.

Sigh. Look for simple solutions first, then move on to complex ones if the simple ones fail. Amazing how many pointless postings were made on this topic, and sad to think how many people probably ended up totally destroying their systems just because people didn't bother reading what the real background of the question was.
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If it is possible can you email me that file. Or let me know where I can get it. My PC has been caught by xp sp2.

Thanks
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Here's a download version, it's zipped.

Hope that does the job for you. That's the Windows 2000 version.
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I just had to say a huge THANK YOU for this information. After spending hours poring through web sites, creating slipstreamed installation CDs, trying to work with the recovery console, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, I was so happy to find this extremely simple solution that really works. I am incredibly grateful.

Oddly, this problem did not occur on another of my computers with XP SP2 and Windows 2000 SP4. The problem occurred on the computer that had Windows 2000 on the first partition, but did not occur on computer with Windows 2000 on the second partition, so I wonder if that has anything to do with all this.

At any rate, I am again very grateful for this information!
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Glad it was of use to you. I have to say, this particular problem was one of the worst documented out there, primarily because of that Microsoft guy on the other forums who posted that ridiculous hive 'solution'.
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I have an Inter 3.0 P4, hyperthreading, 1 GB Kingston RAM, MSI mobo, PERFECTLY running system until the latest w2k patches a few days ago.

got "\winnt\systm32\config\system is missing or corrupt".

Installed 2nd w2k, which runs fine until I apply the latest w2k sp4 patch.

My AMI BIOS is up to date. I have a SATA Western Digital drive.

Have tried about every idea I have seen online. Am out ideas and need fresh ones from someone who had the problem and actually solved it. Thanks!
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A few questions:

Have you tried installing the ntldr from here on your system after doing the update?

What MSI mobo are you running?

Can you boot into windows 2ksp4 after an update in safe mode?

If so, can you see the event viewer? What are the errors?

If not, it's harder to figure out the problem.

It's just possible that the latest windows service packs are doing the same thing as XP SP2 did to multiboot installations.

If you can't boot into safe mode, try booting up normally, until it fails, let it sit for a minute, then reboot, boot into the functioning w2k, open up the event viewer, and then open up the SysEvent.evt file from your failed install [located in, assuming the failed os is on c:, c:\WINNT\system32\config\SysEvent.evt ] using the event viewer of the functioning install, you can open it through the event viewer. If you are lucky there will be some red flag error codes visible which would help you figure this out.
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Thanks jeffd (and perrociego) for the great information. I had this same idoit problem and easily fixed it with your guidance. Not that it will help, but here's how I had my disks arranged...

Disk 0
C...primary, w2k sp4
D...testing out xp sp2
E...data

Disk 1
F...backup

Anyway, I ran the auto recovery (manual mode) and the /fixmbr option from the recovery console off the w2k disk (this is what I normally do when I get these kinds of problems), but neither worked. W2k was updated to the latest and so was xp.

Thanks again :)
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