Blue screen of death while installing Windows XP SP2

I am receiving an error while starting Windows XP on my ten year old computer (D845PEBT2) that says

Windows cannot start because the following file is missing or corrupt: 

Windows\system32\config\system 
You can attempt to repair this file
Run setup from CD
Press 'r' on the setup screen

In the safe mode and every other mode that is available in the list of startup options, I receive the same error message.

I tried to install another operating system (Windows 2002 SP2), but when the setup is running, the files are copied successfully from the CD and when it says trying to detect previous operating systems, I receive a blue screen that says:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage 
to your computer. 

BAD_POOL_CALLER 
Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed     
Remove BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing 
STOP: 0x000000C2 (0x00000043, 0xC2C5A000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)

kdhakal

Posted 2013-04-27T09:34:48.710

Reputation: 1

Windows XP? At this day and age? Would you consider running Linux instead? If there is any software you use that actually need to run on Windows XP, I'd recommend using virtual machines (e.g. Virtual Box or VMWare) on a more modern machine instead of holding on to an old hardware. – Lie Ryan – 2013-04-27T09:41:31.443

Actually I have a CD of windows xp which I want to utilise. I want to use Linux but I don't have a setup source, and I cannot download until I can start my computer. – kdhakal – 2013-04-27T09:55:35.860

Do you have access to any other setup media? Even a borrowed win 7 DVD will allow you to run memtest. Or you could install it to verify that that hardware work and then download another OS. (mind you, testing with someone else’s CD/DVD is usually accepted. Continuing to use it is not). Another thing you can do is to check the motherboard for defect capacitors. If you see any with bulging tops then you might have a problem. – Hennes – 2013-04-27T14:33:03.910

Answers

Very good chance that this is bad memory, and not a software problem at all. Try running a memory test tool, like MemTest86.

ckhan

Posted 2013-04-27T09:34:48.710

Reputation: 5 689

I have used memtest86+ application in which it says no errors until ten pass. (It took about three hours to complete the ten pass and after that I cancelled it).

Since I get the blue screen when the setup says 'trying to detect the previous versions of windows .........." I guess that my problem is with my hard disk. Does the memtest86+ application test hard disk as well?? If so, how do I select the hard disk (it does not say what it is testing) and if not is there any other applications that test hard disk? (May I remind that I cannot boot my computer at all) Thanks – kdhakal – 2013-04-30T03:02:32.560

Hmm, I don't believe it does disk/filesystem check. Can you boot from CD and run chkdsk, as explained here ?

– ckhan – 2013-04-30T03:52:10.523

I cannot boot from CD as well. After selecting recovery Console when I am presented with the list of OS, after I choose one (I have only one OS), I encounter the same blue screen. – kdhakal – 2013-04-30T05:39:02.347

Try this site for a different bootable cd image. I'm thinkg your master boot record may be corrupt, try the fixmbr command.

– ckhan – 2013-04-30T07:09:27.837

Sounds to me like a hard drive problem .. may be possible to recover by booting using a 'Live' CD with 'Parted Magic' & doing a complete format ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parted_Magic

steve b

Posted 2013-04-27T09:34:48.710

Reputation: 81