laptop help

[bosoxfan]

I know this belongs in that computer forum. I posted it there yesterday but I'm pretty sure no one goes there.


My wife has a gateway laptop that she got used about 6 months ago. It is running windows 2000. When you try to start it the following message appears.

Windows 2000 could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMced startup options for Windows 2000, press F8.

You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows 2000
Setup using the origanal Setup floppy disk or CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.


I don't have any disk for it, is there anything I can do to fix it? Any help would be great thanks.

[crownjules]

I'm pretty sure your/her OS has shiite the bed. That kind of error signifies that one of the major system files has become corrupted and the OS is unable to load correctly. You either need to locate a Win2K disk to repair or buy a new OS and install it.

In the case of the later, you should be able to install without reformatting so that you can backup all the old data on the hard drive, if you're even concerned about that. Then reformat the whole thing and install the OS fresh.

[megantw]

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=302829

You will need your Windows CD.