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Restore laptop to factory config. in XP?

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nontech Posts 1 Registration date Tuesday March 3, 2009 Status Member Last seen March 4, 2009 - Mar 4, 2009 at 05:32 AM
 ricky - Nov 30, 2010 at 04:49 PM
Hello, I am trying to help a friend who knows even less than I do about electronics of any kind. (Scary, I know). But I know I can do this if someone would kindly give me the steps for restoring a Toshiba Satellite A80-S178TD to the factory configuration. I know, sounds simple enough right? But first, there the teeny-tiny little issue of whatever my friend did to it that would cause:

STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure)
The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log alternate. It is corrupt, absent, or not writable.

I don't know what that means but it didn't look good, and here's the best part: no backup or installation software.

Having only my own previous experiences of screwing up a machine to go on, I was imagining that maybe this error will magically fix itself if we tried the restore process. I did this very successfully on my Dell laptop w/Vista recently.

This was originally her son's laptop, and she has been computer-curious, so she was using it to learn on; (Yeah, I know). I showed her how to clean & defrag, and clean out the browser; short-cut menus (I think that's where I went wrong with her). All basic stuff. Told her if you don't know where you are click cancel and stay out of it!

So if anyone out there can help and would be so inclined, many thanks and good karma points.
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4 responses

Answer 1 / 4
xpcman Posts 19530 Registration date Wednesday October 8, 2008 Status Contributor Last seen June 15, 2019 1,826
Mar 4, 2009 at 01:10 PM
If you have the Windows XP CD you can fix the problem. First you will need to change the PC to boot from the CD drive. This is done by pressing a Function key JUST after you turn on the PC. Since there is more than one key used you will need to experiment ( try F2, F10, F11 or the Del key) Some laptops will flash a message with the correct procedure/key in the upper right of the screen during the startup. Some allow you do a temp change to the boot order others make you do a perm change. You want to change the BIOS to start from the CD or DVD drive. This might be listed under "boot order". You must use the arrow keys to navigate with-in the BIOS, since the mouse does not work there. Once you find the boot-order menu you will need to change the CD drive to be listed at the top. If there are instructions on the screen follow them. Otherwise, highlight the CD drive and use the "pageUp" or + keys to change the order. Normally F10 will finalize the change and exit the BIOS. Then restart the laptop with the Windows CD in the drive.

This is how you can fix this issue.

Boot to your Windows CD and choose R (Recovery Console), at the command prompt, type the following:

ren c:\windows\system32\config\software software.old
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config

Reboot and return to the BIOS to change the boot order back to the hard disk first. Good Luck
1
BigD
Apr 15, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Hey xpcman i got a virus on my toshiba Satellite P100/P105 Series and i was told i can remove it by just restoring my computer to like when i first got it i have the recovery cds that were given to me by toshiba but how do i fully restart my computer like if it was brand new like nothing on my harddrive except for wat it first came with.
0
ha
Aug 20, 2009 at 03:42 AM
Thanks very much for ur help. But when i type the second line at the recovery console prompt...
where i need to use the copy command...it gives me the message
Access s denied.
Can you please help...i m stuck..what to do now...
Please help
thank u very much
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deb
Oct 2, 2009 at 04:36 PM
Thanks for the info - HOWEVER, when I click on R for recovery, it shows the bar across the bottom starting that, then the Gateway logo, then the blue screen with the STOP: C0000218 {Registry File Failure}...
That is what I need to get around/fix so I am ABLE to do a recovery...
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Debbie
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Answer 2 / 4
Ross
Jun 12, 2010 at 08:34 PM
xpcman I want to thank you for the info, I have the same problum and sould not fig, out how to get to the boot sec. I found it thanks to you. you were very helpful. I do have a boot disk Toshiba did it right when thay made the boot disk
Thanks very much
Ross
1
ricky
Nov 30, 2010 at 04:49 PM
Hold 0 thats zero while you turn it on . Then let off the 0 when the screen comes up n then follow the instructions. It's easy.
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Answer 3 / 4
dan
Sep 6, 2009 at 10:25 PM
I am having a similar problem. I have the original Dell Restore disk. I have gone into CMOS setup and have directed the PC to use the CD drive as the primary boot. It ignores this and boots back up to Windows. I know the disk is good since I can open it up in Windows explorer to view it. Additionally I can click setup.exe on the restore disk and it opens the install program within Windows.

I even tried cntrl f11 as suggested earlier in this thread.

Anybody have an idea how to get the system to recognize CD as the primary boot?
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Answer 4 / 4
Jeevin
Dec 23, 2009 at 04:32 PM
i hav 1 too this is wat u do, rite at the start up hold down 0 and let go after 15 sec and then there iwll be recover options
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