Changed msconfig settings, now I can't enter Windows

flaxe · 14 Oct 2011

Hi.
I was changing some settings in msconfig yesterday. The parameters I changed is:

Timeout: 0
No GUI boot: Checked
Number of processors: 8 (I think this was unnecessary since it's already booting up using all cores/threads. But it shouldn't cause a error even if I changed it manually.

Now, when I'm trying to boot up my PC I'm just receiving a BSOD. I've tried to use both "Normal mode", Safe mode and the last working configuration, but none works. I've also tested to do system repair but it just gives me some kind of error that it couldn't be completed. Sadly, I've disabled the System Backup/Restore, so I can't do that either!

Right now I've started the command prompt from the "System Recovery Options" and I think this is the only way for me to fix this.

So what I wonder now, is if there's any way to reset the settings in msconfig to the default through the command prompt, or maybe there's another way I can try to fix this? I don't feel like re-installing Windows once again.

Best regards,
Flaxe

Corazon · 14 Oct 2011

flaxe said:

I was changing some settings in msconfig yesterday. The parameters I changed is:

Timeout: 0
No GUI boot: Checked
Number of processors: 8

Why in God's name did you do this??

(I think this was unnecessary since it's already booting up using all cores/threads. But it shouldn't cause a error even if I changed it manually.

That was likely a fatally wrong assumption...

What were you trying to achieve with this? The timeout has no effect unless you multi-boot and have a boot menu, and No GUI boot only means no graphical moving bar during startup.

EDIT: You might be able to fix this by editing the Windows registry offline. Look for the settings you changed in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment

In particular, you'll want to change NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS back to 2 (assuming you have a dual-core CPU).

flaxe · 14 Oct 2011

Corazon said:

Why in God's name did you do this??

That was likely a fatally wrong assumption...

What were you trying to achieve with this? The timeout has no effect unless you multi-boot and have a boot menu, and No GUI boot only means no graphical moving bar during startup.

I'm aware that this was stupid to do as it actually doesn't help me in anyway. I had read before what these different options did but I'm often testing out new settings etc. to learn more about how it works, what can happen and if something happen, how do I solve it.

Since the options are there and editable without and tips & tricks, what could go wrong if you just edit them? Maybe you don't understand what I mean, but I hope you do.
Anyhow, what I was asking for was if there's a way to fix this without re-installing Windows. I appreciate your reply anyway.

I found another post on tomshardware about a guy that did the same thing and he seemed to solve it by installing Windows on a different hard drive and then he could set the right settings for the specific Windows install. If you guys here don't got a more "simple/fast" way to fix this by using the Command Prompt, then I will try to find a hard drive somewhere that I can use :)

EDIT: You might be able to fix this by editing the Windows registry offline. Look for the settings you changed in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment

In particular, you'll want to change NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS back to 2 (assuming you have a dual-core CPU).

How can I get to the registry without begin able to enter Windows? Anyway to change this specific parameter by using the command prompt?

Edit: nvm... just had to write regedit

I'll try this and editing here once again!
Edit2: Okay, I changed this to 4 (as I got a i7-2600K). It didn't help. Then I did some more research about this and saw a guy that received the same BSOD Error that I did and apparently this had something to do with the "Maximum Memory". I read some more about it and noticed that this was kinda bugged, even if you didn't change that specific parameter, it could change automatically when you changed something else.

This could be fixed by using the bcdedit command. Here's a direct link to the post that solved this!
http://forums.techguy.org/7449332-post2.html
I'm really appreciating your help and the time you used to help me for this stupid thing and maybe even you could have told me that command directly if I just had written that the error was about the Maximum Memory. But ye, now I'm back in Windows and all settings are back to normal.
And as I wrote before, I like to explore new things even if I encounter errors - just like now. And I like to get more experience and learn new things, how to solve different problems etc. And right now, I've learned some things actually :)

Thanks!!

Corazon · 14 Oct 2011

You ran regedit? But you didn't edit your Windows registry then - you merely edited the temporary registry that goes with the rescue environment you booted from the CD.

You actually have to import the SYSTEM hive from your Windows system into regedit first. To do this:

After you start regedit, highlight the hive HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on the left (just leftclick it once). That will enable the File menu option Load Hive.

Do that and then browse to C:\Windows\system32\config and open the file SYSTEM - not SYSTEM.LOG or anything else, just SYSTEM without any extension.

Now regedit will ask you for a name for the newly imported hive, call it anything you like. Now you have access to your system's - uh - SYSTEM key and can do the steps from my previous post. When you're done, remember to unload the hive from the File menu so it's properly saved.