After registry clean, BSOD right at bootup

[Nadsrsnug]

I am running a Windows 7 Enterprise x64 Dell and surely made the mistake of running RegClean, a registry cleaner to try an fix a Bonjour error (I was simply following intructions). Long story short, before I did anything to the registry, I ran regedit and exported the registry out to my desktop. After running the reg cleaner, I rebooted to then get greeting with an almost immediate BSOD and then selected Windows Recovery to have Windows try to fix it, to no avail. So my problem is how can I get my backed up .reg file imported into my registry do I can boot up again?

I run Microsoft backup on one external drive and Acronis on another to find the Acrinin .tib file is corrupted. I can't figure out a way to get Microsoft backup to get to the point of being able to restore a registry file from. Few weeks ago either, even though I see the backups on the backup drive via. Console window.

Pleeeeeease help.

 

[Bill2]

.Reg files can be merged into the registry by simply double clicking them.

 

[Nadsrsnug]

Thanks for your reply. I would definitely import or merge my registry backup if I could somehow get to my OS, but the BSOD simply reboots the PC and then gives me the option to run Windows Repair or Boot normally, both in which don't get me anywhere. I did try the Windows Repair 2 times with the process completing with "unable to fix...".

 

[Bill2]

First the simple way. Do you have system restore enabled on the OS partition? If yes, boot from a win7 install dvd or a system repair disk, then run system restore to before the trouble started.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

If you dont have a repair disk, download one from here.

Download Windows 7 System Recovery Discs — The NeoSmart Files

 

[Nadsrsnug]

Yes I do have the system repair disk. Another very odd thing though (seems like everything I would have tried that should doesn't). When I run system restore, it only sees restore points from December. I have since setup 2 2ter backup drives, one for Windows backup (which has no system images, just backups) and the other for Acronis (the .tib backup file is somehow corrupted). I have backups from this month in the Windows Backup directory, so I know they are there. It's just that the Windows restore points for some reason are so old. I surely don't want to lose some hard core work I have done setting up a NZB server, iTunes for my iPhones and iPad, etc. Lots of stuff since December.

I wish somehow I could get the .reg backup into the Windows 7 user.dat file (I think that is what the registry file is called) without having to boot the Windows 7 OS that just wont boot because of the BSOD. All was good until I ran that dang registry cleaner.

 

[Bill2]

OK, then see method 2 under option 2 (restore registry backup) in this tut.

Registry - Backup and Restore - Vista Forums

or here

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/4230-registry-backup-restore.html

Also, to restore a windows image, you need to use the system image recovery option under system recovery options. See option 2 here.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

 

[Nadsrsnug]

Thank you so much for your help. Just FYI, I ran the Windows System Repair again just to look at the Diagnosis and Repair details to find "The root cause found: unspecified changes to system configuration might have caused the problem".

I would also have tried the System Recovery option using a system image for restore, but don't have an image.

I will look at your links right now.


Thanks again.

 

[Nadsrsnug]

Dang, thought I had it fixed. I was looking for exactly what you pointed me to. The only way I thought I could possible do anything to the registry is via a command line interface completely outside of the actual OS. So I tried method 3 using the command "regedit /s C:/users/Alan/desktop/reg.reg", and rebooted to find the same dang BSOD. When I ran that command, it finished whatever it does so fast it looks like nothing happened. Weird. I did absolutely make sure my OS was drive C: The command "diskpart, then list volume shows my OS drive to be C:

With this failing, I wonder what would happen if I restore to a previous restore point from December, which for dome reason is the last one it sees, get the system back up and running (hopefully) and then import my backed up registry file????

 

[Nadsrsnug]

If I run regedit from the command line when in the recover mode, I was surprised to see the GUI come up. I ran regedit when on the C: drive thinking it might bring up the current registry on the C: drive, but actually loads the newly created registry from the recover boot. Do you know of a way to load the current registry from my Windows7 OS so that I might be able to import my backup that way?

I copied my backup registry to my root C: partition to make it easier to type.

I tried running "regedit C:\Reg.reg" just to see what happens and got an error message saying it couldn't be loaded. Now when I they to run regedit from the command line, I get a message saying "This application has failed to start because it's side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the application event log or use the command-line sxstrace.exe tool for more detail.

Guess I confused something by trying to load the backup registry.

Hmmmm, I'm stuck at what to try next.

 

[SIW2]

Hi,

You are exactly right - trying to import your .reg file like that is not going to work.

You could try system restore to much earlier - then once booted back , restore the .reg file from within windows.

Trouble is, system restore will remove a lot of file types - so your newly imported entries may be pointing at nothing.



Your best bet is to copy the backup hives from windows\system32\config\regback into windows\system32\config

You only need to copy the hives - they have no extensions Default, Sam, Security,Software, System.

Fiddly to do from windows boot media - you may find it easier to use the File Tranfer Wizard on the free paragon recue cd Rescue Kit Free Edition | PARAGON Software Group - free partition software, hard disk partitioning. Boot it up, select Normal Mode>File Transfer Wizard

I have just done it myself today - preferable to system restore for me.

 

[Nadsrsnug]

Hello SIW2,

I was just reading about "hives" because I've never heard of that term before. I was looking at:

Load registry hive for offline registry editing | Troubleshoot | Smallvoid.com

Looks to dang tricky for me. Could you please explain a little more about your suggestion regarding copying the "hives" from a backup location? Is this backup like a previous registry, prior to making any changes to a registry? Just how to I accomplish doing this? Please tell me the commands, etc thT you would suggest me do while I am in the command prompt via the system recover options.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Nadsrsnug]

I do see directories/files in the c:\windows\system32\config\RegBack directory dated 04/04/2011. I have never heard of this. Is there a way to move this backup into the current registry for Windows7?

 

[SIW2]

Yes - that is what I suggested already.

If you want to use windows boot media to do it :

At command prompt, type the word Notepad, press enter.

When notepad appears , click File >Save ( select All Files in Notepad dropdown instead of Text Files ).

Navigate to your installed windows\ssytem32\config\regback folder .

In there you will see the 5 files with no extensions Default, Sam, System,Security, Sotware.

Rt one of them and select Copy.

Navigate back to windows\system32\config

You will see files in there with same names , and lots of others.

Rt click and Paste - say yes to overwrite the one that is already in there.

Now go to regback again, rt click and copy another of the 5 hives, then back to config and paste it.

Keep doing that until you have copied all 5 across.



Much easier to use Paragon freebie to perform exactly the same task - you can use the "paragon clipboard" to copy them all in one go .

 

[Nadsrsnug]

For some reason the Notebook effort didn't work, it just sat there and did nothing when I tried to paste the file into the ...\config directory. I believe what you basically were trying to get me to do is to copy the files from the RegBack directory into the config directory, replacing them. I simply copied the files by issueing the command "copy RegBack\filename" while in the "C:\windows\system32\config" directory which replaced the newer files with the old.

 

[Nadsrsnug]

Yyyyyyyeeeeeeeeesssssss!!!!! It worked. My God thank you SO SO SO much!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SIW2]

you basically were trying to get me to do is to copy the files from the RegBack directory into the config directory, replacing them

Yes, exactly.

Great- glad it worked for you - thanks for the update.