Virtual PC/XP suddenly wont load


  1. Posts : 3
    professional 64 bit
       #1

    Virtual PC/XP suddenly wont load


    Hello all,

    Worked for years, then poof, yesterday did the same thing I've done for years: Start, Virtual Machines, double click Windows XP mode set up by a tech years ago.

    "Starting virtual machine" load bar window takes forever...tick tick tick, minutes go by. Comes up an exclamation point in a yellow triangle and says "could not enable integration features" "Retry or continue" are the choices. Retry is just a repeat of the same thing, Continue brings up a black background DOS type window that says "windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
    \windows\system32\config\system

    And then goes on to say I can try staring with a CD-ROM which I do not have as everything was downloaded
    Image 2 below

    I have read and attempted 1 and 2 suggested by Kari here
    Recovering files from windows XP mode

    With number 1, there is no file "Windows XP Mode.vsv" file. Following the path indicated in Kari's instructions I can choose 2 users plus a default. Also there is a LogmeInRemoteUser that hasn't been used since 2015. There is one called "default" that was last modified in 2009. There is an admin user that says date modified 2015 and a Public that says last modified 2-26-2019 which is weird becasue I've used the computer every day since.

    If I go in to public, there is no appdata to select. If I go in to admin, there is and I can follow the path all the way to Virtual machines, and attached are the files I see (first pic below, still learning the site here) The virtual machine saved state is from an attempt to do suggestion 2 by Kari.


    Step 2 was to create a virtual machine, not only could I not get anything to load as a virtual much of anything trying to use either the virtual machine OR Virtual XP VHD file, but even trying to just create another virtual machine without using an existing file, all that would open was a DOS prompt black screen that says this and gyrates for a while (pic 3) then says this (pic 4)

    I'm totally willing to remove and re-install the virtuals if needed or whatever, but it would be great to get some of the data files, especially from a CAD program that are stuck in there. thats suggestion 3 by Kari, it looks like I need a third party software to do that...

    Any help is much appreciated,


    Thanks
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Virtual PC/XP suddenly wont load-capture.jpg   Virtual PC/XP suddenly wont load-capture-2.jpg   Virtual PC/XP suddenly wont load-capture-3.jpg   Virtual PC/XP suddenly wont load-capture-4.jpg  
    Last edited by KennyD; 12 Mar 2019 at 16:41. Reason: Tidy up spacing and pic notes
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,839
    Windows 7 pro
       #2

    Your registry has corrupted. You have to recover from the generated backup to get back into XP. \windows\system32\config\system is corrupt [Solved]

    You have to have an XP disk to do so. I found an ISO here however WOT is showing it up in red so be careful. Windows XP Professional 64 Bit Free Download (Official ISO Image) SP2 / SP3

    Once you download the ISO you can point virtual PC to it and not even burn it to a cd.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 3
    professional 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    I'm sorry, did I make it clear this is Virtual Machine and Virtual XP? There was never a disc, it was all downloaded from Microsoft. I am not the tech who set it up, and I'm not a tech at all...so I dont speak tech. I'm just maybe an above average user who can follow clear instructions.



    Which means I have no physical disc. If there is a key code for a download, I dont know where to look for that.


    Alternately, does anyone know the best way for me to extract the files from the virtual machine hard drive image file? If there is no relatively simple way for me to get Virtual machine back working, I'll abandon it completely. The file loss is relatively significant but I can live on if need to, but there is some work in there that will take some time to re-create I'd like to get my keyboard on. The software Microsoft points me toward is either expensive (even though what you click on says free) or looks sketchy and not real simple to even select what to download.


    If I want to just cut my losses and start over, can I remove everything virtual, then re-install it? And if I do that, can I save the virtual hard drive image file in another location, remove all virtual applications somehow from the computer, re-download it all, re-install it and point toward that image file for a restore?



    Thanks for any help
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,839
    Windows 7 pro
       #4

    I understand that this is a virtual PC and that it has XP on it. Your issue is that XP has corrupted. The only way to get it back is to use an XP disk, boot into the recovery console, and run the commands here. \windows\system32\config\system is corrupt [Solved] You shouldn't even have to reinstall XP.

    If you think that is above you, I understand. If you take your computer to a shop they should be able to help you. Getting your data off would require running a live OS inside the virtual machine. You could run Ubuntu in the virtual PC and then upload your data into Google drive or one drive and get it off that way.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 3
    professional 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    I appreciate the attempt to help. I dont know if I have an XP Disc, thats the first problem. Haven't found one yet.


    My guess is, when XP was set up on this computer, the Virtual XP installer was downloaded, a backup of the installer was not made, saved...and I'm pretty sure not burned to a disc.


    When I go to the download page for virtual XP, I cant even tell which file I'm supposed to download. I got there before, I thought, and it told me nothing was applicable to my machine. I can download the installer on a W7 laptop I have if I know which file to download (there are 2 files, one with an upper case "N" but dont see anything that says "you want this file if"), burn it to a disc (have to know how to that too, just plop the file in and burn it?) if that will work, but I guess what it really boils down to, is it's all over my head and the productivity I lost in the unrecoverable files would be lost in the time I'd have to spend learning all of this to get back to salvaging it. I could probably figure it out but I just dont have huge blocks of time for it.



    It's partly my fault for not realizing I wasn't backing up those files...they are in a special place away from the primary computer files. I must have realized it at some point because I had about a 5 year old backup of some of it within W7 and apparently slipped and didn't continue to do it.


    Good news is its forcing me to use the newer CAD program and I needed to do that. Bad news is I'll have to invest in a new quick-books program. As basic as our stuff is, the really old program worked fine. We have one old air-gapped XP to still limp that along and didn't lose anything tragic on that because we had been thumb-driving back and forth...a method that program didn't even have as a known option but my old gaming days informed me on how to move that key file back and forth!
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,839
    Windows 7 pro
       #6

    townsbg said:
    You have to have an XP disk to do so. I found an ISO here however WOT is showing it up in red so be careful. Windows XP Professional 64 Bit Free Download (Official ISO Image) SP2 / SP3
    Maybe someone else will know of a good source for an XP iso but that is the only way to get your system back up and running without setting up XP again.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 1,992
    10 Pro x64
       #7

    Hi Kenny: This is the one you would want and you can unpack this exe and it has the vhd inside it to make a new one, I have been given permission to upload the untouched SP3 ISO to my one drive so you can get the link in a PM so look at your Private Messages for that first. Then follow the Guide Townsbg linked to :\windows\system32\config\system is corrupt [Solved]

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/down...s.aspx?id=8002

    FROM Reddit:

    There's a another way:

    Download Microsoft XP Mode from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/down...s.aspx?id=8002.
    Using 7-zip or any other utility decompress the exe.
    Inside sources, there's another file called xpm. Decompress it too. With 7-zip, right click on it and select "Extract to ... ."
    One of the extracted files is VirtualXPVHD at 1.2 GB. It's a vhd file (or virtual hard disk). Rename it to VirtualXP.vhd.
    In VirtualBox (or any other virtualization software that supports importing VHDs), create a new Windows XP 32-bit VM and use this file as the hard disk. When you start the VM, it will start a Windows XP setup. My mouse did not work, but you can use shortcut keys to navigate the installer (e.g. Alt+N for Next).
    ???
    Profit.

    Good luck.
    Malcolm
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 1,839
    Windows 7 pro
       #8

    rvcjew said:
    Download Microsoft XP Mode from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/down...s.aspx?id=8002.
    Using 7-zip or any other utility decompress the exe.
    Inside sources, there's another file called xpm. Decompress it too. With 7-zip, right click on it and select "Extract to ... ."
    One of the extracted files is VirtualXPVHD at 1.2 GB. It's a vhd file (or virtual hard disk). Rename it to VirtualXP.vhd.
    In VirtualBox (or any other virtualization software that supports importing VHDs), create a new Windows XP 32-bit VM and use this file as the hard disk. When you start the VM, it will start a Windows XP setup. My mouse did not work, but you can use shortcut keys to navigate the installer (e.g. Alt+N for Next).
    ???
    Profit.

    Good luck.
    Malcolm
    Just to be clear if you do this you will have a new XP virtual machine without your data. Downloading Malcolm's ISO should allow you to fix your current and retain your data.
      My Computer


 

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