Here's where you'll copy the saved registry files from their backed up location by using system Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is normally not visible, Microsoft is protecting you from yourself by hiding it. Before you start this procedure, you'll need to change several settings to make that folder visible:
1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. On the tools menu, click folder options.
3. Click the view tab.
4. Under hidden files and folders, click to select show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the "hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" check box.
5. Click yes when the dialog box is displayed that confirms that you want to display these files.
6. Double click the drive where you installed Windows XP to get a list of folders. It's important to click the correct drive.
7. Open the system volume information folder. This folder appears dimmed because it is set as a super hidden folder. If you're using the Fat32 file system, this will be easy. If you're using NTFS, it won't let you open the folder, but here's how to get around that: Right click on that system volume information folder and select sharing and security. Then click the security tab. (No security tab ? skip two paragraphs.) Click add, and then in the box that's labeled "Enter the object names to select," type the name of the user that's at the top of the start menu, that's probably you.
Make sure you type the name the way it's listed there on the start menu. Type the first and last name if that's how it's written on the top of the start menu. After you've typed that in, click ok a couple of times and you will be in.
But what if you don't see a security tab ? Try this: Click to select the check-boxes in the "Network sharing and security" area, one is labeled "share this folder on the network" and the other is labeled " Allow network users to change my files." Change the share name to something short, like sysinfo. Then it'll let you in. After you're done with this entire rescue operation, you might want to go back and change these settings back to the way they were before, for maximum security.
As Microsoft so eloquently puts it:
Note: This folder contains one or more restore {GUID} folders as
"restore {87BD3667-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}"
8. Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click details on the view menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with RP x under this folder. These are restore points.
9. Open one of these folders to locate a snapshot sub-folder; the following path is an example of a folder path to the snapshot folder:
C:/system volume information/_restore{D8648OE3-73EF-47BC-A81BE6EE3ED8}RP1snapshot
From the snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:/windows/tmp folder (you can use your mouse, you're in Windows now)
_registry_user_.default
_registry_machine_security
_registry_machine_software
_registry_machine_system
_registry_machine_sam
This is how Microsoft explains this: "these file are backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file created by setup, this registry does not know these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under system volume information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. This is why it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time."
Now it's time to place those files you just made visible to the Recovery Console where they belong. And to do that, we need to get back into the Recovery Console. So, make sure your CD is in the drive, and restart Windows, this time hitting any key when it when it tells you to do that if you want to boot from CD. Yes, you want to boot from CD, so you can launch the Recovery Console. Type R after it goes through that file reading routine that looks like an install but isn't. Then you will be back in the famous Recovery Console.
OK we are ready to move on to the last part of this journey, part 3
