Can you copy the registry outside of windows?

Question

I have a Windows XP laptop which had a corrupted "windows\system32\config \system" file. Tried to run a repair install, but the installer did not see the original install (probably due to the corrupt file). Using recovery console, we managed to repair the file, but still cannot log into windows (it halts immediately after loading MUP.sys). I have created a second partition on the hard drive, and have installed XP there. We would like to copy the program files directory over to the new partition, copy the original registry (so we don't have to reinstall everything), and then delete the original partition and re-merge the drive. I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to copy the registry from outside of windows.

As an aside, is the file which was originally corrupted the file in which windows actually stores the registry?

Not the answer at all. I need to be able to export the original registry, however I cannot log into that windows install to run regedit to DO the export. I need either some kind of utility to export outside of windows, or need to know the file in which the registry is stored.

I played some in the restore points, but I didn't realize these files are stored "as-is" in them..didn't look hard enough I guess.

I'll look into that option tonight.

Answer 1

You made a mistake by reinstalling when you cant see the original installation, you shouldnt need to repair it, its a matter of taking a copy from the system restore points (the latters ones out of all) and replace that with the corrupted one, this should now start up Windows, if not, allow you to do a repair install, there are also 4 other files that may cause your system to die, its a good practice to copy all 5 key files from the restore points into a easy to navigate folder (ie. C:\RP1 etc)
to make file copying/renaming easier.

As your system is half dead anyway, replacing all 5 key files may cause some programs not to work, but at least your Windows now starts up.

Theres no direct registry files, in 98 days, tehy are kept in 2 files, in XP, they are kept in 5 hives:
Hardware
SAM
Security
Software
System

And system restore points almost always backs up these 5 hives, by taking them out of teh RP and rename them to their normal names may solve your problem.

Answer 2

well...

u want a registry setup outside ur system to urs???

if so...

so the system where u are planning to takwe the registry...

run>>regedit
file>>export

if thisisnot ur probs....lemme know...

and the way u think the prob..it wont solve this easily..