How to Fix a Damaged Registry in Windows XP

1. Insert the Windows XP recovery CD into your computer's disc drive. Turn off the computer and then turn it back on.
2. Wait for the \'Press a key to boot from CD\' message to appear and then tap any key. Press \'R\' when the \'Welcome to Setup\' message appears on the screen. Highlight \'Windows XP\' and press \'Enter\' if you have multiple operating systems installed on your computer.
3. Type in your administrator password and press \'Enter\' if you have previously set a password for your Windows XP account. Leave the administrator password field blank if you don't have a password and press \'Enter.\'
4. Type \'md tmp\' and press \'Enter.\' Type the following commands and press \'Enter\' after each:copy c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\system c:\\windows\\tmp\\system.bak
copy c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\software c:\\windows\\tmp\\software.bak
copy c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\sam c:\\windows\\tmp\\sam.bak
copy c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\security c:\\windows\\tmp\\security.bak
copy c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\default c:\\windows\\tmp\\default.bak
5. Type the following commands and press \'Enter\' after each:delete c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\system
delete c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\software
delete c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\sam
delete c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\security
delete c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\default
6. Finish restoring the corrupted registry. Type the following commands and press \'Enter\' after each:copy c:\\windows\\repair\\system c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\system
copy c:\\windows\\repair\\software c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\software
copy c:\\windows\\repair\\sam c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\sam
copy c:\\windows\\repair\\security c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\security
copy c:\\windows\\repair\\default c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\default
7. Enter the \'Exit\' command and tap \'Enter.\' Remove the recovery CD. Press \'F8\' during the restart process and then highlight \'Safe Mode.\' Press \'Enter.\' Right-click the \'Start\' menu and choose \'Open Windows Explorer.\'
8. Navigate to the folder path \'C:\\System Volume Information\\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\\RP1\\Snapshot.\' Click and drag the files named \'REGISTRY_USER_DEFAULT,\' \'REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY,\' \'REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE,\' \'REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM\' and \'REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM\' into the \'C:\\Windows\\Tmp\' folder.
9. Right-click and rename each of the moved files to the last word in their current file name. For example, rename \'REGISTRY_USER_DEFAULT\' to \'Default.\' Insert the recovery CD and restart the computer. Tap any key again and press \'R\' to access the recovery console.
10. Type in the following commands and press \'Enter\' after each:del c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\sam
del c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\security
del c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\software
del c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\default
del c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\system
copy c:\\windows\\tmp\\software c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\software
copy c:\\windows\\tmp\\system c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\system
copy c:\\windows\\tmp\\sam c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\sam,
copy c:\\windows\\tmp\\security c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\security
copy c:\\windows\\tmp\\default c:\\windows\\system32\\config\\default
11. Type \'Exit\' and press \'Enter.\' Open the \'Start\' menu after Windows XP restarts and click \'All Programs.\' Navigate to \'Accessories\' and then \'System Tools.\' Choose \'System Restore.\'
12. Click \'Restore to a previous Restore Point.\' Follow the onscreen instructions to load the restore information you created in the recovery console and fix the damaged registry.