Err Msg: Windows NT Could Not Start Because the Following File Is Missing or Corrupt: \%Winnt%\System32\Config\SystemHardware Profile/Last Known Good Menu

ID: Q102721

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you start your Windows NT-based computer, you may receive the following error message:

Windows NT could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

\%winnt%\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMHardware Profile/Last Known Good menu

CAUSE

The System subkey of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive in the registry is too large to fit into the allocated memory space. Often, this part of the registry is too large because services store a lot of information in their Parameters keys under the CurrentControlSet\Services key. The following services are known to store large amounts of data under this key under certain conditions:

Spooler (number of printers)
DHCP (number of reservations)
AT Scheduler (number of jobs)
DFS (number of shares)
Other and third-party services

There are fixes for problems regarding the spooler service documented in the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q239907 Too Many Printers Can Cause Unsuccessful Boot

Q244135 Too Many Printers Can Cause Unsuccessful Boot

RESOLUTION

The only resolution is to use an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD), or perform a reinstallation of Windows NT.

After you have recovered the system from a backup or an ERD, you can either reduce the amount of data stored by a service or install the hotfix for the spooler service.

Windows NT 4.0

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or the individual software update. For information on obtaining the latest service pack, please go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/ServicePacks/

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

For information on obtaining the individual software update, contact Microsoft Product Support Services. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

STATUS

Windows NT 4.0

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6.

Windows NT 3.5, 3.51

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 3.5 and 3.51.

MORE INFORMATION

This issue may occur when something is writing too much data to the System subkey in the registry. The System subkey is designed exclusively for information that is necessary to boot the computer.

Intel and ARC (RISC) systems have a design limit such that 16 MB of memory is available at this stage of the boot process. The System registry file has to share the 16 MB with the loader, kernel, HAL, and boot drivers. In some instances, the System subkey may be as large as 13 MB in size (or larger).

Additional query words:

Keywords : kberrmsg kbbug4.00 ntsetup ntboot kbbug3.50 kbbug3.51 ntregistry NTSrvWkst
Version : winnt:3.5,3.51,4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb