STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}

[zoom1209]

Hi, I'm having a lot of trouble- I can't boot into windows. The PC begins to boot, then just after it reaches the 'loading windows' screen, I get the following blue screen :.

This occured after a powercut. Power went out, and when I turned the PC back on, I got the blue screen. So I'm guessing the registry was being written to just before the power went out.
I have tried safe mode, booting from last known good configuration, I've run chkdsk /r /f, chkdsk /f, to no avail.
I'm currently running on Ubuntu from a USB memory stick, and I can access the hard drive/ windows files. I can go into Windows/system32/config and also the 'regback' folder, although I'm a little afraid to touch those files, in case i destroy the system completely. I can also hook the hard drive up to a laptop running Windows 7, via a SATA-USB adapter.
I do not have a vista recovery disk or the install disk, I never got the installation disk when I bought the PC in 2008.
I'd be eternally grateful to get this resolved...

I also tried System restore, but I got an Error: I/O device error 0x8007045D. Cannot restore the system at all, with any of the restores.

 

[wither 3]

The following is for XP but it might give you some ideas to try-

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting

 

[zoom1209]

The following is for XP but it might give you some ideas to try-

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting

Thanks, but that requires a windows recovery disk... Would replacing the files in system32/config (Default, system, security, sam, software) with those in the Regback folder be the same thing as what's said in the article above?

 

[NoelDP]

Any cure is going to require at least a repair disk - and many will require a full OS disk (and I can envisage having to replace the hard drive under certain circumstances).

Is this install SP1 or updated to SP2?
You should review the information on a repair install, here....
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html?ltr=R

 

[zoom1209]

Any cure is going to require at least a repair disk - and many will require a full OS disk (and I can envisage having to replace the hard drive under certain circumstances).

Is this install SP1 or updated to SP2?
You should review the information on a repair install, here....
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html?ltr=R

Thank you, this would be useful, however, I can't log in to Windows...
I may be wrong, but I don't remember upgrading to SP2, so I assume SP2 was installed to the PC when I bought it.

 

[NoelDP]

As far as I know, no machines shipped with SP2 installed.
The reason I pointed you at the Repair install was that it gives instructions for obtaining the proper full installation media - This would enable you to potentially repair the current install, or do a clean install (Recovery disks do not normally allow repair operations)