[BC] Windows XP Problem

[Dale H. Cook]

At 02:51 PM 12/31/2006, Danny Ray Boyer wrote:

>After booting, the machine displays the following error condition in 
>the area to the left of the clock:
>
>"Windows - Corrupt File
>The file or directory C:\$Secure is corrupt and unreadable.
>Please run the Chkdsk utility."

Did you perchance upgrade to Internet Explorer 7, or could this 
machine have done an automatic Windows Update that would have 
installed IE7? This seems to be a problem associated with IE7, where 
the security settings file ($Secure) has been corrupted in the Master 
File Table. It is possible that IE7 is not the culprit, but that an 
existing problem shows up only after the IE7 upgrade.

The three classes of solutions that I have seen are:

1) Uninstall IE7. If that cures the problem, then prepare your system 
and reinstall IE7 as shown here:
http://www.castlecops.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=posting&mode=quote&p=846460

2) Try a Recovery Console repair from your XP CD, also shown at:
http://www.castlecops.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=posting&mode=quote&p=846460

3) Reinstall Windows.

I can think of other alternatives, all of which involve repairing, 
rebuilding or replacing the MFT, as shown near the bottom of:
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=194099

but that is not for the faint of heart or for anyone with less than 
excellent knowledge of Windows - a mistake in this process can render 
a system completely unfunctional.

Dale H. Cook, Chief Engineer, Centennial Broadcasting, 
Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA - WZZI / WZZU / WLNI / WLEQ
http://members.cox.net/dalehcook/starcity.shtml