When I booted my dell vostro 1000 today, I got the BSoD:
STOP: c0000218{Registry File Failure}
Cannot load the hive (file):
\systemRoot\system32\config\SOFTWARE
or its log or alternative.
It is corrupt absent or not writeable.
I turned it off and tried booting it normally, but I got the same thing. Then I tried booting with Last Known Good Configuration, and wouldn't you know it, it worked. But, being the stupid person I am, I turned it off again in order to test if the problem was gone for good. Ironically, I can't log in at all anymore, and am strictly worried about all my data and files I somehow failed to backup (even though I had the chance). I'm typing on a different computer right now.
So, I found this webpage
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545, but unfortunately it says it only applies to non-OEM computers. It is still safe to do it, or is there any other better option? I do still have the installation/recovery cd that came with the computer, but reformatting is not an option until I recover all my data.
Thanks for anybody who can help with this.