Command.com missing or corrupted

[gt]

Windows XP - Home Edition won't start and I receive the
messages: the following file is missing or corrupted:
command.com. Type the name of the command interpreter
(e.g., C:\windows\command.com). The configuration
specified in your config.sys file is too large for
memory. Remove some drivers and then try again. Type
the name fo the command interpreter. All I have is the
A: prompt. C: drive is D: drive are not recognized.
When I try to start Windows - it hangs on the first
Windows screen and does not load. When I try all the
other options, Last Known Good Configuration, Safe mode,
safe mode with command prompt, safe mode with network, I
get the same dos screen that lists 19 .sys files that are
in: multi(0)disk(0)rddisk(0)partion(1)\windows\system32
\drivers\ folder as well as several .nls files. The
hardware is HP pavilion 7920 (PC with a 900 Mhz. Celeron
processor, 384 MB Ram, 30 GB. HD, 2-CD drives) and has
not been connected to the internet for three months. Any
suggestions for how to repair or replace the corrupted
files would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gt]

How do I run "repair install" when the command.com file
is missing or corrupt so the PC will not boot from a CD
drive? I edited the bootup setup to use the CD drive,
floppy drive and hard drive in that order. Even still,
it won't boot up CD.

 

[Ron Martell]

Windows XP - Home Edition won't start and I receive the
messages: the following file is missing or corrupted:
command.com. Type the name of the command interpreter
(e.g., C:\windows\command.com). The configuration
specified in your config.sys file is too large for
memory. Remove some drivers and then try again. Type
the name fo the command interpreter. All I have is the
A: prompt. C: drive is D: drive are not recognized.
When I try to start Windows - it hangs on the first
Windows screen and does not load. When I try all the
other options, Last Known Good Configuration, Safe mode,
safe mode with command prompt, safe mode with network, I
get the same dos screen that lists 19 .sys files that are
in: multi(0)disk(0)rddisk(0)partion(1)\windows\system32
\drivers\ folder as well as several .nls files. The
hardware is HP pavilion 7920 (PC with a 900 Mhz. Celeron
processor, 384 MB Ram, 30 GB. HD, 2-CD drives) and has
not been connected to the internet for three months. Any
suggestions for how to repair or replace the corrupted
files would be greatly appreciated.

The message about Command.com indicates that the Windows XP boot files
have somehow been contaminated or replaced (at least some of them) by
the boot files for Windows 95 or Windows 98.

It is possible that this may have happened?

On your working computer download the 6 diskette Windows XP boot disk
set from http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=310994 and use these to
boot the computer.

When it has finished booting enter the following command:

FIXBOOT

That should repair the boot files and allow your computer to boot
properly into Windows XP.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[gt]

Ron,
Thanks for the information about the XP Setup boot
disks. I downloaded the the file, created the six disks
and tried to load the disks. The first five disks loaded
fine, however the sixth disk did not. After putting the
sixth disk in and pressing enter, a Please wait message
appears and does not go away - even after two hours.

So how do I load XP so it opens? I did some research and
I think the problem is that some of my startup files got
wiped out. At the root of c:, I do not have a boot.ini
file, ntldr file, ntdetect.com file or a command.com
file. I tried to copy the ntldr file and the
ntdetect.com file from the XP CD (via a separate floppy
disk) to the root of c: and I get a permission denied
error. Heck, I am the administrator for this xp-home
edition machine - I upgraded this machine to xp from
windows- millenium two years ago and it worked fine until
a month ago. Any ideas how to get XP to open?

I ran Norton Disk Doctor from a floppy and the hard drive
is fine. It's Windows XP or files it need to run that
are not fine. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I've got data on the hard drive I need to back up.

gt

*****************************************************

 

[Ron Martell]

Ron,
Thanks for the information about the XP Setup boot
disks. I downloaded the the file, created the six disks
and tried to load the disks. The first five disks loaded
fine, however the sixth disk did not. After putting the
sixth disk in and pressing enter, a Please wait message
appears and does not go away - even after two hours.

So how do I load XP so it opens? I did some research and
I think the problem is that some of my startup files got
wiped out. At the root of c:, I do not have a boot.ini
file, ntldr file, ntdetect.com file or a command.com
file. I tried to copy the ntldr file and the
ntdetect.com file from the XP CD (via a separate floppy
disk) to the root of c: and I get a permission denied
error. Heck, I am the administrator for this xp-home
edition machine - I upgraded this machine to xp from
windows- millenium two years ago and it worked fine until
a month ago. Any ideas how to get XP to open?

I ran Norton Disk Doctor from a floppy and the hard drive
is fine. It's Windows XP or files it need to run that
are not fine. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I've got data on the hard drive I need to back up.

gt

I agree with you that the problem is missing boot files.

That is why you need to boot the computer to the Recovery Console and
run the FIXBOOT command.

I know it is a p.i.t.a. but try downloading and creating the 6
diskettes again. It is pretty much the only way because your HP
system has a "system recovery" disk rather than a regular Windows XP
installation CD.

I have asked Microsoft to make the content of these diskettes
available as an ISO file so that a bootable CD could be created but so
far no response.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Ron Martell]

Ron,
Thanks for the information about the XP Setup boot
disks. I downloaded the the file, created the six disks
and tried to load the disks. The first five disks loaded
fine, however the sixth disk did not. After putting the
sixth disk in and pressing enter, a Please wait message
appears and does not go away - even after two hours.

So how do I load XP so it opens? I did some research and
I think the problem is that some of my startup files got
wiped out. At the root of c:, I do not have a boot.ini
file, ntldr file, ntdetect.com file or a command.com
file. I tried to copy the ntldr file and the
ntdetect.com file from the XP CD (via a separate floppy
disk) to the root of c: and I get a permission denied
error. Heck, I am the administrator for this xp-home
edition machine - I upgraded this machine to xp from
windows- millenium two years ago and it worked fine until
a month ago. Any ideas how to get XP to open?

I ran Norton Disk Doctor from a floppy and the hard drive
is fine. It's Windows XP or files it need to run that
are not fine. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I've got data on the hard drive I need to back up.

If your working computer is running Windows XP, or if you have access
to another computer that is running Windows XP and if that computer
also has a CD Burner then go to http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ and
download the program and create a bootable Windows XP CD.

Boot your problem computer with that CD and run the FIXBOOT command.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Alex Nichol]

Boot your problem computer with that CD and run the FIXBOOT command.

Fixboot may not be all that is needed - all that does is rewrite the
Partition's boot sector. Also needed
BootCfg /Rebuild
(to get new boot.ini)
COPY D:\i386\ntldr C:\
COPY D:\i386\ntdetect.com C:\

That presumes the CD is seen as drive D: - likely but not certain