Help - need a file - can't open Windows?!

[Pete Stockdale]

Hi,
Can anyone help on this one please? Can't boot my main pc.
It's a computer running Windows XP and suddenly says:

" Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.
Please re-install a copy of the above file"

I've looked at the XP CD but can't find that file...anyone know if it should
be on the XP CD?

Alternatively if anyone could send me a copy of the file ntoskrnl.exe I'd be
most grateful.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP-Windows Shell/User\)]

Unless I missed something in your posts, why can't you boot with the XP CD?
It's bootable.

Try the following, assuming you have an XP CD as opposed to a recovery disk
given you by the system manufacturer:
, try the recovery console, assuming you
have a retail version or full OEM version of XP as opposed to the
manufacturer's recovery disks that don't have this option though they might
offer their own recover
scenario.

Be sure your system is set to boot from the CD. If you are not sure, when
the system first boots you usually see message about how to enter setup or
something similar and tells you to hit a key, sometimes it's del, sometimes
it's esc, just hit the key. This takes you to the system bios, you need to
navigate to where the boot sequence is set, put the CD-ROM drive first in
line.

Place the XP CD in the drive, save your settings and exit. The system will
reboot and should boot from the CD. If you see a message to hit any key in
order to boot from the CD, do so, otherwise, assuming your system supports
it, the system should boot from the CD on its own as it can't find
an OS on the hard drive.

XP Setup will begin by examining your system, don't worry, just let it run,
it's just copying some files to a temp folder. Ultimately, you'll be
brought to a menu. Choose, "Repair a Windows XP installation using the
Recovery Console, press R.

You will be asked for an administrators password. This is not any of the
accounts you've created for XP. It's a hidden system account for which
users are asked only to create a password during setup. Most leave this
blank. If you left it blank, when asked for a password, just leave blank
and press enter.

At the prompt type bootcfg /rebuild and press enter; note, there is a space
between bootcfg and the forward slash.

 

[Bill]

Same problem.. my missing file is <windows root>\system32
\hal.dll
If you get an answer please pass it on to me.
Thanks

-----Original Message-----
Hi,
Can anyone help on this one please? Can't boot my main pc.
It's a computer running Windows XP and suddenly says:

" Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.
Please re-install a copy of the above file"

I've looked at the XP CD but can't find that

file...anyone know if it should

 

[Pete Stockdale]

Unless I missed something in your posts, why can't you boot with the XP CD?
It's bootable.

Try the following, assuming you have an XP CD as opposed to a recovery disk
given you by the system manufacturer:
, try the recovery console, assuming you
have a retail version or full OEM version of XP as opposed to the
manufacturer's recovery disks that don't have this option though they might
offer their own recover
scenario.

Be sure your system is set to boot from the CD. If you are not sure, when
the system first boots you usually see message about how to enter setup or
something similar and tells you to hit a key, sometimes it's del, sometimes
it's esc, just hit the key. This takes you to the system bios, you need to
navigate to where the boot sequence is set, put the CD-ROM drive first in
line.

Place the XP CD in the drive, save your settings and exit. The system will
reboot and should boot from the CD. If you see a message to hit any key in
order to boot from the CD, do so, otherwise, assuming your system supports
it, the system should boot from the CD on its own as it can't find
an OS on the hard drive.

XP Setup will begin by examining your system, don't worry, just let it run,
it's just copying some files to a temp folder. Ultimately, you'll be
brought to a menu. Choose, "Repair a Windows XP installation using the
Recovery Console, press R.

You will be asked for an administrators password. This is not any of the
accounts you've created for XP. It's a hidden system account for which
users are asked only to create a password during setup. Most leave this
blank. If you left it blank, when asked for a password, just leave blank
and press enter.

At the prompt type bootcfg /rebuild and press enter; note, there is a space
between bootcfg and the forward slash.

-------------------------------------
What excellent advice - Thanks very much. Now have changed things so it will
boot from the CD....
......and opened the Windows XP Home Edition Setup and took the middle option
i.e. "Repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R"
............and got to adding bootcfg /rebuild after the prompt c:\windows>

received message to say its scanning all discs for windows installations
received message to say the windows scan was successful
then add installation boot list where the options are y/n/all so I put in y

then I ran into difficulties...

received message to say Enter Load Identifier: I tried Enter
then received message to say Enter OS Load Options: I tried Enter...but no
go...just reverted to the Windows prompt c:\windows>

Any ideas how I find out what to type in at Load Identifier and OS Load
Options?
Thanks,
Pete

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP-Windows Shell/User\)]

OK, instead of playing around with the recovery console, perhaps you should
try a repair install as follows and note, a repair install is different from
the repair option in the recovery console:
NOTE, while a repair install should leave your data files intact, if
something goes wrong during the repair install, you may be forced to start
over and do a clean install of XP. If you don't have your data backed up,
you would lose your data should that eventuality occur.



Boot from the CD. If your system is set to be able to boot from the CD, it
should detect the disk and give a brief message, during the boot up, if you
wish to boot from the CD press any key.



Once you have pressed a key, setup should begin. You will see a reference
asking if you need to load special drivers and another notice that if you
wish to begin the ASR (Automatic Recovery Console) depress F2. Just let
setup run past all of that. It will continue to load files and drivers.



Then it will bring you to a screen. Eventually, you will come to a screen
with the option to (1) setup Windows or (2) Repair Windows Installation
using the Recovery console.



The first option, to setup Windows is the one you want and requires you to
press enter. When asked, press F8 to accept the end user agreement. Setup
will then search for previous versions of Windows. Upon finding your
version, it will ask if you wish to Repair your current installation or
install fresh. Press R, that will run a repair installation. From there
on, follow the screens.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP-Windows Shell/User\)]

You might try a repair install as follows:
NOTE, while a repair install should leave your data files intact, if
something goes wrong during the repair install, you may be forced to start
over and do a clean install of XP. If you don't have your data backed up,
you would lose your data should that eventuality occur.



Boot from the CD. If your system is set to be able to boot from the CD, it
should detect the disk and give a brief message, during the boot up, if you
wish to boot from the CD press any key.



Once you have pressed a key, setup should begin. You will see a reference
asking if you need to load special drivers and another notice that if you
wish to begin the ASR (Automatic Recovery Console) depress F2. Just let
setup run past all of that. It will continue to load files and drivers.



Then it will bring you to a screen. Eventually, you will come to a screen
with the option to (1) setup Windows or (2) Repair Windows Installation
using the Recovery console.



The first option, to setup Windows is the one you want and requires you to
press enter. When asked, press F8 to accept the end user agreement. Setup
will then search for previous versions of Windows. Upon finding your
version, it will ask if you wish to Repair your current installation or
install fresh. Press R, that will run a repair installation. From there
on, follow the screens.

 

[Pete Stockdale]

You might try a repair install as follows:
NOTE, while a repair install should leave your data files intact, if
something goes wrong during the repair install, you may be forced to start
over and do a clean install of XP. If you don't have your data backed up,
you would lose your data should that eventuality occur.



Boot from the CD. If your system is set to be able to boot from the CD, it
should detect the disk and give a brief message, during the boot up, if you
wish to boot from the CD press any key.



Once you have pressed a key, setup should begin. You will see a reference
asking if you need to load special drivers and another notice that if you
wish to begin the ASR (Automatic Recovery Console) depress F2. Just let
setup run past all of that. It will continue to load files and drivers.



Then it will bring you to a screen. Eventually, you will come to a screen
with the option to (1) setup Windows or (2) Repair Windows Installation
using the Recovery console.



The first option, to setup Windows is the one you want and requires you to
press enter. When asked, press F8 to accept the end user agreement. Setup
will then search for previous versions of Windows. Upon finding your
version, it will ask if you wish to Repair your current installation or
install fresh. Press R, that will run a repair installation. From there
on, follow the screens.


--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend


-------------------------------------

Thanks very much Mike for your comprehensive reply...I'll give that a go
Pete

 

[Pete Stockdale]

You're welcome, good luck.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend

you

-------------------------------------
Had to reinstal windows - bit drastic and did loose some stuff but back I'm
not bitter
Thanks again.
Pete
----------

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP-Windows Shell/User\)]

You're welcome, Pete. Sorry about the reinstall. I know its a little late
but make note of the third line in my signature.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP-Windows Shell/User\)]

Better that than not at all!

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend

 

[Pete Stockdale]

Better that than not at all!

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend

 

[Pete Stockdale]

I use Stomp's Backup MyPC:
http://www.stompinc.com/index.phtml?stp

The application is actually from Veritas but it is sold commercially through
Stomp. They have a free trial version that you can download. The
application is a more robust version of NT Backup supplied with XP Home and
Pro.

If I'm busy, truly active, I backup every day.

Regardless of anything, I run a backup Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Backup
MyPC allows for creating and saving backups. In other words, you can
specify what you wish to back up and then create a set around it that you
can reopen any time you wish to run a backup.

Most of my data is in the My Documents folder which I keep on my "D" drive.
Quicken is separate and I keep that with the application on my "C" drive.
However, Quicken also has it's own backup and any time I run Quicken, I
always back it up to a separate partition and to a data CD. I do the same
for any file I create or modify on any given day so I even if my backup set
is not up to date, my files are always up to date and I can retrieve them.
Individual files that I create or modify I simply save to multiple
locations, another partition and a data CD, the same as quicken.

I also have images of a clean XP install, XP with a good portion of my
applications installed and every so often I create an image that also
includes all of the "C" drive inclusive of whatever data is stored there.
I'll often do this just before installing an application or hardware that I
think might cause problems on my setup. That way, if things go wrong, I
simply restore that image of my "C" drive and I'm up and running again in a
few minutes as though nothing had happened.

I do a lot of beta testing so having images is important as they like us to
start from scratch a lot and beta software being what it is can cause your
setup to become unstable anyway. I also lost 3 hard drives in one year so
I'm fanatical about being well backed up. It truly empowers the user
because then you don't work in fear you'll lose everything, especially if
you are backed up to more than one place and more than one kind of media. I
also have a separate computer I use for backup as well. I wrote a column on
this subject, if you are interested, here's the link:
http://www.smalladdictions.com/Skateboard/

Scroll to CyberSpace on that page, click it and scroll to the column
entitled "Don't Get Caught Without Your Backup."

----------------------
Many thanks again, Mike - u have been uncommonly helpful.
I read your various papers - incluing the one on you going digital ref
camera - its co-incident that it was whilst loading the software that came
with my new Olympus digital that the XP crashed.
I'll certainly redouble plans to have back up second nature
Thanks again.
Pete

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP-Windows Shell/User\)]

You're welcome, Pete and thanks for the plug.<G>