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

 

[Crusty \(-: Old B@stard :-\)]

It's located in the I386 folder on the Windows XP CD.

 

[Pete Stockdale]

It's located in the I386 folder on the Windows XP CD.

I'd

---------------------------------
Ah, thanks for that - found it where you said - now I have copied that
file - well file ntoskrnl.ex_ (not sure if that makes a difference .ex_
instead of .exe) onto floppy, then when I try to boot my XP machine and get
the message previously referred to about the missing or corrupt file I
insert the floppy...however now get the message -
"non-system disk or disk error
replace and press any key when ready"

Unfortunately I don't have back up or rescue floppies....and of course can't
use the CD to boot up.

Any help/advice in getting the darned machine working ok again would be
appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete

 

[wibble]

---------------------------------
Ah, thanks for that - found it where you said - now I have copied that
file - well file ntoskrnl.ex_ (not sure if that makes a difference .ex_
instead of .exe) onto floppy, then when I try to boot my XP machine and get
the message previously referred to about the missing or corrupt file I
insert the floppy...however now get the message -
"non-system disk or disk error
replace and press any key when ready"

Unfortunately I don't have back up or rescue floppies....and of course can't
use the CD to boot up.

Any help/advice in getting the darned machine working ok again would be
appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete

Have you tried changing the boot device priority in the BIOS so that the
first boot device is your cd drive? If you're able to do that put the win xp
cd in the drive, start the machine and it should boot from the CD. If this
works then you need to choose a repair installation from the various menu
options (not a repair using the recovery console). If your machine won't
boot from the cd then get hold of a 98 boot disk which should have cd rom
support.
Change the boot device priority back in the BIOS so that the floppy drive is
the 1st device. Start the PC and when you get to the command prompt (a:\)
type in x: where x is the drive letter assigned to your cd drive. then type
in cd:\i386 and then type in winnt.exe and select repair installation as
detailed above. You will lose any service packs and other updates but all
your program settings should be intact once the repair process has finished.
www.bootdisk.com has xp bootdisks that you can download if you have access
to another pc. The file you have copied from the cd is the compressed
version of ntoskrnl.exe.

 

[Pete Stockdale]

---------------------------------
Ah, thanks for that - found it where you said - now I have copied that
file - well file ntoskrnl.ex_ (not sure if that makes a difference .ex_
instead of .exe) onto floppy, then when I try to boot my XP machine and get
the message previously referred to about the missing or corrupt file I
insert the floppy...however now get the message -
"non-system disk or disk error
replace and press any key when ready"

Unfortunately I don't have back up or rescue floppies....and of course can't
use the CD to boot up.

Any help/advice in getting the darned machine working ok again would be
appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete
------------------------

Ah...after taking advice have now 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