Missing or corrupted ntoskrnl.exe (recent SP2 update)

[Phil Preen]

I installed SP2 on my XP Home PC a couple of weeks ago, and all seemed to be
well, but now the machine will no longer boot up.
I get a message saying that ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt.
The following article discusses this problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314477
I cannot find my original XP disk (actually not sure if I ever had one, but
I'll keep looking).
I am able to boot into the recovery console using a Windows XP Pro disk that
I have borrowed from work.
I looked in the windows/system32 folder and the file does exist,. so I
assume that it is corrupted somehow.
Is it safe to restore the file from this CD, or is there anywhere I can
download the correct version of ntoskrnl.exe for XP Home, SP2.

Thanks,
Phil.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I installed SP2 on my XP Home PC a couple of weeks ago, and all seemed to be
well, but now the machine will no longer boot up.
I get a message saying that ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt.
The following article discusses this problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314477
I cannot find my original XP disk (actually not sure if I ever had one, but
I'll keep looking).
I am able to boot into the recovery console using a Windows XP Pro disk that
I have borrowed from work.
I looked in the windows/system32 folder and the file does exist,. so I
assume that it is corrupted somehow.
Is it safe to restore the file from this CD,

Yes it should be as a last resort, but I would first look for a backup
copy of the SP2 version in the Windows\SevicePackFiles\i386 folder and
try that

 

[Phil Preen]

Yes it should be as a last resort, but I would first look for a backup
copy of the SP2 version in the Windows\SevicePackFiles\i386 folder and
try that

Thanks,

I managed to get it working without copying the file by running
CHKDSK/F.
It now boots up OK, but when I choose the option to turn off the
computer, the computer restarts instead. If I watch very carefully, I
can see a blue screen flash up, which looks like it may have some sort
of error message on it, but it immediatly resets the PC which clears
the screen before I get a chance to see it.
Any ideas what might be causing this?

Thanks,
Phil.

 

[Rock]

Thanks,

I managed to get it working without copying the file by running
CHKDSK/F.
It now boots up OK, but when I choose the option to turn off the
computer, the computer restarts instead. If I watch very carefully, I
can see a blue screen flash up, which looks like it may have some sort
of error message on it, but it immediatly resets the PC which clears
the screen before I get a chance to see it.
Any ideas what might be causing this?

Thanks,
Phil.

That's the autorestart on error kicking in. Turn that off to see what
the error message is. Right click on My Computer, choose Properties,
Advanced, Startup and Recovery Settings. Untick Automatically restart.
While there set write debugging information to None.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I managed to get it working without copying the file by running
CHKDSK/F.
It now boots up OK, but when I choose the option to turn off the
computer, the computer restarts instead. If I watch very carefully, I
can see a blue screen flash up, which looks like it may have some sort
of error message on it, but it immediatly resets the PC which clears
the screen before I get a chance to see it.

You have something that is crashing on being asked to close - and the
system's 'automatically restart' is cutting in. Turn this off: in
Control Panel - System - Advanced, click Settings in the Startup and
Recovery section. There uncheck 'automatically restart'. You can also
usefully change the 'write debugging information' to (none). You may
now get a Blue screen failure instead, but at least will get some
guidance as to what is happening. Likely a driver, in which case the
name of the file concerned - something.sys - in the bottom line of he
Blues screen, and you can check its Properties to find what it is (r
click it in System32\drivers)

 

[Phil Preen]

You have something that is crashing on being asked to close - and the

system's 'automatically restart' is cutting in. Turn this off: in
Control Panel - System - Advanced, click Settings in the Startup and
Recovery section. There uncheck 'automatically restart'. You can also
usefully change the 'write debugging information' to (none). You may
now get a Blue screen failure instead, but at least will get some
guidance as to what is happening. Likely a driver, in which case the
name of the file concerned - something.sys - in the bottom line of he
Blues screen, and you can check its Properties to find what it is (r
click it in System32\drivers)

I turned off the automatic restart, and I do indeed get a blue screen
error, but there is no driver name displayed. The error is STOP
0x0000008E followed by 4 further numbers in brackets.
I searched for this error on the microsoft site, and the only problem
I could find said that it should be fixed by sp2 not caused by it.
I am also now repeatedly getting a pop-up message saying that Windows
has revovered from a serious error, and asks me to report the problem
to Microsoft.
I reported it a couple of times. One time it said that the problem may
be due to a bad hardware driver (I have not recently installed any new
hardware). I went to windowsupdate and there was an updated driver for
the Intel network card, which I installed, but I still get the
problem. Another time I reported the error it said that the problem
may be a fault in the CPU.
Is it possible/likely that ntoskrnl.exe or some other file is still
partially corrupted and causing these errors? Is there an easy way to
check the integrity of all the Windows system files?

Thanks,
Phil.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I turned off the automatic restart, and I do indeed get a blue screen
error, but there is no driver name displayed. The error is STOP
0x0000008E followed by 4 further numbers in brackets.
I searched for this error on the microsoft site, and the only problem
I could find said that it should be fixed by sp2 not caused by it.
I am also now repeatedly getting a pop-up message saying that Windows
has revovered from a serious error, and asks me to report the problem
to Microsoft.

Try
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d..._12795dee-19a9-4461-a135-bbb882b81455.xml.asp

(which will wrap round here). It almost always is some hardware
compatibility trouble; and in a machine that has been running OK is a
driver trouble far more often than not. In your case my guess would be
that SP2 replaced a video driver that was not officially certified by
one that is; but which is not in fact good with your card. Try a 'roll
back driver' in Control Panel - System - Hardware - Device Manager (find
the display adapter, double click, Drivers page, roll back button), or
look for a download of new drivers approved for XP by the makers at
*their* site.

 

[Rock]

I turned off the automatic restart, and I do indeed get a blue screen
error, but there is no driver name displayed. The error is STOP
0x0000008E followed by 4 further numbers in brackets.
I searched for this error on the microsoft site, and the only problem
I could find said that it should be fixed by sp2 not caused by it.
I am also now repeatedly getting a pop-up message saying that Windows
has revovered from a serious error, and asks me to report the problem
to Microsoft.
I reported it a couple of times. One time it said that the problem may
be due to a bad hardware driver (I have not recently installed any new
hardware). I went to windowsupdate and there was an updated driver for
the Intel network card, which I installed, but I still get the
problem. Another time I reported the error it said that the problem
may be a fault in the CPU.
Is it possible/likely that ntoskrnl.exe or some other file is still
partially corrupted and causing these errors? Is there an easy way to
check the integrity of all the Windows system files?

Thanks,
Phil.

Phil, as an addendum to what Alex said, as a general rule never get
driver updates from the windows update site. Get them from the hardware
manufacturer's web site.

 

[Phil Preen]

Try
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d..._12795dee-19a9-4461-a135-bbb882b81455.xml.asp

(which will wrap round here). It almost always is some hardware
compatibility trouble; and in a machine that has been running OK is a
driver trouble far more often than not. In your case my guess would be
that SP2 replaced a video driver that was not officially certified by
one that is; but which is not in fact good with your card. Try a 'roll
back driver' in Control Panel - System - Hardware - Device Manager (find
the display adapter, double click, Drivers page, roll back button), or
look for a download of new drivers approved for XP by the makers at
*their* site.

From memory I think the exception was the C0000005
(STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION) one. I'll check out the video drivers this
evening.

Thanks,
Phil.

 

[Phil Preen]

I'll check out the video drivers this
evening.

No joy I'm afraid :-(
I tried rollback on the display driver and it made no difference, so I
went to the NVIDIA website and downloaded the latest version and
installed that, and still no change. I still get the 8E error every
time I try to shutdown the computer. I guess I'm going to have to go
through every driver in the system.

 

[Phil Preen]

Phil, as an addendum to what Alex said, as a general rule never get
driver updates from the windows update site. Get them from the hardware
manufacturer's web site.

Thanks. I tried the latest display driver from the NVIDIA website. I
seem to have stopped getting the pop-ups asking me to report the
problem to Microsoft, but I still get the blue screen on shutdown.
Do you think it's a good idea to go to the DELL website, and see if
there is an updated bios available?

 

[Rock]

Thanks. I tried the latest display driver from the NVIDIA website. I
seem to have stopped getting the pop-ups asking me to report the
problem to Microsoft, but I still get the blue screen on shutdown.
Do you think it's a good idea to go to the DELL website, and see if
there is an updated bios available?

I don't know how to answer you on that one Phil. I would check to see
what display drivers Dell lists and if it's different from what you
originally had. They might have one for SP2. I have seen posts where
the Dell driver worked when nVidia's didn't (the display card was part
of the OEM install), though not necessarily the same problem as you
have, but it's worth a try.

 

[Rock]

Thanks. I tried the latest display driver from the NVIDIA website. I
seem to have stopped getting the pop-ups asking me to report the
problem to Microsoft, but I still get the blue screen on shutdown.
Do you think it's a good idea to go to the DELL website, and see if
there is an updated bios available?

What about trying a different video card?

 

[Kelly]

In the meantime, see if this helps:

Use one of these three options.

Right Click the My Computer Icon/Properties/Advanced/
Performance/Settings/Advanced/Change.

1. Set Page File to 0, ok your way out and reboot. Then follow the same
procedure and reset the Page File to System Managed File.

2. No Page File. Reboot. Then delete C:\Pagefile.Sys then revert the page
file setting.

3. Set the swap file size to zero, reboot. Re-set to System Managed,
reboot. Reset the Custom setting, reboot.

You Receive a "System Has Recovered from a Serious Error" Message After
Every Restart
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q317277

Windows XP Problems if Your Profile Is Damaged
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q326688

 

[Phil Preen]

What about trying a different video card?

Unfortunately, I don't have spare video cards lying around the house
to try this sort of thing, although I may be able to borrow one from a
machine at work, I suppose.
Why do you think the problem is with the video card anyway? I have
tried three different versions of the display driver and this has made
no difference whatsoever.

Do you think there may be a fault in the video card?
It seems too much of a coincidence to me that this error started
happening straight after the corrupted ntoskrnl error (If that was
caused by the video card too, how come it was 'fixed' simply by
running CHKDSK?).

Or are you suggesting that the display adapter is somehow incompatible
with XP SP2?
It was (apparently) running fine for a couple of weeks after
installing SP2, so this doesn't seem likely to me either.

It seems more likely to me that there is a fault on the hard drive
causing one or more of the system files to have become corrupted.
Running CHKDSK and then defragmenting the drive presumably moved the
ntoskrnl.exe file to another part of the disk that is now OK. My
feeling is that there are perhaps other files that are still
corrupted. Does this not seem more likely?

 

[Phil Preen]

In the meantime, see if this helps:

Use one of these three options.

Right Click the My Computer Icon/Properties/Advanced/
Performance/Settings/Advanced/Change.

1. Set Page File to 0, ok your way out and reboot. Then follow the same
procedure and reset the Page File to System Managed File.

2. No Page File. Reboot. Then delete C:\Pagefile.Sys then revert the page
file setting.

3. Set the swap file size to zero, reboot. Re-set to System Managed,
reboot. Reset the Custom setting, reboot.

You Receive a "System Has Recovered from a Serious Error" Message After
Every Restart
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q317277

I think the 'report the error to Microsoft' messages have stopped now,
but if I keep getting them, I'll try this.
Thanks,
Phil.

 

[Rock]

Unfortunately, I don't have spare video cards lying around the house
to try this sort of thing, although I may be able to borrow one from a
machine at work, I suppose.
Why do you think the problem is with the video card anyway? I have
tried three different versions of the display driver and this has made
no difference whatsoever.

Do you think there may be a fault in the video card?
It seems too much of a coincidence to me that this error started
happening straight after the corrupted ntoskrnl error (If that was
caused by the video card too, how come it was 'fixed' simply by
running CHKDSK?).

Or are you suggesting that the display adapter is somehow incompatible
with XP SP2?
It was (apparently) running fine for a couple of weeks after
installing SP2, so this doesn't seem likely to me either.

It seems more likely to me that there is a fault on the hard drive
causing one or more of the system files to have become corrupted.
Running CHKDSK and then defragmenting the drive presumably moved the
ntoskrnl.exe file to another part of the disk that is now OK. My
feeling is that there are perhaps other files that are still
corrupted. Does this not seem more likely?

Just as a way to eliminate one variable, in this case hardware. Even
though one thing happened right after another occurred, doesn't mean it
wasn't triggered by a third.