xp will not boot up

[cps007]

i have received error message below

C0000221 unknown Hard Error\System root\System 32\ ntdll.dll

i have tried a floppy boot disk with no success

also have tried reinstall from cd but it does not find the existing
operating system for me to replace


i would just like to boot up to retrieve photos and files stored

any help welcome

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

i have received error message below

C0000221 unknown Hard Error\System root\System 32\ ntdll.dll

i have tried a floppy boot disk with no success

also have tried reinstall from cd but it does not find the existing
operating system for me to replace


i would just like to boot up to retrieve photos and files stored

any help welcome

Big sigh. Why is it that many people think of securing their
important files only ***after*** they have suffered a major
disaster? A 2.5" disk in an external USB case would be a
low-cost but highly effective backup medium . . .

About your current problem: Pull out your disk, then connect
it as a slave disk to some other WinXP/Win2000 PC so that
you can save your irreplaceable photos.

 

[philo]

Big sigh. Why is it that many people think of securing their
important files only ***after*** they have suffered a major
disaster? A 2.5" disk in an external USB case would be a
low-cost but highly effective backup medium . . .

About your current problem: Pull out your disk, then connect
it as a slave disk to some other WinXP/Win2000 PC so that
you can save your irreplaceable photos.

I completely agree.

The only thing I could add would be to run a RAM test and the mfg's
harddrive diagnostic
once the data is backed up on another machine.

There is a small possibility that if the RAM is defective...replacing it may
get the machine going again.

If the HD is defective, there would be no sense in trying to re-use it

 

[cps007]

big sigh too hindsight is a very precise science

will do as you both suggest however will formatting the hd not cure the
prioblem once i have backed up the data i need??

thanks

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Keeping a duplicate copy of all important files is not hindsight -
it's been recognised for several decades as an essential
component of safe computing for several decades. Unfortunately
many people think "This won't happen to me" until it does.

Unless your machine has a hardware problem, allowing the
disk to be formatted during the installation process will give
you a new, healthy copy of Windows XP, same as when you
bought this PC when it was new.