XP won't start

[Guest]

XP won't start up. I get a message that says:

"Application has failed to start because DNSAPI.dll was not found.
Reinstalling application may fix problem."

What is this file and do I need to reinstall XP? UGH!!

 

[Malke]

XP won't start up. I get a message that says:

"Application has failed to start because DNSAPI.dll was not found.
Reinstalling application may fix problem."

What is this file and do I need to reinstall XP? UGH!!

Can you get into Safe Mode? Do this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the
computer is starting up. This will get you to the right menu. Navigate
using your Up arrow key; the mouse will not work here.

If Windows will boot in Safe Mode, troubleshoot with the System
Configuration Utility to see what is starting with Windows and causing the
problem.

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

The First Question Of Troubleshooting: what changed between the time things
worked and the time they didn't?

Malke

 

[Guest]

It won't start in safe mode either. I get the same message. Any other
suggestions. I am obviously clueless. I don't know if this is important but
in the corner of the message it says "lass.exe - Unable to locate component."

I also tried rebooting in tha lst known configuration that worked but I got
the same message.

 

[Malke]

It won't start in safe mode either. I get the same message. Any other
suggestions. I am obviously clueless. I don't know if this is important
but in the corner of the message it says "lass.exe - Unable to locate
component."

I also tried rebooting in tha lst known configuration that worked but I
got the same message.

Try a Repair Install. If the Repair Install doesn't work, you'll need to do
a clean install.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm - Repair Install
How-To
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#reinstall_Windows - What you
will need on-hand

Malke

 

[Guest]

OK I am a little nervous about repair install after reading your warnings.
To make sure I don't loose my data is the only fool proof way to get a new
drive to boot XP on and make this the slave?

 

[Malke]

OK I am a little nervous about repair install after reading your warnings.
To make sure I don't loose my data is the only fool proof way to get a new
drive to boot XP on and make this the slave?

If you forgot to back up your stuff, I would definitely do that first. There
are various ways to retrieve data when Windows won't boot. Here are some
suggestions:

1. Boot with Knoppix, a Linux distro that runs from CD, or a Bart's PE. Here
is information on using Knoppix:

You will need a computer with two cd drives, one of which is a cd/dvd-rw OR
a usb thumb drive with enough capacity to hold your data OR an external
usb/firewire hard drive formatted FAT32 (not NTFS). To get Knoppix, you
need a computer with a fast Internet connection and third-party burning
software. Download the Knoppix .iso from www.knoppix.net and create your
bootable cd. Then boot with it and it will be able to see the Windows
files. If you are using the usb thumb drive or the external hard drive,
right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to get its properties and uncheck
the box that says "Read Only". Then click on it to open it. Note that the
default mouse action in the window manager used by Knoppix (KDE) is a
single click to open instead of the traditional MS Windows' double-click.
Otherwise, use the K3b burning program to burn the files to cd/dvd-r's.

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ (Bart's PE)

2. Slave the hard drive in a working Windows box and, if the drive and its
data is seen, copy the data off using Windows Explorer.

3. Yes, you could also buy a second hard drive, install Windows on it and
then connect the old drive as slave and copy the data off using Explorer.

The problem with #2 and #3 is often a working Windows install will not boot
with a slave drive containing a damaged Windows OS. For me, the easiest
thing to do is use Knoppix because it doesn't require buying anything. But
you need to have another computer and a fast Internet connection.

You know your computer skill level and the equipment available to you; I
don't.

Malke