Windows doesn't boot, missing or corrupt file

Hello! Im here for another issue, but not on the same computer, the laptop is great now. But my father-in-law's computer just one day (or someone in the house won't come clean on messing something up) Just wouldn't boot up any more. Has this message: Windows cannot boot up because file: \system32\ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt. Can I burn that file from another computer to this one? Because he doesnt know where the windows discs are to get the file back. I can't do anything about it, no F10 restore, cant safe boot nothing. Windows Xp SP2 by the way. Thanks!

Sounds to me like a messed up boot.ini file.

Since you don't have an XP CD, download and create a bootable CD from this .iso file: XP Recovery Console

You don't burn the iso file itself to CD., you create a CD from the iso file using your CD burning software. There is a good freeware burner called DeepBurnerwhich will do this. Another called ISO Recorder is also very easy to use.

Boot the CD and at the first opportunity, enter R to start the Recovery Console.
Next, choose which XP installation you want to login to. Normally this will be 1.
Lastly you will be asked for the Administrator password. Just press the Enter key as the Administrator does not have a password (unless you gave it one, then you would enter it).

Now use the bootcfg /rebuild command to rebuild the boot.ini file. Following from: http://www.thpc.info/dual/bootcfg.html

The bootcfg /rebuild command scans the hard disks of the computer for Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP installations, and then displays the results. You can add the detected Windows installations.

An example of the message that may be displayed:

Total Identified Windows Installs: 1

[1] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All):
Enter Load Identifier: (mine is: Microsoft Windows XP Professional)
Enter Operating System Load Options: (mine is: /NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF /FASTDETECT)

Type exit to close the Recovery Console and reboot. See if that fixed it.

Well it said it found one file, and I followed the instructions. But no such luck. And I had a typo on one of the Load Identifiers, so when it boots it gives multiple boot options, the typo being one of them. Is there a way to get rid of it?

So you still get the ntoskrnl.exe missing message when you boot?

If so, boot the Recovery Console again. At the Command Prompt, enter:

chkdsk /r and press Enter

Let this run to completion without any interruption. It can take an hour or more depending on the size of your hard drive and how much data is on it. Once it finishes, reboot and see what happens.

Also, if you have another computer that is at the same service pack level, then yes, you can copy the file to a flash drive or CD and then replace the one on your fathers computer. It should also be in C:\windows\system32\dllcache on your fathers computer so you could try copying it from there to C:\windows\system32.

Once you get the system to boot, to fix the un2wanted boot entry:Right click on My Computer and select Properties
Click on the Advanced tab
Under Startup and Recovery, click the Settings button
Click on the Edit button
Notepad will open with the contents of boot.ini in it. Remove the entry you don't want.

Ok did as you said. It said it found one or more errors and they were fixed. But now when I boot it just stays at black screen after HP screen, doesnt think or do anything after.

That doesn't sound good at all. You had better look for the windows disc again as you may need it soon.

One other thing you can try, depending on how comfortable you are working at the command prompt in the Recovery Console.

http://forums.cclonline.com/showthread.php?t=1183

Sometimes I mess up my machine so bad, that i couldn't boot into windows anymore, not even safe mode. So i looked around for ages and eventually found out how to do it in the recovery console. For anyone who is new to windows, the recovery console can be found by booting up your machine with the XP CD in the drive, and booting off of that CD. Then it will ask you if you want to go to the recovery console, and select that option. The recovery console is basically a MS DOS command prompt, with a little more functionality.

When you get to the recovery console follow these instructions.

* Type CD \ then Enter
* Then cd system~1\_resto~1 then Enter
* Type dir then Enter

When you hit enter it will list all the restore point folders like rp1, rp2 …….. If the restore points have more than one page then u have to keep on hitting the Enter key to view the last restore point folder. You will have to choose the second to last option folder
* Type cd rpx {the second to the last restore point no. } (Note: Example: cd rp9, if rp9 is the second to the last restore point where the last restore point no. is 10
* Then type cd snapshot

Now the command prompt will look like this
c:\system~1\_resto~1\rp9\snapshot
* Type: copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system and press enter
* Then type: copy _registry_machine_software C:\windows\system32\config\software
* Then type exit and press Enter

If you get an access denied error when doing the above, then do the following at the recovery console:

* Type CD \ then Enter
* Type cd windows\system32\config then press Enter
* Type ren system system.bak then press Enter
* Type exit press Enter

Your PC will reboot, go back into the Recovery Console and then you have access.

Once you get the system to boot, do a normal System Restore to a date before the problem occurred.

If you still cannot get access in anyway to your installation in the recovery console then your SAM database files are corrupt. There is no way you can restore these with the recovery console. You may need to do a fresh install

Well just to add he has lots of pics and other misc stuff he doesnt want to lose. So im trying as much as I can for him.

After doing the first step it tells me access denied, right before typing dir. Im pretty sure the admin account doesnt have a PW tho.

Follow the directioins under : If you get an access denied error when doing the above, then do the following at the recovery console:

Ok got all the way thru it, when I hit enter on the last command it says Overwrite software (y/n/all)? Will this overwrite or delete anything thats on the computer? Like pictures and documents? Because my father-in-law wants to be sure that he can keep all that stuff. Its important.

Hello? I dont mean to bump but I think I might have been lost in all the threads. Thanks.

Glad you bumped this. I never received notice of your previous response. Re: the overwrite message, no, this is only replacing registry files. It has nothing to do with data anywhere else. Don't forget, once you do that, if the system will boot, you need to do a full system restore as described.