Error on bootup: missing file \system32\ntoskrnl.exe

Good afternoon. When my wife's computer boots up it goes to a black screen that says it has a missing or corrupt file, and to reinstall the file. the file name is <windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. How can I reinstall this file back into the system with out losing everything and having to reload xp.

Thanks Steve

 

Hi Steve,

At this point, it could be hardware failure or a missing or corrupt boot loader file or system file.

Check this guidance from Microsoft regarding your problem: Error message: "Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem "

Print the instructions out and try the methods outlined. Make notes as to what results you get from each step. If your problem is fixed by some step, that would be great. If none of the steps fix your problem, report back and give your notes about results, referenced to Method and step number.

 

ok. i cannot use method 1 in the instructions because windows will not start.
tried mehtod 3 and it said command is not recognized. I went on ahead and used chkdsk in method 4 because I have used it before. It ran and repaired one item and the the machine said "load needs DLL's for kernel. please contact your support person to report the problem." Where and how do I get these dll's and what are they?

Thanks Steve

 

Steve, the command in method #3 will work if entered properly. It is critical that it be exactly as they show it, but substituting the letter of your particular CD ROM drive and system hard drive. It would look like this:

expand D:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

That presumes that your CD ROM drive is designated as the D: drive and your system drive is the C: drive.

Note where the two spaces are, one after the word expand and one after ntoskrnl.ex_ . Keep trying and you'll get it.

If I were you, I would do method #2 first though. It may help in your situation. It will edit your boot.ini file to reflect the system location which may allow the system to boot if the boot.ini file was the problem. If it doesn't fix things, it will at least tell us that the boot.ini file is not the problem.

There are other ways of doing that so don't lose hope yet. If you have a floppy drive or a CD burner, I can link you to a download that will create a quick boot floppy or CD that will provide a substitute boot.ini as well as the other boot loader files. It will make for a quicker diagnosis of your problem but let's try some other things first.

Put all of the above on hold for the moment and let's try the obvious and easy thing first. Boot the machine and as soon as the initial post screen fades, start pressing the F8 button repeatedly until you get the Advanced Boot Options screen, which will be black with white script. Select the item that says "Last Known Good Configuration " and press enter and proceed to follow the directions to try booting the system. If you get lucky, your problem will be solved. If not, post back and we'll continue with the other methods.

 

would not boot from last known config. did step 2 no problems. when i went to step 3 i actually typed it right this time, but i got this message "the system cannot find the file or directory specified "

 

Be aware that it is quite possible that your CD ROM drive has a different letter assignment when booted to the Recovery Console. Be certain you have the right letter in the command. Verify by running the command:

cd D:\ and then run the dir command to see if it lists the contents of the XP install CD. If not, then run cd E:\ and repeat as before until you find the correct drive letter for the CD ROM drive.

[EDIT: Oops, the commands are different than I typed for changing drives in the Recovery Console. First you type cd \ (space between cd and the \) then type D: to get the D: drive prompt.

When properly executed, you will get something like this:

 

Neither way will open the disc contents. When I try the A it will check the floppy drive (green status light comes on) and then will say no disc or cd in drive. By the way I really appreciate all of your help

 

I can only suggest that you continue trying different drive letters until you find the correct one for your CD ROM drive. You must find the drive to access the I386 directory.

I'm assuming you have the XP install CD inserted in the drive rather than having booted to the Recovery Console by other means.

This whole process may be fruitless since the error you are getting regarding the missing file is often due to reasons other than what it implies.

In that case you may need to perform a "Repair Install." That will replace the system files while preserving the user created files and settings. However, you will lose any MS updates and will be returned to the SP version that your install disk contains.

Repair Install Instructions here If Needed.

 

I must run so I'll post the links to the boot disk creation files that I mentioned earlier.

One download is a zipped ISO file that your burner software can use to create a boot CD. You need to follow the instructions for your particular burner software for creating a CD from an ISO file.

The other download is an executable file that you can double click and it will give you screen directions for creating a boot floppy.

Either of the above will provide you with a boot media that will give you a boot choice menu for booting several different drive configurations. Start with the top one since it's most common. Try other in their order if necessary.

These boot media contain the three necessary boot loader files that will be used in place of your own versions. It will also allow booting without polling the MBR on your hard drive. Booting with either of them will tell us if your problem is in that area or something more serious.

I'll check back tomorrow to see your progress. Post any results you may get or questions.

Boot CD ISO Download and Unzip to get the ISO to use with your burner software.

Boot Floppy Creator Download and double click to create boot floppy.