Windows XP won't start up.

I formatted the hard drive last week. I installed SP3, and the rest as usual. It worked good for a few days.
Now when I try to start up it says a file is missing called, c_1252.nls

When I try to run the repair utility with the Windows XP Cdrom it won't start the repair program because it says my administrator password is wrong.
I know the password is NOT wrong.

I don't know what to do now. I don't want to spend another 12 hours redoing the OS and putting all my programs back on.

So I thought I would ask you guys, the experts, for help.

Thanks.

 

I used ntfs I think.

Also, how do I identify whether my keyboard is a ps2 or not? I have several keyboards laying around, maybe I have one if you can tell me what to look for.

Thanks.

 

Thanks. I got it to accept the password

When I go that url listed above and type the following I get an error.
When I type the ren line it says, The name specified is not a directory.
What now?

cd system32
ren c_1252.nls c_1252.old
expand drive:\i386\c_1252.nl_ c:\windows\system32

 

oK, Yes I was in the windows folder

But, when I am now at the c:\> and I type cd system32 it says, " the system cannot find the file or the directory specified "

So it's saying there is no such folder in the c drive.

What now?

 

If you are at the C:\ prompt, you need to enter
cd Windows\System32
because System32 is under the Windows directory.

Full path is
C:\Windows\System32

Matt

 

Thanks.
I ran checkdisk and it said there were problems with the volume.
Does that mean the hard drive itself is mechanically unsound and needs to be replaced, or does it mean that the hard drive is ok and I just need to reinstall the Windows xp?

 

Also, if I perform a repair installation do I still have to reinstall all my other programs?

The slipstreaming sounds cool, but I have an original xp cd from 2002 without any service packs. That web page leads me to believe that I won't be able to do it.

 

Thanks a lot for all your help. I really appreciate it.

 

since I have to reinstall the os again on a new hard drive, is there an advantage or disadvantage to using fat32 or ntfs?

 

It has been a while since I booted to the Windows CD, I am pretty sure the cmd prompt (normally) opens at C:\Windows>, so it is already opened in the Windows directory.

Matt

 

You seem to be jumping ahead a bit. If you were happy with your old installation of Windows when it was running, try Pete's suggestions again.

If you format and reinstall, it will mean reinstalling all your programs again. Your choice. If you run a Repair Reinstallation of Windows and it is successful, your programs will be kept intact.

I suggest you do some research for yourself. Just on the point of NTFS vs FAT32 you will get varied answers, there are some positives and negatives for both.

We generally try to "save" Windows if we can. A reformat has it's own merits if the old installation was "sick ".

Matt

 

Thanks. I forgot to mention that after the suggestion, I ran the manufacturers hard disk check utility and it failed quicky. So I reinstalled the os last night along with the few needed programs and so far it works well. I put in a hard drive from an old pentium 3 compter I had laying around that was longer being used.

Thanks again. You guys saved me a ton of time because I would have reinstalled the os on the bad hard drive and it would have had the same problems.