Ntfs.sys "missing or corrupted" - Computer boots anyway?

Okay...I've done searches, both here and on Google, and both have come up with pretty much the same issue...Except it looked like - and correct me if I'm wrong - others who had the same error message couldn't boot the computer getting it, because it would cycle repeatedly through the splash screen and BSOD.

My computer isn't doing that - it asks me to press R and insert the disk (which I only haven't done because this computer was bought used, and did not come with the Windows XP disk) to try and repair the issue.

Because of the issue of not having the disk, I simply press a different key...and my computer starts up just fine. What worries me is that it has been having small issues with random freezes - For instance, while opening WinAmp or Chrome, my computer slows down to what seems to be a hairsbreadth away from a total standstill. There's at least a three to five minute delay between any kind of input and the appropriate reaction on-screen. I can press control + alt + delete and a few minutes later, task manager will finally open.

After maybe ten to fifteen minutes of this, everything jolts forward at once - causing a little more screen-based lag - then works fine from there for a few days. This has consistently happened at least once or twice a week, which makes me wonder if I'm running programs with settings too high for it - I am a gamer, so I may need to tone down the settings or delete a few things, although my computer meets the requirements for the games I play - or if there is simply too much installed.

I would also ask if there is a way to fix the error with ntfs.sys without the disk, because of the lacking with said disk noted above.

Thanks for taking the time to read this - Galax.

 

Have you tried doing a check disk?

http://forums.whatthetech.com/index.php?showtopic=102348

 

Thank you for the suggestion - I tried it, but even after the Chkdsk ran, it's still asking me about it. At the least, the computer runs; Could be worse.

 

I haven't tried safemode, although that could be because I have no idea how to start the system with that going; I didn't know you could press F8 on startup, I'll try that, thank you; And sadly, no, most of my friends are online, the closest one geologically being in the same state, but someone I don't know that well, and would probably require a drive of a few hours there and back for a disk to fix what seems to be a minor - although annoying - problem. As to family, my desktop is the only really working desktop in the house - The one upstairs is...unbearably slow. Any other computers in use are rented laptops, and you don't usually get a repair disk when renting that I'm aware of.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try the ones I can when I get a chance;
-Galax

 

On the rented laptops, are they still being rented or were they pulled from the rental program and sold to people? If pulled and sold to people, look and see if there is a "D" partition which would be the restore partition.