My PC Hell Forum

I'm a new diskeeper user and had defragmented my drives (C:\ and D:\) for the first time yesterday . Thereafter I restarted my computer as it asked me to do after installing Windows Update . Now, when it powers on during restart it does not start at all . Instead it gives a warning that the 'ntoskrnl.exe' file is either corrupt or missing and advices me to install another copy of the file . Now that I have the file with me I need it to start atleast once so I can copy it in the system32 folder . Please help me . :cry2:


PS: I have already tried out all the options on 'F8' during startup , but to no avail .

Try this

1. Start the computer by using your Windows XP CD-ROM. Press any key to boot from the CD.
2. After the setup files are finished loading press R to repair using Recovery Console.
3. When you are in the recovery console, select the installation to log on to (usually number 1), and then press ENTER.
4. Login to the Administrator account by typing the password for this account, and then press ENTER.
5. At the recovery console command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

For Uni-Processor systems:
expand cd-rom:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ drive:\Windows\system32
For Multi-Processor systems:
expand cd-rom:\i386\ntkrnlmp.ex_ drive:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

Cd-rom is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, and drive is the drive letter of the hard disk on which windows is installed.
6. If you receive a prompt to overwrite the file, press Y.
7. Type exit, and press ENTER at the command prompt.

I am thankful to you for replying to this problem . Your the first and the only one to do so . I am a Sony Vaio TX37GP user . This notebook does not come with any recovery disk or the windows installation disc . As a result of which I am only able to burn a bootable disk of i386 folder from another computer and boot from it then a Caldera DR-DOS 7.03 pops up . I do not know what to do . My pc  is now off for quite a lot of time now due to this outcome .  :quesexclaim:
Please guide me likewise . Thanks . :please:

Do you have access to another computer?

You could try copying the 'ntoskrnl.exe' file from one to the other.

I've already taken a copy from another computer on a pen drive . But how do I install it on the troubled PC . :please: help me out .

Go to C:\Windows\System32 and rename the existing file to something like ntoskrn.old.exe

Then copy the file from the pen drive directly into C:\Windows\System32

If you are doing this via a command prompt, you won't be able to access the pen drive as it's USB. Copy it onto a CD first then you can use the commands:

REN<space> C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrn.exe<space> ntoskrn.old.exe

Copy 'D':\ntoskrn.exe <space>C:\Windows\System32\

Note that the 'D' should be the letter assigned to your CD drive.

I also had A CD/DVD drive .
please refer :
http://www.fixmyxp.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,216/topic,1943.msg15725/topicseen,topicseen#msg15725

As such I do not know which is my CD/DVD drive .

Does your CD/DVD drive work now?

If it does, it should be easy to find out what drive letter it is.

D is the norm.

I'd like to thank each and everyone who did their bid to help me out . all  your post made me understand that if i knew a few necessary commands i would be able to try to help myself . After hours of surfing on the net and of course your comments and advice I was somehow unknowingly able to make a system recovery without sending the notebook to SONY   :hooray:. Thank you everyone . Appreciated  :ura1: .

Well done!

(Looks like it was all down to a corrupted registry.)