ntoskrnl corrupted!

[jjm]

On bootup, I get the following error message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
Please re-install a copy of the above file.

I have checked the Microsoft site for instructions, and I think I can do this via the Repair Console after booting from the Win XP CD.

But I have installed all the updates, so will extracting the file from the original CD work?

Alternatively, if I let Win XP reinstall, I assume I will have to install SP2 again, right?

Any suggestions?

 

[tyanni]

If you do a repair install, you will need to reinstall any updates (such as SPs you have installed). I am not sure if extracting the original file from the CD will work, but I believe that SP2 does not touch that file. I have never heard of someone having a problem with this because of a Service Pack, at least.

Good Luck

Tim

 

[jjm]

Since I posted this originally, I have searched other sites. There are suggestions that some of the patches had changed this file and that simply extracting it from the original CD might not work. I will try that first, but if that fails, I think I will try to do a Repair. Failing that, I guess I will do a reinstall and then do all the patches again.

Anyone have other ideas?

Has anyone had any problems like this?

 

[MrChad]

You could slipstream SP2 on your setup CD and do a repair install from that.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: jjm
On bootup, I get the following error message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
Please re-install a copy of the above file.

I have checked the Microsoft site for instructions, and I think I can do this via the Repair Console after booting from the Win XP CD.

But I have installed all the updates, so will extracting the file from the original CD work?

Alternatively, if I let Win XP reinstall, I assume I will have to install SP2 again, right?

Any suggestions?

I suggest confirming the boot.ini is correct, since if that's wrong, you'll get errors like what you're seeing. Is your install to C:\Windows?