Invalid Boot.INI corrupt: <Windows 2000 Root>\sys32\NTOSKRNL.EXE

Mike wrote:
> Dell SX 270 PC w/ oneG RAM, W2K Pro SP4 will not boot.
>
> Error message:
> Invalid boot.ini
> booting from c:\winnt
> Windows 2000 could not start because the following file is missing or
> corrupt: <Windows 2000 Root>\sys32\NTOSKRNL.EXE
> Please re-install a copy of the above file.
[...}

Is the error message caused by a corrupt boot.ini? If so, how can I fix
> it?
> If I need to replace ntoskrnl.exe how to a replace w/ a current version?
[...]
>

The message indicates a search for an executable kernel at the correct
location, so boot.ini is probably OK. If it isn't, you have ample advice
from others concerning that.

Windows installation will normally leave the install source in a hidden
directory on your system partition: C:\i386. From there you can extract
what you're missing. you will probably find a large number of files
where the last character of the file name is an underscore. The
underscore indicates that it is a compressed version of the file.

Boot from your system CD and use the Recovery Console. (Note that while
RC looks just like the usual command line shell, it isn't quite the same.)

Not sure if "expand" is available in Win2k. In case not, "extract" will
do the job. To replace a defective ntoskrnl.exe, you need one of the
following commands to work (depending on the contents of \i386):
expand c:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ winnt\sys32
extract c:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ winnt\sys32
copy c:\i386\ntoskrnl.exe winnt\sys32

"Keme" <KEMEsixtwonullsix@start.no> wrote in message
news:4537f274$1@news.broadpark.no...
> Mike wrote:
>> Dell SX 270 PC w/ oneG RAM, W2K Pro SP4 will not boot.
>>
>> Error message:
>> Invalid boot.ini
>> booting from c:\winnt
>> Windows 2000 could not start because the following file is missing or
>> corrupt: <Windows 2000 Root>\sys32\NTOSKRNL.EXE
>> Please re-install a copy of the above file.
> [...}
>
> Is the error message caused by a corrupt boot.ini? If so, how can I fix
>> it?
>> If I need to replace ntoskrnl.exe how to a replace w/ a current version?
> [...]
>>
>
> The message indicates a search for an executable kernel at the correct
> location, so boot.ini is probably OK. If it isn't, you have ample advice
> from others concerning that.
>
> Windows installation will normally leave the install source in a hidden
> directory on your system partition: C:\i386. From there you can extract
> what you're missing. you will probably find a large number of files where
> the last character of the file name is an underscore. The underscore
> indicates that it is a compressed version of the file.
>
> Boot from your system CD and use the Recovery Console. (Note that while RC
> looks just like the usual command line shell, it isn't quite the same.)
>
> Not sure if "expand" is available in Win2k. In case not, "extract" will do
> the job. To replace a defective ntoskrnl.exe, you need one of the
> following commands to work (depending on the contents of \i386):
> expand c:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ winnt\sys32
> extract c:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ winnt\sys32
> copy c:\i386\ntoskrnl.exe winnt\sys32

I wonder if I'll need to update the expanded ntoskrnl.ex_ to SP4?

"John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:O$YwQX38GHA.2288@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Mike wrote:
>
>> "John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
>> news:OWQ9u1y8GHA.3264@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>
>>>Mike wrote:
>>>
>>>>Just realized it doesn't have a FDD.
>>>>
>>>>Can I burn the files to a CD then boot from the CD?
>>>>
>>>>Mike
>>>
>>>No, I don't think so. At least not that I know of, I suppose if someone
>>>tried to burn it to a bootable cd it might work but I have never heard or
>>>read on anyone doing it with just these 3 files. Boot cd's are usually a
>>>bit more elaborate.
>>>
>>>You could use something like this: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ or
>>>this: http://www.nu2.nu/bootablecd/ or a Linus live cd. These are a
>>>bit more involved than making a boot diskette, big images to download and
>>>burn. If the pc can boot from a USB diskette you can use that. Otherwise
>>>you will have to use the Recovery Console or the repair process and the
>>>ERD.
>>>
>>>You can also use a Windows 9x boot cd providing that you have an ntfs
>>>editor like EditBINI to edit the file if it's on an NTFS partition.
>>>http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/utilities.html
>>
>>
>> It also needs whatever files are needed to allow me to move around to
>> different directories
>> and copy files. I've got a W2K Dell repair CD that I've booted from but
>> I could move around to
>> different directories so I can copy files.
>
> I'm not sure what you mean. Did you make a typo in your reply, is it
> "could" or "couldn't" move around?

I should have typed ". . . I could not move around to. . . ."
I believe subdirectory dllcache contains an uptodate verison of ntoskrnl.exe
that I'd like to move to system32 subdirectory.

In the Recovery Console your access
> to directories is restricted to hard disk roots, the %systemroot% (\winnt)
> folder and the %systemroot%\system32 folder. That is a security feature
> by design. To repair a "standard" Windows 2000 installation these are the
> only folders that you would or should need to access from the Recovery
> Console. If you are trying to do it from a Windows 9x/DOS boot all you
> need to edit the boot.ini file is the EditBINI utility. From a
> DOS/Windows 9x boot obviously you won't be able to access an NTFS drive
> but that is beside the point here, unless there is more than the boot.ini
> file involved.
>
> Is this a laptop? Or is it a desktop/tower? If the latter then you can
> just stick a floppy disk drive in the machine, even if only temporarilly
> to try to boot the machine. Borrow a diskette drive from another machine,
> or better yet fit a new one to the box! They only cost about ten to
> fifteen dollars!
>
> John
>

"Walter Mautner" <leafnewnode.20.eatallspam@spamgourmet.com> wrote in
message news:hdtk04-v4r.ln1@woodpecker.woodpecker.fdns.net...
> Mike enlightened us 24hoursupport.helpdesk-(ab)users with:
>
> ....
>> It also needs whatever files are needed to allow me to move around to
>> different directories
>> and copy files. I've got a W2K Dell repair CD that I've booted from
>> but I could move around to
>> different directories so I can copy files.
>>
> You can our you cannot?

I can not.

> What you surely can do with a RD, is to chkdsk. Do that first.
> Next time when you are lucky and back up, use gpedit.msc - security
> settings and allow what you need for the RC next time.

I ran the Dell diagnostic disk and all the hardware check out ok.

> Or torrent one of the nice winPE cds which contain a lot of useful
> recovery programs. Sometime you get them with a computer magazine as
> well, without the non-free programs.

Good pont there's got to be a bootable CD with the needed utilities out
there.
Do you know the name of one so I can google to find it?


> vista policy violation: Microsoft optical mouse found penguin patterns
> on mousepad. Partition scan in progress to remove offending
> incompatible products. Reactivate MS software.
> Linux 2.6.17-mm1,Xorg7.1/nvidia [LinuxCounter#295241,ICQ#4918962]

Mike wrote:

> I should have typed ". . . I could not move around to. . . ."
> I believe subdirectory dllcache contains an uptodate verison of ntoskrnl.exe
> that I'd like to move to system32 subdirectory.

The %sytemroot% folder and subfolders should be accessible from the
Recovery Console. If you can't navigate these folders the drive might
be corrupt.

John

"John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:e18qIB$8GHA.3736@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Mike wrote:
>
>> I should have typed ". . . I could not move around to. . . ."
>> I believe subdirectory dllcache contains an uptodate verison of
>> ntoskrnl.exe
>> that I'd like to move to system32 subdirectory.
>
> The %sytemroot% folder and subfolders should be accessible from the
> Recovery Console. If you can't navigate these folders the drive might be
> corrupt.

I couldn't figure out how to navigate to the different directories after I
was in RC.

I installed XP SP2 on the PC.