windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:<windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.

[cofferr]

My daughter has a Compaq Presario windows 98 with a AMD Athlon processor and 128MB ram. It was upgraded to a windows XP that was given to her for school use. The computer stays at her mothers house. My daughter was out for the weekend (someone may have unpluged and pluged it back in making the computer to turn on) and when she came home it was on with a black screen and white letters saying the following:

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.

My daughter has school and personal information also family pictures stored on this computer, she would like to save or restore the hard drive if at all possible, i do not have a restore disk or anything for this computer.

Can anyone PLEASE help me fix this problem.

[Tomthegreat]

You can try to edit the Boot.ini file to restore or correct the Default entry and to ensure that the other entries in the [Operating Systems] section of the Boot.ini file point to the appropriate directories. For more information visit this website - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314477

[Coolestman]

First of all, try to boot the computer from a free live Linux CD/DVD like the Knoppix one. After that it will enable you to backup your files with the help of the network or Usb drive. After doing that, you can try to replace the file and then reinstall Windows, incase you have the CD, or take the computer to be repaired. You can get the Knoppix live CD by searching it on google.

[superbitch_44@yahoo.]

i have a dell and it has a message that comes on about the missing system and i need to know how to get what i need to download to a disk to put it back in my computer...PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!! And i'm not on the internet at my home so that is why i asked if there is a link to download on a disk..