How do i repair Windows...

lynx

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Can anyone suggest how i may overcome a Windows loading problem on my pc? The os is XP Pro and after the bios info screen i get a message advising that Windows cannot start as ???.dll is missing or corrupt (i don't recall which .dll it is as i'm at a different pc at the mo). Can i use recovery console to copy the corrupt file or is there someother method of achieving this? The missing dll needs to be copied to the system32 folder however as i can't load Windows you can see where my problem lies. Any suggestions to easily resolve this issue would be great.
 
deanym said:
Can you get in through "safe mode"? If so this would allow you to remedy the missing file.

Windows won't load.
 
dont no if im right but that sounds simalar to what happend to me .i think. i put xp disc in as to format and pressed r for recovery/repair then typed in fixboot dont take my word 4 it as not to sure u got same prob as me as was a long time ago
 
Yeah if you start up with your XP disk in the machine it will take you through as though you are instaling XP but just chose to Repair
 
Use the 'Copy system files' method from a Win XP SP2 CD, MUCH better than the recovery/repair method....

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

I've used this method several times and is also very handy if you do a major hardware upgrade.

All your progs will still run and profiles/files etc will still be intact, although you will need to re-install any XP updates that are not on the CD.
 
You should be able to use the recovery console while booting wioth the windows setup cd to copy it overm i had to do a similar thing recently.

You can always try installing windows over the current version as this sometimes fixes everything (more so on win9x though to be honest) and if it comes to it just reinstall windows by deleting the current windows folder, although this is a final step, but if you don't have a hardware problem will always fix it.
 
Update, Windows setup fails at ''The file acpi.sys is corrupted'' so i can't progress at all from this point. Any thoughts...hope i'm not going to be Donald Ducked.

The original error when booting from the boot drive is;Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: <Windows root>system32/hal.dll.
 
Is this a retail or an iso download (an msdn one) because there were a few problems with the iso that stoped (i think) at a point with this file.

So you pop the disk in, select boot from cd and then it starts to load the setup but then fails before you get any options?

If its a retail disc you should be able to get it swaped over as you may have a dodgy disc.
 
gazbarber said:
So you pop the disk in, select boot from cd and then it starts to load the setup but then fails before you get any options?

That is the long and short of it.
I'm fairly certain the disc isn't corrupt but i've got another i can try later.
 
Good news, fill us in on how you fixed it if you like, it may help others.
 
gazbarber said:
Good news, fill us in on how you fixed it if you like, it may help others.

From the MS link...
1.Configure the computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. For information about how to do this, see your computer documentation, or contact your computer manufacturer.2.Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer.3.When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM.4.When you receive the "Welcome to Setup" message, press R to start the Recovery Console.5.If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you have to use from the Recovery Console. 6.When you are prompted, type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.7.At the command prompt, type bootcfg /list, and then press ENTER. The entries in your current Boot.ini file appear on the screen. 8.At the command prompt, type bootcfg /rebuild, and then press ENTER. This command scans the hard disks of the computer for Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows NT installations, and then displays the results. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to add the Windows installations to the Boot.ini file. For example, follow these steps to add a Windows XP installation to the Boot.ini file: a. When you receive a message that is similar to the following message, press Y: Total Identified Windows Installs: 1

[1] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
b. You receive a message that is similar to the following message: Enter Load Identifier
This is the name of the operating system. When you receive this message, type the name of your operating system, and then press ENTER. This is either Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.c. You receive a message that is similar to the following: Enter OS Load options
When you receive this message, type /fastdetect, and then press ENTER.

Note The instructions that appear on your screen may be different, depending on the configuration of your computer.9.Type exit, and then press ENTER to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts, and the updated boot list appears when you receive the "Please select the operating system to start" message.
 

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