If your Windows XP installation  is damaged  or corrupt and you do not have another operating system to boot your computer , you can perform  Repair Install which will restore your corrupted or missing files and fix hal dll and  ntoskrnl.exe files to its original state.

Make sure you have a valid  Windows XP key before proceeding to the next step. The entire process will take approximately thirty minutes or one hour , depending your computer hardware specifications.

How to do the  Repair Install?

  1. Insert your Windows XP installation CD then boot from CD Drive
  2. Choose the Repair mode by pressing  R button
  3. Press the F8 key to proceed to the next step and check “I Agree at the Licensing Agreement”
  4. Choose the destination folder where you will install the original System Files, it’s normally located on folder  C: \ Windows,  the Windows  Repair Install will then start copying files on the folder
  5. Your computer will then automatically restart . Leave the Windows XP installation CD in the CD-ROM .
  6. Next you will see a picture of progress bar  indicating the repair progress
  7. When prompted to enter a key, input your valid Windows XP  key  after which your  computer will restart again.

A. Fix ntoskrnl exe error

If your computer fails to start and pops up the following error message :  “ntoskrnl not found” , do the following procedure:

  1. Insert the Windows XP installation CD and boot from the CD.
  2. Choose Repair option by pressing R key
  3. Choose the location of the installation of Windows you want to repair by pressing  the corresponding number ( normally # 1)
  4. Switch to  the CD drive.
  5. Type the following command  : CD i38 and then type : expand ntkrnlmp.ex_ C: \Windows  System32\ntoskrnl.exe
  6. Done

B. Fix damaged or missing   Windows System32 Config

You can perform the quick-fix bellow if you get an error with the following message :

“Windows Could not Start Because the Following is missing or corrupt files C:\ windows\ system32\ config\ system or  \ windows\ system32\ config\ software “

  1. Insert Windows XP installation CD then boot from CD-ROM
  2. Choose Repair option by pressing R key
  3. Choose the location of the installation of Windows you want to repair by pressing  the corresponding number  ( normally # 1)
  4. Enter the administrator password when prompted to to so.
  5. Type the following command line : delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
  6. Next type : copy c:\windows\repair\SYSTEM c:\windows\system32\config
  7. Eject the CD then type: exit

    C. Fix hal dll

    If your computer fails to restart and you  get an error  message saying that hal.dll file missing or corrupt, it is most likely the boot.ini file is not configured according to its default installation. Just follow the bellow procedure:

    1. Insert Windows XP installation CD then boot from CD Drive
    2. Choose Repair option by pressing R key
    3. Choose the location of the installation of Windows you want to repair by pressing  the corresponding number  ( normally # 1)
    4. Type :  bootcfg / list ( This command line  is to show current configuration of the boot.ini file)
    5. Type:  bootcfg / rebuild (This command is to fix  misconfiguration of the boot.ini file )

    If you properly follow the above repair procedures you should easily be able to fix hal dll and  ntoskrnl exe error.

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    Filed under: Windows Tips and Trick

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