help please

sarah-t_4

hiya
ive recently bought a dell latitude d400 laptop

i loaded avg anitvirus on it and after scanning it i deleted a file (which wasnt supose to be deleted) but he avg saw it as a threat so i deleted it.

now when i turn on the laptop it wont start , it says :

windows root system32 ntoskrnl.exe file corrupted or missing please repair it .

i was told from another forum to insert a cd and reload the programmes but the thing is my laptop doesnt have a cd drive , so i dont have a cd and cant download anything.
is there another way i can solve this problem and get back on my laptop ?

any help would be aprieciated
thankyou.

fwor

Your options depend on what Operating System you're using and how you deleted the file.

Given the name of the file it's probably fair to guess at WinXP or Vista, though it could be something older.

If you deleted the file as a "normal" file deletion (i.e. via Windows Explorer) then it may be recoverable from the Recycle Bin. If you deleted it via AVG then it may be recoverable from AVG's virus vault.

BUT neither will be easy, because I'm fairly sure that the PC won't boot even in Safe Mode with that file missing (but have you tried anyway?).

If you don't need access to the PC urgently then it may actually be easiest to buy a D400 CD drive secondhand off Ebay and "repair install" the OS from a Windows installation CD.

If you're feeling very brave, a couple of the tougher (technically) options would be:

Boot the laptop from a pendrive running Linux and replace the missing file or

Remove the hard disk and attach it as a second drive on another PC and replace the missing file.

Neither will be easy unless you have geek qualifications.

One other thought: does it have a floppy drive? That may add a few more options, though sadly ntoskrnl.exe is too big to fit on a floppy...

sarah-t_4

hiya
thankyou for your reply

its windows xp
i deleted it after scanning the laptop with avg anti virus as it detected it as a threat

i cant access the rcyle bin or virus vault as i cant log in , as soon as i turn the laptop on it come a messege saying file missing 32 etc....

"Boot the laptop from a pendrive running Linux and replace the missing file or
"

how do i do this ? whats a pendrive
i can only click f2 or f12 to reboot or settings . cant go to windws or access any programmes

the laptop doesnt have a cd drive or a floppy drive or anyting ( was desperate for internet so wnt for a cheapo one )

thanyou

vale46_2

Did you try booting and pressing F8 - select "Last known Good Configuration"

Or if that doesnt work try this

---

Run System Restore in Command Prompt

1. Boot into Safe mode with Command Prompt – Keep Pressing F8 at start-up then with the arrow keys select Safe mode with Command prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
Press Enter.

Follow the instructions given to perform the System Restore process.

I HAVE NOT TRIED THIS ^^ AND DON'T KNOW IF IT WORKS OK

or will it boot it in safe mode and you could do a system restore from start/all programes/accessories/system tools/system restore ?

To get into the Windows 2000 / XP Safe mode, as the computer is booting press and hold your "F8 Key" which should bring up the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" as shown below. Use your arrow keys to move to "Safe Mode" and press your Enter key.

Note: With some computers if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, instead of pressing and holding the "F8 key", tap the "F8 key" continuously until you get the startup menu.

Trouble Getting into Windows 2000 or Windows XP Safe mode - If after several attempts you are unable to get into Windows 2000 or Windows XP Safe Mode as the computer is booting into Windows, turn off your computer. When the computer is turned on the next time Windows should notice that the computer did not successfully boot and give you the Safe Mode screen.

Windows Advanced Options Menu
Please select an option:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging
Enable VGA mode
Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)
Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)
Debugging Mode

Start Windows Normally
Reboot
Return to OS Choices Menu

Use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight to your choice.

fwor

Vale46: worth trying, but I don't ~think~ it will even boot in Safe Mode with that file missing. But definitely worth a try.

sarah-t wrote: »

how do i do this ? whats a pendrive

A USB memory stick. If you hit F12 before Wndows tries to start, do you get "boot from USB storage device" as an option?

Even so, you're going to find it really tough going unless you have quite a lot of geekness.

I reckon the second of the two options I suggested is probably the most viable, but it would still be a very steep learning curve.

If you have a very good computer repair shop nearby that may be the quickest solution. Do not under any circumstances take it to PC World to be fixed.

I suspect that most repair shops won't have the patience to find and replace the file, so they will prob just put it in another PC and reinstall the OS. Do you care about losing any of the data on the hard disk if that were to happen?

sarah-t_4

i dont have anything worthwhile losing on it,
ll try what vale46 suggested, see i that works , but as it only gives me f2 and f2 option so not sure
ill gve that try and sei it works
brb

fwor

The file that you deleted was the kernel image for XP - a core component - so I don't think it will run, even in Safe Mode.

When you get a chance to try, let us know what options you are offered if you hit F12 at startup. If booting from a USB CD-ROM is one of them then you could buy an external CD drive and boot from that.

Do you have (or can you borrow) an XP installation CD?

sarah-t_4

im doing the f8 a the moment its giing me options select Safe Mode with Command Prompt but then i get the error messegs multi(0)disc etc..back to square one..


Do you have (or can you borrow) an XP installation CD?
i might have a cd ,(the fat pc has one) but cant put in laptop no cd drive

Marty_J

Another success for AVG.

Sarah, I hope when you get it working again you'll consider using Avira AntiVir or Avast instead.

fwor

Marty_J wrote: »

Another success for AVG.

Yeah, not a great advert for that product...

OP: If you can answer the F12 question, an external USB CD drive like this may help:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152000

You also need to be sure that the version of XP on the fat PC is the same as on the laptop (don't think a repair install of XP Pro will work with an XP Home CD).

aliEnRIK

Marty_J wrote: »

Another success for AVG.

Sarah, I hope when you get it working again you'll consider using Avira AntiVir or Avast instead.

It just gets worse doesnt it!?