Daughter's laptop problem

[dotty.]

I've brought my daughter's laptop home to see if I can get help on here with it. It is an Acer 5315 running Windows XP, when it switches on, it won't load wndows and shows a message in white at the top of a black screen reeading:
following file missing or corrupt <Windowsroot>\system32\ntoskml.exe. re-install or copy file.

I have an acer 6935 running Windows Vista and I have found the file on there and copied it to a disc, is it going to be possible to get that file onto daughters laptop or can I somehow repair her's another way? I've used F8 and still can't get into windows.

[beso]

What you describe is potentially a symptom of a serious disk failure. Your primary focus should be to try and retrieve the data.

I would try reading the disk as a non-boot disk in another computer. You could use a USB disk case or install it as a secondary disk in another computer.

If it stops the other computer booting when installed or can't be read via USB then the drive is probably completely stuffed and she will need her backups to get her data back.

[dotty.]

Hi, thanks for the reply, which disk do you mean beso? How do I find the back ups?

[TTG]

Try repair of Windows. Do you have installation disc of XP? Use this to repair windows. If no disc, boot into safe mode (tap F8 on starting up laptop). Is there an option to boot into recovery console? You might be able to repair windows from there. off out so cannot help any more. Good luck.

[dotty.]

we've no recover disc for XP unfortunately, I wonder if I can dowload one to my laptop and transfer it to disc, but then if i did that, how can i get the other laptop to upload it when windows won't open? I've changed the boot up order to make the disc drive the first drive but it hasn't worked when i tried to get the copy of the system32 file uploaded.

[ChuckFickens]

You should be able to start the recovery process on that by pressing ATL + F10 during startup and then recovering it back to factory settings from there. However doing this will wipe all your daughters files from the computer unless you get the drive removed and back them up first.

If you ALT + F10 doesn't work then "D2D RECOVERY" may need to be enabled in the BIOS first.

[dotty.]

ok thanks Chuck I can try that

[dotty.]

Hi, D2D is already enabled and the alt F10 didn't do anything the same message about the file just comes up. : ( thanks anyway.

[dinger]

try rebooting in safe mode, hold the shift key when starting. then go back to when computer was working properly.

[dotty.]

I need to format the whole thing I think, it won't restore or let me get into windows, acer have their own recovery built in but i can't get into that without windows running i don't think

[dotty.]

before I totally give up with this are there anymore possible 'fixes' please?

[ChuckFickens]

You could try booting it from a linux CD and copying the file into the correct place (you'd have much more chance of it working if you could get a copy of the file from an identical OS)

However, ntoskml.exe is one of the main NT kernel files and I wouldn't rate your chances of it working TBH and I'd want to do a format and reinstall anyhow if it was me (followed by a full disk check)

However.... booting the computer into Linux might let you get the personal files off the laptop before wiping it totally.

[dotty.]

I'd do a format but what discs would I need? Will windows XP still be there? I'd need the windows xp disc wouldn't I and they aren't supplied when you buy laptops are they?

[ChuckFickens]

Yep, you'd need not only the XP disk but one that matches the type and version of the license key on the sticker. (chances are you'd need an OEM version of XP home)

The CDs aren't supplied with a lot of machines now, you are meant to burn the recovery disks yourself when you first get the machine (which you/her would have got prompted to do until it was either done, or somebody selected the don't prompt me to do it again option)

If you can borrow an appropriate XP cd (know anyone with a dell computer that came with XP home? their CD would probably work) then you should be able to use that fine.... otherwise you'll probably have to buy XP (or if it's a half decent laptop you could upgrade it to windows7)...

Otherwise.... sticking one of the versions of linux on it would make it usable again for most things for free, but this is often not a suitable thing to do to people that are totally used to using windows..

[dotty.]

ok thanks for that Chuck, I think actually my daughter's ex may have a disc that would work, he seemed to mess about with the laptop quite a bit when they were together. I'll try to get in touch with him. cheers.