Most of us who use the Microsoft Windows XP system to carry out our daily activities encounter some kind of system error at one time or another. Listed below are some of the common errors you might encounter on your Windows XP system due to problems with the registry and other important system files.
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
Windows NT could not start because the below file is missing or corrupt:
C:\WINNT\System32\\Ntoskrnl.exe
Windows NT could not start because the below file is missing or corrupt:
C:\\WINNT\System32\HAL.dll
Invalid boot.ini
Press any key to restart
NTLDR is Missing
Press any key to restart
Fix XP System Problems
The best way to prevent frequent occurrences of these errors is to perform a registry clean-up. In Windows XP systems, you must use the Windows Recovery Console utility. To open the utility, boot your PC with the Windows XP operating system CD-ROM. Press ‘R’ when the ‘Welcome to Setup’ screen is displayed. Next, enter the administrator password to open the ‘Registry Console’ screen.
Note: The commands discussed here assume that Windows XP is installed on the ‘C’ drive.
Step 1: Change to root directory
To perform the repair process, you must be in the root folder. For this, run the following command at the prompt.
C:\CD..
Step2: Modify attributes of Boot.ini file
The boot.ini file controls the boot process and is used to determine which operating system (on a multi-operating-system PC) to load and which operating system options to display during startup. To perform the fixes, you will have to recreate the boot.ini file. However, boot.ini is a system file, therefore, it is a hidden read-only file. To carry on with your repair process, you will first need to change the attributes of this file. For this, run the following three commands on the prompt.
C:\ ATTRIB -H C:\\boot.ini
C:\ ATTRIB -S C:\\boot.ini
C:\ ATRIB -R C:\\boot.ini
Step 3: Delete the Boot.ini file
The repair process requires you to rebuild the boot.ini file. To create a new file, you will have to first delete the older file. To delete the boot.ini file run the following command.
C:\ del boot.ini
Step 4: Rebuild the System Files
To rebuild system files run the following command.
C:\ BOOTCFG /Rebuild
This is the most important step of the repair process. The ‘BOOTCFG /Rebuild’ command is basically a diagnostic tool that checks all the system files that are loaded when the operating system starts up. Listed below are some of the tasks this command performs.
• Recompiles boot.ini file
• Rectifies system errors
• Removes, replaces, or repairs corrupt system files disrupting normal boot process of the operating system
Step 5: Check Hard Disk Integrity
Although this is not an essential step, you may as well run the commands to check the integrity of the hard disk drive that carries the operating system files. For this perform the following command.
C:\ CHKDSK /R /F
The ‘/F’ and ‘/R’ parameters used along with the ‘CHKDSK’ command check and mark bad sectors on the hard disk.
Step 6: Write a New Boot sector
Finally, run the following command.
C:\ FIXBOOT
This command helps you rewrite a new boot sector. The command also helps in cleaning up anything that was left when you rebuilt the boot.ini and system files. If you are prompted to confirm whether or not you are sure about rewriting the boot sector partition, press, ‘Y’ and then ‘Enter’ to confirm your decision.
Step 7: Reboot the System
To exit the Recovery Console and restart your computer, run the following command.
C:\ EXIT
If your PC was suffering from any of the problems discussed in the beginning, performing the above steps will most likely get rid of them.
As you work on your PC you might come across various problems and errors related to DLL, registry, NTLDR, and HAL files. You can win the war against these problems by using the Recovery Console tool. This tool helps you efficiently fix your system just by executing eight simple commands. However, if your registry and system is damaged due to various malware programs, then to have a clean XP system, you can download a registry clean XP tool. You can use this tool to easily clean and free your registry and system from corrupt and invalid entries and files respectively.