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Are you seeing an error about a file in System32 called ntoskrnl.exe being missing or corrupt? This common Windows XP error might look scary, but it'll be easy to fix with this simple tutorial!

  1. How.com.vn English: Step 1 Test the error.
    Before trying the steps below, you can test to fix this error by following these 2 quick tips. Do the following:
    • Boot your Windows into Last Known Good Configuration (press F8 at startup to do so)
    • Disconnect any PS/2 or serial keyboards you may have and try again.
    • If the above doesn't work, continue to the next step.
  2. How.com.vn English: Step 2 Boot into the recovery console from your installation disk.
    If you don't have your installation disk, check the Tips section below for alternatives. If you are unsure how to do this check out the Microsoft Knowledge base article ID: 314058 for a quick guide.
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  3. How.com.vn English: Step 3 Once in run chkdsk /r and once done reboot.
    If this doesn’t work, boot into the recovery console once again and try the following:
  4. How.com.vn English: Step 4 From the prompt type attrib -R C:
    \boot.ini followed by enter
  5. How.com.vn English: Step 5 Then del C:
    \boot.ini followed by enter
  6. How.com.vn English: Step 6 With the boot.ini gone, it’s time to rebuild it type bootcfg /rebuild followed by enter
  7. How.com.vn English: Step 7 When prompted to search for installed OS’s entery
  8. How.com.vn English: Step 8 When prompted for...
    When prompted for the load identifier enter the name of the installed OS, for exampleMicrosoft Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition followed by enter
  9. How.com.vn English: Step 9 When prompted for the load options enter type /fastdetect followed by enter
  10. How.com.vn English: Step 10 Next enter fixboot C:
    followed by enter
  11. How.com.vn English: Step 11 Now to give it a whirl, reboot and see if it’s fixed
  12. How.com.vn English: Step 12 If none of the above worked hop into the recovery console once again and enter fixmbr C:
    followed by enter and then reboot.
  13. How.com.vn English: Step 13 If nothing from above worked, you may need to run this command to replace the ntoskrnl.exe file itself:
    expand D:\i386\ntoskrnl.exe C:\Windows\system32 or try to run bootcfg /rebuild
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  • Question
    How do I access the recovery console?
    How.com.vn English: Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You need a recovery disk. Ask your manufacturer for one or just get the ISO from the Windows website and put it on a CD or USB key and boot from that.
  • Question
    What do I do if my boot critical file c:\windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe is corrupt and these steps don't correct the problem?
    How.com.vn English: Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Reinstall Windows or insert a recovery disk to reinstall and repair the missing or corrupt files.
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      Tips

      • If you don't have a Windows installation disk, you need a disk that's called "recovery disk" or "repair disk". These types of disks are bootable and have Command Prompt tools installed.
      • To do this simply boot from the operating system install disk as per booting into the recovery console but instead of selectingR for the console select Enter to set up Windows [version] now. Press F8 to accept the Windows licensing agreement and then when it has found the installation press R to start the repair.
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
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      Warnings

      • Running a Windows repair should be relatively safe but it is worth noting that you should read around the topic if you feel a repair is necessary.
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      About This Article

      How.com.vn is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 16 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 328,660 times.
      How helpful is this?
      Co-authors: 16
      Updated: October 27, 2023
      Views: 328,660
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 328,660 times.

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