Another way to task manager please

[brokencrow]

Wow, you get past the ntoskrnl.exe error? That's the 'kernel' itself, Jonny. The heart of Windows. No ntoskrnl, no operating system. Dalek may be onto something there.

Check any modification dates on that particular file. If you've got another XP machine handy, compare not only mod dates, but also file size against what's on the Toshiba. Bear in mind any difference in XP versions when comparing the ntoskrnl file on the two machines. Unfortunately, I'm not near an XP unit at this time, or I'd give you that info.

Yeah, learning is in the doing. I learned more working on my nephews' computers than on about any others. Jeez, it's appalling how far a little porn can go in screwing up a Windows PC.

[IKnowNot]

So you are saying now that you can boot to safe mode? And are looking to replace this ntoskrnl.exe file?

Did you do an explorer search on the hard drive for it?
If updates have been applied, there is probably one lurking in the patch files/folders.
If you find any, just make sure you copy the correct one ( newest ) to a temporary directory to be used to replace the defective one. Then use the copy you put in that tempory directory to do the replacing with. Make sure when you do, you also delete the one on \driver cache folder.

XP may not let you just replace it, even in safe mode. You may have to boot the system from another drive ( CD or floppy ). You did not say if it fat 32 or NTFS, if it is fat32 it is easy, boot to any dos disk. just remember, DOS does not recognize long file names, names with spaces, etc.

Have fun with this!

[Tiger Shark]

<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.

If this file is damaged or missing you are screwed without a level of skill and an amount of time that may be inappropriate...

See, if you look carefully at the name of the file and interpolate it's name is "NT Operating System Kernel". This is one of those, errr, very important files... In fact it's the most important one since it is the keystone of the entire operating system. No ntoskrnl = no OS = j00 f$k3d.

You're going to have to snag a copy of it from the CD... Which will mean finding it, possibly unpacking it and copying it to a floppy or CD. Then you need a bootable floppy that understands NTFS or a CD linux version that has NTFS compatibility built in... Then you need to boot to the bootable, get access to the c: drive and copy the new version of ntoskrnl.exe into the appropriate place, (c:\windows\system32). then restart the box...

You might try sticking the original CD in and seeing if you can do an OS repair from there... That might be quicker if you have the disk.

[Nokia]

Or with you run a sfc /scannow from the run prompt - this scans and repairs all the essential windows "kernel" files.

[brokencrow]

Replacing the ntoskrnl.exe file can probably only be done via a bootdisk. A BartPE or Knoppix (linux) CD would probably do it, if you can mount the partition and write to the hdd (shaky in linux).

If I was going to replace the ntoskrnl.exe file, I'd make sure the replacement came from an XP machine running the same version of XP. Same service pack, too. Copy the kernel to a usb drive.

But we may be getting ahead of ourselves here for now. I'm not as well-versed in Windows 'innards' as some here.

[Tiger Shark]

Maybe I'm confused here Nokia.... and I'm not dumb enough to mess with my ntoskrnl file to test this....

But... Without that file how is he going to get into safe mode? It runs in either mode doesn't it????

He's got to go bootable one way or another.

[JonnyFrond]

OK, thanks guys, I am going to do about 3 online scans, Kaspersky, Pandascan and housecall, then give it a defrag and leave it at that. The Kernal thing is well out of my expertise, though I might go for it if the laptop totally goes down and won't reboot. So far I have spent 2 day's on this piece of crap when I could have pleaded ignorance and gone about my business.

Learned lessons

1) Slow computer seems more often than not, too many start up processes.
2) Don't go near an unstable person's computer, they will blame you for everything.
3) I could.......but I choose not to.

Thanks for your help guys, I think this computers pretty knacked, but it gets on the net now, and I have locked it down severely, so I reckon it is probably pretty safe to do even the banking on.


Jonny the cleaner Frooty Frond

[brokencrow]

Don't know if I'd chance online banking on the thing.

As for going near an unstable person's computer, hell, everyone I know is unstable and turns into a ten-year-old when their PC goes south.

As they say in India's boiler rooms about Americans: 10=35

A ten-year-old Indian kid on a computer is as smart as a 35-year-old Yank.

Not sure where you Pommies fit in that equation.

[Tiger Shark]

Don't go near an unstable person's computer, they will blame you for everything.

Frond... For future reference... Don't go near anyone's computer, they will blame you for everything. That's the experience of many here...

[dalek]

Originally posted here by Tiger Shark
Frond... For future reference... Don't go near anyone's computer, they will blame you for everything. That's the experience of many here...

Boy is that so true, here at work I just have to walk by a computer and if there is a problem, it's my fault, geez, even while on vacation, I can get blamed, I just pass it off to user ignorance and continue on, and put that particular user at the bottom of my priorities list of things to do/help.