Windows XP clean install fails: ntoskrnl.exe missing or corrupt

[DF Haley]

Hi, I've just finished building a new PC from parts
(Duron 1.3Ghz processor, Epox mobo, Maxtor HDD, old
Mitsumi CD-ROM). Installing WinXP Home fails after all
the files are loaded and the computer attempts to reboot,
leaving the message that the ntoskrnl is missing or
corrupt. I've rebooted into the recovery console and
run "fixboot" but that didn't solve the problem.

I suppose it's possible that the ntoskrnl really is
corrupt? (It's listed in the system32 directory as
there). How can I fix this?

Thanks much!
DF

[R. C. White]

Hi, DF.

Most likely, ntoskrnl.exe is right where it's supposed to be and not
corrupt, but the computer is looking in the wrong place. This happens
sometimes when your HD lineup changes between the time Setup begins and the
time you try to boot into WinXP. Perhaps you added or removed a CD drive,
or a HD partition or a network drive.

C:\boot.ini points to a specific rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows folder that
holds ntoskrnl.exe, counting the physical disks starting with zero and the
volumes starting with one on each physical drive. Each time you boot, the
BIOS counts the drives all over again, forgetting what numbers applied last
time. On my computer (EPoX 8K3A+, including the onboard RAID), HDD0
changes, depending on whether my SCSI adapter is installed, whether the IDE
controller is disabled in the BIOS, or whether my HD is plugged into IDE or
RAID. All of these things can confuse C:\ntldr and C:\ntdetect.com if I
change them from one boot to the next.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP

"DF Haley" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, I've just finished building a new PC from parts
> (Duron 1.3Ghz processor, Epox mobo, Maxtor HDD, old
> Mitsumi CD-ROM). Installing WinXP Home fails after all
> the files are loaded and the computer attempts to reboot,
> leaving the message that the ntoskrnl is missing or
> corrupt. I've rebooted into the recovery console and
> run "fixboot" but that didn't solve the problem.
>
> I suppose it's possible that the ntoskrnl really is
> corrupt? (It's listed in the system32 directory as
> there). How can I fix this?
>
> Thanks much!
> DF

[DF Haley]

Thanks RC for your suggestion! Does that mean I should
try editing the boot.ini file to get it to point to the
right place?

My hypothesis was that the IDE might require an OEM
driver and wasn't getting it, thus confusing Windows.
I was trying to copy the driver files (of which there are
many, it's an integrated Epox NForce 8GRA+ with audio,
video, NIC, etc. all on the motherboard). So far I
haven't had any success getting that to work either.

It's frustrating because all the hardware seems to be
working, but I just can't get Windows to load. And I
don't have a floppy drive installed, which limits my
ability to try things (like updating the BIOS). I was
also thinking of trying to get Win98SE to load then
upgrading to XP.

The exact message I'm getting is "Windows could not start
because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install
a copy of the above file. I also tried the install with
a different WinXP Home disk and got the same message, so
I'm pretty sure it's not the file, but rather something
more fundamental (and probably something stupid I did or
didn't do).

Anyway, you've given me something else to try.

Thanks!
DF


>-----Original Message-----
>Hi, DF.
>
>Most likely, ntoskrnl.exe is right where it's supposed
to be and not
>corrupt, but the computer is looking in the wrong
place. This happens
>sometimes when your HD lineup changes between the time
Setup begins and the
>time you try to boot into WinXP. Perhaps you added or
removed a CD drive,
>or a HD partition or a network drive.
>
>C:\boot.ini points to a specific rdisk(0)partition(1)
\Windows folder that
>holds ntoskrnl.exe, counting the physical disks starting
with zero and the
>volumes starting with one on each physical drive. Each
time you boot, the
>BIOS counts the drives all over again, forgetting what
numbers applied last
>time. On my computer (EPoX 8K3A+, including the onboard
RAID), HDD0
>changes, depending on whether my SCSI adapter is
installed, whether the IDE
>controller is disabled in the BIOS, or whether my HD is
plugged into IDE or
>RAID. All of these things can confuse C:\ntldr and
C:\ntdetect.com if I
>change them from one boot to the next.
>
>RC
>--
>R. C. White, CPA
>San Marcos, TX

>Microsoft Windows MVP
>
>"DF Haley" > wrote in message
...
>> Hi, I've just finished building a new PC from parts
>> (Duron 1.3Ghz processor, Epox mobo, Maxtor HDD, old
>> Mitsumi CD-ROM). Installing WinXP Home fails after all
>> the files are loaded and the computer attempts to
reboot,
>> leaving the message that the ntoskrnl is missing or
>> corrupt. I've rebooted into the recovery console and
>> run "fixboot" but that didn't solve the problem.
>>
>> I suppose it's possible that the ntoskrnl really is
>> corrupt? (It's listed in the system32 directory as
>> there). How can I fix this?
>>
>> Thanks much!
>> DF
>
>
>.
>

[DR Haley]

Hi, my boot.ini says the same thing:
[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS-"Microsoft
Windows XP Home Edition"
/fastdetect

that's it. I think that's right given I have one HDD and
one CD-ROM. They're on different IDE channels and cables
too. The HDD is on IDE1 and the CD is on IDE2. Both are
set as master on their respective cables.

Don't know what else to try...

DF

[R. C. White]

Hi, DF.

There are several KB articles about the missing ntoskrnl.exe file problem;
here's one of them:
Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because of a Computer Disk Hardware
Configuration Problem
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314477

You can find about 40 other articles by navigating to support.microsoft.com
and telling Google to Search Site for "\system32\ntoskrnl.exe". Perhaps one
of those will provide the right clue if 314477 doesn't work.

Your boot.ini post looks right - IF C:\Windows includes ntoskrnl.exe and the
rest of WinXP. That's rdisk(0), which is the first physical drive: the
master on the primary IDE controller. And partition(1): the first
partition on that hard drive, almost always Drive C:. And in the Root
folder named \Windows.

Your other "clutching at straws" solutions don't hold much hope, I'm afraid,
especially the "install Win98 then upgrade" approach. My 8K3A+ is the only
EPoX board I've owned; I love it, but I don't know anything about your 8GRA+
or any other model. But with your boot device plugged into IDE1 on the
mobo, WinXP's native drivers should handle it automatically with no
supplemental drivers, I think. If special drivers are required, you must
press F6 when invited, early in WinXP Setup, to install SCSI or other mass
storage drivers (I've forgotten the exact phrase). Then wait while a lot of
files are transferred and the computer halts with instructions telling how
to use that floppy to install the drivers. The usual symptoms of failure to
load such drivers, though, is a BSOD complaining of Stop 0x7B,
Inaccessible_Boot_Device when Setup tries to boot from that HD (instead of
from the CD) to continue with the GUI portion of the installation.

Did you get a drivers diskette with that mobo? Does the owner's manual say
anything about needing a driver for IDE? My board came with such a diskette
for the onboard Highpoint HPT-372 RAID controller. I normally boot from my
SCSI drive on an Adaptec controller, and that's how I installed WinXP
originally, temporarily disabling IDE altogether to keep Setup from getting
confused as to which was rdisk(0). Later, I disabled SCSI and installed
WinXP again from the first partition on the IDE drive - just for insurance
in case the SCSI gives me troubles. Still later, I moved the 80-pin IDE
cable from IDE1 to IDE3 (the RAID connector on the mobo) and installed WinXP
a third time. THIS third time, I had to use the F6 key during WinXP Setup
to install those Highpoint drivers from diskette. Also, of course, I had to
change the BIOS settings each time I changed the arrangement.

Let us know what you try and what results you get. "I tried everything" and
"it didn't work" don't tell us much without some details. Please let us
know especially if you find what DOES work. In a newsgroup, we all learn
from each other. ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP

"DF Haley" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks RC for your suggestion! Does that mean I should
> try editing the boot.ini file to get it to point to the
> right place?
>
> My hypothesis was that the IDE might require an OEM
> driver and wasn't getting it, thus confusing Windows.
> I was trying to copy the driver files (of which there are
> many, it's an integrated Epox NForce 8GRA+ with audio,
> video, NIC, etc. all on the motherboard). So far I
> haven't had any success getting that to work either.
>
> It's frustrating because all the hardware seems to be
> working, but I just can't get Windows to load. And I
> don't have a floppy drive installed, which limits my
> ability to try things (like updating the BIOS). I was
> also thinking of trying to get Win98SE to load then
> upgrading to XP.
>
> The exact message I'm getting is "Windows could not start
> because the following file is missing or corrupt:
> <Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install
> a copy of the above file. I also tried the install with
> a different WinXP Home disk and got the same message, so
> I'm pretty sure it's not the file, but rather something
> more fundamental (and probably something stupid I did or
> didn't do).
>
> Anyway, you've given me something else to try.
>
> Thanks!
> DF
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Hi, DF.
> >
> >Most likely, ntoskrnl.exe is right where it's supposed
> to be and not
> >corrupt, but the computer is looking in the wrong
> place. This happens
> >sometimes when your HD lineup changes between the time
> Setup begins and the
> >time you try to boot into WinXP. Perhaps you added or
> removed a CD drive,
> >or a HD partition or a network drive.
> >
> >C:\boot.ini points to a specific rdisk(0)partition(1)
> \Windows folder that
> >holds ntoskrnl.exe, counting the physical disks starting
> with zero and the
> >volumes starting with one on each physical drive. Each
> time you boot, the
> >BIOS counts the drives all over again, forgetting what
> numbers applied last
> >time. On my computer (EPoX 8K3A+, including the onboard
> RAID), HDD0
> >changes, depending on whether my SCSI adapter is
> installed, whether the IDE
> >controller is disabled in the BIOS, or whether my HD is
> plugged into IDE or
> >RAID. All of these things can confuse C:\ntldr and
> C:\ntdetect.com if I
> >change them from one boot to the next.
> >
> >RC
> >
> >"DF Haley" > wrote in message
> ...
> >> Hi, I've just finished building a new PC from parts
> >> (Duron 1.3Ghz processor, Epox mobo, Maxtor HDD, old
> >> Mitsumi CD-ROM). Installing WinXP Home fails after all
> >> the files are loaded and the computer attempts to
> reboot,
> >> leaving the message that the ntoskrnl is missing or
> >> corrupt. I've rebooted into the recovery console and
> >> run "fixboot" but that didn't solve the problem.
> >>
> >> I suppose it's possible that the ntoskrnl really is
> >> corrupt? (It's listed in the system32 directory as
> >> there). How can I fix this?
> >>
> >> Thanks much!
> >> DF