Windows can,nt boot - Compaq Armada M700 Motherboard

Below is a listing of the full error message that may be related to this error.

Windows NT could not start because the below file is missing or corrupt:

C:\Winnt\System32\Ntoskrnl.exe
Cause

1. Keyboard issue
2. Miscellaneous corruption
3. Corrupt boot.ini file.
4. Missing boot.ini file.
5. Missing or corrupt ntoskrnl.exe file.
6. Windows NT installed on a partition bigger then 7.8GB
7. Corrupted hard disk drive or severely corrupted Windows.

Keyboard issue

This issue has also been known to be caused by a short in the ground wire in the keyboard cable. Make sure this is not the cause of your error by replacing the keyboard with a different keyboard or just disconnecting the keyboard from the computer.

Miscellaneous corruption

Before trying any of the below recommendations it's recommend that you load the last known good configuration.

Corrupt boot.ini file

This issue is often caused when the boot.ini is missing or improperly configured. This issue often arises after a user has recently added or removed an operating system on the computer or added or removed hard disk drives in the computer.

Make sure the line pointing to the operating system and its drive and partition is properly configured in the [boot loader] and [operating systems] section.

• Additional information and help with the boot.ini.

Missing boot.ini file

Microsoft Windows XP users:

If the boot.ini is severely corrupted or missing a user running Microsoft Windows XP can rebuild the boot.ini to resolve this issue.

• How to rebuild the Windows boot.ini.

Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 users:

To restore the original boot.ini file in Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000 you will need an ERD and follow the below steps. If you do not have an ERD you will be unable to follow these steps.

1. Boot the computer with your Windows NT three setup diskettes or the Windows 2000 setup disc.
2. In the setup menu, type R to start the repair.
3. When prompted for the ERD diskette insert the diskette and inspect the startup environment.

Missing or corrupt ntoskrnl.exe file

If the ntoskrnl.exe file is corrupt or missing this can also generate the error. To restore this file follow the below steps.

1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
5. Type expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ c:\windows\system32
6. You will then be prompted if you wish to overwrite the file type Y and press enter to overwrite the file.
7. Type exit to reboot the computer.

Windows NT installed on a partition bigger then 7.8GB

If you are running Microsoft windows NT 4.0 on a partition larger than 7.8GB this issue can occur if the boot files are located outside this limitation. When this error occurs your computer will have the error message as shown below.

OS Loader v4.01
Disk I/O error status=00000001
Windows NT could not start because the below file is missing or corrupt: winnt\system32\Ntoskrnl.exe
Please reinstall a copy of the above file.

If your system partition is larger than 7.8GB you will need to delete the partition and recreate the partition to 7.8GB or less. Additional information about this issue can be found on Microsoft KB Q224526.

Corrupted hard disk drive or severely corrupted Windows

Check the hard disk drive for any errors by running the chkdsk program. To do this follow the below steps.

1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
5. Once at the recovery console type chkdsk /r
6. Once completed type exit and see if issue is resolved.

If after trying all of the above steps you are still encountering the same issue it's likely that Windows is severely corrupted and it is recommended you reinstall Windows.

Finally, if during the Windows installation you encounter errors it's likely that your hard disk drive is bad.


http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000646.htm

Applies to: Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP

When you start your computer, you receive the error message "NTLDR is missing. Press any key to restart."

The error message "NTLDR is missing" means that the Windows boot loader (NT Loader, NTLDR) cannot be found. This oftenoccurs when the computer tries to boot from a drive other than the one Windows is installed on, due to a change in the driveconfiguration or because you left a bootable disk in a removable drive. But it may also be because the NTLDR file has beencorrupted or deleted.

First, check the boot drives to make sure that the computer is not trying to boot from a different drive to the one thatcontains Windows.

• Check that there are no CDs or DVDs in the CD/DVD drives.
• Check that no removable drives are plugged in to the USB ports.
• Check the boot order in the BIOS Setup to ensure that the computer boots from the drive containing Windows before any other bootable devices.

If this does not resolve the problem, you will have to repair the NT boot loader.

The easiest way to fix the "NTLDR is missing" error is to use Spotmau PowerSuite.However, if your computer is using Windows XP and you have a Windows XP installation CD you may be able to boot from this anduse the Recovery Console to fix NTLDR manually instead.

• Click 2. Windows Recovery.

• When the Windows Recovery tool starts, click Windows NT/2000/XP/2003.

• On the Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 Recovery dialog, click Recover NTLDR and NTDETECT.

• On the Recover NTLDR and NTDETECT dialog, select your operating system (e.g. Windows XP) and then click Recover.

The tool will repair the file and report "NTLDR and NTDETECT have been recovered successfully."

• Remove the Spotmau PowerTools CD from the drive and click Restart to reboot the computer.

• NTLDR, which contains the main Boot loader itself
• boot.ini, which contains configuration options for a boot menu.

1. Boot to the working version of Windows NT.
2. Start a command prompt.
3. Change to the CD-ROM drive.
4. Change to the appropriate folder on the CD-ROM (for example, I386 for Intel-based computers).
5. Type expand hal.dl_ <systemroot>\system32 where <systemroot> is the path of the non-functioning Windows NT folder.
6. Type expand ntoskrnl.ex_ <systemroot>\system32.
7. Restart the computer into the other Windows NT installation.

1. Keyboard issue
2. Miscellaneous corruption
3. Corrupt boot.ini file.
4. Missing boot.ini file.
5. Missing or corrupt ntoskrnl.exe file.
6. Windows NT installed on a partition bigger then 7.8GB
7. Corrupted hard disk drive or severely corrupted Windows.

1. Boot the computer with your Windows NT three setup diskettes or the Windows 2000 setup disc.
2. In the setup menu, type R to start the repair.
3. When prompted for the ERD diskette insert the diskette and inspect the startup environment.

1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
5. Type expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ c:\windows\system32
6. You will then be prompted if you wish to overwrite the file type Y and press enter to overwrite the file.
7. Type exit to reboot the computer.

1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
5. Once at the recovery console type chkdsk /r
6. Once completed type exit and see if issue is resolved.

1. Keyboard issue
2. Miscellaneous corruption
3. Corrupt boot.ini file.
4. Missing boot.ini file.
5. Missing or corrupt ntoskrnl.exe file.
6. Windows NT installed on a partition bigger then 7.8GB
7. Corrupted hard disk drive or severely corrupted Windows.

1. Boot the computer with your Windows NT three setup diskettes or the Windows 2000 setup disc.
2. In the setup menu, type R to start the repair.
3. When prompted for the ERD diskette insert the diskette and inspect the startup environment.

1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
5. Type expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ c:\windows\system32
6. You will then be prompted if you wish to overwrite the file type Y and press enter to overwrite the file.
7. Type exit to reboot the computer.

1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
5. Once at the recovery console type chkdsk /r
6. Once completed type exit and see if issue is resolved.