Help! Help! Help!

General Topics
1

I rebooted the system last night and was greeted with the following message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
System32\Drivers\Ntfs.sys

You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup
using the original Setup CD-Rom.
Select ‘R’ at the first screen to select repair.

When I restart the system with the CD and use the Repair function,
I get the following screen:
Microsoft Windows XP ™ Recovery Console.
The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality.
Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.
C:>

Unfortunately this leaves me without a clue as to how to proceed from here.

If you have an answer for me, it would be greatly appreciated.

2

Sorry but this seems to be even more involved.
It seems that the system isn’t recognizing any of my HardDrives.
I’ll be putting it into the shop Mon. morning. :cry:

3

Yeah Bob, this is the default screen of Recovery Console…
XP has an internet setting to ‘allow’ or not the access of floppy, CD, other folders in the HDD… for the recovery console user…
Hasn’t the RC asked you for the administrator password?
Do you have any other CD for boot? Maybe just copying the file into the corrupted one…

4

Hello Bob,

Maybe this thread can shed some light on it… even though, it doesn’t look too good:

http://www.gidforums.com/t-748.html

They mentioned some hardware problems with HDs. Many of those people said they already tried every single REPAIR option at no avail.

Have you tried this by any chance ?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555531/en-us

5

Since the system can’t access the HD’s, the repairs can’t be made till that problem is solved.
I also don’t want to loose anything so in the morning it’s off to the shop.

6

Hmmm… if it’s similar to the problem those guys mentioned in that forum, it smells like a format from the scratch… meaning you’ll have to loose your data from the HD, unless they can restore it somehow using some utilities.

7

Bob… can’t you access the disk? I mean, the article that Sasha posted seems to be the very best solution…
But what is ‘can’t access’? The disk is not recognized by the BIOS?

8

How about trying a Linux live CD, can’t remember the name but that can read ntfs formatted drives if you were able to extract the ntfs/sys from your windows CD to a USB pendrive, then boot using the Linux Live CD, could you not use that to replace the corrupt or missing one ?

You could also use the Linux Live CD to back-up what you need to the pendrive.

9

David I’m using Ubuntu Live right now but it doesn’t see my 3 hard drives either.
It finds all the CD ROM drives and the USB drives but no hard drives.
The strange part is that when I first boot the system, I can see them.
Once it boots into the GUI, they seem to dissapear.

10

Rats, I thought that would be fine as it shouldn’t have needed a windows system file to view ntfs formated drives.

11

Bob… When I boot live Kubuntu CD, as far I remember, it can see the disks, even the NTFS.
If you go to \mount or \mnt folders, can you see anything there?
Does the BIOS detects the HDD?

12

Tech
The bios detects it but that’s it.
The 3 drives don’t show up in Linux.
I only see the CD’s and the USB drives.

13

Hi bob3160,

How old is that HD? More likely than not HD trouble.

polonus

14

The bootdrive (300GIG) was installed about 2 weeks ago.
Remember, there are 3 HD’s and the system doesn’t see any of them.

15

Did you check cables to make sure none were loose?

16

An update:

I called the shop about 4 hrs. ago to check on their progress and was told the following:
“We’ve formatted the drive and re-installed windows but still couldn’t boot the system”
Apparently they did the format and XP install on another computer then put the hard drive back into my system and again couldn’t boot for the original problem.

I asked them if they had checked the controller card and was told that they always check for possible software problems first.

About 10 minutes after my original call, I got a call back and was told that they had found the problem and they needed to replace the HD controller board ??? ??? and my system would be ready for pick up tomorrow.

Guess which shop will not get any more of my business. >:(

Once I get the system back, I’ll have to update windows and re-install any programs that had anything stored in the windows folder.

I think I’ll be busy for a while. :cry: