Help! - missing file 'System32\Drivers\Ntfs.sys' - won't open Windows

Question

My Inspiron 6000 notebook is running Windows XP for Home, and it had been freezing up lately with the option for choosing 'Safe Mode' coming up. But I don't choose it, just give it time, and it seems to come back to Windows normally after some time. However, the last time it got blocked and had to shut down and start back up, Windows didn't even try to boot up, nor the option for Safe Mode. The only screen that comes up immediately after the Dell screen is the following:   '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 start repair.'   The problem is that my laptop didn't come with an installation cd-rom at all; windows was already installed, and I was not given the option when I first turned it on to create a back-up cd. Nothing I've tried to get rid of this screen works, not Ctrl+F11 or anything. It won't even start in safe mode.   Is there somewhere where I can download this file off of a Windows update/repair site? If I use another computer's Windows Setup cd-rom, would that work? Would my computer accept it? Or would it erase me entire harddrive? Can I just copy this one file from somewhere (find the file on another computer running Windows XP) onto a cd and load that burned cd into my computer and hit 'r' to repair?   I have found the screen where I can choose to restore everything on the computer to it's original settings, as it was when it first came to me. I guess this option is Dell's substitution for not giving a Windows set-up CD-ROM with the operating system. However, I have many important files, photos, and music on the harddrive which are not backed up, and I really don't wish to lose them if I can help it.   Does someone know how I can solve this, get the file and get back to Windows? Please please please!

dunedin · Answer

You will need an XP installation CD to fix this.
http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&thread.id=214841

Then follow the instructions here

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;822800

colleenj · Answer

I received the XP OS cd from Dell, put in, and clearly followed the directions to repair the missing/corrupted file. When I went to rename it, no message appeared saying that is couldn't be found, so I assumed that it replaced it in the System 32 operating system. However, I still receive the message after I reboot, just like before. Nothing is different?. I've tried it again, and I try to recopy the file again, and I get a message that the file is already on the comptuer (so I guess I correctly found and copied the NTFS file from the cd to the hard drive), and it asks if I'd like to rewrite over it, I've tried 'yes' and 'all,' but nothing makes it work. Do you have any suggestions or ideas? Why does it say the NTFS file is still missing or corrupt if I've renamed/replaced it with a copied file from the cd? Is there any way to get Windows back up to recover some of my files off the hard drive?   please, I'd appreciate any help!!!

dunedin · Answer

That`s not so good, it could be a hard drive or memory problem.   First of all in the Recovery Console type chkdsk /r  (there is a space before the /) Enter   If that does not help I think you should run the Dell Diagnostics and see what reports you get     To access them press F12 when you see the dell logo screen, then there will be an option that says IDE or Hard Drive Diagnostics. That will run a quick test, if you want a more thorough test select the option that says Boot to Utility Partition, then select custom test, select hard drive and then run test.

colleenj · Answer

It's not looking good at all. I did the chkdsk /r which searched and found 1 or more errors and claimed to have fixed them. I then rebooted, and the ntfs error did not appear, so I thought that was the end of my trouble. Btt then a blue screen comes up saying A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to the computer followed by 'SESSION 3_INITIALIZATION_FAILED'. It suggests using Safe mode to disable or uninstall new hardware, but Safe mode does not work, and teh same message comes up. It also suggests disabling BIOS memory options like caching or shadowing, but I do not know how to do this.   I tried doing the chkdsk /r again with no luck, and I looked in the Setup menu for BIOS settings but nothing seemed to correspond to caching etc. I also ran a diagnostics test, an in depth one for the Hard Drive. It shows several errors...   During

colleenj · Answer

It's not looking good at all. I did the chkdsk /r which searched and found 1 or more errors and claimed to have fixed them. I then rebooted, and the ntfs error did not appear, so I thought that was the end of my trouble. Btt then a blue screen comes up saying A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to the computer followed by 'SESSION 3_INITIALIZATION_FAILED'. It suggests using Safe mode to disable or uninstall new hardware, but Safe mode does not work, and teh same message comes up. It also suggests disabling BIOS memory options like caching or shadowing, but I do not know how to do this.   I tried doing the chkdsk /r again with no luck, and I looked in the Setup menu for BIOS settings but nothing seemed to correspond to caching etc. I also ran a diagnostics test, an in depth one for the Hard Drive. It shows several errors...   During the

colleenj · Answer

Sorry about that... as I was saying, there were errors during the Read test:   Error Code 0F00: 0244 (not sure if 0 or Os), Msg: Block 68529161: Uncorrectable data or media is write protected. Then the same thing happens for Msg: Block 73096217, then 97691576, 87692211, 87692845, 87692846. During the Verify test, it happens again with error code OFOO: 1A44. I aborted the test before the end because it was happening over and over, there were around 15 to 20 errors after 80 percent of the Hard Drive test. I am thinking teh Drive must have been damaged or something, and is now dead, but if there is anything else that can be tried, I'd really appreciate it.

dunedin · Answer

Well,it does seem that the drive has gone bad. :smileysad:

Is it under warranty? If so phone/contact Dell and give them these error Codes from the diagnostics.

Do you have data you need to recover?

You should be able to rescue your data by removing the hard drive and connecting it as a slave drive in another machine (a desktop machine). You'll need a 2.5" to 3.5" drive adapter, which is easily available and quite cheap.
Something like this

http://insidecomputer.stores.yahoo.net/la2tode3hadr.html

Then it looks like a new hard drive I`m afraid

colleenj · Answer

Thank you SO much for your help. I've extracted the hard drive from the laptop and will soon buy the adapter. However, on the site describing and explaining the adapter, it mentioned software called Norton Ghost - do i have to have this to recover my files? Can i just browse through the hard drive and copy specific things onto a USB key for example without having this software? How does it work exactly, this stuff about creating a ghost image? How will the laptop drive be detected and used as a regular IDE drive - what does that mean?   thanks again so very much,   Colleen

colleenj · Answer

Thank you SO much for your help. I have extracted the hard drive from my laptop and will soon try to buy one of those adapters. However, when I was looking on the description of the adapter, it mentioned software called Norton Ghost. Can I

dunedin · Answer

colleenj wrote:

How will the laptop drive be detected and used as a regular IDE drive - what does that mean?

thanks again so very much,

When you hook the drive up to a desktop you should then see this new drive under "My Computer" and be able to access all the files. Just look for a new entry there. You should be able to recognise it by the description

colleenj wrote:

However, on the site describing and explaining the adapter, it mentioned software called Norton Ghost - do i have to have this to recover my files? Can i just browse through the hard drive and copy specific things onto a USB key for example without having this software? How does it work exactly, this stuff about creating a ghost image?

Colleen

You should be able to browse through the drive and copy off your files without Norton Ghost.

You don`t need Norton Ghost. It is used to make a ghost image (copy) of your operating system which you can then use to reinstall on another hard drive. This means you don`t have the long process of reinstalling XP. All your data would also be imaged if you used a program like Norton Ghost so you would have your whole laptop system copied (as it is now) and it could be copied to the new hard drive. You would have to burn this image onto a CD/DVD depending on its size, then use this disk to reinstall everything on your new hard drive

If you were seriously thinking of using such a program to back up everything I would advise you to use Acronis True Image rather than Norton Ghost.

These programs are not free and take a while to do their job. I suppose it all depends on whether you need to restore your whole system or whether just copying off your important files/data would do.

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