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Please Help! Windows/System32 missing or corrupt on XP
I have for about a week researched on how to fix this issue. I have received the recovery disks from dell and I have tried to do the install/repair method. Does not work. I have tried to do the conf /rebuild and it does not work. I have come to the realization that I am gonna have to reinstall XP but one thing that does work is a program called Slax. I can run it from a cd and get to a desktop where I can view all of my files, folders, etc but can't do anything with them like move them to my external hard drive. Please let me know if there is anyway I can backup my files before I do a clean install of XP. Thanks
I did the F12 at powerup and was given the following: The following file is missing or corrupted: COMMAND.COM
Type the name of the Command Interpreter (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM)
C>
What exactly does that mean? and I forgot to mention this is on an Inspiron 6000 laptop. Is there any special type of external USB case or will any of them work? thanks
You need a 2.5" case for a parallel ATA drive (NOT SATA).
It sounds like the diagnostic partition is damaged -- you can download an ISO image of the diagnostics and use a CD writer package (Sonic/Roxio, Nero, etc.) to make a bootable CD of the diagnostics:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R114232&SystemID=INS_PNT_6000&servicetag=&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=3841&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=2&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=2&libid=13&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=150683
ejn63
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Posted December 29th, 2009 17:00
Remove the drive, mount it in an external USB 2.0 case and attach it to a working system. Make a backup to that system's hard drive.
Before you undertake the reload, run an extended hard drive diagnostic - F12 at powerup. Very often this error arises from a failing drive that has developed bad sectors, and the reload will simply fail in short order.