NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or corrupt

Related errors:
Below is a listing of the full error message that may be related to this error.
Windows NT could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
C:\Winnt\System32\Ntoskrnl.exe

Cause:
Miscellaneous corruption
Corrupt boot.ini file.
Missing boot.ini file.
Missing or corrupt ntoskrnl.exe file.
Windows NT installed on a partition bigger then 7.8GB
Corrupted hard disk drive or severely corrupted Windows.

Solution:
Miscellaneous corruption
Before trying any of the below recommendations it's recommend that you attempt to load the last known good configuration. Additional information about doing this can be found on .

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 it's drive and partition is properly configured in the [boot loader] and [operating systems] section. Additional information about boot.ini can be found on .

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. Additional information about rebuilding the boot.ini can be found on .

Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 users:
To restore the original boot.ini file in Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000 you will need a ERD and follow the below steps. If you do not have a 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 v4.01Disk
I/O error status=00000001
Windows NT could not start because the following 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

Attempt to check the hard disk drive for any errors by running the chkdsk error. 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 attempt to reinstall Windows. Additional information about erasing the computer and starting over can be found on document CH000186.

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

Clear Unwanted Entries from the Start Menu's Run Command

Intended For Windows XPWindows 2000Windows MeWindows 98Windows 95 Whenever you use the Start Menu's Run command to launch a program, that program is added to a history. Since this is a possible cause to an irritating problem, a solution is provided here for clearing this history:

Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ RunMRU\. Delete all of the values in this key (everything in the right pane, except for (Default)). Close the Registry Editor when finished. You'll probably have to refresh the Desktop or restart Windows for this change to take effect.
Note: For a shortcut, use the NOMRU registry patch (1 kb).

Note: To clear the OtherFolder history, repeat the same process in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ OtherFolder\

My Windows Font Folder is missing 'Install New Font' command. How do I fix

The Windows 95/98/XP Fonts folder is a 'special' folder. If the 'Install New Font' command is missing then for some reason the folder has lost its special attributes and is behaving like a regular folder under Windows. To restore the missing command:
1) Restart Windows in MS-DOS mode
2) Type cd windows then Enter (return) to go to the Windows directory (or whatever directory where you've installed Windows)
3) Type this command: attrib fonts +s
4) Shut down and restart Windows
5) Check your Fonts folder for the missing commands.

If they are not restored, do the following:
1) Restart Windows in MS-DOS mode
2) Type cd windows\system to go to the Windows System folder
3) Type dir fontext.dll to see if that file exists
4) If fontext.dll exists, rename it to fontext.old by typing: ren fontext.dll fontext.old
5) Get a new copy of fontext.dll from your original Windows disk or CD-ROM and extract it to the Windows\System folder
6) Restart Windows

If the commands in your Fonts folder are still missing, follow these steps:
1) Restart Windows in MS-DOS mode
2) Type cd windows\fonts to go to the Windows Fonts folder
3) Type dir desktop.ini to see if that file exists
4) If desktop.ini exists, rename it to desktop.old by typing: ren desktop.ini desktop.old
5) Get a new copy of desktop.ini from your original Windows disk or CD-ROM and extract it to the Windows\Fonts folder
6) Restart Windows

Backing up your files using NTBackup Utility

Click Start, Run and type NTBACKUP
Select Backup tab at the top
In the left pane, scroll to the file/folder which you want to backup and put a checkmark on it.
At the bottom, mention the output filename (the backup output)
Once set, click Start Backup button in the right, and again click Start Backup in resulting dialog


Note:
NTBACKUP does not have the ability to write to CDs directly. You will need to save the backup to hard drive, then transfer or burn it to a CD-ROM. Also, while backing up several files, make sure you backup the files in separate sets of each max 650MB (so that it fits on a CD-ROM)

Restore the Show Desktop icon to Quick Launch bar

To restore the missing Show Desktop icon to the Quick Launch bar, try any of these methods:
Method 1:
Click Start, Run and type the command regsvr32 /n /i:U shell32
The Show Desktop SCF file should now be available.
Method 2:
Click Start, Run, and type Notepad. Type the following contents into the document.
[Shell]Command=2IconFile=explorer.exe,3[Taskbar]Command=ToggleDesktop
Save the file as "ShowDesktop.SCF" [with double-quotes]. Drag the file to the Quick Launch area.
Method 3:Search for the file named Show Desktop.scf in your computer by logging in as administrator. Every user profile has a copy of this file. Copy it to your user profile path here:
%Appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
Type the above path in Start, Run dialog.