Bootsect.dat file is corrupted, NTLDR is missing/compressed on x86 pc with WinXP Home Edition Sp3 and Ie8

Anonymous
2014-02-24T05:47:39+00:00

I have a x86 pc with WinXP Home Edition SP3 and IE8. 

While preparing for an eventual upgrade to Win 7, I have been considering repartioning and multibooting my HDD. 

I have been trying to get WinXP operating as best as I can.  I also have been checking out how to use the Windows Recovery Console to reinstall WinXP and transfer files for a clean reinstall.

I discovered while checking "All Boot Paths" at Start\Run\msconfig\BOOT.INI that one Boot Path was highlighted with errors indicating that the "File is Corrupted because a disk read error occured" and that NTLDR is missing or corrupted.  In fact, it is garbled.  It points to "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console/cmdcon".  I have not used the Recovery Console, ever. 

I have a Gateway 5310S desktop (retail) and no original XP disks, apparently. 

I do have, but have never used, a 4ea. set of Recovery CDs dated 5/12/05 that I must have created after purchase.

I also have been having numerous, odd, problems that come and go, including trouble displaying various websites, Yahoo Home Pages, and eMail that keep going into compatibility mode or blanking outright.  The video and audio on Hulu and online video services are always out of sync.  I have problems editing posts on sites like this even though I can edit my profile pages just fine.

This particular set of problems started occurring recently and very suddenly, from one day to the next.  This was after it had actually been working fairly well for a change. 

I have no idea how long the boot.ini file has been corrupted, I actually discovered it by accident.

I also can not reinstall certain programs such as Family Tree Maker 2005 and 2008 after it was suggested to me by ancestry.com to uninstall/reinstall.

I have the latest Java and Adobe Flash Player.  I have defragged and disk checked my drives. 

I have used CCleaner to remove temp and junk files daily.  I have run Hitman Pro, MBAM, MBAR, MSE, and SAS multiple times with no viruses or malware detected. 

And, as I had mentioned above, I am having problems with the editor on this site, right now.  Sometimes it just freezes and I have to exit to clear.  Other times it duplicates entire sentences.  It also flip/flops between a full page editor and, like now, a half page editor window on the left half of the page.

Any suggestions you folks can come up with would be greatly appreciated.  This is getting really annoying.

Thanks

Vernon

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

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Anonymous
2014-03-05T08:10:47+00:00

when you check out the boot.ini paths, and the recovery console is installed, you will always get an error stating that the boot path is invalid.

if the recovery console is indeed corrupted just uninstall, you can reinstall or burn a cd with the recovery console.

go here for instructions on deleting the recovery console.

===========

Here's how to make a bootable xp recovery console cd

Courtesy of JoseIbarra

You need to start by booting into the XP Recovery Console using a CD you can make (no XP media required) and run a chkdsk with error correction enough times until it runs clean and if that doesn't work, you can create a new boot.ini file (it is usually one of those two things).

Here's how:

Use the XP Recovery Console to verify the file system on your HDD and correct any problems and then try to boot your system - this may be all you need to do.  Or, you are welcome to just start trying things that might work.

Boot into the Windows Recovery Console using a bootable XP installation CD.

If you have no bootable XP media (or are not sure what you have) create a bootable XP Recovery Console CD and be sure what you have (no XP media required).

This is not the same as any recovery disks that might have come with a store bought system.

You can make a bootable Recovery Console CD by downloading an ISO file and burning it to a CD.

The bootable ISO image file you need to download is called:

rc.iso 

Download the ISO file from here:

http://www.thecomputerparamedic.com/?p=8    (courtesy of Daavee)

Use a new CD and this free and easy program to burn your ISO file and create your bootable CD:

http://www.imgburn.com/

When installing ImgBurn, DO NOT install the Ask toolbar.

Here are some instructions for ImgBurn:

http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=61

It would be a good idea to test your bootable CD on a computer that is working.

You may need to adjust the computer BIOS settings to use the CD ROM drive as the first boot device instead of the hard disk.  These adjustments are made before Windows tries to load.  If you miss it, you will have to reboot the system again.

When you boot on the CD, follow the prompts:

Press any key to boot from CD...

The Windows Setup... will proceed.

Press 'R' to enter the Recovery Console.

Select the installation you want to access (usually  1: C:\WINDOWS)

You may be asked to enter the Administrator password (usually empty).

You should be in the C:\WINDOWS folder.  This is the same as the 

C:\WINDOWS folder you see in explorer.

The Recovery Console allows basic file commands like: copy, rename, replace, delete, cd, chkdsk, fixboot, fixmbr, etc.

For a list of Recovery Console commands, enter help at the prompt or read about the XP Recovery Console here:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/recovery_console_cmds.mspx?mfr=true

A good idea before starting things is to first verify the integrity of your file system using the chkdsk command.

From the command prompt window run the chkdsk command on the drive where Windows is installed to try to repair any problems on the afflicted drive.

Running chkdsk is fine even if it doesn't find any problems.  It will not hurt anything to run it.

Assuming your boot drive is C, run the following command:

chkdsk C: /r

Let chkdsk finish and correct any problems it might find.  

It may take a long time for chkdsk to complete or it may appear to be 'stuck'.  Be patient. If the HDD light is still flashing, chkdsk is doing something.  Keep an eye on the percentage amount to be sure it is still making progress.  It may even appear to go backwards sometimes.

You should run chkdsk /r again until it finds no errors to correct.

Remove the CD and type 'exit' to leave the RC and restart the computer.

You do not have to adjust the BIOS again to boot on the HDD since the CD will not be present.

===============

as for the other problems:

have you used any registry cleaners??

these can harm your system

since you appear to be infection free, it would seem that some part of your cleaning process has deleted a necessary file.

===============

checkdisk with the /r parameter should be run. and run again until no errors are found.

==========

are you fully updated and patched at Microsoft updates??

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-04-04T17:49:24+00:00

    Hi,

    Wow, you certainly did better than I did, thanks.

    Question:  Suppossedly I need the SATA drivers, but do I also need the motherboard drivers to include into a bootable disk?  No one has mentioned that before.

    Next question:  Somewhere along the way I must have clicked OK to a message about being updated/notified about the WinXP drop dead date and suggestions as to what to do.

    How do I now turn it off?  I find it annoying and I completely understand the consequences about it.

    Vernon

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-04-04T19:35:15+00:00

    Hi, Elizabeth23,

    I just replied to your last post a little while ago, but I have discovered a new, really wierd, problem.

    I had downloaded, burned, and verified (twice) both the Hiren's BootCD and the BitDefender Rescue CD.

    while attempting to reboot and run the BitDefender disc from the optical drive, I get the initial BitDefender screen where you select what language to use, and I select the first option, English.

    Then a bunch of files flash by, apparently loading, and then it goes to a black page with a really brilliant, vibrant image of what appears to be a mechanical shark(?) which is on fire and splashing water.  It's a nice piece of artwork, nothing skimpy, but now I can not do anything.

    I can't even logoff, no keys do anything whatsoever, and obviously I don't get to the BitDefender screen as demostrated in the online How-To article.  The only way I can shut down the PC is to literally pull the AC power plug out of its socket.

    When I remove the disk and reboot, and then go to My Computer/E:/drive for the optical drive, I see a list of folders and files which look perfectly fine.

    Could you please tell me just what the heck is happening here?  Have you ever heard of this before?

    A really strange day so far.

    Also, please note that None of the antivirus programs I have run so far from within SafeMode have found anything.  I still get the MBR error message on the Recovery Console C:\ drive fixmbr.

    I still have a list of antivirus, antirootkit, antispyware, antimalware programs to try , so maybe something will show up.

    Thanks

    Vernon

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-04-04T20:37:32+00:00

    that was an automatic update, KB2934207

    look in the control panel, make sure Show Updates is clicked at the top of the box, look for this update and uninstall it.

    ============

    To tell the truth, I do not know, SATA drives are not my forte, you would do better to ask in the hardware section of the forum.

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-hardware?sort=lastreplydate&dir=desc&tab=Threads&status=unanswered&mod=&modAge=&advFil=&postedAfter=&postedBefore=&threadType=Questions&tm=1396643788982

    =============EDIT=======

    just saw your other reply, Does this happen with the hiren's boot cd also??

    you should have the disc in D: drive, that is the first optical drive, correct??

    is the bios set to boot from the cd drive first??

    what happens when you try it again??

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-04-04T21:40:00+00:00

    Hi, Elizabeth23,

    First things first.

    When I go to Control Panel, I do not have an option to Show Updates by clicking on it.  It just show icons (not check boxes) like Accessibility Option, Add Hardware, Add or Remove Programs, etc.

    However I can go to Start, select Microsoft Update, and go to the Microsoft Update Home and do either an Express or Custom Update request. 

    I can also, under Review your update history, get a listing of all the applied updates and descriptions of such.

    However, I have gone back to March 19th and I do not see KB2934207.  Did it come out before the 19th?

    I remember a screen popped up on the right hand side of the screen one day and gave the option to select it. 

    Well, I selected it thinking that it was going to be something quite different than just a popup announcement every time I rebooted the machine.

    Second,

    I did try the Hiren's BootCD 15.2, from dead startup (not restart).

    The Hiren's disk menu popped up.

    I clicked on "Mini Windows XP".

    Got:  "Booting Mini Windows XP

    (CD)

    \Chainloader ?HBCD/XP/XP.bin

    ERROR 25:  Disk Read Error

    Press any key to continue...".

    Did that.

    Goes back to Main Menu

    Choose a different option

    I chose NDLDR problem

    Goes to blank black screen and nothing further happens.

    No keys work.

    Killed PC by pulling the plug.

    Any ideas?  Anyone else on staff that might be able to help out?

    Remember that I downloaded the Hiren's BootCD and the BitDefender .iso's directly from their sites.

    I burned both and verified both (twice) using ImgBurn with no problems.

    I'm bewildered.

    Could this in any way be related to the MBR problem?

    I will, for the time being keep on running the remaining antivirus programs, and rechecking the MBR.

    Next, I may have to backtrack a bit. 

    I had stated that I had acquired a "genuine bootable WinXP startup disk" to use to make a customized bootable repair disk and such by adding SP3 and possibly other goodies.

    Well it turns out that I may actually have an OEM winXP disk.  It is labeled as 'GRTMPOEM_EN', has a shiney golden label that is listed as Windows XP Professional, Version 2002, Part no. X14-72249, and includes Service Pack 3.

    If this is indeed an OEM version disk, what is it for exactly, and can I even use it to make that bootable repair disk that I wanted to do per instructions on the Internet?  Note that I have WinXP Home from Gateway, no disks supplied. 

    Note also that the online site said that "either a WinXP Home OR a WinXP Professional would work just fine to make the bootable repair disk

    By the way, I'm STILL having problems with this editor (and only THIS editor).  I had entered all the above and tried to save it but it would not save.  So I copied everthing to Notepad, exited the site here, came back in and repasted it, and obviously did save it this time.

    ==================================================================

    I'm just not sure what to think.

    Mind you, through all of this, I can boot up just fine, search the Internet, everything looks just fine.

    Thanks

    Vernon

    You need a vacation.

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