[linuo]

first some details

windows xp professional (originally the computer ran windows me)
pentium 3 processor
acer laptop
i dont know what other data may help a diagnosis

i did have sp3 on my computer and uninstalled it and now it wont even boot up into windows. it says on a blue screen that kernel32.dll is not found then tries to boot up again, i also suspect that some other dll files might be missing to, these are shell32.dll, msvbvm60.dll, and possibly ctfmon.exe.

if i have to reinstall xp would i lose any data?...i really dont want that so ideally i want to find another way.

thanks

 

[chauffeur2]

Re: missing dll files

Hi Linuo, Welcome to TSF! :wave:

You could try powering the computer from a 'cold start', while continually tapping the F8 Key.
Doing this will take you to the "Safe Mode" Menu Screen; select the option, "Last Known Good Configuration"; follow the on-screen prompts.

Post back with the success/failure of this procedure.

Kind Regards,

 

[thebof1993]

Re: missing dll files

You could try powering the computer from a 'cold start', while continually tapping the F8 Key.
Doing this will take you to the "Safe Mode" Menu Screen; select the option, "Last Known Good Configuration"; follow the on-screen prompts.

If this doesn't work then you can allways boot from the original windows disk into the recovery console, do this by pressing 'r' when it loads, and then use the 'chkdsk' utility and this will find and replace any missing .dll files you may have missing! :grin:

 

[CTSNKY]

Re: missing dll files

Back up your data FIRST, to be safe.....then try thebof1993's suggestion.

 

[thebof1993]

Re: missing dll files

Back up your data FIRST, to be safe.....then try thebof1993's suggestion.

Yeh thats right, I should have included that! Sorry :grin:

 

[justpassingby]

Re: missing dll files

@ thebof1993 : chkdsk c: /R would only check the file system for problems and scan the drive's surface for bad clusters. Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea to run it to make sure there are no errors on the drive and it might help when a single file is said to be corrupt but it won't "find and replace any missing .dll files".

@ linuo : try chauffeur2's suggestion first. What makes you suspect that those other dll files are missing, any other error messages ?

Also why did you uninstall SP3 ? What service pack was on the laptop before you installed SP3 ?

How did you install XP on that Acer laptop ? Did you use a retail XP CD with a retail Product key or did you use an upgrade CD with the original OEM Windows ME key ?

 

[linuo]

Re: missing dll files

hi chauffeur2,

i tried that and it didnt work,
thanks for your reply though...
a blue screen still flashes up very quicky and says unable to find kernel32.dll...
i will try thebof1993 suggestion next...and even though i want to save my data i have no way of backing it up...

linuo

 

[linuo]

Re: missing dll files

hi justpassingby,

to be honest i am a bit computer ignorant and expect them to do stuff they can't...i.e. i dont understand why a computer would let something happen to it which would render it unusable without clealy stating what would happen or is most likely to happen...

anyway...sp1 was on the computer and i got xp installed from work as a work thing...i think that m.e. was not in a good condition when i got the computer...i tried to repair m.e. but the repair disk was damaged and once in the process of repairing it wasnt reversable so i then put xp pro sp1 on...
as to why i installed sp3...i thought it was an upgrade...is it

i forgot to say that i had a virus of some sort a few monthes ago...trojan.abq32 as far as i can remember...would this have something to do with it.

when unistalling sp3 it also said that shell32.dll was missing and msvbvm60.dll!!

i have probably completly messed my computer up and it may even served me right for messing around with things i dont know enough about...
but here i am and if you can help and i get this sorted i will be very happy!!!

linuo

 

[justpassingby]

Re: missing dll files

I asked why you uninstalled SP3, not why you installed it :wink:

To backup your data you could :

- create the ultimate boot CD for Windows and boot the laptop on it, which will bring you in a Windows-like environment in which you'll be able to save your data on an external drive or even burn it on CD's. On a laptop you may need to add the SATA drivers (you'll find them on the manufacturer's website) if your hard drive isn't detected right away but if you were able to install XP pro without problems then the UBCD should find your hard drive directly.

- take the hard drive out of the laptop (you'll have to remove some screws at the bottom to access the drive bay, the service manual is probably available on the manufacturer's website as well) and buy a 2.5'' external USB enclosure (20$) to hook it to another computer.

If you installed with a retail CD then you can try a repair installation. To backup, format and reinstall from scratch would be the safest solution, if you want to go the repair install way then you should be completely sure that there are no viruses or remnants on your computer or the problem may happen again.

First make sure SP3 was completely removed by following these instructions (method 4 : using the recovery console) :
How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 3 from your computer

You'll also need to uninstall internet explorer 7 using the recovery console if you had installed it : How to perform a repair installation of Windows XP if Internet Explorer 7 is installed.

You'll need an XP CD that's the same service pack as the one that's currently on the computer, which probably means an XP Pro SP1 CD. Ask your Office for the CD they used to install XP on your computer.

Boot on the XP CD, press Enter to "setup windows XP now", accept the licence agreement, select the partition where XP is currently installed and press 'R' to "repair the selected installation". If you don't get the repair option then exit and report here.

 

[linuo]

Re: missing dll files

thanks all for your help...esp just passing by:wave:

i did just what you said and all is fine...took hard drive out, backed up data on another pc, formated hard drive, installed xp again and sorted...
until next time...

linuo

 

[justpassingby]

You're welcome.

First thing to do after a fresh install of XP on a laptop is to reinstall the latest drivers from the manufacturer's website. Go on Acer's support website, enter your notebook's model and install the chipset drivers first, then the video, audio, network and remaining drivers. Pick the support site that corresponds to your location :
Acer USA
Acer Europe

Don't forget to reinstall an antivirus and firewall and the latest updates from Windows update. SP3 might be out of the picture if it makes your laptop hang or if you have troubles with it (you still didn't say why you uninstalled it) but you should download and install XP service pack 2 (this is the link to the standalone installer for SP2, it sometimes works better than downloading and installing from Windows update). Once SP2 is installed download and install all the other high priority updates from Windows update (except SP3).

 

[linuo]

i dont really know why i uninstalled sp3...it seemed to me that my computer worker better and faster when it wasnt installed.
am about to download latest drivers etc...thanks

linuo