Category: Knowledgebase

About the Windows XP boot process This document outlines the basic components involved in the process of booting up a PC running Windows XP, covering the initial process involved in going from power up to loading NTLDR, and then the subsequent procedure and events involved in displaying the boot menu listing available OS entries and […]

Booting from a CD or DVD is a common step in many recovery guides. This knowledgebase article covers the basics of troubleshooting the most common problems booting from a CD or DVD. Troubleshooting Boot from CD or DVD If you’re unable to get your PC to start from a correctly-created bootable CD or DVD even […]

“Advanced Boot Options” is a boot-time menu that can be displayed, providing various recovery options useful in attempting repair and recovery of damaged or incorrectly configured Windows PCs. This applies to Windows 10, Windows 11, and older versions including Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8. About the “Advanced Boot Options” Menu Advanced Boot Options is […]

“Last Known Good Configuration” is a recovery option Microsoft built into all versions of Windows, and can be a valuable asset when attempting to recover a PC that isn’t working correctly. Last Known Good Configuration is found in the Advanced Boot Options menu. About “Last Known Good Configuration” Background information about the Windows Registry Windows stores […]

Get the fix for the “Boot critical file is corrupt” error for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 About “Boot critical file is corrupt” Description and Symptoms The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error. Symptom 1: Startup repair fails with message “Boot critical file $file is corrupt” The […]

Get the fix for the “Failed to find OS Loader” error for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 About “Failed to find OS Loader” Synopsis The error “Boot manager failed to find OS loader” is displayed when Startup Repair fails to correct problems with a non-booting PC. In particular, this message indicates that Startup […]

Get the fix for the endless recovery console loop for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. This error prevents you from accessing anything on your computer and presents an endless loop of loading Recovery Console without end. About “Recovery console in endless loop” Symptom 1: Computer attempts to enter Recovery Console continuously Each […]

Get the fix for the boot error “NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or corrupt” for Windows XP. About “ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt” Description and Symptoms The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error. Symptom 1: ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt error screen on startup The ntoskrnl.exe (short for Windows NT operating […]

Get the fix for the error HAL.dll is missing or corrupt on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. About “HAL.dll is missing or corrupt” Description and Symptoms The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error. Symptom 1: “HAL is missing, or corrupt” error screen on startup The HAL(Hardware Abstraction Layer) serves […]

Get the fix to boot-related error “NTDETECT is missing or not found” and other NTDETECT.COM problems for Windows XP. About “ntdetect not found or missing” Description and Symptoms The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error. Symptom 1: ntdetect.com is missing or not found NTDETECT.com, a critical component of the Windows […]