nix_pug

Started my other computer this morning and came up with the following error.

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

\WINDOWS\system32\c_1252.nls

I attempted to repair or replace the file by putting in the xp disc and selecting the repair console.


my hard drive setup is stupid and a mess, but here it goes

C: an old HD i thot i formatted but when i take it out the computer comes up with missing windows info or soemthing. I guess windows needs a drive somewhere thats called C to run

D: another old HD with a coupla GB's of old info on it

E: my current HD drive, 189 SATA drive


I googled the error message and it says

when u get the error message c:\WINDOWS\system32\c_1252.nls blah blah

but i dont have a drive specified in my error message.


the repair console is set to C:\ as defualt

now when i try to change this by typing

cd E:\windows/system32

it says it cant find the file or folder

when i try to change the directory to just E by

cd E:

it displays the drive but defualts back to C striaght away, such as

C:\ cd E:
E:\
C:\ cursor is now here and i cant access E:


bit of a spraff i know, but anyone any ideas how to get round this or solve my problem?

many thanks

Nick

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

disconnect the other drives and see if win setup can run a repair on it.. be careful not to do a fresh install.. failing that... **** knows

nix_pug

can i not just do a fresh install, without formatting the drive, an hten just install all the updates that my XP version doesnt have?

mykp

okay have had this before and was sorted by this

Error: "C_1252.nls File Missing or Corrupt" During Startup

however I suspect that because your boot disk is E: its a problem.

try doing this to your c: drive if it will let you then reboot in safe mode with command prompt, then copy the file from c to e: then try to reboot and see if it still happens.

If it does then i'm fresh out of ideas.

Hanslow

Nick,

This may sound patronising, but it may clear something up if you aren't a familiar DOS user.....

At the C:\ prompt, just type
E:
That should change you to the E drive. By doing cd E:\ you are telling it to change the current directory on E to the root (the backslash) but your current drive is still C: so you don't see the directory change.

Also, it may have been a typo earlier, but make sure you always use backslashes and not forward slashes.

You should at least have enough info now to get to your E:\windows\system32 directory.

HTH

nix_pug

think something may be a bit fooked!

once changed to the E drive, if i type "dir" i would expect all my files etc to come up, but instead the details of the windows CD come up.

I cant find my hardrive with windows installed on it anywhere, is it causing problems due to being a SATA?

Think im gonna try my sata in another computer just to check its not buggered.

Also, the cpu over temp warning comes on when i turn the comp on occasionally

Hanslow

Are you using XP with SP2? If not, you may well have to install some drivers (probably on a floppy or CD that came with the drive) to be able to access it from the recovery console. Although, having said that, your motherboard may require you to install some drivers anyway before the recovery console will give you access to the drive.

Some info and the like here : Hard disk drives: Fix computer hard disk drive (HDD) problems – 2 of 3

nix_pug

yeah, running xp with sp2.

its a legal copy too

mykp

whats the order of your hard drives in the boot table.

I'm betting that E is your CD drive on boot up and because E is normally you hard drive you cant find it.

Two solutions. type d: then do a dir, is this your hard drive? type f: and do a dir, is this your hard drive? etc.... as it maybe labelled differently.

HOWEVER, I would open the machine, and disconnect the other drivers and set you normal hard drive as the master boot device and then set the CD as your secondary. Make sure the cables are connected correctly. Leave the other drives disconnected.

Then try booting. and see if you can see the hard drive.

l3wyy

Hi - if not already sorted........

Okay - not too sure how deep you know programming.....

Click Start then Run type in cmd and press enter.

A black screen should open up, now type in

echo %systemdrive%

This will output where XP was originally deployed. It's usually C: (but I'm a weird do and to stop hackers I like to deploy to LUN1 - namely D

On C: there should be an i386 directory, you can either use explorer to see or from your dos prompt type

cd /d c:\i386

It should go into the i386 directory. i386 is a key directory for repairing faults with the operating system. NEVER DELETE IT UNLESS YOU HAVE AN XP DISK TO HAND.

Okay IF IT IS THERE....... (you are in the i386 directory) If it is not the go to stage "oh ****e", if it is there then stage "phew, luck is in"

STAGE: PHEW, LUCK IS IN

Still in the black screen......(dos screen)

cd /c c:\windows\system32

ren c_1252.nls c_1252.old
(if it fails then don't worry - it has probably french connectioned)

expand c:\i386\c_1252.nl_ c:\windows\system32


STAGE: OH ****E

Find out which drive your CD ROM is in... Normal off the shelf PC's it's gonna be D: If it's not then change D: to what ever the CD ROM letter is.

Still in the black screen......(dos screen)

cd /c c:\windows\system32

ren c_1252.nls c_1252.old
(if it fails then don't worry - it has probably french connectioned)

expand d:\i386\c_1252.nl_ c:\windows\system32


Okay - you should be okay'ish. If you are worried about doing the above - don't do it - just like I don't play with fireworks anymore......

ps. Don't button your PC off if it stops responding again....If you thin it has crashed then test it by pressing the CAPS LOCK to see if the light comes on and off - if it does - leave it for a min or so. Computers are stupid sometimes and they can forget fings.....

nix_pug

i already tried the first way.

c: dir
23 files 1153408649 bytes
4857434112 bytes free

think this is an 80GB drive


d: dir
46 files 53708881 bytes
77525647360 bytes free

e: dir
12 files 1435049
0 bytes free

f: dir
g:dir
h:dir
.
.
comes up with " specified drive not valid or no disk in drive"

pretty sure the C an D drive r correct. tried dividing the free space by 1024 twice to get Giga bytes and distinguish the drive that way, but that didnt work either.
Im also sure that the E drive on the repair console is the cd drive and not my original E: drive (sata)

I gonna try an make my sata the master an cd drive slave, but that didnt work before, so cant see that fixing the problem either.....

nix_pug

l3wyy, windows wont boot, im having to do this via the repair console that runs when u put the xp disk in the cd drive.

pretty sure the problem is it wont pick up my sata drive and therefore no windows directory etc

Hanslow

Get the SATA drivers on a floppy for your SATA drive and/or motherboard (not sure 100% on how they work, think they are just for the drive), and run the setup program for them from the recovery console. That should allow you to see it.

l3wyy, not sure you ask how much "programming" knowledge Nick has

l3wyy

Couple of Q's.....

Is the S-ATA drive new to the computer configuration?

Was the XP install an upgrade from 98?

The reason I ask is that if the system has "panic'd" and tried to repair it may have done an old driver / nls file. Do you know if Nick has or access to a Winternal's disk - we could chat him through booting up through a winternals disk and then removing the HAL from the registry - it'll need an XP disc while he's rebooting as it'll need to re create the HAL hive (HKEY-LOCAL\HARDWARE)

Too deep or a possible?

Lewy.

nix_pug

ok, i'll have a look for the driver disks/documentation i got with the drive, but they could be anywhere... but should be on the maxtor website or somethin?

neither comp has a floppy drive, do these need to be installed or r they more or less plug an play?

once ive got the drivers on a floppy, what r the commands for installing them from the console?

I do have a fair bit of programming experience, its just Java GUI's and C++ ****e dont really help u with basic dos commands etc.

nix_pug

Not new, at least a year old

nope, built the machine 2 years or so ago and put xp on, then bought xp with sp2 an put that on

dont have a winternals disk

too deep! lol

Hanslow

Nick, had a look around the web (not much experience with SATA drives, at least not having problems with them) and the drivers, if needed, would be for the controller on the motherboard, not the drive itself, and it looks like Maxtor don't supply them.

When booting to the recovery console, I think it should ask if you want to install further drivers at some point, with F6 to be pressed if that is the case. Do so, and hopefully it will pick up the SATA controller and install the drivers from the windows disks, or you might have to specify them. That should hopefully then give you access to the drive.

Hanslow

Lewy, don't know any more info that you at the moment, but I'm sure we can sort Nick out between us hopefully

Hanslow

Nick, if the SATA controller isn't installed from the Windows disk, have a look for your motherboard drivers disk and install them from there, again, through the F6 option (should be anyway!). May seem strangely named in that they may be labelled as SATA Raid drivers even though you don't have it configured in a raid array at all.

l3wyy

Good idea, forgot that one! - I know the OEM install disc was "lacking" on digital certification of most suppliers S-ATA.

It's a shame that MS didn't relabel the "Press F6 to install SCSI devics" to "Press F6 to install less than two years ago technology!" (oooh I am a bitch, Unless Bill Gates will track my mad address down and shoot me!)

Hanslow

LOL Or it should have been labelled, "Press F6 to have a go at installing all the things we forgot about"

nix_pug

pressing F6 only allows u to install drivers from the A: drive, windows drivers and motherboard install disks are all CD's. I had a quick look on the maxtor website to find some downloadable drivers to put on a floppy, but had no luck, also saw that maxtor have been bought by seagate, which may cause more problems!

nix_pug

Ive found the motherboard disk and it has a SATA driver on it but just opened up the working computer and it doesnt appear to have a floppy drive slot on the motherboard. Might have to take a floppy and the motherboard CD to a mates and make a driver disk there. cant see it working after all that tho....

Hanslow

Stick with it Nick, it should hopefully allow you to access your drive eventually. Does F6 really only allow you to install drivers from a floppy and not from the CD drive?

nix_pug

yeeeha

Back up and running. Installed the sata drivers on a floppy and put the disk in when i pressed f6.

After that the the old C drive became the sata drive and i could access c:\windows\system32, from there on i could follow the steps in the various google solutions to the original error.


thanks for all ur help guys

nick

Hanslow

Nice, well done