The computer is not recognizing the hard drive. Try formatting the hard drive and then installing a new operating system.

The Windows error message is “The system cannot find the file specified.”

If you get this message, it means that your hard disk’s NTFS file system is corrupt. Microsoft Support recommends that you reformat your hard disk and reinstall the operating system. ..

This was not the case in my situation. I tried to run defragmenter and it froze in the middle. After restarting, I got this message.

There are three possible methods to fix this issue: the first is to use their method, which did not work for me; the second is to use a different method; and the third is to not use any method. ..

Use the Recovery Console to Replace Ntfs.sys

Insert your Windows CD into the computer and boot from it when prompted. ..

When the Welcome screen appears, press R to select the To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R option. If you are prompted for a password, type your administrator password. ..

To log on to the installation from the Recovery Console, type:

  1. Type the number for the installation you want to logon to from the Recovery Console.
  2. You’ll also need to know the administrator password in order to get to the command prompt. ..

cd C:
copy C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\system copy C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\software Now that you are in the correct directory, you need to enter the following command: net start wuauserv ..

ntfsutil replace ntfs.sys This will replace the ntfs.sys file with a new one that hopefully is not corrupted.

To install Windows XP on your computer, you need the original Windows XP CD and the drive where you installed Windows XP. The most likely place for this is the C: drive. ..

That’s it! Remove the CD and type “quit” on your computer. Restart your computer and see if you are able to log back into Windows.

Fix Ntfs.sys error by using CHKDSK

I was unsuccessful in copying the new ntfs.sys file from the CD and thought I would try to run CHKDSK.

chkdsk /f /r This will check the disk for errors and create a recovery partition if necessary.

If you’re experiencing problems with your computer, be sure to check for and fix any errors using the CHKDSK command. This process can take some time, so be prepared to wait. On my computer, it took about 30 minutes. ..

After my computer crashed, I used CHKDSK to fix the errors. Windows loaded fine after that. ..

Repair Ntfs.sys via Repair Install of Windows XP

If you cannot repair Windows XP, you can try to replace it with a newer version.

Windows Setup is a pretty easy process. Follow the same steps to get into the Recovery Console, but instead of pressing R to repair, press Enter to setup Windows.

If you have a newer Mac, the repair process is much easier. All you need to do is open the App Store and click on the “Update” button next to your Mac’s name. Then click on “Install” and follow the on-screen instructions. ..

Windows is not actually reinstalling a fresh copy of itself. You will see the install screens as if you were to do a fresh install, but don’t worry, you’ll still have all of your applications, settings, and data when it finishes. ..

Computer problems are a common occurrence, and if you’re not able to solve them on your own, it can be difficult to find help. If you need help, please post a comment and I’ll try to help. Thanks for using my computer!