How to recover partition data in Windows XP post unsuccessful Windows Update

Updates are critical for proper functioning of a computer system. Windows Update is a feature that enables users to install the latest updates for Windows operating system as well as all its installed components. Updates provide fixes for some previous bugs in the operating system. They help you make the system secure from various virus or malware programs. Despite of having so many advantages, installing updates sometimes results in serious error messages. This could render your system unbootable and thus, make the data stored on the system partitions inaccessible. To overcome this problem, you need to go for partition recovery through a reliable third party utility.

For instance, you may come across the following error message when you restart your Windows XP-based computer after installing some essential updates.

“OS Loader v4.01
Disk I/O Error: Status 00000001
Windows NT could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
Ntoskrnl.exe
Please reinstall a copy of the above file.”

Cause:
The above error message occurred because the 'Ntoskrnl.exe' file in your system is corrupt.

This would prevent you from accessing the valuable data stored on your hard disk partitions. In such circumstances, you may use a backup to recover partition data. If the backup is missing, you should follow the below mentioned resolution steps.

Resolution:

Follow these steps in sequence to resolve the issue-
Boot the system using the Windows XP installation disc.
Press 'R' to enter the 'Recovery Console'.
Select Windows XP and give the administrator password.
At the command prompt, type the following command:
' expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ c:\windows\system32'

Here, 'd' is the CD ROM drive letter and 'c' is the letter of the drive where your operating system is installed.
Enter 'Y' for overwriting the file.
Type 'exit' and restart the system.

If the problem still persists, you may require to format the partitions and reinstall Windows. Formatting would erase all the contents of your system hard disk, causing you to lose all your precious information. In such situations, you should take help of an efficient partition recovery software to recover back all the lost, formatted data. These software use safe mechanisms to recover the lost documents, photos, videos, emails, etc. from the system.

Windows Data Recovery is a comprehensive utility that recovers any lost, deleted, or formatted data from FAT, NTFS, and exFAT partitions. It creates an exact replica of the hard disk and can support Windows partition recovery of more than 185 different file types. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000, and NT4(SP6).