# Problem booting Windows XP

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-booting-windows-xp/427865>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 27, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-booting-windows-xp/427865 "2007-11-27T02:00:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-booting-windows-xp/427865/1 "2007-11-27T02:00:59Z")

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I’m running XP (version 2002, service pack 2) on my home computer, and I get an error message every time I boot: “…the following file is missing or corrupt: system32  
toskrnl.exe”

However, if I boot without a mouse plugged in to the USB port, it boots fine, no message. So I’m working around the problem by unplugging my mouse before booting every time.

I thought it might be related to the mouse (seemed intuitively obvious) so I downloaded new mouse drivers. Didn’t help.

I found the referenced file on my work computer (which is also running XP), and copied it to the same location on my home computer – it turned out that there was such a file in Windows\system32, so I overwrote it. Didn’t help.

Just for grins, I tried executing ntoskrnl.exe. Got this message: “the windows\system32  
toskrnl.exe application cannot be run in Win32 mode.” I’m guessing that this is what’s causing my problems booting, but I have no clue how to fix it.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-booting-windows-xp/427865/2 "2007-11-27T02:09:57Z")

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[This link](http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000646.htm) mentions a bad keyboard. Have you tried a different mouse? I’ll just hang around and wait for someone more knowledgeable than I to show up.

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**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-booting-windows-xp/427865/3 "2007-11-27T03:05:50Z")

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I like how there are 7 possible problems in that link (thanks, btw), only one of which is remotely similar to the error message. I’ll rustle up a mouse and see what happens.