Missing or corrupt pci.sys after sudden crash 2

[MALFIE]

On a laptop this suddenly occured and now, as it tries to reboot, it reports "system32\drivrs\pci.sys is missing or corrupt.." Error 4 (Cannot open file)
I can get it thru safe mode but as soon as I start clicking into . i;\.e. CP, I get a quick glipse of a blue screen with tiny white text (NT-like) that is gone before I can read anything.. although at the bottom of the screen (its filled with text) I think I caught a reference to memory.. but to uncertain..
I have the file on floppy, but being a NTFS partition I dont know how to copy it over, not that I'm confident that any windows boot message is ever definitely the whole problem, or, should I hope, the solution..
I got to the Safe Mode Prompt but as sonn as I type something that lightning fast screen flicks on and it reboots..
Trying to boot of the CD gets in a short way and comes up with the same error.
Any suggestions (other than a clean reinstall)


"We do not stop playing because we are old, more likely we grow old because we stop playing...

 

[gpalmer711]

See if this article from Microsoft helps you

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330181

Greg Palmer
Free Software for Adminstrators

http://www.palmersoft.co.uk

 

[MALFIE]

Spot on!

I removed the first of 2 modules in the Toshiba nb and it booted fine... I was going to check it on its own but thought I'd just try it after carefully reseating..

Works just great..every time..

So it was a memory problem as the article suggested.. but not a serious one at that..

wish all other probs worked out so well or as quickly..

Thanks heaps!

Mal


"We do not stop playing because we are old, more likely we grow old because we stop playing...

 

[linney]

A new by-product of SP2 is the ability to remove the automatic restart by selecting the "Disable automatic restart on system failure" option via the Safe Mode screen options, so you can read the full error message.

Of course you can preempt this by turning off Automatic Restart in System Properties/ Advanced/ Startup and recovery.

 

[MALFIE]

Thanks for that... I't hadn't occured to me although I realise you could do it before... now that you mention it..

turned out the ram module WAS faulty... once a load was put on the memory it fumbled.. it's gone..

Mal


"We do not stop playing because we are old, more likely we grow old because we stop playing...