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How to restore a missing file in Windows XP
You can restore a missing Windows XP system file by extracting a copy from the Windows XP installation CD, or from a folder on the hard disk. You can also use this method to extract files from cabinet files, which are compressed archives that are often used by Microsoft to distribute software components for installation.
From the Start menu, click Run, type msconfig and hit Enter. The System Configuration Utility should start.
Click the button captioned Expand File....
The Expand One File from Installation Source dialog box will appear. In the File to restore: field, type the name of the file you want to restore.
In the Restore from: field, click the Browse From... button and use the Open dialog box to navigate to the folder containing your Windows installation files. This folder is normally named i386. If you have a Windows XP installation CD, this folder will be on the CD. If Windows was preinstalled by the computer manufacturer and you only have a restore CD, the i386 folder will be somewhere on the hard disk. The manufacturer may have made it a hidden folder, in which case you may need to enable the display of hidden files in order to see it.
If you wish to extract a file from a named cabinet file, use the Open dialog box to locate the file name you have been given and then click Open.
Many Windows XP files are stored in the i386 folder as individual compressed files. The filenames of these compressed files are the same as the installed files, except that the last character of the extension (the three letters after the dot) has been changed to an underscore. To locate these files using the Open dialog box, type *. followed by the first two letters of the extension and an underscore in the File name: field, then hit Enter. For example, if you are trying to restore a DLL file, enter *.DL_.
Select the file you want and click Open to select it into the Restore from: field.
In the Save file in: field, click the Browse To... button and locate the folder into which the file should be expanded. This is normally C:\Windows\System32 unless the instructions you have been given specify a different location. Then click Expand.
Unfortunately, the Expand One File tool gives no indication as to whether it was successful or not. It also does not rename the expanded file to the correct extension. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder the file was supposed to have been restored to, locate the restored file and select it, then click on File, Rename and change the underscore back to the correct last letter of the file extension.
Note: if you are replacing a system file instead of restoring a missing one, you will have to delete the existing file to the Recycle Bin before renaming the restored copy.
Applies to
- Microsoft Windows XP
two comments:
In the last picture browse to complete path is not provided.
I am unable to proceed.
Praveen () (URL) - 23 01 2008 - 18:42
The path depends on the file you are restoring. Therefore the path shown in the screenshot is probably not valid in your situation. As stated, C:WindowsSystem32 is the correct path in most cases.
Guru - 24 01 2008 - 14:05