Hi, Jim.
Usually, when the system says it can't start because ntoskrnl.exe is missing
or damaged, the file is fine and right where it should be, but the boot
process is looking for it in the wrong place. This is often because a drive
or partition has been added or removed since WinXP was installed, causing
drive letters to shift. Often, a CD/DVD drive, USB drive or Zip drive is
confusing the boot process.
If the file really is missing or damaged, then SFC should find the "known
good" copy in \Windows\system32\dllcache and replace the working copy for
you. Or you can just copy it back into \Windows\system32.
Searching support.microsoft.com for "ntoskrnl + missing" turns up dozens of
hits, so we'll need more details from you to narrow down the search. Could
you tell us more about your computer, especially the
drive/controller/partition configuration, and especially any recent changes.
RC
