Disk Error, Compaq Recovery Dead

[CoolMan2002]

Hello, I have a Compaq Presario SR1150NX Desktop from 2005. Everything runs fine in it and we cleared out the dust not to long ago. But then one day I went to boot it up it said a critical system file was missing. I am confused at first. After spending a half hour creating a USB Disk only to find it didn' t work, I was then forced to use the Windows XP Recovery Console. Then after I fixed it it still didnt boot because it couldint find the file. But when I start the computer up it shows me that if I press F10 it boots into system Recovery mode. Ot booted and told me I could boot into windows xp system recovery. But in the middle of that, the computer overheats and shuts off. When I tried to turn it on again it gave me a Disk Error AND when I boot into recoervy, it just bluescreens. Now when I turn on the computer it does nothing.

Is there anywhere where I could download a recoervy tool to get the hard drive open so we can get the data off of the drive and get a new drive? Or get a Windows Recovery Disk? 

Any Help is Apprecited!

[mdklassen]

> .. anywhere where I could download a recovery tool to get the hard drive open

>  so we can get the data off of the drive and get a new drive?

You're very fortunate that your Windows XP system, which has not had an Windows security-updates (and anti-virus updates) for the last 2.5 years was still running, since it is dependent on an 11-year-old disk-drive.

Rather than "software", you need a piece of "hardware":

   http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8430866&CatId=468

Remove your disk-drive from your computer, connect it to this adapter, connect the AC power, and connect the adapter to a USB port on a Windows 10 computer that you have just purchased, to "modernize" your computing needs.

Then, you might be able to copy all your files from your "antique" disk-drive onto the new computer.

Remember to responsibly recycle all the parts from the old Windows XP system.

[CoolMan2002]

The problem is, is that the computer is not mine. It is my grandparents. I Own a Windows 10 computer. All they have is a Windows 7 Laptop.  So what do I do with it, Everybody does not know what to do.

[mdklassen]

> The problem is, is that the computer is not mine. It is my grandparents.

> All they have is a Windows 7 Laptop.  

Given that they have a working computer, and that they gave their 2005-vintage computer, running Windows XP, to you, what do you want to do with it?

You could download and install the UBUNTU (variant of Linux) on it.

UBUNTU is quite "user-friendly" (Firefox web-browser, LibreOffice - which looks/feels like MicrosoftOffice),

and it should run on "low-end" vintage-2005 hardware.

> I Own a Windows 10 computer. So what do I do with it, Everybody does not know what to do.

Use that hardware adapter that was previously recommended.

Remove the disk-drive from the laptop.

Connect it to the adapter.

Connect the adapter's USB connector to a USB port on your computer.

Copy all the files from it onto your 'C:' drive.

[CoolMan2002]

Well, it is incompatible with linux for some reason, I created media and tried without installing because I was going to keep Windows and maybe upgrade it to Windows 7. The problem is, is that the start screen coruppts and linux corrputs and on the computer just refuses to work with it

[CoolMan2002]

It also isnt mine, they are not going to gi e it to me until they get the data off the computer, It used to be a main computer until they bought a laptop. It is an office computer now and has had disk issues since like 2013 or something. Here is the startup

COMPAQ

V 3.10 ESC BOOT MENU F1 SETUP F10 SYSTEM RECOVERY

then

Invaild Boot ini

C:\Windows

then

Windows could not start a critcal system file is missing or corrupt

C:\WindowsRoot\System32\hal.dll

When I boot into system recoervy it gives me a bluescreen saying

STOP C000218

The regisrty could not load the file

C:\WINDOWS\REGISTRY\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

The system has been shut down

Now do I think I can do anything?

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

Remove the disk-drive from the desktop computer.

Buy

USB2.0 to SATA/IDE Drive Adapter 2.5/3.5/5.25IN Drives w/ Power Adapter

See: http://www.ncix.com/detail/usb2-0-to-sata-ide-drive-adapter-a3-17762.htm

and connect your disk-drive, through this adapter, to a USB port on your own computer.

When you connect it, Windows will ask your permission to run "check-disk" ('CHKDSK') to examine and repair any file-system problems.

I think that the currently-corrupt file-system on the disk-drive is causing the boot-up problems that you have reported.

Re-connect the "repaired" disk-drive into the desktop computer, and try again.

[CoolMan2002]

Ok, then I will check around with them and see if we could do that! Otherwise, thank you so much for the help!