Tom's Hardware > Forum > Windows XP > Windows XP General Discussion > I can't fix windows xp because of Bad Pool Caller Error Screen! Help

I can't fix windows xp because of Bad Pool Caller Error Screen! Help

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nakedtons   07-08-2009 at 02:15:44 AM

I was initially testing out a faulty out a faulty PSU and got the problem rectified, I then proceed to shut down the computer to screw up a working PSU. After doing that, I boot up my computers but half-way through, I accidentally made a hard contact with one of the PSU cable and windows stalled so I had no choice but to turn off my computer in an improper way. But just when I was booting up to windows this error message appeared!

Problem:
You turn off your computer one day and then go to restart to find an error message that says:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt
C:\windows\system32\config\system

You can attempt to repair this file by starting windows setup using the original setup CD-Rom. Select "r" at the first screen to start repair. Do NOT use an OEM "Recovery Disc". Only a valid Windows XP media will work or a disc from the OEM that says "Operating System" may sometimes work depending on how the manufacturer labeled the CD.

I knew immediately that the improper shutdown had caused one of the windows file to be corrupted so I proceed to insert my windows xp cd and when I tried reinstalling windows or go to the recovery screen this "Bad Pool Caller" error screen popped up which stopped me from fixing the corrupted file!

There is no way I could boot up windows because of the corrupted file and when I attempt to fix it or try to reinstall windows this "Bad Pool Caller" error screen prevents me from doing that! My computer is as good as dead now!

I done research for hours on another computer which is obviously not mine about to fix this blue screen error so I can start fixing the corrupted file and get windows running again! I also tried removing all pci cards, usb devices, vid card and left only my mouse, keyboard, onboard graphics, cd-drive, harddrive and monitor up and running and also disabling any removable and usb devices in my BIOS and testing out my ram which I found nothng wrong with it. I spent hours doing all these but to no avail. This error screen still prevented me from either fixing the corrupted file or reinstalling windows. I had tried everything and there;s nothing I can do right now to run windows. I need your help as too much important work projects are stored in my harddrive and I can't afford to lose them.

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btk1w1   07-08-2009 at 02:39:09 AM
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I'm not sure if this has been tried, will work or how far the PC goes into the boot process.

Reboot the PC and tap the F8 key like you are going into safe mode. Instead of safe mode select the option to restore to the last known good configuration.

You may have to slave the HDD to another PC and recover all the files this way. It's a pain but should be doable.

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nakedtons   07-08-2009 at 02:47:05 AM
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I had tried all that but the c:\windows\system32\config\system error even it attempts to boot in safe mode or go from the last known good configuration. The only way out is to reinstall windows or to fix the file but there is no way i can do that as the Bad Pool Caller screen prevents me from doing all that! I'm at no wits' end now!

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btk1w1   07-08-2009 at 04:25:38 AM
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I'm thinking that maybe using a Linux live CD that you should be able to replace the file.

I'm not too familiar with Linux distros although I have played around with a few different live CDs.

This way at least you will be able to boot into an operating system running in RAM. I know you can access the windows file structure with Linux, so there might be a way to copy a replacement file.

I'm going for a gander online to see if this has been done before.

Message quoted 1 times
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nakedtons   07-08-2009 at 07:59:31 AM
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btk1w1 wrote :

I'm thinking that maybe using a Linux live CD that you should be able to replace the file.

I'm not too familiar with Linux distros although I have played around with a few different live CDs.

This way at least you will be able to boot into an operating system running in RAM. I know you can access the windows file structure with Linux, so there might be a way to copy a replacement file.

I'm going for a gander online to see if this has been done before.



Thanks so much! Please post more details here to help me fix this problem! I don't wish to waste money on a new harddrive!

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nakedtons   07-08-2009 at 08:19:05 AM
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I'm a really lucky guy who found an old backup harddrive which is still working fine but with very limited capacity so there is nothing much I can do than to save it for basic usage!
I managed to install a fresh piece of Windows XP on it and got Windows up and running again! However, this is only a temporary fix as I had no idea how long this really old harddrive will last! OK, i need to make use of this golden opportunity right now to fix the previous harddrive corrupted file issue! Is there a way which I can copy the missing or corrupted file from this current harddrive onto the one which is already corrupted by slaving the harddrive with the corrupted file to rectify the problem? Can you provide me with some details for how I can do that? Thanks!!


Message edited by nakedtons on 07-08-2009 at 08:21:20 AM
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btk1w1   07-08-2009 at 09:21:52 AM
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If they're IDE drives, take the jumper out of the corrupted one and set it to Slave.

Now hook it up to the PC (powered down and unplugged) with power and data cables.

Boot your PC up and it should just look for the new XP install.

Navigate through the file structure for the files you want to recover and transfer off it. I would burn them to CD or DVD to be safest, but any external device should work.

Then you can go about formatting and reinstalling the operating system to the original HDD.

I would run a HDD diagnostics test on the HDD too. Most HDD manufacturers have this utility for free to download on their website.

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nakedtons   07-08-2009 at 09:38:52 PM
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My original HDD is a SATA drive and I had set it as a secondary boot disk and the temporary IDE HDD as the first boot disk in my BIOS! Will it work if I navigate to the C:\windows\system32\config folder on the IDE HDD and rewrite the entire folder onto the SATA HDD or will the problem still remain? I am afraid of doing that right as the sizes of C:\windows\system32\config files from both HDD are different and I don't want to mess up the files on the SATA HDD and make the situation worse! Plus, I had downloaded the Diagnostic Program and will my important files located in "My Documents" folder on the SATA HDD be gone during the test because the program urges me to strongly back up all my files first before proceeding and there is no way I can do that as the IDE HDD has too limited capacity! I'm waiting for your reply! Thanks!!


Message edited by nakedtons on 07-08-2009 at 10:16:02 PM
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btk1w1   07-09-2009 at 02:55:19 AM
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Im not entirely sure what you want to do.

I assumed you wanted to retrieve all the important files off the HDD, back them up then Format and reinstall the OS and applications.

The system 32 files have registry pointers, run alot of services and basically run at the heart of the OS. Transferring these files over won't mean that the OS will be as it was on the other HDD, in fact it will probably cause i big mess.

As for the HDD diag utility, this recommendation was made so that after you back up all your important data, you could run it to check the integrity of the drive before using it with a nice clean OS.

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nakedtons   07-09-2009 at 03:33:35 AM
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Look! I can't even reinstall windows on the SATA drive because of that Bad Pool Caller error! Looking at things, I am confident that it isn't my SATA drive which is faulty as I can still access those files without any lags as a secondary drive so I can be positive that it was the corrupted file which cause this big 'mess' to occur! The solution is to of course reinstall windows but I'm not able to do it because I received that Bad Pool Caller error when my Windows XP disk try to access my harddrive!
I had consulted a qualified technician about the problem and he suggested I take my system to let him fix it as he had mentioned to me that I may make the situation worse by trying to fix something I'm not familiar with! The reason why I post it here is that I may find someone who can offer me suggestions to fix this 'crap' so that I can save that hard-earned money to let someone fix it! Anyway, I appreciate that you are trying your best to picture my problem and help me fix it! Thanks a lot for that!
Lastly, any more final suggestions you can think of to help me fix this 'crap' before I have to spend $$ to let an expert fix it?!


Message edited by nakedtons on 07-09-2009 at 03:41:58 AM
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nakedtons   07-09-2009 at 10:52:58 PM
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I think I had got part of the problem solved now! I guess it may have to do with my RAM overall which had started to get faulty! I tried taking out one of my two RAM chips and I'm able to get to the Windows Recovery Console booting from the SATA drive but I'm still not able to reinstall Windows as that Bad Pool Error screen reappears which I suspect may be also due to the only piece of RAM I'm using is starting to go bad! I will do an RMA for my RAM chips and see if I'm able to reinstall windows! Otherwise, I can conclude that the problem lies in the SATA drive which had some bad sectors which are unrepairable as the chkdsk test on the Windows Recovery Console detected some errors! If that is the case, I will just have to part with some cash to get a new harddrive!

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schlick   09-03-2009 at 05:58:27 AM
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Hello, I am having this exact same problem - almost to the letter:

- Cant boot to SATA drive, getting same "cant find C:\windows\system32\config\system" boot error
- Cant boot XP disc for a fdisk MBR, or fixboot, etc. because of "Bad Pool Caller" BSOD
- Added small IDE HDD (10GB) and loaded XP no problem. I can access and control every part of the SATA drive from new IDE HDD. I also ran a windows chkdsk on the SATA HDD and found no errors.

I do not buy this RAM issue that nakedtons says that he/she has. If it was RAM, I couldnt use the computer anyway, let alone boot the XP disc to install an OS on the IDE drive the exact same way as I would for the SATA. I am fairly sure this is a driver issue for the SATA controller (many computers 5 years ago or so didnt have the newer SATA controllers integrated into the north or south bridge -- cant remember which off the top of the head). So, Ive looked for drivers to slipstream into my XP install and cant find any that will work for my computer. How do I solve this problem? Can I fixboot or fdisk the MBR of my SATA drive while I am booted from my IDE drive install? I dont have any spare hard drives large enough to back up my data, and I really really really would prefer not to reformat (even if i cant reformat as it is now). Thanks

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