Bootscreen image messed up after uninstallation

I recently installed the program, "FlyAKite" which has a large collection of 3rd party software in it as well as other things.

You have probably all heard of it. 8-)

Anyway.

I got annoyed with the whole application and decided to uninstall it.

When it WAS installed, it hade a cool little boot loading screen which was grey with a little apple (for apple mac) and a dotted bar for the loading bar.

Anyway.

Upon uninstalling it, the boot screen image returned to the default Windows XP screen, but everything was still all grey and it looks sort of corrupt looking.

Everything else is fine.

its just the boot-up image that is messed up.

I can't get rid of it.

Please help.

#393903

I recall that the XP boot logo lives in NTOSKRNL.EXE (which lives in your windowssystem32 folder). Dig out your Windows XP CD (or service pack, depending on whether you've installed service packs), and replace the file.

The problem is, NTOSKRNL.EXE is one of those pesky vital system files that Windows needs to run. It won't let you touch it while it's running, and if anything goes wrong replacing it, could be reinstall time. There's a couple of ways of doing it:

DISCLAIMER: YOU CAN KILL WINDOWS STONE-COLD-MOTHERLESS-DEAD IF I'VE MESSED THESE INSTRUCTIONS UP ANY. THIS IS JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, AND COULD BE CATASTROPHICALLY (for you) WRONG. CAVEAT AGITO.

SAFE(ISH) WAY -- With the Emergency Console.

1) If you've installed a service pack, fish through the service pack and find NTOSKRNL.EXE. If not, find NTOSKRNL.EXE on your Windows CD (the one you found earlier propping up a wobbly table on the back verandah), and leave it somewhere convenient on your hard drive.

2) Boot from your Windows CD, select "Emergency Console", and enter your Administrator password.

3) Rename NTOSKRNL.EXE in your windowssystem32 folder. Rename the NTOSKRNL.EXE you may find in windowssystem32dllcache, and there MAY be yet another copy floating around somewhere like windowsservicepackfilesi386 that you should rename.

Why are we doing this? Because Windows File Protection might try to be "helpful" when you reboot, and replace the NTOSKRNL.EXE file with one of these other copies. All this work for nothing.

4) Copy the NTOSKRNL.EXE you extracted from your Windows CD or service pack into windowssystem32.

5) Type EXIT, and cross your fingers.

SEAT-OF-YOUR-PANTS WAY -- Replacing it while Windows is running.

Technically, this shouldn't work. But for some reason, it does. Windows doesn't allow you to DELETE a file that's in use, but for some insane reason, you're allowed to RENAME them.

1) Log in as an Administrator.

2) Perform step 1 from the safe-ish way.

3) Perform step 3 from the safe-ish way, but do it "backwards", that is, rename the files in windowssystem32dllcache and windowsservicepackfilesi386 BEFORE the one in windowssystem32. Windows may then whinge that a protected file is missing. Ignore it.

4) Perform step 4 from the safe-ish way.

5) Reboot, and cross your fingers.

With any luck, you should have a standard issue Windows XP boot logo again. If not... you'll need that Windows CD, because it's reinstall time.

#393967

system restore might work

#394628

Sorry for bumping this but this has happened to two of my computers. I'm not to keen on replacing NTOSKRNL.EXE. Is there any other way of fixing this?

#442960