Recovering data from Windows XP system using NTFS file recovery tool

NTFS (New Technology File System) is a new-age file system that is implemented in the Windows systems after Windows NT and later systems. This file system is secure, fast, reliable, and very easy to implement than its predecessor, FAT (File Allocation Table) file system. However, at times the critical system files get corrupt due to various reasons such as virus infections, hardware corruption, abrupt or unplanned system shutdown, etc. Because of these reasons, the system is unable to start and all the data gets inaccessible. If you are unable to resolve the situation, then a complete format of the disks followed by the reinstallation of the operating system would get the solution. To recover the data, however, you would need a third-party NTFS partition recovery software.

Consider a scenario in which you are getting the following error message while starting your Windows XP NTFS-based system:

“c:\windows\system32\drivers\ntfs.sys is missing or corrupted”

Cause:

The root cause for this situation is that the ntfs.sys file is either missing or damaged, as stated in the error message.

Resolution:

To resolve this situation, you would need to copy the ntfs.sys file using a Windows XP Setup CD. To do this, the following steps are required:

• Start the system using a Windows XP CD-ROM.

• Press R to enter the Recovery Console to repair the Windows XP installation.

• Type the following commands to expand the Windows folder containing the ntfs.sys file and rename it. Press Enter after each command:

cd \windows\system32\drivers

ren ntfs.sys ntfs.old

If the ntfs.sys file is missing, then it will be copied. Otherwise, if it is damaged, then it will be overwritten after prompting you to overwrite it.

• Type the following command and press Enter:

copy X:\i386\ntfs.sys drive:\windows\system32\drivers

• Remove the Windows XP CD and type 'quit' and press Enter to quit the Recovery Console.

• Restart the system. You should be able to start it properly now.

However, if it is not the case and you are still getting the same error message then you should format the system after taking the backup of your data. To take the backup, you can use a third-party NTFS file recovery software. These partition recovery tools do not modify the any kind of data while recovering it.

The best NTFS partition recovery software that works really well for NTFS and NTFS5 file systems is Stellar Phoenix NTFS Data Recovery. With the ability to recover more than 185 different file types from various storage devices such as external HDDs, USB drives, iPods, etc, this NTFS data recovery software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.