Missing dll, WinXP not booting

[twokinds]

I am having problems with my Dell Inspiron 8600, which runs on Windows XP home edition.

Windows will not boot up, saying that it is missing a dll file.

I've attempted to do a Repair Reinstall following the guide provided by Dell support.

After getting to the Windows XP Licensing Agreement page, I select "I agree." However, the next screen is very different then that of the guide, stating:

"The following list shows the existing partitions and unpartitioned space on this computer.
Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to select an item in the list.
To set up Windows XP on the selected item, press ENTER.
To create a partition in the unpartitioned space, press C.
To delete the selected partition, press D."

I do not want to install over my old files, since a lot of it is vital to my business. If anyone can suggest a solution to this problem, I would be very greatful.

 

[iss]

even with a repair install there is always the risk of losing your existing data. now this normally does not result in the loss if data BUT.... if you have critical data you absolutely must not lose I would suggest that before you do the repair install that you build a Bart PE disk to retrieve your critical data from the hard drive.

you can download the necessary files here.

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

 

[AnySupreme]

don't use that second repair option...use the first one...then select the windows that you are using...then...when it gives you the c: prompt...type in "help"...it should give you a list of stuff...i would tell you to type in "chkdsk"... that might automatically fix it...if not...you can try typing in "fixmbr" ...i think that either of those might help...if not...something on that list will...using the other repair method is ok also....the only thing, is that it'll take about 15-50 minutes to do...depending on how fast your computer is....