When i start up my laptop i get an error saying 'windows can not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: <windows root>\system32\stoskrnl.exe' some guy told me to install a whole new harddrive. what should i really do? thanks in advance

your KRNL files are pretty important pieces of the OS installation. if they are corrupted, you're in a tight spot. #1) i hope you keep backups of your data somewhere other than this computer. #2) sometimes the repair console (boot to XP install disk) can help you fix a corrupted OS, but the machine will never be the same again. I recommend taking this route only if you need to retrieve files off the harddrives, and then you'd probably want to reinstall anyway.

Thanks... i did back all the files. i'll try that and see what that does