ERROR CODE 0XC000026C OR 0XC0000221 “UNABLE TO LOAD DEVICE DRIVER” ERROR OCCURS WHEN YOU START WINDOWS XP

ISSUE/SYMPTOMS:

When you start Windows XP, you may receive one of the following error messages:

0xc0000221 [Unable to load device driver] DriverName…OR;

0xc0000221. Bad image check sum, the image user32.dll is possibly corrupt. The header check sum does not match the computed check sum.

CAUSES/REASON :

This behavior can occur if one of the following conditions is true:

• A device driver file (.sys) is missing or damaged.The missing or damaged file is probably the driver file that the error message mentions.
• The User32.dll file may be missing or damaged.

RESOLUTION:

To resolve this behavior, use the appropriate method for your symptoms.

MISSING OR DAMAGED DRIVER FILE

Use Recovery Console to replace the missing or damaged driver file. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer. Select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
2. When the “Welcome to Setup” screen appears, press R to start Recovery Console.
3. If your computer is configured for dual booting or multiple booting, select the relevant Windows XP installation.
4. When you are prompted to do so, type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.

Note In Windows XP Home Edition, the administrator password is\ blank by default.

5. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press               ENTER:

cd windows\system32\drivers

6. To rename the damaged driver file, type the following command, and then press ENTER

ren drivername.sys drivername.bak

where drivername is the name of the damaged driver file.

7. To copy the driver from the Windows XP CD-ROM to the Drivers folder, type the following command, and then press ENTER

copy cd-rom:\i386 drivername

where cd-rom is the drive letter for the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM.

8. Type exit, press ENTER, and then restart the computer.

MISSING OR DAMAGED USER32.DLL FILE

Use Recovery Console to replace the corrupted or damaged User32.dll file, then, if needed, perform an in-place upgrade (also called a repair install) of Windows XP. To do so follow these steps:

1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer. Select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
2. When the “Welcome to Setup” screen appears, press R to start Recovery Console.
3. If your computer is configured for dual booting or multiple booting, select the relevant Windows XP installation.
4. When you are prompted to do so, type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.NOTE: In Windows XP Home Edition, the administrator password is\ blank by default.
5. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

cd windows\system32

1. To rename the User32.dll file, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

ren user32.dll user32.bak

1. To expand a new copy of the User32.dll file from the Windows XP CD-ROM to the System32 folder, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

expand cd-rom:\i386\user32.dl_ c:\windows\system32

where cd-rom is the drive letter for the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM, and c:\windows is the drive letter and folder in which Windows XP is installed.

1. Type exit, press ENTER, and then restart the computer.

If Windows XP still fails to start, you may need to perform an in-place upgrade (also called a repair install)

How to Start windows installer service in safe mode

Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.

Solution:

First in Safe mode only

Click on start/run and in the open box type the following commands

1. REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

2. net start msiserver

Safe Mode with Network:

Click on start/run and in the open box type the following commands

1. REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Network\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

2. net start msiserver

Error 1084: This service cannot be started in Safe Mode

Symptoms: When you are getting this error message in normal mode with lot's of services which do not run in normal mode

Operating system: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.

Solution: Click on start/run and in the open box type "regedit" and than click okay.
Browse to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Option
change "OptionValue" to if present
"OptionValue"=dword:00000000
and restart the computer.