Delete corrupt file

storm44

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I have a pc running windows 10 that goes to the recovery/repair window upon boot with the error " The operating system couldn't be loaded because a critical system driver is missing or corrupt" File: windows\system32\drivers\spaceport.sys. It will not let me choose any of the recovery tools It just goes back to the previous screen. I booted the pc with Windows 8.1 SE so I could replace the corrupt file. I have tried everything I can think of to delete the file but I keep getting the message "ERROR the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. How can I get past this and force delete the file?
 
I was hoping to delete and replace spaceport.sys first and try that, but I can not find anything that will delete the file. There has to be something out there that will remove it.
 
Certain folders within \windows\system32 are VERY heavily used. If a hard drive is beginning to step off the edge of the cliff, that is a very common place to start because it gets a lot of wear 'n tear.

I'd clone to a new drive and work on the repair from there.
 
You could try booting with a Linux "LiveCd" and deleting the file that way.
I loaded Linux to try and delete the file but it did not see the file. so I tried to copy the file from another directory into the windows\system32\drivers directory but it failed. Is there a good utility out there to force delete a file?
 
Here is another thought I had. The file in the windows directory that is corrupted is named spaceport.sys. Can I copy a renamed (spaceport2) GOOD file into that same directory then change the filename in the instructions for the boot process? If that is possible where would I find the boot instructions?
 
Did you verify you have rw privileges when you tried it with Linux? Nothing personal but what is the motivation for doing this? You could easily spend hours since you have no way of knowing if other files are missing. Have you booted into a W10 install image and tried to fix it that way?
 
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The clue might be in your first post: " The operating system couldn't be loaded because a critical system driver is missing or corrupt". If your Linux could not find this file - maybe it really is missing? In which case, you don't need to delete it. Can you boot into a Win PE and see if it's actually there?

PS Forget about modifying the boot params/code. Not going to happen.
 
The clue might be in your first post: " The operating system couldn't be loaded because a critical system driver is missing or corrupt". If your Linux could not find this file - maybe it really is missing? In which case, you don't need to delete it. Can you boot into a Win PE and see if it's actually there?

PS Forget about modifying the boot params/code. Not going to happen.

I booted the pc with Windows 8.1 SE. I can see the file but it will not delete, I get a error saying the file is corrupt. When I looked at it in Linux the file did not show, but Linux would not allow me to copy the same file into that directory nor would it allow me to rename a file to the same name.
 
Did you verify you have rw privileges when you tried it with Linux? Nothing personal but what is the motivation for doing this? You could easily spend hours since you have no way of knowing if other files are missing. Have you booted into a W10 install image and tried to fix it that way?

I could easily cut my time by formatting and re-installing the os but I like the challenge of trying to figure it out and use this as a learning process
 
I could easily cut my time by formatting and re-installing the os but I like the challenge of trying to figure it out and use this as a learning process

Understood. But you are running a business after all.

Back in the early XP days I tried the "repair" (copy/replace files) options in situations like this. Never worked. Replace one file, another one is missing, etc, etc. There are too many variables. You have to have a version of the file that matches the latest update round for the installation.

@YeOldeStonecat hit the nail on the head. That dir gets hit all of the time. So, unless it's some random malware thing, there is certainly going to be more problems. Even booting from an installation and running a repair is iffy at best.
 
Understood. But you are running a business after all.

Back in the early XP days I tried the "repair" (copy/replace files) options in situations like this. Never worked. Replace one file, another one is missing, etc, etc. There are too many variables. You have to have a version of the file that matches the latest update round for the installation.

@YeOldeStonecat hit the nail on the head. That dir gets hit all of the time. So, unless it's some random malware thing, there is certainly going to be more problems. Even booting from an installation and running a repair is iffy at best.
What He said +100
 
Windows 10 was installed from a windows 8.1 upgrade about a month ago. It has ran fine without issues since that time.
One of my customers is a secondary modern school. 90 clients, all upgraded from windows 7 to windows 10 build 1511. Every machine goes mad after automatically trying to up(date|grade) to build 1607 in the night.
Therefor my question is: what build is that machine running on in the moment? If 1511, tyr to up(date|grade) to 1607 manually. Every machine of the 90 clients on where I did that is runing like a charm now.
 
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