I have WinXP home edition. Ive spent this entire weekend trying to fix this problem. "txtsetup.sif is missing or corrupted status 14" This error comes up in the boot process before i have a chance to f8 into safe mode. Last thing I did before I started getting this error was running an anti virus program.
I have a boot utility disk that allows me to view files and edit them. So i was able to verify that this file exists but I am guessing it got corrupted by deleting a virus attached to one of the files within the txtsetup.sif file. Any suggestions? Know of any bootcd / utilities that could at least get me into safe mode so i can try to utilize a restore point? Anything would be appreciatedHi edcorral.

You obviously did not bother to read my response to dnoonkest's post in the Dos forum in which you posed the same question here.

Here are a couple of extracts from the url I posted. (Here it is again.)

"List as much about your computer as possible. This includes operating system (what version of Windows you are using), service packs, computer make/model, RAM, hard drive, sound and video cards, current adware/spyware/virus programs being used on a regular basis, do you have a "real" Windows CD, etc."

and -

"You cannot give too much information. about the system. Withholding information seldom solves a problem quickly, if at all. Please don't expect us to drag information out of YOU to solve YOUR problem."

Also would like to know if your hardware includes a floppy drive and which anti-virus scan you ran and the name of the virus which was detected and which file was deleted.

We await your response.I have a sony Vaio PCV-RS520 , running win xp home sp2. 512 ram 160 gb hd partitioned into 2 drives. I use AVG and AD-Aware often. I do not know the name of the virus as I routinely delete any type of virus and really will only note it if it said it was untreatable. I use AVG and Ad-Aware. Since then I picked up Fix-It Utilities 7 because of the booting capability. This is how I am now able to at least edit and view files. My computer was preloaded with windows and I do not actually have a win xp CD. Although I have one from my Dell laptop and was able to get into the boot repair SECTION from the CD, but was unable to achieve anything.OK. The problem is most likely hardware RELATED and the likely suspects are ram and hdd.

If your 512mb ram is in multiple STICKS (say 2x256's) then remove one stick and reboot. If booting is not successful then swap the sticks and boot again. If again booting is not successful then replace the removed stick.

Take all precautions against electric shock and static discharge while working inside the box.

If your ram is just one stick then goto the Memtest86 site here and download the zipped iso file, unzip it and burn the iso to disc. Boot from the disc and let Memtest run for a while. If your ram fails to pass any test then it must be replaced.

To test the hdd goto the hdd manufacturers site and download/install/run the appropriate diagnostic software. Again you will have to burn this to disc. If your hdd is a Seagate or Maxtor the software can be downloaded from here.

If you have critical files on your hdd which have not been backed-up you might consider slaving the drive on another pc to copy those files for backup.

Good luckIll try that when i get home from work, I was thinking that it wasnt hardware related for the reason that it was working fine until I rebooted after my virus scan. But Ill give it a shot.There is no guarantee that the problem is hardware related, the file on disk may be corrupt, but hardware is a good starting point. Some instances of your problem have been cured by unplugging external peripherals such as usb drives. For some unexplained reason the boot process has been KNOWN to treat an external hdd as a floppy. The same error message but with a different status code has been displayed while trying to install XP using what turned out to be a defective cdrom. The causes/cures seem to be endless.

Here is just one discussion on another forum, you might like to read the many suggestions for a cure.

Good luck