Unable to modify 'system' file on windows XP HDD

[KnoppixIsOk]

I am working on a friend's Dell's desktop PC which has failure in booting up (Windows XP).

Here is where I am stuck:
Using Knoppix LIVEDCD to boot up and access the HDD, I attempt to rename and then replace the corrupted system file but get an error message saying file cannot be deleted. The error message when I attempt to rename and also replace file, states: Could not delete file...

What this looks like to me is that even though I can see the file and even copy it to a USB memory stick, there is no permission to modify/delete it.

Any reason why this is the case and what can I do to overcome this?

[Harry Kuhman]

See answer #6.

[KnoppixIsOk]

Thx Harry!

I simply click on the drive to get the menu, then enabled write access and it worked. I fixed the Windows corrupted file and now Windows boots up.

Knoppix rock!

[Harry Kuhman]

I simply click on the drive to get the menu, then enabled write access and it worked. I fixed the Windows corrupted file and now Windows boots up.

I don't think you read or believed all of what I wrote. For a long time Linux efforts to write to NTFS have met with disaster. I personally believe this is by Microsoft's own design. There are some vague claims that Knoppix 5.x might be able to write to NTFS, but I'm far from convinced that's it's safe and stable yet. I did not advise you to write to a NTFS partition.

Unfortunately, the corruption that has been seen sometimes ruins the partition right away, but sometimes it leaves the system apparently working for a while and then the partition self destructs later. I wish you luck, and please let us know if your system stays working in the coming months. But if I were you, I would also make sure that I have good backups of everything I needed, just in case.

[KnoppixIsOk]

I did read what you wrote. Good advise too.

[cbagger01]

If you want to verify the integrity of your Windows NTFS file system, from inside Windows you can run the Microsoft CHKDSK command from inside a Command Prompt window, or you can right-click on the drive letter in Windows Explorer and choose Properties -> Tools -> Error Checking -> Check Now

This will not tell you if the data contained inside a file is corrupt, but it will tell you if there are problems with the file system integrity and the program can even make an attempt to fix them.