jasenpeters

Understood about the "automagic" software, not interested. I figured I could at least try to: - Expand the ISO to a local folder - Update the corrupted files with good one In this case re-compress the dll's (from a same version source), copy over the corrupted files - Rebuild the ISO - Test, etc.... or the binary method, again, which is a bit tricky, but do-able. When I expand the bad dll's using 7zip, I get an error. I can double click the shell32.dl_ and get another window that shows the file as shell32.dll. Then I click that and get a "data" error. If I do the same on a "good" ISO, 7zip shows another window with the shell32.dll contents. Some .dll's have further files and folders, some are just pure binary data with no further files or folders. I suspect the bad file is the same size, but the internals are corrupted....because 7zip can pull it from the ISO to a local folder, where the OS (Win7) confirms the size, but 7zip throws an error when I try to expand it. I might be able to get another *.dl_ from a borrowed CD, compare internal file versions, and then overwrite the bad ISO with the borrowed without having to compress a dll from a live install. Anyway, I need to get on with testing. I'll report back. But, thank you for your command of knowledge on this subject, very encouraging.

Thank you jaclaz...... For responding directly to the issue. (Some responses suggest acquiring another copy, etc.) I'm curious about these things and it's about approaches to solving problems directly, with purpose and understanding, not by mindless "re-starting". I have compared the file info to my old system live files. Luckily the properties of the damaged files are not corrupt and matches the version number of the older working system equivalent files. I will definitely verify and compare all versions of files discovered to be corrupt or damaged, knowing that they should be exact. Also, once I know how to compress the older system working equivalent files, I intended use an ISO "writer" to copy over the corrupt files in the ISO image. I am assuming that WinISO and others that can write directly to the image can write over the corrupt files, hopefully replacing them exactly with no corruption of the image. I have written to ISO expanded images before with no real issue as in the case when I updated the UNATTEND.TXT file in the ISO and the "new" ISO worked fine. Binary overwrite of the ISO with the exact compressed files may require careful preparation and steps, but I'll try opening the image to a folder, overwrite the compressed files with the new ones, then rebuild the ISO, and test the installation process and post process. You bring up a good point though, other files may be corrupt as well and not discovered until far after the installation when the file is actually needed by a Windows process. The journey of discovery of how things work is the fun part. I'll post here how it goes. Thanks for your advice and guidance. JP

I have a old WinXP ISO file that I want to use on an old computer. However, upon booting from the image (via USB thumb drive) the WinXP claims that some files are either corrupt or not found. Namely: shell32.dll, and others. Just a few. Is there a way to repair the ISO, by replacing the problem files? After "expanding" the ISO image to a local hard disc, I could browse to the files in question, but they are in what I assume is some kind of compressed format: shell32.dl_, etc. I have another machine that I put this particular ISO installation on (years ago) and I found and copied shell32.dll, and others in hopes of somehow "replacing" the *.dl_ files on the bad ISO image. Is there a way to properly "compress" (I assume), the good files from *.dll to *.dl_, etc. and then replace the bad files in the ISO? The files in question are on the ISO image in the ..\I386 folder. Thanks in Advance