Help: Invalid BOOT.INI file.

I'm trying to migrate to UBS Flash Drive.
I have read all problems regarding booting from flash devices but this one
is weird.

I see message:

Invalid BOOT.INI file
Booting from C:\windows\
NTDETECT failed


I have market flash as non removable.
Have one partition formatted as NTFS, tried 512 and 4096 bytes/block, same
results.

In boot.ini I have set timeout to 30 seconds just to see if I would get any
chance of selecting OS. I didn't.

So problem is not related to build or to bad ARC, etc.

This is something low level that I have never seen before.


Anyone seen this before?
I must be something elementary, but I don't know what do try next.


Thanks,
Slobodan

Thanks Andy,

> Please attach the boot.ini file to the thread so we can take a peek at it.
> Also, check out this KB article for some clues:
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330184

I see nothing wrong in boot.ini.

On test device I have
HDD - Primary Master.
CD Recorder - Primary Slave
USB Flash Disk - Non removable, NTFS

BIOS supports boot from USB devices.

Any other suggestions,

Slobodan Brcin

PS:
My first reply newer got trough.

Not sure if this will help, but you can give it a try:

>In boot.ini I have set timeout to 30 seconds just to see
if I would get any
>chance of selecting OS. I didn't.

Maybe you are having the LBA/CHS problem that many had
before. Try preparing your media on your USB card, and
see if that helps.

Good luck.


>-----Original Message-----
>I'm trying to migrate to UBS Flash Drive.
>I have read all problems regarding booting from flash
devices but this one
>is weird.
>
>I see message:
>
>Invalid BOOT.INI file
>Booting from C:\windows\
>NTDETECT failed
>
>
>I have market flash as non removable.
>Have one partition formatted as NTFS, tried 512 and 4096
bytes/block, same
>results.
>
>In boot.ini I have set timeout to 30 seconds just to see
if I would get any
>chance of selecting OS. I didn't.
>
>So problem is not related to build or to bad ARC, etc.
>
>This is something low level that I have never seen before.
>
>
>Anyone seen this before?
>I must be something elementary, but I don't know what do
try next.
>
>
>Thanks,
>Slobodan
>
>
>.
>

Sorry, did not notice this is usb flash. I've heard of problems booting to
usb flash with usb 2.0, but some anecdotal evidence that it's worked on usb
1.2. I'd be interested in hearing from you if you can get it to work.

--
Andy

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
=====================================================

"Slobodan Brcin" <sbrcin@ptt.yu> wrote in message
news:uCLyfXCbDHA.2136@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Thanks Andy,
>
> > Please attach the boot.ini file to the thread so we can take a peek at
it.
> > Also, check out this KB article for some clues:
> > http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330184
>
> I see nothing wrong in boot.ini.
>
> On test device I have
> HDD - Primary Master.
> CD Recorder - Primary Slave
> USB Flash Disk - Non removable, NTFS
>
> BIOS supports boot from USB devices.
>
> Any other suggestions,
>
> Slobodan Brcin
>
> PS:
> My first reply newer got trough.
>
>
>

> Maybe you are having the LBA/CHS problem that many had
> before. Try preparing your media on your USB card, and
> see if that helps.

Just now I made it work on my development machine. Other manufacturer, other
BIOS, but same chipset Intel 875.
So problem is BIOS specific. I'll try to update BIOS. But my BIOS date is
from this year, so I'm not optimistic.

I'll post results when I make it work.


Nevertheless thanks,
Slobodan

Before you do that, go into the BIOS and check what the
drives are set up as. If they're set to Auto, you may find
that they don't treat the drives the same way. If your
device has been formatted in a machine which identifies it
as a CHS drive, then XPe won't work if it's put into a
machine which identifies it as an LBA drive, and vice
versa. Auto settings should be avoided as you never know
what it's actually identifying as.

>-----Original Message-----
>> Maybe you are having the LBA/CHS problem that many had
>> before. Try preparing your media on your USB card, and
>> see if that helps.
>
>Just now I made it work on my development machine. Other
manufacturer, other
>BIOS, but same chipset Intel 875.
>So problem is BIOS specific. I'll try to update BIOS. But
my BIOS date is
>from this year, so I'm not optimistic.
>
>I'll post results when I make it work.
>
>
>Nevertheless thanks,
>Slobodan
>
>
>.
>

Thanks, Heidi

> Before you do that, go into the BIOS and check what the
> drives are set up as.

I have already updated BIOS, but I have same behavior, as I suspected.

> If they're set to Auto, you may find
> that they don't treat the drives the same way.

Wish I could change anything. In good old days (until recently) in BIOS you
could change some settings, but now BIOS is more like a diagnostic utility
than a setup.
Only things you can change are boot order, time, remote boot, USB boot,
memory speed (for), and you can disable some features
Very limiting, no choice at all.

This is Intel's desktop motherboard D875PB2, and Intel probably thinks that
PNP is better that having many options, which is probably true for most
users.


Soon I will post complete behavior, I have encountered since now. This is
for record I doubt that there will be answer to this problem, because it is
hardware dependent.


Best regards,
Slobodan

There's nowhere to set the drive geometry?! That's just...
yeesh, what do they think it is, a *mac*?

>-----Original Message-----
>Thanks, Heidi
>
>> Before you do that, go into the BIOS and check what the
>> drives are set up as.
>
>I have already updated BIOS, but I have same behavior, as
I suspected.
>
>> If they're set to Auto, you may find
>> that they don't treat the drives the same way.
>
>Wish I could change anything. In good old days (until
recently) in BIOS you
>could change some settings, but now BIOS is more like a
diagnostic utility
>than a setup.
>Only things you can change are boot order, time, remote
boot, USB boot,
>memory speed (for), and you can disable some features
>Very limiting, no choice at all.
>
>This is Intel's desktop motherboard D875PB2, and Intel
probably thinks that
>PNP is better that having many options, which is probably
true for most
>users.
>
>
>Soon I will post complete behavior, I have encountered
since now. This is
>for record I doubt that there will be answer to this
problem, because it is
>hardware dependent.
>
>
>Best regards,
>Slobodan
>
>
>.
>

Hello Andy,

> Sorry, did not notice this is usb flash. I've heard of problems booting to
> usb flash with usb 2.0, but some anecdotal evidence that it's worked on
usb
> 1.2. I'd be interested in hearing from you if you can get it to work.

I'm not using USB 2.0 flash, but my USB controler is 2.0. But this is not a
problem, because if I disable it problem remains the same.

Test platforms use: HTT P4-2400 processor and 875 chipset.

1. MB Intel D875PB2, we bought 10 of these for testing purposes, but I have
problem booting from USB. (I'm not familiar with this BIOS)
2. MB Chaintech Zenith CT-9CJS (Phoenix AWARD BIOS), I can boot from USB on
this platform.


Thing I find interesting is:

If I prepare flash on Intel MB, when I try to boot from flash on this MB I
have two problems depending on selected ntldr.

1. EWF ntldr I have messages I wrote before:
Invalid BOOT.INI file
Booting from C:\windows\
NTDETECT failed

2. Ordinary ntldr, keep rebooting device, without any message.

3. On Chaintech MB In both cases I have message:
Invalid Partition Table

If I prepare flash on Chaintech MB, when I try to boot from flash on this MB
it boots with both versions of ntldr.
If I try this on Intel MB then I have case I already described.

I don't know why this is happening, but eventually I'll find some
workaround.

I'm lucky that I have tried this early and seen this problem, so I'll have
time to solve it without time pressure.


We'll try to bye few different types of USB 2.0 Flash devices, one type
should work.

When and if I make it work I'll post solution in this thread.

Thanks for your time,
Slobodan

Slobodan,

So you were able to get XPe to boot from USB Flash key? Is you flash key
idenitfied as a fixed device or removable?

Regards,
Sean


"Slobodan Brcin" <sbrcin@ptt.yu> wrote in message
news:OAKcjPJbDHA.2672@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > Maybe you are having the LBA/CHS problem that many had
> > before. Try preparing your media on your USB card, and
> > see if that helps.
>
> Just now I made it work on my development machine. Other manufacturer,
other
> BIOS, but same chipset Intel 875.
> So problem is BIOS specific. I'll try to update BIOS. But my BIOS date is
> from this year, so I'm not optimistic.
>
> I'll post results when I make it work.
>
>
> Nevertheless thanks,
> Slobodan
>
>