Dual OS: boot.ini file w/ "noexecute=optin" ??

[Guest]

I'm still trying to correct a situation with a friend's Gateway 500SE
computer.Dual OS - XP Pro & Home - (I think Pro is bootleg?? Her daughter's
classmate "helped" fix it by installing Pro, but it seems underlying problems
prevail.)
In trying to remove Pro by deleting folder and editing boot.ini file, I got
hal.dll file missing or corrupt and Windows wouldn't start. I backtracked and
tried to see if I could get Home to start first by editing boot.ini, but
didn't seem to work.
I would really like the Home version to be first in OS choices, since that
is what the computer came with and seems to run OK. The boot.ini file looks
normal compared with KB article, except in lines listing each OS:
(first) "...XP Professional"/noexecute=optin/fastdetect and
second line is: "XP Home Edition"/fastdetect
Also good to mention that this kid put Pro in same partition as Home. Is
that why I'm having trouble?? (with hal.dll etc)
Again, I'd like to get the Home version to come up first in boot .ini and
then I can make the timeout be zero. Younger kids in their family will be
using this, and I don't want them to get it all messed up.

 

[Malke]

I'm still trying to correct a situation with a friend's Gateway 500SE
computer.Dual OS - XP Pro & Home - (I think Pro is bootleg?? Her
daughter's classmate "helped" fix it by installing Pro, but it seems
underlying problems prevail.)
In trying to remove Pro by deleting folder and editing boot.ini file,
I got hal.dll file missing or corrupt and Windows wouldn't start. I
backtracked and tried to see if I could get Home to start first by
editing boot.ini, but didn't seem to work.
I would really like the Home version to be first in OS choices, since
that
is what the computer came with and seems to run OK. The boot.ini file
looks normal compared with KB article, except in lines listing each
OS:
(first) "...XP Professional"/noexecute=optin/fastdetect
and
second line is: "XP Home Edition"/fastdetect
Also good to mention that this kid put Pro in same partition as Home.
Is that why I'm having trouble?? (with hal.dll etc)
Again, I'd like to get the Home version to come up first in boot .ini
and
then I can make the timeout be zero. Younger kids in their family
will be using this, and I don't want them to get it all messed up.

You cannot put two operating systems on the same partition. There is no
point in messing about with this computer the way it is now - your
friend's daughter's friend (!!) has basically hosed her machine. Do a
clean install. Gateway machines come with cd's - you may or may not
have a Restore Disk or an actual operating system disk, but you will
have gotten something. Back up any data and either use the Restore Disk
per Gateway's instructions or do a clean install per this link:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Malke