This is what your boot.ini file should look like.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition"
/NOEXECUTE=OPTIN /FASTDETECT
You can manually edit the boot.ini file by doing the following.
Go to Control Panel and double click the System icon.
In System Properties, click on the Advanced tab and hit the Settings button
in
the Startup and Recovery section.
In the Startup and Recovery dialog, click on the Edit button.
This should open boot.ini in notepad where you can make your changes.
You can also use the Recovery Console to fix this problem with the bootcfg
command.
Here are a couple of Microsoft articles with more info on the subject.
How to edit the Boot.ini file in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289022/
"Invalid Boot.ini" or "Windows could not start" error messages when you
start
your computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330184
Error message: "Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware
configuration problem"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314477
Good luck
Nepatsfan
Hello Nepatsfan
This the what is in the boot.ini file:
[Boot Loader]
Timeout=5
Default=C:\$WIN_NT$.~BT\BOOTSECT.DAT
[Operating Systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:\$WIN_NT$.~BT\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows XP Setup"
I am not sure if this is related, but at the very beginning of start up
(when I press the on/off switch) and before I get the option to select
Setup
or my Home edition, Windows tells me that hal.dll is missing from the
<%system_root%>/windows folder.
What I have is my C drive. If I double click on it I can see my Windows
folder. Inside this Windows folder is a folder called system32 and here I
have a file called hal.dll:
http://www11.brinkster.com/stevehigham/hal.html
I'm not sure if these two issues are related, but one thing at a time.
Many thanks again for all your help.
Steve
:
Hello Nepatsfan
Thanks for your message.
I cancelled the repair installation from the Setup CD because I could
not
see a 'Repair' option. I soon as I realised it was going ahead with a
full-blown setup I pressed the [Esc] to stop it, but it seems to have
left a
few files.
I'm not at my home PC at the moment, but will post the contents of the
boot.ini file probably tomorrow.
Thanks for your help.
Steve
:
Hello
If I go to msinfo32.exe I should be able to see my System
Information,
but
cannot. I was advised to you Recovery Console to repair this; that
was a
near
disaster but no harm done.
Then I was advised to use the Repair option on the Windows
installation
CD
not, however, by using the Repair option itself but by using the
Setup
option. The idea was that you choose Setup but only allow it to go
so
far. If
there is a Reapir option in Setup that is what you want. If not,
come out
immediately!
I had to choose this final option and, again, thankfully no harm
done;
yet
when I start Windows now I am asked if I want to go to my Home
edition of
XP
or if I want to choose Setup.
How can I remove these please, so that it just boots into my normal
Home
edition?
Many thanks.
Steve
Go to Control Panel and double click on the System icon.
Click on the Advanced tab.
On the Advanced page, click on the Settings button in the Startup and
Recovery
section.
In Startup and Recovery, click on the Edit button.
This should open your boot.ini file in Notepad.
Copy the contents of that file and post it into a response to this
message.
Also, could you expand on the reason you cancelled the repair
installation.
Nepatsfan
