G
Guest
Jul-06 / Win XP Gen / Bamboozled by boot.ini (and some others...)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/reader.mspx?
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Win XP Pro SP2, Celeron 2.66 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD, Prime (C - FAT
32;
(D NTFS. Only one Win XP Pro install - on C: (prime partition). Only 1 HDD.
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Have 3 queries. Panic over but few things need to be clarified for my sanity.
I give above specs now, in case have to follow up w/ detail, later, in regard
to 1. and 2., below.
1. Why do I need a boot.ini for Win XP Pro SP2? Why do I need it at all?.
Anyway, Thought all the ini's went South with the advent of the Registry.
2. Is it valid to install Win XP Pro to Prime partition on a new Slave drive
and then transfer the Slave as a Master to another computer?
3. HDD query. Can I install a new 40 GB HDD w/ Win XP Pro on it to an old
comp w/ an Award BIOS of 1998 vintage (PCI/PNP 686) - on the sticker?
(but 1984-2000 listed on boot screen).
This is a mini-comp w/ small, very clean, very modern-looking 8" x 7"
motherboard. Unit looks like new inside. Warranty Stickers on CPU heatsink
& PS look ticked at 2001. Modern, high-stand modular plug-sets on rear of
motherboard for connections. DataMini Computer System, stickered in
Singapore but appears made in China. Good CD-ROM and floppy drives.
Boot-up screen (w/ no HDD):
Award Moduloar BIOS - V6.00P6
© 1984-2000, Award Software
Main Processor - Pentium III 800EB MHz (133x 6.0)
Memory - 131,072 K 8M Shared memory
The unit seemed OK w/ an old Win98 8.4 GB HDD (Seagate U8 Model ST38410A).
It also boots OK w/ DOS boot disk.
However, it was tested w/ a monitor for which I had no driver and the old
HDD was flaky and subsequently gave up the ghost. Things would hang up in
Win 98, after a bit of fiddling around with Explorer.
The boot partition on the new Maxtor 40 GB HDD is just over 7.8 GB. This
should be OK since the whole previous HDD in there was 8.4 GB (W98).
I've read something somewhere about a 7.8 GB and a 32 GB limitation, I
think,
regarding recognition (or partitioning) via older Win OS's and BIOSes.
W/ the Maxtor, I recall a boot error message. It terminated the boot and
message presented in non-bold white text on light blue background. It said
something like:
Windows has stopped this boot to protect your system (what system?
There was nothing there except the HDD w/ Win XP on it, which never
came up). Blah, blah, blah - for 3/4 of the screen. Nothing very
serious. Also "check your system for virus ..." and so on...
The 40 GB Maxtor works just fine in another older Tower computer (5 yrs old),
slightly more-recent Award BIOS, bigger motherboard, about same physical
size processor (think it was a Celeron 733 MHz), same memory and same modern
modular coonnectors on rear. Both processors have fans.
Any constructive advice greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/reader.mspx?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Win XP Pro SP2, Celeron 2.66 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD, Prime (C - FAT
32;
(D NTFS. Only one Win XP Pro install - on C: (prime partition). Only 1 HDD.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have 3 queries. Panic over but few things need to be clarified for my sanity.
I give above specs now, in case have to follow up w/ detail, later, in regard
to 1. and 2., below.
1. Why do I need a boot.ini for Win XP Pro SP2? Why do I need it at all?.
Anyway, Thought all the ini's went South with the advent of the Registry.
2. Is it valid to install Win XP Pro to Prime partition on a new Slave drive
and then transfer the Slave as a Master to another computer?
3. HDD query. Can I install a new 40 GB HDD w/ Win XP Pro on it to an old
comp w/ an Award BIOS of 1998 vintage (PCI/PNP 686) - on the sticker?
(but 1984-2000 listed on boot screen).
This is a mini-comp w/ small, very clean, very modern-looking 8" x 7"
motherboard. Unit looks like new inside. Warranty Stickers on CPU heatsink
& PS look ticked at 2001. Modern, high-stand modular plug-sets on rear of
motherboard for connections. DataMini Computer System, stickered in
Singapore but appears made in China. Good CD-ROM and floppy drives.
Boot-up screen (w/ no HDD):
Award Moduloar BIOS - V6.00P6
© 1984-2000, Award Software
Main Processor - Pentium III 800EB MHz (133x 6.0)
Memory - 131,072 K 8M Shared memory
The unit seemed OK w/ an old Win98 8.4 GB HDD (Seagate U8 Model ST38410A).
It also boots OK w/ DOS boot disk.
However, it was tested w/ a monitor for which I had no driver and the old
HDD was flaky and subsequently gave up the ghost. Things would hang up in
Win 98, after a bit of fiddling around with Explorer.
The boot partition on the new Maxtor 40 GB HDD is just over 7.8 GB. This
should be OK since the whole previous HDD in there was 8.4 GB (W98).
I've read something somewhere about a 7.8 GB and a 32 GB limitation, I
think,
regarding recognition (or partitioning) via older Win OS's and BIOSes.
W/ the Maxtor, I recall a boot error message. It terminated the boot and
message presented in non-bold white text on light blue background. It said
something like:
Windows has stopped this boot to protect your system (what system?
There was nothing there except the HDD w/ Win XP on it, which never
came up). Blah, blah, blah - for 3/4 of the screen. Nothing very
serious. Also "check your system for virus ..." and so on...
The 40 GB Maxtor works just fine in another older Tower computer (5 yrs old),
slightly more-recent Award BIOS, bigger motherboard, about same physical
size processor (think it was a Celeron 733 MHz), same memory and same modern
modular coonnectors on rear. Both processors have fans.
Any constructive advice greatly appreciated.
Thank you,