Boot.ini

[Guest]

I have a compaq 5333CL. For one reason or another during boot up the first
thing I get is " 1720-samart drive detectec an iminnet failure on the hard
disk......"
I have to click F1 to continue booting. Next screen says "boot.ini file
cannot be found", STARTING WITH C\WINDOWS.

I search for boot.ini and I cannot find it on my hard drive. I have an XP
professional that is running verry slow.
Any suggestion on where to find and download boot.ini file?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I have a compaq 5333CL. For one reason or another during boot up the first
thing I get is " 1720-samart drive detectec an iminnet failure on the hard
disk......"
I have to click F1 to continue booting. Next screen says "boot.ini file
cannot be found", STARTING WITH C\WINDOWS.

I search for boot.ini and I cannot find it on my hard drive. I have an XP
professional that is running verry slow.
Any suggestion on where to find and download boot.ini file?

Below is a typical copy of c:\boot.ini. You can use notepad.exe to
create it yourself.

Your disk is proably 50% dead. Check your event viewer
(eventvwr.exe) for error messages. You may have to replace it,
reload WinXP, reload your applications, then restore your data
files from backup.

[boot loader]
timeout=0
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect

 

[Guest]

tanks Pegasus.
Now this is my problem, I have uninstalled SP2, and my XP did not like that
at all. When I boot it always boot in Safe Mode SP1. With no access to the
internet I cannot reinstall sp2. My restore point are all deleted. I am stuck
in this black hole. I do have System Save on D:. Can I do anything with it to
recove?

I have a compaq 5333CL. For one reason or another during boot up the first
thing I get is " 1720-samart drive detectec an iminnet failure on the hard
disk......"
I have to click F1 to continue booting. Next screen says "boot.ini file
cannot be found", STARTING WITH C\WINDOWS.

I search for boot.ini and I cannot find it on my hard drive. I have an XP
professional that is running verry slow.
Any suggestion on where to find and download boot.ini file?

Below is a typical copy of c:\boot.ini. You can use notepad.exe to
create it yourself.

Your disk is proably 50% dead. Check your event viewer
(eventvwr.exe) for error messages. You may have to replace it,
reload WinXP, reload your applications, then restore your data
files from backup.

[boot loader]
timeout=0
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

You should really test your hard disk before doing anything
else. Download & run the diagnostic routine that your hard
disk manufacturer makes available on his home site. It's free.

tanks Pegasus.
Now this is my problem, I have uninstalled SP2, and my XP did not like that
at all. When I boot it always boot in Safe Mode SP1. With no access to the
internet I cannot reinstall sp2. My restore point are all deleted. I am stuck
in this black hole. I do have System Save on D:. Can I do anything with it to
recove?

I have a compaq 5333CL. For one reason or another during boot up the first
thing I get is " 1720-samart drive detectec an iminnet failure on the hard
disk......"
I have to click F1 to continue booting. Next screen says "boot.ini file
cannot be found", STARTING WITH C\WINDOWS.

I search for boot.ini and I cannot find it on my hard drive. I have an XP
professional that is running verry slow.
Any suggestion on where to find and download boot.ini file?

Below is a typical copy of c:\boot.ini. You can use notepad.exe to
create it yourself.

Your disk is proably 50% dead. Check your event viewer
(eventvwr.exe) for error messages. You may have to replace it,
reload WinXP, reload your applications, then restore your data
files from backup.

[boot loader]
timeout=0
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect

 

[Guest]

I did run disk check before I lost access to it and came clean. I have beeen
trying to reinstall xp thru the setup repair (not retorse consol). It goes
inot a loop, the only way I can stop it is by turn off power. When xp is
trying to reboot after the xp cd copied all the files it needs, the second
time reboot always goes inot safe mode, which gives me a message saying that
it cannot continue the set up in safe mode. every time it try again the same
thing can not continue setup because it is in safe mode. I have read about,
when one uninstall sp2 to go backward one has to contact Microsoft to get a
key to release the safe mode, is that what I have to do now?
Or is there an other way, like restore it running a restore CD from compaq?
Or Ileft now is to do clean xp install.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

chkdsk.exe performs only a superficial test of your disk. You
really need to run the manufacturer's test program in order to
be sure that your disk is OK.

 

[Guest]

Ok, I did what you asked me to do. You were right all along. I downloaded
Seagate diagnostic for the HD and found 2 bad sectors that it repaired by
assinging zero to them. Yet I still get at boot up the "172 smart disk
detecting terminla erro on HD". That is fine for now, beacuse I have a bigger
problem I am seeking your help on.
2 days ago I booted from CD Rom with my XP prof. CD. and sarted the reapair
commend (I really would like to save my programs and settings, therfore i am
avoiding clean install). Whrn XP finished the repair session it had to reboot
again and after that went into SAFE MODE (black screen) and that is it. I
cannot run any other diagnostic program or do anything every time I boot it
says (blew screen) setup is recovering and next comes the safe mode with a
message saying that XP cannot recover in Safe Mode. When I press OK it boot
up again to do the same loop.
As I asked you before do you know how to get out of the Safe Mode, which is
caused by uninstalling SP2. DO I have to contact Microsoft to get a code to
get out of Safe Mode?

Bodi

Any suggestion on the next step for me

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

If this was my machine then I would do this:

1. Install the disk as a slave disk in some other WinXP/2000 PC.
2. Use an imaging program such as DriveImage, Ghost or Acronis
to take a snapshot of the disk. This would allow me to restore
the current configuration, no matter what.
3. Return the disk to my normal PC.
4. Boot the machine with my WinXP CD.
5. Install WinXP over the top of the existing installation.

If this ddid not work then I would re-install WinXP, allowing
the disk to be formatted in the process. Since there seems to
be no issue with data files, this should be a straightforward
process.

To protect me against future mishaps, I would take a snapshot
of the final installation, using one of the above imaging programs.
To do this successfully, one must either create a second partition
at the very beginning, or install a second disk. Disk are cheap!

 

[Guest]

I am abit confuse. I cannot follow you.
That what I thing your are saying.
1. remove the damanged HD and install it as a slave drive on anothr computer.
2. Image the damaged HD using an imaging software. Where am I imaging this
drive. Does not imaging the damaged HD will copy over the good drive and turn
the good drive to a damaged drive.
3. Let us say the answer to 2 in NO. after reinstalling the damaged HD back
into the first computer and reinstall XP over it, how do I get teh image fom
the second computer inot the first computer and if imanged to do so by
imaging the damaged image back onto teh first hd will make that HD damaged
again, go back to where we started from.

Please give me more details or step by step of your approach. Keeping in
mind that I am trying some how to save all my programs and files on the
currently damaged hD.
Does backup allow me to do so?

Thanks

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

See below.

I am abit confuse. I cannot follow you.
That what I thing your are saying.
1. remove the damanged HD and install it as a slave drive on anothr computer.
2. Image the damaged HD using an imaging software. Where am I imaging this
drive. Does not imaging the damaged HD will copy over the good drive and turn
the good drive to a damaged drive.

Imaging software creates an image file of a whole partition. This image file
can be stored anywhere where there is enough room: On an existing disk
(other than the problem disk), on a new disk. Since it is a file, it does
NOT
damage anything.

3. Let us say the answer to 2 in NO. after reinstalling the damaged HD back
into the first computer and reinstall XP over it, how do I get teh image fom
the second computer inot the first computer and if imanged to do so by
imaging the damaged image back onto teh first hd will make that HD damaged
again, go back to where we started from.

If your re-installation fails and you wish to restore the original image
then you simple reverse the process from Step 2: You instruct the
imaging progam to use the image file to restore the original partition
on the problem disk.

Please give me more details or step by step of your approach. Keeping in
mind that I am trying some how to save all my programs and files on the
currently damaged hD.
Does backup allow me to do so?

You can do this with backup too - if you can get the backup program
to run!