disk boot failure - new twist on old problem.

[Guest]

Hi,

I have an XP Pro SP-2. Upon restart, I receive the Disk boot failure,
insert system disk & press enter message. If I let the system shut down and
stay off for over 2 minutes, then cold start, the system will come back up.
I have run chkdsk d: /r and will occasssionaly have an error in part 5
normally about 50% of the way through the test. It repairs the error then I
still get the same disk boot fialure message. I even went so far as to
re-instal XP Pro SP-2.
After the re-instal, it would use and complete the automatic restarts
without a problem. However after running all of the updates, I am back to
the same problem with the machine no longer being able to use the restart and
reboot correctly (warm boot) unless I let it sit for over 2 minutes.
My Boot.ini is as follows (I have Win Millineum on my C drive and XP Pro
SP-2 on my D drive):

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=signature(c80af98b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
signature(c80af98b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional (good)" /fastdetect
signature(c80af98b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
C:\="Microsoft Windows"

I have run the bootcfg /rebuild to no avail. Any one have any other
suggestions?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[dobey]

That message is coming from the BIOS.
How long has it happened for. Maybe you BIOS battery is weak or your PSU
could have a problem.

Next time it happens, reboot into the BIOS and see what the boot order is.

 

[Malke]

Hi,

I have an XP Pro SP-2. Upon restart, I receive the Disk boot failure,
insert system disk & press enter message. If I let the system shut
down and stay off for over 2 minutes, then cold start, the system will
come back up.
I have run chkdsk d: /r and will occasssionaly have an error in part
5
normally about 50% of the way through the test. It repairs the error
then I
still get the same disk boot fialure message. I even went so far as
to re-instal XP Pro SP-2.
After the re-instal, it would use and complete the automatic restarts
without a problem. However after running all of the updates, I am
back to the same problem with the machine no longer being able to use
the restart and reboot correctly (warm boot) unless I let it sit for
over 2 minutes. My Boot.ini is as follows (I have Win Millineum on my
C drive and XP Pro SP-2 on my D drive):

(snip)

This is a hardware problem and software solutions (reinstalling Windows)
will not help. Here are general hardware troubleshooting steps:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke

 

[Guest]

Thank you for your reply. My boot order is as follows:
HD - 0
CD-rom
floppy Disk - A

I updated the BIOS in MAy and had no problems at that time.

That message is coming from the BIOS.
How long has it happened for. Maybe you BIOS battery is weak or your PSU
could have a problem.

Next time it happens, reboot into the BIOS and see what the boot order is.

Hi,

I have an XP Pro SP-2. Upon restart, I receive the Disk boot failure,
insert system disk & press enter message. If I let the system shut down
and
stay off for over 2 minutes, then cold start, the system will come back
up.
I have run chkdsk d: /r and will occasssionaly have an error in part 5
normally about 50% of the way through the test. It repairs the error then
I
still get the same disk boot fialure message. I even went so far as to
re-instal XP Pro SP-2.
After the re-instal, it would use and complete the automatic restarts
without a problem. However after running all of the updates, I am back to
the same problem with the machine no longer being able to use the restart
and
reboot correctly (warm boot) unless I let it sit for over 2 minutes.
My Boot.ini is as follows (I have Win Millineum on my C drive and XP Pro
SP-2 on my D drive):

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=signature(c80af98b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
signature(c80af98b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows
XP
Professional (good)" /fastdetect
signature(c80af98b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows
XP
Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
C:\="Microsoft Windows"

I have run the bootcfg /rebuild to no avail. Any one have any other
suggestions?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Guest]

Thank you. I will try the suggested site. One question though, if it is a
hardware problem,

why would I not have had the same issue in XP was re-installed, The issue
did not manifest itself until I re-installed the huge number of up-dates?

Thanks, Malke

Bob

 

[Malke]

Thank you. I will try the suggested site. One question though, if it
is a hardware problem,

why would I not have had the same issue in XP was re-installed, The
issue did not manifest itself until I re-installed the huge number of
up-dates?

There is no way for me to tell why you are having problems, but if your
system is truly having difficulties finding a disk boot randomly, that
happens before the operating system is loaded. It could be coincidental
with the Windows Updates. Doing the hardware troubleshooting will help
determine if you do in fact have a hardware problem. Troubleshooting
is, in general, a deductive exercise based on process of elimination.
Eliminating the most obvious culprits (bad hardware) will help you
narrow the focus for your next troubleshooting step.

Malke

 

[Guest]

Thank you Malke. I will try working through the trouble shoting for hardware.
Bob

 

[Guest]

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[Guest]

Northerntravel.net and Northerntravel.co.uk is a premier online travel
planning and flight-booking site. You are able to purchase airline tickets
onlinen, find vacation package and make hotel and car reservations, find
maps, destination information, travel news and more. Don't forget to use
discount code 149395. We can also be reached by calling either 800-780-5733
in the U.S. and Canada or 00-800-11-20-11-40 in Europe.

 

[Andy]

You might want to find out why boot.ini is using the signature()
syntax instead of the multi() syntax.

<http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6795a.asp>
Chapter 27: Troubleshooting Startup continued

If you see the signature( ) syntax used in the Boot.ini file, it means
that Ntbootdd.sys is required to access the boot partition and one or
both of the following conditions exist:

* You installed Windows XP Professional to a hard disk partition
larger than 7.8 gigabytes (GB) in size, the ending cylinder number is
higher than 1024 for that partition, and the system firmware or
startup controller BIOS cannot gain access by using extended INT13
calls.

* The hard disk controller BIOS does not support extended INT13
calls or you have set this option to disabled by using the adapter's
built-in setup utility. When Windows XP Professional is unable to use
INT13 BIOS calls during the startup process, the file Ntbootdd.sys is
required to access the boot partition.

Whenever possible, configure your storage controller to use INT13 BIOS
calls. Consult the documentation for the storage adapter to determine
the correct hardware settings.