Multi Boot Problem

[Sid Elbow]

My first hard drive looks like this (in sequence):

- Partition-1 ... Primary partition OS Win2K-1
- Partition-2 ... Primary partition, empty, formatted
- Partition-3 ... Extended partition containing two data drives
- partition 4 ... Primary partition OS Win2K-2

All this works fine as a multi-boot.

I'm trying to install XP to the empty partition (Partition-2). The
install goes fine, the XP partition is added to the boot menu and XP and
Win2K-2 are both bootable.

However, Win2K-1 on Partition-1 fails to boot with the error message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Any ideas?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

My first hard drive looks like this (in sequence):

- Partition-1 ... Primary partition OS Win2K-1
- Partition-2 ... Primary partition, empty, formatted
- Partition-3 ... Extended partition containing two data drives
- partition 4 ... Primary partition OS Win2K-2

All this works fine as a multi-boot.

I'm trying to install XP to the empty partition (Partition-2). The install
goes fine, the XP partition is added to the boot menu and XP and Win2K-2
are both bootable.

However, Win2K-1 on Partition-1 fails to boot with the error message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Any ideas?

The partition number for the Win2000-1 boot is no longer
correct. Add a few more lines to boot.ini for this OS, each
having a different "x" in "partition(x)", until you find the
correct one.

 

[Sid Elbow]

The partition number for the Win2000-1 boot is no longer
correct. Add a few more lines to boot.ini for this OS, each
having a different "x" in "partition(x)", until you find the
correct one.

I can see where that would be a problem and I can try what you suggest
(I can update the boot.ini from one of the working partitions).

But why would it have changed? It's still the first partition on the
first drive.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I can see where that would be a problem and I can try what you suggest (I
can update the boot.ini from one of the working partitions).

But why would it have changed? It's still the first partition on the first
drive.

Don't know. Maybe your WinXP installation modified the MBR,
causing the partition numbers to change.

 

[Sid Elbow]

The partition number for the Win2000-1 boot is no longer
correct. Add a few more lines to boot.ini for this OS, each
having a different "x" in "partition(x)", until you find the
correct one.

OK, here's where I'm at. This is the boot.ini before XP installation
with everything working properly. (There is an empty primary partition
between partitions 1 & 3):

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Win2K-Main" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINNT="TrainSim" /fastdetect


I install XP to the second partition and the boot.ini now looks like this:


[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Win2K-Main" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINNT="TrainSim" /fastdetect


Both XP and TrainSim boot normally but Win2K-Main gives me a "missing or
corrupt \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM"

Now I add lines to the boot.ini thus:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Win2K-Main" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINNT="TrainSim" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINNT="W2K-P4" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(5)\WINNT="W2K-P5" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(6)\WINNT="W2K-P6" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(7)\WINNT="W2K-P7" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(8)\WINNT="W2K-P8" /fastdetect


P4 & P5 give "missing or corrupt <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll"

P6, P7 & P8 give could not read from selected boot disk"

All this suggests to me that:

- the partition for Win2K-Main hasn't changed and is correct (as it
should be since it is the first partition on the first drive). The
loader appears to find the partition and the \WINNT directory but cannot
use the file it needs (\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM ... which does
appear to exist incidentally)

- P4 & P5 are found to exist but do not have an OS installed (true)

- P6, P7 & P8 are not found to exist (true)


The odd thing is that I have installed this same copy of XP as a
Win2K/XP multi-boot on this machine before without problems. The only
difference is that at that time there was only one copy of Win2K
involved (in the boot partition). The TrainSim Win2K, on the third
partition, didn't exist at that time. (In fact, that subsequent Win2K
installation in the third partition killed the XP installation ... not
unexpected, I guess since XP should be the last install ... what I'm
trying to do now is replace that installation of XP).

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

The partition number for the Win2000-1 boot is no longer
correct. Add a few more lines to boot.ini for this OS, each
having a different "x" in "partition(x)", until you find the
correct one.

OK, here's where I'm at. This is the boot.ini before XP installation with
everything working properly. (There is an empty primary partition between
partitions 1 & 3):

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Win2K-Main" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINNT="TrainSim" /fastdetect


I install XP to the second partition and the boot.ini now looks like this:


[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Win2K-Main" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINNT="TrainSim" /fastdetect


Both XP and TrainSim boot normally but Win2K-Main gives me a "missing or
corrupt \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM"

Now I add lines to the boot.ini thus:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Win2K-Main" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINNT="TrainSim" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINNT="W2K-P4" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(5)\WINNT="W2K-P5" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(6)\WINNT="W2K-P6" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(7)\WINNT="W2K-P7" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(8)\WINNT="W2K-P8" /fastdetect


P4 & P5 give "missing or corrupt <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll"

P6, P7 & P8 give could not read from selected boot disk"

All this suggests to me that:

- the partition for Win2K-Main hasn't changed and is correct (as it should
be since it is the first partition on the first drive). The loader appears
to find the partition and the \WINNT directory but cannot use the file it
needs (\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM ... which does appear to exist
incidentally)

- P4 & P5 are found to exist but do not have an OS installed (true)

- P6, P7 & P8 are not found to exist (true)


The odd thing is that I have installed this same copy of XP as a Win2K/XP
multi-boot on this machine before without problems. The only difference is
that at that time there was only one copy of Win2K involved (in the boot
partition). The TrainSim Win2K, on the third partition, didn't exist at
that time. (In fact, that subsequent Win2K installation in the third
partition killed the XP installation ... not unexpected, I guess since XP
should be the last install ... what I'm trying to do now is replace that
installation of XP).

You write that the SYSTEM registry file exists, which is fine, but
you overlook the second option of the error message, namely that
it may be corrupt. To prove it you could rename the file, then
replace it temporarily with the SYSTEM file from your TrainSim
installation. Do not allow the boot process to go any further than
you have to, in order to prevent any damage to the TrainSim
installation.

Win2000 installations that are made on a PC with a pre-existing
WinXP installation do not "kill" the WinXP installation. They
merely prevent it from booting because the boot files are
incompatible. The problem is easily fixed by replacing the Win2000
version of c:\ntdetect.com and c:\ntldr with their WinXP equivalents.

You could avoid all of these problems if you used a proper
boot loader instead of the native Windows loader. XOSL is
one of them and it's free. It keeps the various OSs completely
separate and independent. However, its installation should be
the first thing in a multi-boot environment. Retro-fitting it can
be risky in when done without experience.

 

[Sid Elbow]

You write that the SYSTEM registry file exists, which is fine, but
you overlook the second option of the error message, namely that
it may be corrupt. To prove it you could rename the file, then
replace it temporarily with the SYSTEM file from your TrainSim
installation. Do not allow the boot process to go any further than
you have to, in order to prevent any damage to the TrainSim
installation.

OK, I can try that (I'll need to go through the XP installation again
though - see below).

Win2000 installations that are made on a PC with a pre-existing
WinXP installation do not "kill" the WinXP installation. They
merely prevent it from booting because the boot files are
incompatible.The problem is easily fixed by replacing the Win2000
version of c:\ntdetect.com and c:\ntldr with their WinXP equivalents.

I wish I'd known that at the time. It could have saved me a lot of trouble.

At the moment, I've replace the unbootable win2k-Main partition from my
(pre-XP) backup since it's my main working partition and I need it for
email and usenet amongst other things. Of course, this image won't let
me boot the XP partition that I just installed. Presumably this is at
least partly due to the c:\ntdetect.com and c:\ntldr problem that you
describe. If I can find XP copies of those files, would that allow me to
boot the XP partition? (I just found them on the XP install disc in fact)

You could avoid all of these problems if you used a proper
boot loader instead of the native Windows loader. XOSL is
one of them and it's free. It keeps the various OSs completely
separate and independent. However, its installation should be
the first thing in a multi-boot environment. Retro-fitting it can
be risky in when done without experience.

I actually have a licenced copy of BING, although with just two OS's I
had thought it was simpler to use the Windows loader. I considered using
BING when I hit this problem but was concerned about drive-letter
problems if I do it at this stage. I presume that's what you are
referring to.

I could perhaps delete the XP installation, install BING, install XP
under BING. Then use BING to select between XP and the Boot Win2K
partition then use the windows loader to select between the two Win2K
installs.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

OK, I can try that (I'll need to go through the XP installation again
though - see below).


I wish I'd known that at the time. It could have saved me a lot of
trouble.

At the moment, I've replace the unbootable win2k-Main partition from my
(pre-XP) backup since it's my main working partition and I need it for
email and usenet amongst other things. Of course, this image won't let me
boot the XP partition that I just installed. Presumably this is at least
partly due to the c:\ntdetect.com and c:\ntldr problem that you describe.
If I can find XP copies of those files, would that allow me to boot the XP
partition? (I just found them on the XP install disc in fact)


I actually have a licenced copy of BING, although with just two OS's I had
thought it was simpler to use the Windows loader. I considered using BING
when I hit this problem but was concerned about drive-letter problems if I
do it at this stage. I presume that's what you are referring to.

I could perhaps delete the XP installation, install BING, install XP under
BING. Then use BING to select between XP and the Boot Win2K partition then
use the windows loader to select between the two Win2K installs.

Sorry, I know nothing about BING.

 

[Sid Elbow]

Sorry, I know nothing about BING.

BootIt-NG? Funny, I could have sworn it was you who recommended it to me
some years back. Must have been someone else, I guess.

 

[Sid Elbow]

At the moment, I've replace the unbootable win2k-Main partition from my
(pre-XP) backup since it's my main working partition and I need it for
email and usenet amongst other things. Of course, this image won't let
me boot the XP partition that I just installed. Presumably this is at
least partly due to the c:\ntdetect.com and c:\ntldr problem that you
describe. If I can find XP copies of those files, would that allow me to
boot the XP partition? (I just found them on the XP install disc in fact)

FWIW I did this and came full circle. that is, the XP partition would
now boot, the TrainSim partition would boot but the Win2K-Main partition
boot failed with the "missing or corrupt \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM"
message. I hadn't done anything to the ....\SYSTEM file, I just replace
ntdetect.com and ntldr with the XP versions so it wasn't missing and I
don't know how it could have become corrupt.

I then tried your other suggestion of replacing the SYSTEM file in
Win2k-main with that from TrainSim. At this point the Win2K-Main
partition started to boot, got past the initial and second bar-graph
screens then rebooted the whole machine. I tried again and it did the same.

(I didn't worry about how far I let it boot since I have current backups
of everything).