Multiboot, ini, and disk manager data disconnect

[Colonel Blip]

Hello, All!

I am having a problem that is either a result of a major "senior moment" or
is definitely a new one for me. My boot.ini (which I rebuilt from recovery
console using bootcfg /rebuild after a 'can't find hal.dll' problem) is, for
lack of a better phrase - out of sync - with the disk manager data. Here is
my boot.ini:

[boot loader]
timeout=7
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINDOWS="n boot" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="D boot" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="C Boot" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Colonel Blip Raid XP (E"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect /noguiboot
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional (C" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(4)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Beta (Q"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Under [operating system], the first 3 items were added to my boot.ini when I
perfromed the bootcfg. I have verified that the 'n boot' corresponds to the
"Microsoft Windows XP Beta (Q" line pre-bootcfg rebuild, the 'D boot'
corresponds to the "Colonel Blip Raid XP (E" boot and the 'C boot' with
"Microsoft Windows XP Professional (C". I have booted into each of the 1st
three successfully and verified they were the same as the previously working
ok last three. The strange thing is, I have not changed my hardware AND when
I open Disk Manager the last three items correspond to the actual rdisk,
partition data that shows.

Any idea why this has happened and what I might do about it?

Thanks,
Colonel Blip.
E-mail: (e-mail address removed)

 

[Ron Sommer]

How many hard drives do you have? 3?
Are they all IDE? Sata?

 

[Ron Sommer]

Start, Run, "msconfig" without the quotes.
Boot.ini tab
Check all boot paths.
This will remove the incorrect boot paths.

Does Disk Management in all versions of XP show the same thing?

There must be something on rdisk(1)partition(1).

I am not experienced with SATA drives.
I don't have any ideas.

 

[Colonel Blip]

Hello, Ron!
You wrote on Wed, 31 May 2006 20:34:14 -0500:

Something has obviously gotten misdirected in XP. Trust me, there is nothing
in the actual D drive partition [the rdisk(1)partition(1)]. I know I checked
the boot up on rdisk(0)partition(1) and it shows the same DM view. I had
done the msconfig item and it wanted to remove the rdisk(2)partition(4) line
in the boot.ini but not the rdisk(2)partition(1). Both of these have XP
installed even though I can boot to them in the boot.ini selections.

For whatever reason my system now thinks rdisk(2) is rdisk(1) and lets me
boot on that basis. Once I boot into any of the three XP installs this way
everything works fine.

Thanks,

Colonel Blip.
E-mail: (e-mail address removed)

RS> Start, Run, "msconfig" without the quotes.
RS> Boot.ini tab
RS> Check all boot paths.
RS> This will remove the incorrect boot paths.

RS> Does Disk Management in all versions of XP show the same thing?

RS> There must be something on rdisk(1)partition(1).

RS> I am not experienced with SATA drives.
RS> I don't have any ideas.