Windows booting from the wrong hard disk

[El Guerrero del Interfaz]

Hi,


I have a XP machine that stopped booting XP. It does not gives a
blue screen of death, it just stays forever in the Windows booting
screen (the one with the flag adn the progress bar). So I took out the
hard disk of this machine to verify it and back up its data on another
computer. The problem is that this other machines insists en trying to
boot from the wrong disk the one I try to backup and verify. This hard
disk is set up as slave and I've tried it as slave of the computer's
own hard disk or as slave of the CD-ROM, with similar results: hte
computer does not try to boot from its own hgard disk but from the one
I try to verify and backup.

Does anybody knows why this happens and how to work around that?


Thanks and bye.

 

[Ron Martell]

Hi,


I have a XP machine that stopped booting XP. It does not gives a
blue screen of death, it just stays forever in the Windows booting
screen (the one with the flag adn the progress bar). So I took out the
hard disk of this machine to verify it and back up its data on another
computer. The problem is that this other machines insists en trying to
boot from the wrong disk the one I try to backup and verify. This hard
disk is set up as slave and I've tried it as slave of the computer's
own hard disk or as slave of the CD-ROM, with similar results: hte
computer does not try to boot from its own hgard disk but from the one
I try to verify and backup.

Does anybody knows why this happens and how to work around that?


Thanks and bye.

Check the BOOT.INI file on the second machine. It should refer to
"multi<0>disk<0>rdisk<0>......"
If any of those 3 parameters refer to <1> instead of <0> then that is
the cause of your problems.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Anna]

Hi,


I have a XP machine that stopped booting XP. It does not gives a
blue screen of death, it just stays forever in the Windows booting
screen (the one with the flag adn the progress bar). So I took out the
hard disk of this machine to verify it and back up its data on another
computer. The problem is that this other machines insists en trying to
boot from the wrong disk the one I try to backup and verify. This hard
disk is set up as slave and I've tried it as slave of the computer's
own hard disk or as slave of the CD-ROM, with similar results: hte
computer does not try to boot from its own hgard disk but from the one
I try to verify and backup.

Does anybody knows why this happens and how to work around that?


Thanks and bye.

Have you checked the boot priority status element(s) in your motherboard's
BIOS? Seem OK?

The boot HDD in that second PC is also a PATA HDD? Assuming it is, it's
connected as Primary Master, yes?

And when you boot with your "good" boot HDD connected *without* that
secondary HDD being connected, no problem? It boots straightaway?

Tried connecting the secondary HDD as Secondary Master?
Anna

 

[El Guerrero del Interfaz]

Anna ha escrito:

Have you checked the boot priority status element(s) in your motherboard's
BIOS? Seem OK?

Yes, I've checked that. The new hard disk is not even listed in the
alternate boot device which are the floppy, the CD and the machine's
own hard disk.

The boot HDD in that second PC is also a PATA HDD? Assuming it is, it's
connected as Primary Master, yes?

Yes it is.

And when you boot with your "good" boot HDD connected *without* that
secondary HDD being connected, no problem? It boots straightaway?

Yes, with absolutely no problems.

Tried connecting the secondary HDD as Secondary Master?

No, I did not do it, only as the Primary and the Secondary Slave. I
figured it would be worst as master.

 

[El Guerrero del Interfaz]

Ron Martell ha escrito:

Check the BOOT.INI file on the second machine.

There is no boot.ini file on this machine... I've made a thorough
search and did not find one. Should I create one? If yes, what should I
put in it?

Ah, I've tried to boot in the safe mode and it does not boot either.

 

[Anna]

Anna ha escrito:

Yes, I've checked that. The new hard disk is not even listed in the
alternate boot device which are the floppy, the CD and the machine's
own hard disk.
Yes it is.
Yes, with absolutely no problems.
No, I did not do it, only as the Primary and the Secondary Slave. I
figured it would be worst as master.


You've indicated (or at least inferred) that that secondary HDD is not being
shown by your motherboard's BIOS. Is that so? Or do mean that the HDD *is*
detected in your BIOS but is just not shown in the boot priority order?

If that HDD is *not* being detected by the BIOS as a component within the
system then you have either...
1. A defective HDD, or,
2. The disk is misconnected/misconfigured, or,
3. There's a problem with the motherboard, e.g., defective IDE channel, or,
4. Something else!

In any event you should re:check the drive's connections and its
configuration (jumper). And check out the disk with the diagnostic utility
from the disk's manufacturer.
Anna

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Ron Martell ha escrito:


There is no boot.ini file on this machine... I've made a thorough
search and did not find one.

Yes, there is. Make sure that you are set to view hidden and system files.

 

[El Guerrero del Interfaz]

Anna ha escrito:

Yes, I've checked that. The new hard disk is not even listed in the
alternate boot device which are the floppy, the CD and the machine's
own hard disk.

Yes it is.

Yes, with absolutely no problems.

No, I did not do it, only as the Primary and the Secondary Slave. I
figured it would be worst as master.



You've indicated (or at least inferred) that that secondary HDD is not being
shown by your motherboard's BIOS. Is that so? Or do mean that the HDD *is*
detected in your BIOS but is just not shown in the boot priority order?

It is detected but not shown in the boot priority order.

If that HDD is *not* being detected by the BIOS as a component within the
system then you have either...
1. A defective HDD, or,
2. The disk is misconnected/misconfigured, or,
3. There's a problem with the motherboard, e.g., defective IDE channel, or,
4. Something else!

In any event you should re:check the drive's connections and its
configuration (jumper). And check out the disk with the diagnostic utility
from the disk's manufacturer.

How can I do that if I cannot connect it to a computer and boot that
computer?

Anna

Thanks and bye.

 

[El Guerrero del Interfaz]

Yes, there is. Make sure that you are set to view hidden and system files.

Ooops, yes I found it. I was using my son's account where hidden
files were not shown. Sorry about that.

The content of this file is:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

The configuration of the drives of this computer is the following:

Primary ATA Master: 40 Gb HD, NTFS, C:, boot disk
Secondary ATA Master: CD drive, E:
SATA: 2 x 120 Gb HD in RAID1, D:, system disk

I tried to connect the new HD that I want to verify and backup to
the Primary and Secondary ATA as a slave (I did not forget to set the
jumper to slave).

What do I have to change to the boot.ini file to make it work? Is
this change gonna affect the computer when I unmount the new disk and
go back to the old config?


Thanks and bye.

 

[El Guerrero del Interfaz]

{snip}
Oh no you can go to Run.. type msconfig and when that comes up go to
the boot.ini and check the parameters there.
Thx for the info

 

[Anna]

(SNIP & MORE SNIP)

How can I do that if I cannot connect it to a computer and boot that
computer?

Thanks and bye.

The diagnostic utility that you can create from the manufacturer's download
is a bootable floppy disk (or a bootable CD). As long as the motherboard's
BIOS recognizes the HDD (as you've said it does) you can run a test on that
disk. Naturally this assume there are no other hardware problems with your
system that would prevent a boot to the floppy or CD.
Anna

 

[Andy]

Yes, there is. Make sure that you are set to view hidden and system files.

Ooops, yes I found it. I was using my son's account where hidden
files were not shown. Sorry about that.

The content of this file is:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

If the operating system is on the SATA disks, just add the following
line to boot.ini, and choose it when booting.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS="rdisk(2) Microsoft
Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

The configuration of the drives of this computer is the following:

Primary ATA Master: 40 Gb HD, NTFS, C:, boot disk
Secondary ATA Master: CD drive, E:
SATA: 2 x 120 Gb HD in RAID1, D:, system disk

I tried to connect the new HD that I want to verify and backup to
the Primary and Secondary ATA as a slave (I did not forget to set the
jumper to slave).

What do I have to change to the boot.ini file to make it work? Is
this change gonna affect the computer when I unmount the new disk and
go back to the old config?


Thanks and bye.

 

[Ron Sommer]

message : Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
:
: > >>> I have a XP machine that stopped booting XP. It does not gives a
: > >>> blue screen of death, it just stays forever in the Windows booting
: > >>> screen (the one with the flag adn the progress bar). So I took out
: > >>> the hard disk of this machine to verify it and back up its data on
: > >>> another computer. The problem is that this other machines insists
: > >>> en trying to boot from the wrong disk the one I try to backup and
: > >>> verify. This hard disk is set up as slave and I've tried it as
: > >>> slave of the computer's own hard disk or as slave of the CD-ROM,
: > >>> with similar results: hte computer does not try to boot from its
: > >>> own hgard disk but from the one I try to verify and backup.
: > >>>
: > >>> Does anybody knows why this happens and how to work around that?
: > >>>
: > >>>
: > >>> Thanks and bye.
: > >>
: > >> Check the BOOT.INI file on the second machine.
: > >
: > > There is no boot.ini file on this machine... I've made a thorough
: > > search and did not find one.
: >
: >
: > Yes, there is. Make sure that you are set to view hidden and system
files.
: >
: Ooops, yes I found it. I was using my son's account where hidden
: files were not shown. Sorry about that.
:
: The content of this file is:
:
: [boot loader]
: timeout=30
: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
: [operating systems]
: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
: Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
:
: The configuration of the drives of this computer is the following:
:
: Primary ATA Master: 40 Gb HD, NTFS, C:, boot disk
: Secondary ATA Master: CD drive, E:
: SATA: 2 x 120 Gb HD in RAID1, D:, system disk
:
: I tried to connect the new HD that I want to verify and backup to
: the Primary and Secondary ATA as a slave (I did not forget to set the
: jumper to slave).
:
: What do I have to change to the boot.ini file to make it work? Is
: this change gonna affect the computer when I unmount the new disk and
: go back to the old config?
:
:
: Thanks and bye.
:
:
: > --
: > Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
: > Please reply to the newsgroup
:
Andy has already given you the boot.ini correction.
The rdisk value for boot.ini will follow this order:
Primary ATA Master
Primary ATA Slave
Secondary ATA Master
Secondary ATA Slave
SATA

In your case, Primary ATA Master is rdisk(0).
When you install another ATA (IDE) drive, it will be rdisk(1).
This changes the SATA to rdisk(2).

Do not be surprised that the XP drive will still be labeled D:.
The drive labeling occurs when an operating system boots.
XP was installed on D:, so it will remain on D:.
The added drive may take the next available drive letter.