Resolved Boot.ini not able to start computer

I have 2 hard drives on my computer. Both drives have multiple partitions. The first partitions are FAT32 and the second partitions are NTFS XP-SP3 operating systems. My boot.ini has always been inconsistent, with it working for a long time and then not working, only to find it working again. Now, it doesn't work at all. I can start up my computer easily with a floppy boot, but it would be nice to have it automatically start up again, with the screen that allows me to choose which hard drive I want to open. Once my computer is running, I have full access to all my partitions. Here is what my boot.ini says:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows
XP Home Edition 30" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn


Any suggestions how I can redo my boot.ini to get it working properly for the dual boot? Fixboot doesn't work.

 

If your OS is on the second partition of each drive, as you stated, then your boot.ini file should look like this:

Code:

[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= "Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn 
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 30" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I copied and pasted and saved it, but still ended up with Boot Failure when I restarted my computer. It is a good thing that I have my trusty Boot Floppy to fall back on. Any other suggestions?

 

I had a little problem getting it to show properly but I finally got it done.

Are you saying you have it exactly as I suggested and it won't boot?

That could mean you have a problem with the first sector of your hard drive and the MBR code isn't being read properly.

 

That sounds like the problem to me, also, as it has been intermittent for years. It is exactly as you suggested but still won't boot. I tried fixmbr, but that didn't do anything, either. How can I fix this sector? Thanks for the help.

 

When you boot with the boot.ini file I posted, do you get a menu that allows you to choose which system to boot? If so, what happens when you select the first one? What happens when you select the second one? What happens if you allow it to time out and boot the default one?

Providing all the information available will make it easier to solve your problem. Things that you may think aren't important may hold the key to a quicker solution.

 

I posted before seeing your latest. To answer your question, you can't repair the first sector of your drive. If it were any other sector, you could perform a format operation and map any bad sectors out. You can't do that with the first sector (0 sector). It's a fixed target for the boot process and when it's gone, the drive is gone. You can still boot with some other media, as you have found out, but the drive will not boot without that help.

Get your valuable files backed up since the drive may fail completely.

 

I'll have to get back to this tomorrow, as I have to get up early. I ran a SMART analysis on the hard drives. My backup drive is fine, but here are the issues with the primary drive:
Start/Stop Count 99 1681 Watch
Warning: Start/Stop Count is below the average limits (100-100).
NOTE : your hard disk Power On Hours Count attribute current value (85) is below the normal range (94 - 100) reported for your specific hard disk model. Basically your hard disk was powered on for more than the maximum time the average user did. This means that either all of the reports collected are from hard disks that were not powered on for too long (this is realistic for recent models) or that your hard disk is becoming old. Usually this is not considered as a pre-failure advisory, but you should check whether you want to replace the hardware or keep an eye on its performances over time.

NOTE : your hard disk Power Cycle Count attribute current value (99) is below the normal range (100 - 100) reported for your specific hard disk model. Basically your hard disk was power cycled more times than the maximum number the average hard disk was. Power cycles put some stress on the hard disk mechanic. Sometimes power cycles can be caused by a loose hard disk power connector. Make sure it is properly fastened.

The overall fitness for this drive is 97%.
The overall performance for this drive is 100%.

When I use the Boot Floppy, I can start up my backup drive by clicking on partition 2 of drive 1 and the primary drive by clicking on partition 2 of drive 2. Tomorrow, I'll check to see what happens if I wait for it to time out. I've never done that before. I'll also make sure that everything is backed up. Thanks.

 

Good morning. I thought I'd leave you the information you requested before I leave.

Physical Disk 1 (rdisk 0) Boot Partition 1 states <Windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll missing or corrupt
Physical Disk 1 (rdisk 0) Boot Partition 2 starts backup drive
Physical Disk 2 (rdisk 1) Boot Partition 1 states <Windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll missing or corrupt
Physical Disk 2 (rdisk 1) Boot Partition 2 starts primary drive
Physical Disk 3 (rdisk 2) Boot Partition 1 states Windows could not start because of a computer disk harware configuration problem. Could not read from the selected boot disk.
Physical Disk 3 (rdisk 2) Boot Partition 2 states Windows could not start because of a computer disk harware configuration problem. Could not read from the selected boot disk.

After waiting 14 minutes for anything to time out, I gave up waiting. Nothing happened.

If I need a new hard drive, what are your thoughts on the Samsung Spinpoint or the WD Caviar Black? Right now, my hard drive is a WDC WD1600JB-00REA0.

 

That's backwards to what I figured?? The primary drive is considered to be drive 1 (arc path 0) and the secondary would be drive 2 (arc path1). I assumed that when I posted what the boot.ini should look like. The arc path is what the boot.ini file uses to describe a drive.

 

We did a simul-post!

Good morning. It appears that you are indeed using your primary drive for a backup and your secondary drive for your normal boot drive. So your secondary drive is actually the one that is failing, correct?

 

Maybe it is because I have my OS on partition 2 of each hard drive?

 

Nothing wrong with that. Verify that you have the three boot loader files on the primary drive. They are ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini. They are required to be on the root of the primary drive. (arc path 0)

1. How did you create the backup system, cloning or full install?

2. Are the FAT32 partitions being detected and assigned drive letters?

3. What are the assigned drive letters of all of your partitions as viewed in the Disk Management of XP and are they the same regardless of which drive you choose to boot? (With a normal dual-boot configuration, the 1st drive will be named the SYSTEM drive and when you boot the 2nd drive, it will be named the BOOT drive.)

4. What kind of boot disk are you using? What files does it contain? Copy the boot.ini file it contains and post it here.

5. Do you have the ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini file on the root of both of your NTFS partitions?

Keep in mind that those files are required to be on the root of the drive that Disk Management designates as your SYSTEM drive if you expect the drive to be self bootable. They can also be on the root of your other drive but they will not be used unless you disconnect the present system drive and try to boot without it. That assumes that you aren't using a 3rd party boot manager.

I'll check back this evening for your answers to the above items and hopefully we will find something that can get you back to self booting. The drive may be bad but we won't know until we verify that it has everything it needs to be self bootable.

 

Don't let me keep you from work. We can get back to this later.

Reviewing what you have reported, it is clear that you use the 1st physical drive (arc path 0) for your backup drive. That means that the three bootloader files will need to be on the root of the drive you consider as the backup drive. That is in reality your primary drive and using the term "backup" to describe it may cause some confusion. It is the drive that Disk Management will designate as the SYSTEM drive.

I just wanted to make sure we were in agreement on that. You can call it anything you like so long as we know what the system considers it to be.

 

OK, I just thought of something that addressed this problem in the past. I disconnected my primary (backup) drive 30GB, and my computer started up normally. Though I thought the problem was with my secondary (main) drive 160GB, this may disprove that assumption.

I’ll have to get back to you regarding the boot loader files on the primary drive, as, at this time, that drive is disconnected.

It has been a while since I set up my drives, but I believe that I used XXClone to create my backup system. I’ll just call it my 30GB drive from now on, so it is less confusing.

The FAT32 partitions are detected and assigned letters in Disk Management. Whichever drive I have open, that FAT32 partition is listed as C, so it changes when I change drives. On this drive (Disk 0) 160GB, the FAT32 partition says System and the OS partition says Boot. I’ll get back to you once I can see both drives and see what it says when I open up the 30GB drive.

The floppy boot I have I got from you. Here is the boot.ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=-1
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS= "Physical Disk 1(rdisk0) Boot Partition 1" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "Physical Disk 1(rdisk0) Boot Partition 2" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS= "Physical Disk 2 (rdisk1)Boot Partition 1" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "Physical Disk 2 (rdisk1)Boot Partition 2" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS= "Physical Disk 3 (rdisk2)Boot Partition 1" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "Physical Disk 3 (rdisk2)Boot Partition 2" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

It also has NTDETECT.COM (47KB) and ntldr (245KB).

How do I check to see if the ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini file are on the root of both of your NTFS partitions?

I’ll check the 30GB drive now.

 

When I open up the computer on my 30GB drive, Disk Manager has this information:
Disk 0 27.95GB – 30GB FAT32 C System – 30GB OS D Boot – 30GB Storage E
Disk 1 149.05GB – 160GB FAT32 F – 160GB OS H – 160GB Storage I – 160GB Ghost K

This is what the boot.ini says on the 30GB drive:

[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "WinXP" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn

I’ll go back to the 160GB drive now, as I don’t have a current antivirus on this drive.

OK, now I am back on the 160GB drive. I just checked the boot.ini on this drive, and it changed to this:
[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "WinXP" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn

Somehow, my boot.inis are changing on their own.

Here is what Disk Manager says, now that I am back on the 160GB drive:
Disk 0 27.95GB – 30GB FAT32 H System – 30GB OS I – 30GB Storage J
Disk 1 149.05GB – 160GB FAT32 C – 160GB OS D Boot – 160GB Storage G – 160GB Ghost K

 

Based on your info, let's do this. Reconnected the drives as they were before. Then use your boot disk to boot to the 30 gig drive. Look on the root of the C: drive and see if it has the ntldr, ntdetect.com, and boot.ini files. If it doesn't, copy them from the root of the fat partition on the 160 gig drive.

When you get that done, try booting without the boot disk. If it goes well, you'll get the boot menu screen. Try both selections and see if they boot.

Post back your results either way. There is still a chance that the boot.ini file will need to be edited but we'll have to wait and see.

I'll check back tomorrow and see how it went. It's 11:30 here and I'm closing down for the night.

Good luck.

 

We posted at the same time. My advice still applies. In addition, you need to ensure that whatever boot.ini file you end up with on the fat partition of the 30 gig drive (that's the c: drive when booted to the 30 gig) has the code that I posted earlier. Edit it as needed.

It should look 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= "Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 30" /fastdetect/NoExecute=OptIn

 

Which of these should I use?
NTDETECT.COM
30GB Size 46.4KB – Size on Disk 48.0KB – Created August 23, 2001 – Modified July 01, 2007
160GB 44.0KB – Size on Disk 48.0KB – Created August 23, 2001 – Modified August 23, 2001
Boot Floppy 46.4KB – Size on Disk 46.5KB – Created January 12, 2005 – Modified August 12, 2004

Ntldr
30GB 244KB – Size on Disk 248KB – Created August 23, 2001 – Modified October 27, 2009
160GB 217KB – Size on Disk 220KB – Created August 23, 2001 – Modified August 23, 2001
Boot Floppy 244KB – Size on Disk 244KB – Created January 12, 2005 – Modified August 12, 2004

 

Now I can't even open up my 30GB drive with the boot floppy. I get a message saying that <windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe is corrupt or missing. I copied the ntoskrnal.exe from my 160GB OS Windows -- Windows32 and pasted it into the same place on my 30GB OS, but it still doesn't work.