rebuild boot.ini EVERY time I restart laptop

I had the hal.dll corrupt problem, and worked around it using the recovery console and help that I found in this forum: bootcfg /rebuild and so on. I can do it without notes now, I have done it so often. When I have the machine working, I can see the boot.ini file, all looks OK as follows:
[boot loader]
timeout=20
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" /fastdetect
The trouble is, every time I close down the machine, I have to go through this process and it takes a long time! I now leave the laptop hibernating mostly, but Please help me to fix this problem permanently.
If I try to delete boot.ini during this process, I am told that it doesn't exist. Is it being deleted everytime I shut down?
I am going to do a presentation with this laptop in a couple of weeks, and I can't spend 50 minutes just booting up!

 

Need more info.

1. Are the necessary bootloader files on the root of your C: drive? (need boot.ini, ntldr and ntdetect.com there)

2. What partition letter is your Windows folder located upon?

3. How many partitions are shown in Disk Management and what are their properties?

 

Thanks for replying.
boot.ini, ntldr and ntdetect.com all present in C:\
Windows folder in C:\

Disk Management windows shows me 4 boxes under heading Disk 0
118MB FAT Healthy (EIS configuration)
(C 143.43 GB NTFS Healthy (system)
MEDIADIRECT 2.50 GB FAT32 Healthy (Unknown Partition)
3.00 GB FAT32 Healthy (Unknown Partition)

The first time this happened, and before I knew about the bootcfg /rebuild process, I reinstalled Windows to a new directory called WINNEW. Now, as I go through the restore process, I have and have not added this to the boot sequence - makes no difference.

Hope this helps

 

OK on that. It's possible that your HD is going south. Running chkdsk /r might be helpful in the diagnosis process. You can run that in the Recovery Console or from a Windows command-line box, whichever you find easiest.

Another useful tool would be to use a Quick Boot disk, either a floppy or a CD, depending on what drive you have available. The floppy is easiest to create. Either of these boot disks will allow booting without using the bootloader files on your HD. Depending on how that goes, it can help with the diagnosis.

Get the floppy disk Quick Boot Creator HERE. Download that to your Desktop. Double-click it and follow the screen directions for creating the floppy.

Put that floppy in the drive bay and boot the computer. You may need to reset your CMOS to have it check the floppy first in the boot sequence.

If you have no floppy drive in the ailing computer, post back and I'll furnish you an ISO file for making a Quick Boot CD instead.

What I'm thinking is that your HD may have media damage on the first sector of the bootable partition. Deleting ALL partitions and re-partitioning the drive to a single partition may or may not fix the problem. That's an extreme measure and would require you to backup all critical files to separate media.

Disregarding that message of doom, if the boot disk method works, you could operate that way indefinitely without any inconvenience.

There are still other possibilities so report any new info as you see it. If I understand you correctly, the boot.ini file seems to disappear at random times.

It also is possible that since you have a WINDOWS folder and a WINNEW folder, that the boot.ini needs to be changed to reflect which system folder you direct the boot process toward. You say you added it to the boot.ini file and it made no difference. It should have!

I suggest that your boot.ini file look as follows:

Code:

[boot loader]
timeout=20
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" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNEW= "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

Notice I added the WINNEW loader line. With that change, you should be given a boot choice menu when booting and allow you to select either System Folder. Try them both for effect. That may provide useful information for fixing this problem.

Normally installing Windows to a new folder, as you have done, will render any previously installed software inoperable unless it is simple stand-alone software that doesn't require any Registry support or added dll's. That may be the issue here so be prepared to backup your personal files and reinstall Windows and all added software to a freshly wiped partition.

 

Thanks for your comprehensive reply.
I don't have a floppy drive, so would need to make a CD - I would be grateful for your help with that.

I tried chkdsk /r as suggested. I got the following message:
"the type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot lock current drive.
Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts?" I will try that when I get the courage to turn it off!

chkdsk with no parameter ran in read only mode and found a few orphaned files...

The boot file has looked as you have shown it, and I got the option to choose which version of XP. I have even tried 3 options in boot.ini (the CD Windows). whenever I selected the WINNEW option, I couldn't use the software, as you say. I realised that, and so only chose the WINDOWS option. Then I began to leave out the other in the recovery process. I can't say if it made any difference to the problem.

As to damage to the HD, that is very scary. I wonder if it might be a virus problem of some kind, as a PC here also presented the same hal.dll problem once. I fixed that in the same way, and I was scared to turn that off too, but have done so since, without the problem recurring. I have kids downloading stuff from the internet, so always have that in the back of my mind. I use Mcafee bells and whistles, and have always used Mozilla browser. Having said that, there is a problem with McAfee now - "subscription cannot be verified. "

I wouldn't mind wiping the drive, as already have stuff backed up, and all important software on disk. But I would prefer not too.

That's enough to read for now - thanks for the help thus far. Good night for now.
Annie

 

You can consider running SFC /scannow and be prepared to furnish your Windows installation CD if/when asked. That may be able to replace any missing or corrupt system files and give you a workable system.

That failing, I would next suggest doing a Repair Install, which will preserve your personal files and reinstall the Windows system files with the original versions found on the nstall CD. If you elect to do that, you will be given the chance to select which Windows system to repair. You would want to select the original that is named WINDOWS, of course. When that finishes, there is a good chance that your original system, with all the added software, can work properly again.

Keep those options in mind but let's first try the Quick Boot CD and see where it leads. I'm assuming you have access to a computer that has CD burner software. The download file for this QB CD is a Zip file that contains an ISO file. Unzip the download to reveal the ISO file in a folder you can locate easily. Then you must choose the proper function on your burner software that offers to create a CD from an IMAGE file. Then point it to where you downloaded and unzipped this ISO file. The procedure varies with different burner software but is normally intuitive enough to make it fairly user friendly.

Using the QB CD is as simple as placing it in the drive and booting the computer. A boot menu will appear, same as you are familiar with, and you can select from several choices. In your case, you would want to select the first drive and the second partition. That would attempt to boot the second partition of the primary HD.

You may need to reset your CMOS to check the CD drive first in the boot sequence.

Quick Boot CD ISO zip file

 

Hi there, Surferdude2, I am using the Quick boot disc and it works, so am much happier! Thankyou.
I tried the SFC scannow, but nothing changed. I will try the repair install when I get a chance. Any ideas on what caused this? Would prefer not to have to rely on having the boot disc to hand!
Anyway, many thanks for help.
Annie

 

I have seen stranger things happen when Windows gets installed in parallel on the same partition.

You must be sure that the Primary drive contains the bootloader files and that the boot.ini is free from any errors in syntax. It is also necessary that the Primary partition be marked "Active. "

It's sometimes easier to reinstall it in a more conventional location than to try and figure out why it won't work well where it is.

 

I installed the new windows after the problem happened the first time in an effort to fix it.
Can I now get rid of the WINNEW installation - by deleting the folder? or is that too simplistic?

How to check if the partition is marked active?

Annie

 

Yes. Then you will want to edit the boot.ini file to remove the loader line for that system folder.

START > RUN > (type)diskmgmt.msc > (press enter or click OK) and you can check the partition. if it's not shown to be active, right-click it and set it active.