boot.ini file missing over and over

i just assembled my new computer a month ago and installed windows xp sp2 on it. after 2 weeks it kept saying "boot.ini file missing booting from C etc etc" (i don't know exactly what it says)
i know how to edit/create/rebuild/repair my boot.ini file. but everytime i reboot my pc it keeps on missing i have to rebuild/edit it over and over. i'm absolutely sure that i'm saving it. i even used xp recovery console bootcfg /rebuild just to make sure but still it keeps on missing...

i already used chkdisk, scanned for virus/spyware malware with an antivirus with a database updated to the latest. i still can't find anything

is it a hardware problem?

problem is i bought different hardware devices from different shops

and also i did reformatting and reinstalling windows xp after days the problem is still there..a week after photo files in the profile option started missing (where you change your picture for your profile. i had to browse each time. i always get's the chesss piece each time i reboot my pc)

sorry for my bad english. i've knowledge about computer systems, a bit, but this problem is making me sick.

 

There have been several complaints regarding IE8 causing deletion of the boot.ini file on certain systems. Uninstalling IE8 will roll you back to IE7 and cure the problem in those systems.

After rolling back to IE7, you'll have to rebuild the boot.ini again but let me suggest an easier way to do that.

Click Start > Run > type cmd > press Enter > then in the command screen type copy C:\WINDOWS\pss\boot.ini.backup C:\boot.ini > press Enter.

(Be sure to include the space after COPY and BACKUP.)

If it asks to overwrite the existing, type Y and press Enter. It should say "One file copied." Close out the command screen and reboot for effect.

 

it says. This system cannot find the file specified.

i already uninstalled IE8 and now i'm going to try rebuilding it

thanks

 

When you have a good boot.ini, Right Click and check Read Only. That might help.

 

how did you do it? command prompt? actually even if i "view hidden files" i cannot see my boot.ini file.

by the way my boot.ini file didn't go missing yet. hopefully when i have another reboot and so it's still there

 

That brings up an alarm bell to me.
Just for grins, browse to this folder.

C:\Documents And Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft

If you get a message with the words "you do not have enough memory to perform this action" you just might have a rootkit infection. If you do get in, by default there are no files in there, just other folders.


Your pictures for the user profile on the welcome screen are stored in 'C:\Documents And Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\User Account Pictures'. A rootkit might not let your system or you get to that folder.

 

hi surferdude2 sir...thanks for solving my problem also..i am facing this problem also....

 

You're welcome and thanks for the comments.

It may be helpful to add to this post to say that when the boot.ini file is missing on any system where XP is installed on some drive OTHER than the C: drive, the system will fail to boot and render an error that says missing hal.dll and lead one to believe a reinstall is needed. Don't be misled. You can boot with an "XP Quick Boot" CD or floppy and easily fix that problem. You can get either of those handy tools HERE.

 

thanks again surferdude sir...

 

surfer dude sir??

there are no solution??

that can i fix boot.ini when i am using ie8???

but..
now i am using ie7 and here no boot.ini problem..

when i am using ie8 the boot.ini problem agian occur...

i want to use ie8!!! can this problem fixed??

 

Try uninstalling the Ask Toolbar.

Close all open Web browsers
From the "Start" menu in Windows, select "Control Panel"
Select "Add/Remove Programs"
Select the "Ask Toolbar"
Click "Change/Remove"

Rebuild the boot.ini file using a backup copy or other method and reboot for effect.

 

If nothing else works, while waiting for MS to come forth with a fix you can always use a boot floppy or boot CD to boot the system. That will allow you to continue to use IE8 if that be your desire.

Just copy the three files - boot.ini, ntldr, and ntdetect.com to a floppy disk and write protect it. Set your BIOS to check the floppy drive before the hdd and put the boot floppy in the drive bay when booting.

If you need a boot CD rather than a floppy because you have no floppy drive, you can have someone create that floppy, then image it (use Winimage or equal, it's shareware) and you can place the image on a bootable CD using your burner software. Then set your BIOS to check the CD-ROM drive first in the sequence, place the boot CD in the drive bay and boot the computer.

If for any reason you can't create the boot floppy or CD yourself, you can download the ones I posted above in post #10. They offer more selections than needed for most systems but will work for all situations.

This may be an inelegant solution but I don't see any other option except uninstalling IE8 and waiting for MS to address the issue.

 

thanks again sir.....

i am already removed the ask tool bar..

then sometimes it shows that boot.ini file missing...not every time...

and also thanks for giving me the 2nd solution (#14).....its really valuable...

 

Hey,Surferdude 2, I clicked onto your link and found the ISO file to boot your PC. As soon as I clicked to download, my antivirus (Avast 4.8) detected a trojan horse and I aborted the connection. Whether it's false or not, I go no further. My protection is set to the highest levels possible, I get as many as two or three updates daily, so I'm confident that something's up.

 

It' a false positive I can guarantee it. No problem with any file I linked, I made them myself and know they're clean.

 

For further reassurance:

Avira AntiVir Personal
Report file date: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 22:22

Scanning for 1690029 virus strains and unwanted programs.

Licensee : Avira AntiVir Personal - FREE Antivirus
Serial number : 0000149996-ADJIE-0000001
Platform : Windows XP
Windows version : (Service Pack 3) [5.1.2600]
Boot mode : Normally booted
Username : Owner
Computer name : SURFERDUDE

Start of the scan: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 22:22

Starting the file scan:

Begin scan in 'E:\XPbootCD2P3D.zip'


End of the scan: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 22:22
Used time: 00:00 Minute(s)

The scan has been done completely.

0 Scanned directories
3 Files were scanned
0 Viruses and/or unwanted programs were found
0 Files were classified as suspicious
0 files were deleted
0 Viruses and unwanted programs were repaired
0 Files were moved to quarantine
0 Files were renamed
0 Files cannot be scanned
3 Files not concerned
1 Archives were scanned
0 Warnings
0 Notes

 

It may be that the program is perfectly safe, and I certainly wont insult you by saying otherwise. I'm just cautious when I get a warning because my deceased laptop first gave me this boot ini notice on startup and also a hal.dll. missing file. My homepage was constantly being switched from Yahoo to MSN. This didn't last long, finally the SMART program on my hard drive went, then I was reduced to running Linux OS's because my system wouldn't hold a OS for long. All this because I ignored my virus protection warnings and proceeded to whatever I was doing, whether downloading or browsing. I hope now that you can understand my paranoia when I see a trojan warning. A four year old Dell Latitude which I paid $1600 for reduced to a heap of junk.

 

I fully understand. It's wise to be careful these days. In this case you can rest assured that the file is not dangerous. I personally typed every letter it contains and it has been downloaded literally 100's of times with full safety.

All AV programs have their limitations and when set to high levels of detection are more apt to deliver false positive detections. I can't tell you to ignore ignore all of them but I tell assure you that you can ignore this one. If you feel it's unsafe - pass it up, I'll not be hurt.