boot.ini experts?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ron Patterson
  • Start date Start date
R

Ron Patterson

First Posting::
I played where I should not have. I was trying to copy my
existing Master HD to a new 'slave' HD and in the process messed something
up.

I reconfigured back to original configuration of just one Master HD on the
Primary ribbon and one Master CD on the Secondary ribbon - (all with correct
jumpers)
But now when I boot up, after the 'memory check' I get a black screen that
says:

Invalid system disk
Replace disk, and then hit any key

When I hit a key I get a screen that says:

Select Operating System
Windows XP Pro
Windows XP Pro (#1)
....Select a system and click Enter to boot ......

If I select the first it boots normally.
If I select the second it says:

Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration
problem
Could not read from the selected disk. Check boot path and disk hardware.

How can I get back to normal where it boots normally without this screen. I
have no
idea what Win XP #1 is or where it came from. Can I find Win XP #1 and
eliminate it?

Second Follow-up Posting:
Ok - some progress? Via msconfig I found the second boot path (Win XP #1)
in the boot.ini - when I clicked on some tab there about op systems it
told me that the 2nd boot path Win XP #1 was invalid and asked me if I
wanted to delete it. YES!! WOW - thot I fixed it. But now when it boots
it still boots to the
"Invalid system disk....................." screen and when I click any key
it boots normally without the second screen anymore asking me to select an
op system.

BUT, after boot up I get a new screen saying I have booted in Diagnostic or
Selective Startup mode and to choose normal. If I go back to
msconfig\boot.ini and choose normal, it puts the win xp #1 line back in as a
2nd startup path and I am back where I started.

How can I purge the computer of this path and still boot normally. And I
still have the issue of "invalid system disk" to solve.

Ron Patterson
 
Open system properties,advanced,start-up-recovery,in the defaul
settings window you should only have the o/s with youre user name wit
fast detect,if another exist,scroll to it,then select edit,in the new window
highlight it and delete it,close out both,restart computer.
 
Don't alter it in msconfig, as that will change it always to selective
startup, edit the boot.ini file itself.

The easiest way is to download AgentRansack & use that as your search engine
as the XP search engine is hopeless at that sort of search.

Search for boot.ini, copy it to your from AgentRansack to your desktop as a
backup in case you stuff up, then open the original by rt/clicking on it in
AgentRansack, open with Notepad, edit it there and then save the changes.

My boot.ini for dual-booting 2x OS's on 2 drives (both primary partitions)
is -

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional (#1)" /fastdetect
 
Thanking you all for your fine efforts, however immediate needs forced me to
re-install Win XP Pro - which solved the second problem. No one addressed
the first problem which is still with me.
But now when I boot up, after the 'memory check' I get a black screen that
says:

Invalid system disk
Replace disk, and then hit any key
Click to expand...

Anyone wanna tackle this one please?

Ron
 
There is only on HD in the computer now set as Master on Primary ribbon and
the problem of Invalid System Disk persists :

Thanking you for your kind assistance.
Ron
 
Problem solved - by embarrassed user - too simple - ZIP drive snuck into
boot order in lieu of CD-ROM and had disk in it

Thanking all - puter healthy again

Ron Patterson
 
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