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Aug 6th, 2004
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Problems With Xp Boot Loader

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Greetings...

I would like to post this new thread regarding this simple issue:

I have a hard disk with several partitions: C, D, E, F... I installed WINDOWS XP on partition D (NTFS) and then I installed WINDOWS ME on partition C (FAT-32). After doing this, I am not able to set up a correct boot loader to boot WINDOWS ME and WINDOWS XP.

For accessing Windows ME, I have to use a boot floppy disk and execute: SYS C:, so after booting I am able to start Windows ME. But I cannot start Windows XP now.

To access Windows XP, I have to use the XP install disk and go into recovery options and run command: BOOTCFG, BOOTFIX, etc. Then I am now able to start Win XP, but not able to start Win ME.

This sucks, and I know I shoulda installed ME first and then Windows XP. However, I don't think I have to reinstall windows XP so that I have a working BOOT LOADER. I have been messing with BOOT.INI file so that I have a graphical option to boot any OS, but when I try to start WIN ME, I gave a system error (file HAL.DLL corrupted, although I double checked that file exist on the partition D).

After this long description, is there a way to adjust my boot.ini so that I am able to boot either OS (ME or XP). Further info available on request.

:eek:

Froy
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

You really should have installed ME first; the recommended order of installation in a multi-boot setup is oldest OS first.

If you post your boot.ini file here we might be able to suggest a fix.
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

I appreciate your quick reply.

You may be right, but I don't think I have to get thru all the pain to reinstall Windows XP, plus OFFICE and the rest of the softwares already installed. There must be a way to set up or tweak this BOOT.INI file easily.

Anyway, here is it, my BOOT.INI:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows ME"

-------------
Remember, I have WINDOWS ME on C and WINDOWS XP on D partition, and just one hard disk.

Regards

Froy
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

To start with, for your partition setup, this:

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

should be this instead:

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

although that may not be all there is to it: When you installed XP on the second partition, it probably installed some critical boot files to the first partition. By installing ME on the first partition after XP was installed, you would have overwritten some of the XP boot files with ME's versions. This is why it's always recommended that you install the newest OS last; older OSes may not be natively aware of XP.
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

Dave's right about the disk(0) side of things under XP. I've got a little more to add, though:

In Windows Me/9x based OSes, it's started using DOS, as those "OSes" really aren't OSes-- they're just GUIs for DOS. To start ME, the line:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows ME"

should actually be changed to:

C:\="Windows ME"

The reason for this is because loading to C:\ uses the bootblocks located there, so DOS can load up Windows ME. That should enable you to multiboot Windows ME and XP. So, your file would 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 Professional" /fastdetect
C:\="Windows ME"

Let us know if that works for you.
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

Thanks Alex- looks like you're right about that. I wasn't at my multi-boot Win 98/2K Pro/XP Pro system (well OK- it also has three distros of Linux on it as well, but who's counting, right...) when I posted, but I'm looking at my boot.ini on that system now and my entry for Win 98 is:

C:\ = "Windows 98"

so your equivalent entry for ME should work. Just to put this out there though- I did perform my Windows installs in the recommended "oldest to newest" order.
Last edited by DMR; Aug 6th, 2004 at 7:00 pm.
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

Quote originally posted by DMR ...
Just to put this out there though- I did perform my Windows installs in the recommended "oldest to newest" order.
Indeed. This I cannot stress highly enough. Even if the original poster fixes this issue with boot.ini, it's always the best practice to go oldest to newest, or to at least go "9x-est to NT-est"
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

Quote originally posted by alc6379 ...
Indeed. This I cannot stress highly enough. Even if the original poster fixes this issue with boot.ini, it's always the best practice to go oldest to newest, or to at least go "9x-est to NT-est"

Hi guys, I am the original poster, and thanks anybody for helping me with this issue,,,

BAD NEWS: It doesn't work.

I modified the BOOT.INI according to some poster's suggestions and corrected the wrong lines, and now it looks like this:

[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="WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL"
c:\="MICROSOFT WINDOWS MILLENNIUM"

When my computers boots, it shows me a menu: 1. Windows XP and 2 Windows Me... But when I try to select option 2, it simply loops back to the menu to select OS again, it doesn't load up WINDOWS ME. So here I am again on Windows XP.

What's wrong, gurus??

Sorry :rolleyes:

Froy
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

Well, you're probably going to have to reinstall, then.

What has happened is that your XP install has written its own boot blocks to the DOS/ME partition. When you do as you've done, the MBR now looks to NTLDR for the files. NTLDR is usually in C:\ , regardless of what partition you installed XP on.

Personally, I'd just go back and do it "right", anyways. As it stands now, you'll probably want to redo your install, so you can ensure that the XP bootloader correctly picks up your ME install, and you don't have to fool with boot.ini anymore.
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Re: Problems With Xp Boot Loader

Amazing, so I have to reinstall Windows XP in order to have a working XP BOOT LOADER?

It doesn't really make any sense at all to me, even Linux have nice tools to set up LILO, and works pretty well and without much hassles and hurdles.

Well, I guess there is not other way but to reinstall Windows XP, right?
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