Dual Boot Problem.

[kfh]

Hi All,

Since an infestation of worms and trojans which are now cleaned.
I can no longer boot to the D drive. The boot loader reads.

[boot loader]
time out=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS\FOLDER ="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect.

C drive XP Pro Fat 32.
D drive XP Pro NTFS.

D drive for us C drive for the kids.

The D drive is visable from My computer from the C drive and accessable, At boot there is two OS present the second can be booted to but it's not the D drive thers no Programmes on it. E drive is the CD Rom.

Thanks,

kfh.

[ErnieK]

KFH
My boot ini looks like this

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
C:\="Microsoft Windows"

I have WIn98 and Xp both Fat32

Yours show the "S" from windows on seperate line also a difference in the "multi(0)disk" line.

Copy yours to someplace safe and then cut and paste mine in to see if it makes a difference.

[kfh]

Hi Ernie,

I tried your boot ini, it works the same as mine. For some reason I've got two copies of XP but not the copy of my D drive.

Thanks,

kfh.

[Paul Komski]

The two operating systems referenced in the boot.ini file are both referenced on the same partition - partition(2) - and yet you tell us that one installation is on C and the other on D. So which one is which?

Please refer to the partitions by their positions on the drive as seen from RClick MyComputer >> Manage >> Storage >> DiskManagement (and not by their drive letters). Count them from left to right in the diagram.

Assuming you are booting OK to the default installation, it looks as if the non-default installation in the Windows\Folder folder should possibly be on partition(1) or partition(3) or etc.

PS Boot.ini first references all primary partitions from left to right followed by any logical partitons.

[kfh]

Hi Paul,

Reading from left to right the D drive is first on the list then the C drive. D drive is healthy and the C drive is healthy system.

Thanks,

kfh.

[Paul Komski]

OK - So you are booted into C on the second partition with what is currently the D drive on the first partition.

The other OS, the one you cant boot into, is on this D drive (on the physically first partition) and if I have understood you correctly you can see its files from the current installation. Additional confirmation would be whether the windows files are in the windows folder or in the windows/folder sub-folder.

However the safest way to go is to add two lines to boot.ini referencing the first partition so that boot.ini would now read:-

[boot loader]
time out=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\window s
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="WinXP in Windows on Part2" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS\FOLDER ="WinXP in Windows\Folder subfolder on Part2" /fastdetect.
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="WinXP in Windows on Part1" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS\FOLDER ="WinXP in Windows\Folder subfolder on Part1" /fastdetect.

This should give you two additional options in the boot menu. Hopefully two of the four will boot the two installations. I have renamed what you read in the boot menu so that you are quite sure which one you are selecting at boot time.

P.S. There is a bug somewhere that creates a space between the Window and its plural ending s in the default line; it should of course be one word - windows. Using php doesnt help because the back-slashes get lost and (now that html has been turned off) there is no way of putting them in in code form.

There used to be a bug whenever one pasted a boot.ini with this S getting transferred to the next line. Now it appears in the same line but with a gap that shouldn't be there. Perhaps the mods could bring this to Charles's attention.

[kfh]

Hi Paul,

If I boot with this boot ini I get this error file missing or corrupt.
<windows root>\system32\hal.dll. I have to Press F8 to choose which drive I boot to. Drive C is on Part 2 and drive D is on Part 1. which I can boot to now using F8. Partition 2 Windows folder is the OS I don't need. Partition 1 Windows folder I get the error message. If I remove these two lines will the comp still boot.

Thanks,

kfh.

[Paul Komski]

I would think so - but to be on the safe side remove them one at a time then you should still be able to get in and easily modify things.

Another thing you could do is to format a floppy (FORMATTED BY WINXP) and then copy boot.ini, ntldr and ntdetect.com onto it from the root of the boot partition. You can then use the floppy to boot up your system in the event of an "emergency".

[kfh]

Hi Paul,

I've deleted the two lines not needed and can still boot to both drives, but only through using the F8 root and choosing from there. By taking the space out before the s after windows it will boot to the C drive automatically. I can set the D drive as default if needed from msconfig and boot to it that way.

Thanks,

kfh.

[kfh]

Hi Paul,

I've deleted the two lines not needed and can still boot to both drives, but only through using the F8 root and choosing from there. By taking the space out before the s after windows it will boot to the C drive automatically. I can set the D drive as default if needed from msconfig and boot to it that way.

Thanks,

kfh.

ps I reinstalled the Hal.dll file but it made no difference.

[Paul Komski]

The "hal.dll missing ..." as with "ntldr missing ..." is usually due to corrupt boot processes and pointers rather than a corrupt or missing file as such.

You could try repairing boot.ini using bootcfg as in http://www.compphix.com/corrupthal.html and if you do this you could also try the fixboot command from the recovery console while you are in there.

.. failing that you could try repairing one of the installations http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

.. failing that you could install a new parallel installation of WinXP and then delete its line in boot.ini as well as deleting the new windows folder that would have been created.

The last two of these processes do much more than just repairing Boot.ini and would hopefully abolish the link to the hal.dll message in the process.

Did you discover to press F8 to get the various boot options each time or is this option being presented to you on each boot-up?