Missing Boot.ini, Does not show up in msconfig Options

[Vijay Rai]

Hi Folks,
Am missing boot.ini tab in msconfig. Googled for solutions but not much help. No problem in booting the machine though or in running applications.
I have two partitions on an 80 gb drive--the usual C drive and the recovery D drive(about 4gb). When I search for boot.ini file on Cdrive I can't find it but when I search for it on D drive notepad opens up with the following text:-
[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin
C:\="Unidentified operating system on drive D.
How can I get the missing boot.ini tab in msconfig? On C drive. I need it to get into safe mode(tapping F8 on rebooting does not help).
Thanks for your attention and advice in advance.
Vijay.

[VA(s)T]

Boot.ini tab is missing in MSCONFIG?

When you start MSCONFIG.EXE (System Configuration utility), the BOOT.INI tab which usually appears, may be missing.



This may simply be a file permissions issue. You can verify that by typing C:\Boot.ini in Start, Run dialog. If you get Access Denied or similar error, that explains the problem.

Here is another obscure possibility:

*

Open Regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig

*

Backup the key by exporting it to a REG file
*

In the right-pane, delete the value named Boot.ini (if found)
*

Close Registry Editor and open MSCONFIG.

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/bootini.htm
&
My Webpage

[Vijay Rai]

Thanx VA(s)T for the prompt reply. I came across the same webpage(on Google) of MVP Ramesh that you have provided the link for. As I've given in my original query the boot.ini is not in the C drive and neither does it show up in the regedit. It does show up on the D drive. I would like the boot.ini tab to show up in msconfig, the way its supposed to. How do I get it back?
What is file permissions issue? How do I do this? Will I get backthe boot.ini tab in msconfig?
Thanks.
Vijay.

[VA(s)T]

This is rather a strange issue
For how long do you have this problem?? Is System restore an option??

the permission thing is about Taking Ownership of the Boot.ini and give system full access, but in xp home you have to go to safe mode for that.
And as you say this is not an option for you because you can't.. You're saying you have a recover D:\ drive so i guess your computer didn't come with a XP Home install CD but probably with a Recovery Disk. The funny thing is why your system boots at all if you're having Windows installed on C:\ with a missing boot.ini, so it must be detecting the backup boot.ini on D:\ with this very strange line in your current boot.ini
"C:\="Unidentified operating system on drive D"

Personally i do not have experience with XP systems like this and the issue you describe, so can only give you suggestions about "How i would try to work around myself to get it back"
First try this, go to start - Run and type CHKDSK /R and click OK now follows a dos screen type Y and hit enter and reboot.. If that doesn't do..
You could try to make a new boot.ini your self with notepad, and put it on C:\
this you can do by pasting the following into Notepad

CODE

[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="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin

and save as boot.ini on C:\ right click it and mark it "Read Only" and if you wish you can hide it...



This post has been edited by VA(s)T: Aug 24 2005, 05:08 AM

[Vijay Rai]

Thanx a ton VA(s)T. It worked. Got back the boot.ini tab in msconfig--by creating another boot.ini file in notepad and putting it in my C drive. On restarting my machine sure enough the boot.ini tab showed up in msconfig.
Thanx again.
Vijay.

[hylen]

Nice one, VA(s)T.

[VA(s)T]

Thnx!?

[koldpatrol]

I have been looking for a solution for this for weeks. Thanks so much, worked for me too !!

[managed]

Hi,

You are actually booting into partition 2 on your hard drive, i.e. D.
So D must be where XP is installed.
So, what is on C :- "C:\="Unidentified operating system on drive D." ?!
Have you set the Bios to boot into D ?

[Vijay Rai]

Hi Managed,
This is what's on C drive:-[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="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin


And this is what's on the D drive:-
[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin
C:\="Unidentified operating system on drive D."

In the bios options the first priority for booting is the hard drive( C or D drive not specified )--The
model ID of the Seagate drive on my system is given. Is this OK ? Next is booting from the floppy drive.
In the computer management(storage) section the status of the C drive is Healthy(Boot) whereas the status of the D drive is Healthy(System).
I trust you've got what you were looking for.
Vijay.

[steven2004]

Hi,

You are actually booting into partition 2 on your hard drive, i.e. D.
So D must be where XP is installed.
So, what is on C :- "C:\="Unidentified operating system on drive D." ?!
Have you set the Bios to boot into D ?

Drive lettering is controlable it isnt totally dependant on the logic of partition 1 is C: and 2 is D:.

you can have any partition on the HDD as Drive C: if you want to with XP, but to have it as the system drive and drive C:, you need to ensure all other partitions are hidden or not accessible, that may effect what xp chooses for it on install. once xp picks c:\windows or d:\windows thats it, thats how it stays.

This is how some recovery partitions work on "those pc you dont get an xp install CD with". They have a hidden partition 1, that XP knows is there, but cannot access, it therefore accounts for the partition in the boot.ini but ignores it completely on install and gives drive C: to the one xp is installing to.

Also from the boot.ini multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS

the partition part refers to the 2nd partition listed in the partition table, it does not mean it IS the second partition logically to occour on the drive, BUT in 99% of cases it will be, based on the fact most people make a partition at the front of the HDD and proceed to make others after that one. The break away from logic occurs when people delete partitions from the front of the HDD (part1 maybe) and then maybe move partition2 back using software like partition magic. When this kind of editing occurs the partition table can get jumbled up and not appear to be logical.

This post has been edited by steven2004: Feb 4 2006, 07:31 AM

[managed]

Hi,

Thanks Vijay and Steven for the info.

So the Partition called 'System' in Disk management is where the BOOT.INI and other files needed for XP to load are ?
And the partition called 'Boot' is where the rest of XP is located ?
At least that's how it is on my PC.
It's the use of the word 'Boot' for the partition XP is 'installed to' and it's meaning as 'Boot' = Start which implies start up files like BOOT.INI that I found confusing.

So on Vijay's PC the D partition is 'system' and it's BOOT.INI will be used, the C partition is 'boot' and contains the XP OS that is used ?
So the BOOT.INI on C is never used ?
Seems a strange way for it to be set up but as long as it works ...

Anyway, Vijay, the boot order in the Bios doesn't matter much unless you need to boot from a floppy or CD.
To allow for that you could use 1st floppy 2nd CD 3rd HDD (or CD 1st floppy 2nd) but unless you think you will need to boot from floppy or CD often you might as well leave it as HDD 1st and only change it when required.

[Tallman]

I was looking at my in-laws' computer today because it is setup like Vijay's with the D partition before the C partition. However on theirs there is a different boot.ini file on each partition. When the computer boots it uses the boot.ini on C where the OS is installed. I could tell this because when the computer is turned on, after the Compaq splash screen it displays the screen where you can choose to boot to either Windows XP or the recovery partition (D). This screen is displayed for only a few seconds, and the timeout for the C boot.ini is 3 seconds, but the timeout for the D boot.ini is 0. So it looks like different manufactures set things up differently