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Forum : Windows XP Support
How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary partiton is formatted
From: dsupp Date: 02 May 2009 09:02:31 GMT We start with a computer with two primary partitions. Each of them hold a running WinXP installation. The BootSelector at startup retrieves the information about ALL, existing, available WinXP systems ALWAYS from the BOOT.INI file from the first primary partition. The user can then select from which partiton he wants to boot which WInXP. Fine. Now lets assume the first primary partition gets corrupted or even accidentially formatted. The computer boots now. Where does he get the information about the still working WinXP on the second primary partition when the BOOT.INI on the first primary partition is NOT available any more? David [Reply] Re: How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary From: John John MVP Date: Sat, 02 May 2009 07:25:12 -0300 I see a red herring here. Assuming that the first active partition was the Active System partition and that the second drive is just a boot volume containing only the Windows operating system and its support files, if the first partition is formatted you will not be able to boot the second installation unless you do a bit of work on the partition(s). John David Welch wrote: [Reply] Re: How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary partiton is formatted From: dadiOH Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 08:37:14 -0400 David Welch wrote: Boot.ini on the second drive needs to be modified so that drive #2 becomes the first drive; ie, as if drive #1 does not exist. for example, if the boot.ini now looks something like this... [Boot Loader] Timeout=5 Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS [Operating Systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Windows XP" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /noexecute=optout multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINDOWS2="XP2 Basic (for emergency)" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect It would need to be changed like this... [Boot Loader] Timeout=5 Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINDOWS2 [Operating Systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINDOWS2="XP2 Basic (for emergency)" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect Note the change in "rdisk". That entry also needs to be the default. When the boot.ini is like that, the second drive can be set in BIOS as the first boot device (after floppy and CD drive if you wish). _______________________ If you wanted to leave the first drive entry in the boot.ini to allow booting from it then add... multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Windows XP" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /noexecute=optout _________________________ If the BIOS allows more than three boot devices and you have them as floppy, CD drive, HDD0 then you could just set drive #2 as the boot device after hard drive #1 (HDD0). Now, if drive #1 goes belly up, you'll boot to drive #2. BTW and FWIW, XP need not be on a primary partition. -- dadiOH ____________________________ dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico [Reply] Re: How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary partiton is formatted From: Pegasus [MVP] Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 14:55:24 +0200 See below. "David Welch" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message news:49fc0c27$0$30228$guest@unknown-email.com... *** No. While the boot selector does retrieve information from boot.ini, this *** information does not necessarily correspond to existing, available WinXP *** systems. It's just collection of text lines. *** The user can select any of the menu items that are *** present in boot.ini. They could refer to existing partitions *** or they could be totally incorrect. *** Here is how the boot process works: *** 1. The machine executes some code that is located in the *** Master Boot Record (MBR) of the active partition of the *** primary master disk. *** 2. This code will invoke ntldr on that active partition. *** 3. Ntldr will process boot.ini on that active partition and *** will present you with a boot selection menu. *** If the active partition of the primary master disk does not *** have a suitable MBR then the boot process will fail. [Reply] Re: How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary partiton is formatted From: Don Phillipson Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 08:31:46 -0400 "David Welch" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message news:49fc0c27$0$30228$guest@unknown-email.com... running WinXP installation. available WinXP systems Fine. accidentially formatted. working WinXP on the is NOT available any more? 1. Boot Selector code is not prerequisite for starting WinXP. It is an optional extra for users who wish to keep two OSs available. 2. (Conditional on appropriate BIOS settings) the boot processs finds and loads WinXP startup code. 3. Is this not what happens in the startup routine you describe (i.e. the boot routine locates WinXP startup code on one of your hard drives, and loads it)? If not, repost clarifying in more detail.your question. -- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) [Reply] Re: How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary partiton is formatted From: Bill Blanton Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 12:18:15 -0400 "David Welch" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message news:49fc0c27$0$30228$guest@unknown-email.com... Assuming the second XP install has the necessary boot files, you would need to set the second primary partition active, and clear the active flag on the first primary. Many third party tools can do this from a removable media boot. You may also have to adjust the "new" boot.ini to reflect the new partition order, depending on the circumstances. [Reply] Re: How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary partiton is formatted From: Timothy Daniels Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 17:59:15 -0700 "David Welch" wrote: If the Boot Sector on the "active" Primary partition is corrupted or somehow unreadable, the bootstrap cannot proceed. If the 2nd Primary partition can be marked "active" and it has the necessary boot files (i.e. ntldr, boot.ini, and ntdetect.com) then bootstrapping can proceed provided that the partition table is not corrupted in the MBR as well. To mark a partition "active" without an OS running, you'll have to resort to a boot disk to run FDISK. The original XP installation disk should suffice as a boot disk. (Maybe someone can chime in at this point.) This is one reason why putting a 2nd OS on a partition on a differen hard disk is safer - you can always use the BIOS to set which HD gets control at boot time. *TimDaniels* [Reply] Re: How to use BOOT.INI for two primary partitions? First Primary partiton is formatted From: Andy Date: Sat, 02 May 2009 18:52:14 -0700 On 02 May 2009 09:02:31 GMT, guest@unknown-email.com (David Welch) wrote: In order for the computer to boot from the second primary partition, the second primary partition needs to be marked active, and it has to contain an appropriate boot.ini, plus files ntldr and ntdetect.com. |
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