Windows Boot Menu

Discussion in 'Software' started by babygirl9114, Jan 4, 2007.

  1. babygirl9114

    babygirl9114 Private E-2

    Hello Everyone... I desperately need help... on my mothers computer my husband thought that he was helping them because he knows about computers, but I don't have the heart to tell him that He sometimes doesn't...lol....anyway.... when he helped them install windows xp home sp2 on there computer he had installed it on two hard drives... now... the one hard drive was only 1 gig and the other is 40 gigs.... he accidently made the smaller one the default boot... so he right clicked my computer and went to advanced and then to startup and recovery settings and then he clicked on edit and deleted the wrong boot strand
    There were two strands
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\HOMESP2="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
    and
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\HOMESP2="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
    He had them delete the top one and he was supposed to delete the first one..... because he formatted the smaller hard drive
    I know what he was supposed to do (he and I are on the same level of computer knowledge) he could have just selected which hard drive to boot first and selected the time to show the boot menu but i wasnt there to tell him... oh well.... so now when they boot there computer they get a message saying its corrupt... so my question is what can I do to there computer to make the right strand which is multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\HOMESP2="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect boot up?
     
  2. TheDoug

    TheDoug MajorGeek

    The file C:\boot.ini should be edited to look like:

    [boot loader]
    timeout=30
    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\HOMESP2
    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\HOMESP2="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /NoExecute=OptIn /fastdetect

    IF HOMESP2 is the name of the system folder of the first partition of hard drive 0, and that's where you want to boot from.

    A hidden system file, you will/may need to execute the command attrib -h -s -r C:\boot.ini in order to be able to see and edit it. And reset those attributes using the +h +s +r switches after you're done.

    Alternatively, you could use the bootcfg command from within Recovery Console.

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291980
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2007
  3. babygirl9114

    babygirl9114 Private E-2

    but we cant start up the computer... Is there a way I can get into cmd prompt when starting up.... I had him try booting up in safe mode with cmd but nothing... how can I get to the boot.ini file to edit it if I cannot get the computer started up
     
  4. TheDoug

    TheDoug MajorGeek

    Follow the instructions in my alternate suggestion. He must have a WinXP CD if he installed Windows twice.
     
  5. babygirl9114

    babygirl9114 Private E-2

    okay.... i will try that.... i might be naive but, there truly is no way to get into cmd prompt when booting up?
     
  6. TheDoug

    TheDoug MajorGeek

    There is, but it assumes the boot.ini knows where to look, just as when booting normally. Plus it's "Safe Mode with Command Prompt"-- no Safe Mode, no command prompt.
     

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