Boot.ini file help

[lonerlette]

Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
prof. thanks for the help to all who respond

[Patrick Keenan]

"lonerlette" > wrote in message
...
> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't
> bother
> with that suggestion.

Why not? You can borrow any bootable XP CD to run bootcfg /rebuild from the
Recovery Console.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291980

> Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> prof. thanks for the help to all who respond

You can use a text editor if you know the details. You can use the
boot.ini from another system as a template. You may need to set the
attributes after finishing

HTH
-pk

[Mark F.]

lonerlette wrote:
> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
> with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> prof. thanks for the help to all who respond

Yes you can fix it using the "bootcfg /rebuild" command in the repair
console.

Here is how:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184

Mark

[Mark F.]

lonerlette wrote:
> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
> with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> prof. thanks for the help to all who respond

I forgot to mention that you can use any Windows XP CD to bootup and fix
this problem. You are just running a command line process to create a
default boot.ini file.

Mark

[lonerlette]

Yea but I need the xp disc for that and I don't have one...

"Mark F." wrote:

> lonerlette wrote:
> > Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
> > with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> > prof. thanks for the help to all who respond
>
> Yes you can fix it using the "bootcfg /rebuild" command in the repair
> console.
>
> Here is how:
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184
>
> Mark
>

[lonerlette]

alright I've asked everywhere possible I guess this is just impossible to do
w/o a CD . thanks for the help though everyone

"Mark F." wrote:

> lonerlette wrote:
> > Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
> > with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> > prof. thanks for the help to all who respond
>
> I forgot to mention that you can use any Windows XP CD to bootup and fix
> this problem. You are just running a command line process to create a
> default boot.ini file.
>
> Mark
>

[Mark F.]

lonerlette wrote:
> alright I've asked everywhere possible I guess this is just impossible to do
> w/o a CD . thanks for the help though everyone
>
> "Mark F." wrote:
>
>> lonerlette wrote:
>>> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
>>> with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
>>> prof. thanks for the help to all who respond
>> I forgot to mention that you can use any Windows XP CD to bootup and fix
>> this problem. You are just running a command line process to create a
>> default boot.ini file.
>>
>> Mark
>>

Can you boot in safe mode? If so. Start > Run "sysdm.cpl" > click
"Advanced" tab > under "Startup and Recovery" click the "Settings"
button > click "Edit" button to open the boot.ini in notepad.

If that won't work then...,

Open notepad the paste the following into it. Save it as C:\boot.ini.
Restart. You'll need to change the file attributes to system hidden
(+S+H) to protect it.

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

You can copy it from a floppy disk to the C:\ drive also. It's just a
text file.

Mark

[lonerlette]

okay wait sorry but can you explain this in stupid 18 yr old mode? I know a
little but that was confusing If I paste that in notepad and name it whatever
you said, what next? and how do I make it a system hidden file?

"Mark F." wrote:

> lonerlette wrote:
> > alright I've asked everywhere possible I guess this is just impossible to do
> > w/o a CD . thanks for the help though everyone
> >
> > "Mark F." wrote:
> >
> >> lonerlette wrote:
> >>> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
> >>> with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> >>> prof. thanks for the help to all who respond
> >> I forgot to mention that you can use any Windows XP CD to bootup and fix
> >> this problem. You are just running a command line process to create a
> >> default boot.ini file.
> >>
> >> Mark
> >>
>
> Can you boot in safe mode? If so. Start > Run "sysdm.cpl" > click
> "Advanced" tab > under "Startup and Recovery" click the "Settings"
> button > click "Edit" button to open the boot.ini in notepad.
>
> If that won't work then...,
>
> Open notepad the paste the following into it. Save it as C:\boot.ini.
> Restart. You'll need to change the file attributes to system hidden
> (+S+H) to protect it.
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=30
> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
> [operating systems]
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
> Professional" /fastdetect
>
> You can copy it from a floppy disk to the C:\ drive also. It's just a
> text file.
>
> Mark
>
>
>

[Genesis]

Righ-click on the file-> Properties -> General Tab -> Attributes -> check the
box Hidden

Place/Save the new boot.ini file to the directory where the original
boot.ini file is located.

"lonerlette" wrote:

> okay wait sorry but can you explain this in stupid 18 yr old mode? I know a
> little but that was confusing If I paste that in notepad and name it whatever
> you said, what next? and how do I make it a system hidden file?
>
> "Mark F." wrote:
>
> > lonerlette wrote:
> > > alright I've asked everywhere possible I guess this is just impossible to do
> > > w/o a CD . thanks for the help though everyone
> > >
> > > "Mark F." wrote:
> > >
> > >> lonerlette wrote:
> > >>> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
> > >>> with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> > >>> prof. thanks for the help to all who respond
> > >> I forgot to mention that you can use any Windows XP CD to bootup and fix
> > >> this problem. You are just running a command line process to create a
> > >> default boot.ini file.
> > >>
> > >> Mark
> > >>
> >
> > Can you boot in safe mode? If so. Start > Run "sysdm.cpl" > click
> > "Advanced" tab > under "Startup and Recovery" click the "Settings"
> > button > click "Edit" button to open the boot.ini in notepad.
> >
> > If that won't work then...,
> >
> > Open notepad the paste the following into it. Save it as C:\boot.ini.
> > Restart. You'll need to change the file attributes to system hidden
> > (+S+H) to protect it.
> >
> > [boot loader]
> > timeout=30
> > default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
> > [operating systems]
> > multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
> > Professional" /fastdetect
> >
> > You can copy it from a floppy disk to the C:\ drive also. It's just a
> > text file.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >
> >

[Rock]

"lonerlette" > wrote
> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't
> bother
> with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows
> xp
> prof. thanks for the help to all who respond

Run one of these file recovery utilities to see if you can get it back.

http://www.collina.us/files/REST2514.htm
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html

Otherwise just create a new one. Here is a link to an article with info on
the boot.ini file.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289022/en-us

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

[M.I.5¾]

"Patrick Keenan" > wrote in message
...
> "lonerlette" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't
>> bother
>> with that suggestion.
>
> Why not? You can borrow any bootable XP CD to run bootcfg /rebuild from
> the Recovery Console.
>

Though generally true, it is not universally true. Some manufacturers
customise the windows to such an extent that generic windows disks won't
work. HP is an example that immediately springs to mind. Many HP models
won't even boot from a generic windows CD and have to have a dedicated
recovery disk.

Many of those affected machines will be rendered non bootable if you just
try to do an error check on the system disk. This is because windows
immediately re-writes the Master Boot Record to make the machine boot into a
DOS based disk check - the generic MBR used not being valid for the PC. If
you succeed in replacing the MBR from the HP recovery disk, Scandisk runs
and then craps the PC again as Windows then replaces the MBR with the
generic windows MBR which is, again, invalid.

What really ****es you off is when you try to run the HP recovery disk to be
greeted with a message telling you that the recovery disk is the wrong one
for the machine that you have and won't run.

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Alternately, you can use the Windows XP Startup disks set to get into the Recovery Console. See:

How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994/

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


"lonerlette" > wrote in message ...
Yea but I need the xp disc for that and I don't have one...

"Mark F." wrote:

> lonerlette wrote:
> > Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't bother
> > with that suggestion. Is there anyway I can restore the file for windows xp
> > prof. thanks for the help to all who respond
>
> Yes you can fix it using the "bootcfg /rebuild" command in the repair
> console.
>
> Here is how:
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184
>
> Mark
>

[Mark F.]

M.I.5¾ wrote:
> "Patrick Keenan" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "lonerlette" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't
>>> bother
>>> with that suggestion.
>> Why not? You can borrow any bootable XP CD to run bootcfg /rebuild from
>> the Recovery Console.
>>
>
> Though generally true, it is not universally true. Some manufacturers
> customise the windows to such an extent that generic windows disks won't
> work. HP is an example that immediately springs to mind. Many HP models
> won't even boot from a generic windows CD and have to have a dedicated
> recovery disk.
>
> Many of those affected machines will be rendered non bootable if you just
> try to do an error check on the system disk. This is because windows
> immediately re-writes the Master Boot Record to make the machine boot into a
> DOS based disk check - the generic MBR used not being valid for the PC. If
> you succeed in replacing the MBR from the HP recovery disk, Scandisk runs
> and then craps the PC again as Windows then replaces the MBR with the
> generic windows MBR which is, again, invalid.
>

I'm 99.9 percent sure that chkdsk does not write the MBR. That is done
using "fixmbr". Also Scandisk is not available in Windows XP.

Mark

[M.I.5¾]

"Mark F." > wrote in message
...
> M.I.5¾ wrote:
>> "Patrick Keenan" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> "lonerlette" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't
>>>> bother
>>>> with that suggestion.
>>> Why not? You can borrow any bootable XP CD to run bootcfg /rebuild from
>>> the Recovery Console.
>>>
>>
>> Though generally true, it is not universally true. Some manufacturers
>> customise the windows to such an extent that generic windows disks won't
>> work. HP is an example that immediately springs to mind. Many HP models
>> won't even boot from a generic windows CD and have to have a dedicated
>> recovery disk.
>>
>> Many of those affected machines will be rendered non bootable if you just
>> try to do an error check on the system disk. This is because windows
>> immediately re-writes the Master Boot Record to make the machine boot
>> into a DOS based disk check - the generic MBR used not being valid for
>> the PC. If you succeed in replacing the MBR from the HP recovery disk,
>> Scandisk runs and then craps the PC again as Windows then replaces the
>> MBR with the generic windows MBR which is, again, invalid.
>>
>
> I'm 99.9 percent sure that chkdsk does not write the MBR. That is done
> using "fixmbr". Also Scandisk is not available in Windows XP.
>

chkdsk does not nomally re-write the MBR. But if you try to check the
Windows system drive (usually C:) or the drive that the swap file is on (if
different), this cannot be done while Windows is running. Hence chkdsk
writes an MBR that causes (or should cause) the machine to boot into a DOS
mode; reboots the machine and runs scandisk. It then reverses the
procedure once scandisk has done its stuff.

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 07:45:12 +0100, "M.I.5¾"

>chkdsk does not nomally re-write the MBR. But if you try to check the
>Windows system drive (usually C:) or the drive that the swap file is on (if
>different), this cannot be done while Windows is running. Hence chkdsk
>writes an MBR that causes (or should cause) the machine to boot into a DOS
>mode; reboots the machine and runs scandisk. It then reverses the
>procedure once scandisk has done its stuff.

No, that's not what happens, even conceptually.

System bootup process...

PSU and motherboard electronic handshake; power on
BIOS POST, processes boot device lists
BIOS loads 1st sector from boot HD (MBR)
MBR code identifies active partition, loads 1st sector of that (PBR)

It is at this point the OS begins. Win9x boot process...

PBR loads C:\IO.SYS
C:\IO.SYS processes C:\Winboot.ini, C:\MSDOS.SYS
If Windows is to be booted, boots Windows
If DOS mode to be booted, loads Command.com and that's it

In contrast, XP's boot process...

PBR loads C:\NTLDR
C:\NTLDR processes C:\Boot.ini
If DOS or Win9x, executes C:\BootSect.dos as if it were PBR
If XP, finds and boots OS via partition syntax


Both Win9x and XP will "fix" the file system if the "dirty" flag is
set, and will do this and then check the HD for surface errors if the
"disk failed" flag is set, but the mechanisms differ.


In Win95/98, DOS mode Scandisk is run during the early stages of boot,
before Windows starts, so that you don't have Windows writing to the
file system that you haven't "fixed" yet. The behaviour of Scandisk
(in this setting) is controlled by Scandisk.ini

In WinME, the DOS mode phase of boot was welded into a solid lump,
which precluded hooks to DOS mode Scandisk. So it launches Windows
Scandisk, and this does get interrupted by Windows writes to disk.
Scandisk.ini still exists, but is ignored; a more limited set of
control can be applied through Scandisk's Advanced options.

In XP, there is no DOS mode OS present, nor is there a DOS mode phase
of the boot process. Instead, AutoChk is invoked to auto-"fix" early
in the GUI phase of startup, and there is no way to control the
behavior of this other than to disable it completely.


Note that in NONE of the above situations does the OS write to or
change MBR, which precedes the OS boot and is thus not a part of the
OS for the OS to change.



>------------------------------------ ---- --- -- - - - -
"For every complex question, there's a simple
answer - and it's wrong." H.L. Mencken
>------------------------------------ ---- --- -- - - - -

[John John]

M.I.5¾ wrote:

> "Mark F." > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>M.I.5¾ wrote:
>>
>>>"Patrick Keenan" > wrote in message
...
>>>
>>>>"lonerlette" > wrote in message
...
>>>>
>>>>>Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk so don't
>>>>>bother
>>>>>with that suggestion.
>>>>
>>>>Why not? You can borrow any bootable XP CD to run bootcfg /rebuild from
>>>>the Recovery Console.
>>>>
>>>
>>>Though generally true, it is not universally true. Some manufacturers
>>>customise the windows to such an extent that generic windows disks won't
>>>work. HP is an example that immediately springs to mind. Many HP models
>>>won't even boot from a generic windows CD and have to have a dedicated
>>>recovery disk.
>>>
>>>Many of those affected machines will be rendered non bootable if you just
>>>try to do an error check on the system disk. This is because windows
>>>immediately re-writes the Master Boot Record to make the machine boot
>>>into a DOS based disk check - the generic MBR used not being valid for
>>>the PC. If you succeed in replacing the MBR from the HP recovery disk,
>>>Scandisk runs and then craps the PC again as Windows then replaces the
>>>MBR with the generic windows MBR which is, again, invalid.
>>>
>>
>>I'm 99.9 percent sure that chkdsk does not write the MBR. That is done
>>using "fixmbr". Also Scandisk is not available in Windows XP.
>>
>
>
> chkdsk does not nomally re-write the MBR. But if you try to check the
> Windows system drive (usually C:) or the drive that the swap file is on (if
> different), this cannot be done while Windows is running. Hence chkdsk
> writes an MBR that causes (or should cause) the machine to boot into a DOS
> mode; reboots the machine and runs scandisk. It then reverses the
> procedure once scandisk has done its stuff.

It doesn't touch the MBR at all, it simply writes an entry to the
BootExecute value in the registry, in turn this entry is read when the
computer boots and chkdsk will run if the entry contains instructions
telling it to do so.

http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?q=chkdsk+BootExecute&qsc0=0&SearchBtn0=Search&FORM=QBME1&l=1&mkt=en-US&PageType=99

John

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 13:06:34 -0300, John John
>M.I.5¾ wrote:
>> "Mark F." > wrote in message
>>>M.I.5¾ wrote:
>>>>"Patrick Keenan" > wrote in message
>>>>>"lonerlette" > wrote in message

>>>>>>Boot.ini file was deleted from my laptop, I have no xp disk

>>>>>You can borrow any bootable XP CD to run bootcfg /rebuild from
>>>>>the Recovery Console.

>>>>Though generally true, it is not universally true. Some manufacturers
>>>>customise the windows

Actually, the hardware, rather than Windows.

>>>>to such an extent that generic windows disks won't work.

>>>>Many of those affected machines will be rendered non bootable if you just
>>>>try to do an error check on the system disk. This is because windows
>>>>immediately re-writes the Master Boot Record to make the machine boot
>>>>into a DOS based disk check - the generic MBR used not being valid for
>>>>the PC. If you succeed in replacing the MBR from the HP recovery disk,
>>>>Scandisk runs and then craps the PC again as Windows then replaces the
>>>>MBR with the generic windows MBR which is, again, invalid.

MBR is replaced by FDisk /MBR and the corresponding Recovery Console
FixMBR command. The RC FixBoot "fixes" PBR, not MBR (if that) and
attends to Boot.ini perhaps (can't recall) and BootCfg /Rebuild does
Boot.ini (as the poster wanted) and maybe the PBR, but not MBR.

Lots of system-level things can play in MBR, such as boot managers
(e.g. to switch between Linux and Windows, or to hide Windows
installations on different partitions from each other). Compaq used
to put CMOS Setup in a "special" partition instead of ROM, and this
dumb-ass practice may be continuing with Acer.

Moral: Avoid big-brand systems.

>> chkdsk does not nomally re-write the MBR. But if you try to check the
>> Windows system drive (usually C:) or the drive that the swap file is on (if
>> different), this cannot be done while Windows is running. Hence chkdsk
>> writes an MBR that causes (or should cause) the machine to boot into a DOS
>> mode; reboots the machine and runs scandisk. It then reverses the
>> procedure once scandisk has done its stuff.

Also (most likely) false, as noted in a previous post. It sets a flag
to indicate a volume should be checked - and that is not a BootExecute
setting, as we'll discuss later - and AFAIK that flag is in the
partition to be scanned. It used to be in the start of the FAT in
FATxx; dunno where it's set in NTFS, but expect it's similar.

This is the same "dirty" flag that is set and cleared during every
Windows session (so that a bad exit leaves it set) so if there were
any deadly incompatability here, it should have bitten you whether you
invoke AutoChk or not.

There's another flag set when a disk operation fails, that triggers
Scandisk surface scan in Win9x and may trigger a "ChkDsk /R" via
AutoChk in XP. AFAIK that flag is where the other one is, but as this
should mark a physical HD rather than a volume, it may be somewhere in
the HD's system space, from sectors 0 (MBR) to 62 or so.

>It doesn't touch the MBR at all, it simply writes an entry to the
>BootExecute value in the registry, in turn this entry is read when the
>computer boots and chkdsk will run if the entry contains instructions
>telling it to do so.

The BootExecute value can be used to suppress AutoChk for drive
letters; this is the only control you have over what AutoChk will do
(i.e. none, all you can do is kill it off). But AFAIK this value is
not dynamically altered to indicate what should be scanned in the way
that the "dirty" and "bad disk" flags do.

>http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?q=chkdsk+BootExecute&qsc0=0&SearchBtn0=Search&FORM=QBME1&l=1&mkt=en-US&PageType=99

OK, let's look at a few of those links...

Ah! I see I'm wrong in some of what I wrote above:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/218461/

If the administrator schedules the command to run the
next time the system restarts, Chkdsk does not set the
"Dirty Bit" on an in-use volume in order to check the
volume at the next boot. Instead, it sets a registry entry
to tell Autochk to run against that volume. The "Dirty Bit"
is set by the file system itself only if it detects a problem

Here's an example of bad design...

When Autochk runs against a volume at boot time it
records its output to a file called Bootex.log in the root
of the volume being checked. The Winlogon service
then moves the contents of each Bootex.log file to the
Application Event log. One event log message for each
volume checked is recorded as follows:

Event ID: 1001
Source: Winlogon

....what's wrong with this picture?
- you have to run Windows to access the event log
- you have to "smell" that ChkDsk/AutoChk is reported as "WinLogon"

Why not leave the last log (or better, append to whatever log exists)
in C:\ as a separate file, instead of "moving" it where it is more
difficult to read in the context of an unbootable OS on a dying HD?

Why not fix the side-effect of this system, so that log events stand
out as being from ChkDsk and AutoChk instead of "Winlogon"?

If file system's corrupted of the disk is failing, I want to know NOW.

(See also http://support.microsoft.com/kb/275735 )

Back to the original article...

The registry entries used by Autochk to determine which
volumes get checked at boot time are:

Hkey_local_machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session
Manager\ BootExecute:REG_MULTI_SZ: autocheck autochk *

NOTE: This is the default setting for Autochk and also the result
of using Chkntfs /d to have all volumes checked at boot time.

I use Autocheck autochk /k:D /k:E * (etc.) to prevent AutoChk from
screwing around "fixing" all volumes other than C:, as I'd rather use
DOS Mode Scandisk instead (as I can for FATxx < 137G).

What this article suggests is that certain commands can blow out my
protective setting and expose my data to auto-slaughter instead.

Thinking of ChkDsk /d in particular. See also...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/158675

....implying similar risks, if ChkDsk ignores whatever settings are
already there. MS has a bad track record in such matters.

This is interesting...

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/information/NativeApplications.mspx

....as it explains the need for AutoCk duplicating what ChkDsk does.


Thanks for great links :-)



>------------------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
I'm on a ten-year lunch break
>------------------------- ---- --- -- - - - -