Invalid Boot.ini file

[quiet_core]

I installed Vista Beta 2 on another partition and everything is fine with it, but when i choose to boot windows xp from the boot loader i get:

"Invalid BOOT.INI file

Booting from C:\Windows\"

does anyone know how i can fix this. i would love to be able to get back into windows xp

[Brian M. Veteran]

I take it you did not backup your XP boot loader before installing :).

Post details about your setup and i'll write a new boot.ini for you

I'll need:

Which hard drive (physical) XP is on, which partition on that hard drive is on, and the windows installation folder (which i assume is \windows anyway)

[quiet_core]

cool thanks

my xp partition is on my main hard drive, on the first partition, and is installed to the \windows folder

[edit]

I found a "defalult" boot.ini setup and tried that

[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

however, it just make the screen go black after the boot loader

Edited June 11, 2006 by quiet_core

[quiet_core]

does anyone know how i can find out the settings for this so it will boot xp?

i'm fairly certain that that one should have worked, but it just goes to black

[Evolution]

First of all, Vista doesn't touch your boot.ini file (except for adding commented lines) since it uses a completely different boot loader program. How did you install Vista?

How many partitions do you have? If it's just 2, then partition(1) is correct :/ I just checked over the boot.ini and it seems fine, as long as XP is on your second partition (D:) (Vista seems to change yourXP partition from C: to D:).

You'll want to run the Vista boot loader editor program instead, BCDEDIT.exe. Have you tried recreating your boot.ini file with an XP recovery disk? I think it's bootcfg /rebuild.

[quiet_core]

my boot.ini looks like:

;

;Warning: Boot.ini is used on Windows XP and earlier operating systems.

;Warning: Use BCDEDIT.exe to modify Windows Vista boot options.

;

;[boot loader]

;timeout=0

;[operating systems]

in installed vista by burning a disk then rebooting and installing.

i do only have 2 partitions on this disk, one for xp and one for vista. vista did change the xp drive to D:

  Evolution said:

You'll want to run the Vista boot loader editor program instead, BCDEDIT.exe. Have you tried recreating your boot.ini file with an XP recovery disk? I think it's bootcfg /rebuild.

i've give that a try/

[quiet_core]

i tried "bootcfg /rebuild" to fix it, but it just gives me a second os loader and freezes up after i choose the new one i added