boot.ini file missing

[brett74]

Hi I'm new here and I have a slight problem I don't see a ntldr file nor do I have a boot.ini file but my computer boots up just fine it just says invalid boot.ini file and loads windows up. It's been going on for about 2 months with no problems. My question is can I leave it the way it is or do I need to rebuild it. I'm very leary about changing a file like this as I use this computer for college. I have windows xp home sp2. specs are 250 gig sata hdd and a dvd drive.

[cryhelp]

Check this:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184.  Personally if my computer was working OK and doing what I wanted, I would leave it alone.  However someone much smarter than I will drop by later probably.

[Broni]

Does it say:
boot.ini file missing
or
invalid boot.ini?

[qinghao]

Check this:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184.  Personally if my computer was working OK and doing what I wanted, I would leave it alone.  However someone much smarter than I will drop by later probably.

I  just open the webpage in my IE,and it appears in Chinese
try this in English
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184/en-us

[qinghao]

ceate a new text file named "boot.ini" and save it to you system dirve (like c:\boot.ini)
the following(in blue)is the content of it


[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect


comment:
paritions(x)
Which partition the operating system is on. In the above example, the operating system is on the 1st partition of the drive.

[brett74]

it says invalid boot.ini file. if I just copy and paste the file will it be okay and I have 1 partition on my drive as I put a new one in last november

[brett74]

I also have the oem version of winxp sp2

[Broni]

If you have Windows CD, check here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184

[qinghao]

it says invalid boot.ini file. if I just copy and paste the file will it be okay and I have 1 partition on my drive as I put a new one in last november

I see it in further on some discussion board,
Mybe as they says the SATA hard disk is deferent from PATA(IDE) ones,
my solution of edit the "boot.ini" file can not work so well.

see the webpage I give to you presiously.
the method on that page can surely be Ok
!

[cryhelp]

ginghao it is very interesting that when you opened web on http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184.  it appeared in Chinese.  Mine always opens in English.  However what are the results of all the recommendations?

[brett74]

Broni I read somewhere that after you use to the cd to do a repair on xp you lose all updates including sp2. Couldn't I copy and paste what ginghao posted earlier.

[Broni]

after you use to the cd to do a repair on xp you lose all updates including sp2

Not true.

[dahlarbear]

The "boot.ini" file is a small "text" file located at "C:\boot.ini" that tells the system which operating system to boot and where to find it.  By default it has the file attributes "hidden", "system", and "read-only".

Post a copy of your "boot.ini" and maybe we can spot the problem.

[patio]

after you use to the cd to do a repair on xp you lose all updates including sp2

Not true.

To clarify what Broni is stating is 1) If you have XP with SP2 installed the only CD you can use without slipstreamin your XP CD would be an XP CD that already has SP2...otherwise the repair install will stop with an error message saying you need XP CD with SP2 to continue.

What you lose is any updates Post SP2...those will have to be DLoaded and re-installed.

Of course those can also be slipstreamed into an SP2 CD using nLite or a few other programs out there designed for slipstreaming updates and service packs into an XP install CD.

[Broni]

Thank you, my friend