Serious problem

Hi - I got this error message today when I booted XP:
Windows could not start because of a computer disk configuration problem.
Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path & disk hardware
Please check windows documentation about hardware disk configuration & your hardware reference manuals for additional information.
Seems totally locked up & will not start up - just keeps powering on & off at startup on it's own... Any suggestions Many thanks, Deca

 

This is information from Microsoft's website. Not sure how old your pc is, but you may have a failing hard drive.

The first thing I would try is Method 3. At any rate, hope this helps.

***********************************

This behavior can occur if any or some of the following conditions are true:

• The Default value in the [Boot Loader] section of the Boot.ini file is missing or invalid.
• Windows XP is not installed in the location specified in the Boot.ini file.
• The Ntoskrnl.exe file is missing or damaged.
• The partition path in the Boot.ini file is not set correctly.
• General hardware failure.

Back to the top

RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, use either of the following methods.
Back to the top

Method 1
Edit the Boot.ini file to restore or correct the Default entry and to ensure that the other entries in the [Operating Systems] section of the Boot.ini file point to the appropriate directories.

For additional information about how to edit the Boot.ini file, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
289022 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289022/EN-US/) HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP
Back to the top

Method 2
Use the Bootcfg utility in the Recovery Console to correct the Boot.ini file: 1. Use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer.
2. When you receive the message to press R to repair Windows by using the Recovery Console, press the R key.
3. Select the Windows installation that you want, and then type the administrator password when prompted.
4. Type bootcfg /rebuild, and then press ENTER.
5. When the Windows installation is located, the following instructions are displayed:
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
[Type Y in response to this message.]

Enter Load Identifier:
[This is the name of the operating system. Type Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition.]

Enter OS Load options:
[Leave this field blank, and then press ENTER].
After you perform the preceding steps, restart the computer, and then select the first item on the boot menu. This should allow Windows XP to start normally.

After Windows XP has successfully loaded, the Boot.ini can be modified to remove the incorrect entry.
For additional information about how to edit the Boot.ini file, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
289022 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289022/EN-US/) HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP
Back to the top

Method 3
1. Start the computer by using your Windows XP CD-ROM. Press any key to boot from the CD.
2. After the setup files are finished loading press R to repair using Recovery Console.
3. When you are in the recovery console, select the installation to log on to (usually number 1), and then press ENTER.
4. Login to the Administrator account by typing the password for this account, and then press ENTER.
5. At the recovery console command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

For Uni-Processor systems:
expand cd-rom:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ drive:\Windows\system32
For Multi-Processor systems:
expand cd-rom:\i386\ntkrnlmp.ex_ drive:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

Cd-rom is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, and drive is the drive letter of the hard disk on which windows is installed.
6. If you receive a prompt to overwrite the file, press Y.
7. Type exit, and press ENTER at the command prompt.
Back to the top

Method 4
Start the computer by using the Recovery Console, and then run theCHKDSK /rcommand.

Note You do not have to include the /p switch in the Chkdsk command-line because the /r switch causes the Chkdsk utility to locate bad sectors and recover readable information. This command implies the /p switch..
Back to the top

MORE INFORMATION
If the Default value in the [Boot Loader] section of the Boot.ini file is missing, Windows XP displays a new entry, Windows (default), on the OS Loader (boot loader) menu, and then defaults to the new entry. The Windows (default) entry points to the following path to load Windows XP:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
For additional information about the Boot.ini file, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
102873 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/102873/EN-US/) BOOT.INI and ARC Path Naming Conventions and Usage
For additional information about Recovery Console in Windows XP, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
307654 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654/EN-US/) HOW TO: Install and Use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

 

Thank you v much for that - prob is - It doesn't appear to recognize the install CD when I reboot!?! Any ideas how I might coax it along? Many thanks, Deca

 

You may need to change the boot order in your computers Setup. Reboot the computer and when it restarts, enter Setup. You may need to consult the instructions that your computer came with to determine the correct key to press. Usually it will be the F1, F2, Esc, or something similar, but these vary.

Once in there, you should be able to change the boot order of your computer. Sometimes the PC will be set to boot from your hard disk first. You may need to move the cd-rom up in the boot order so the PC will try to boot from it first.

Let us know how you do.

 

If it can 't recognize the CD,
then most probably it is because of BIOS settings.
Start-up the machine and press Del or F10 continuously to get into the BIOS.
Every machine has a different shortcut for that,so i can't tell you for sure.
But it tells you which is the one while on "POST",
(the process of BIOS checking memory,hardware and available partitions/OSes).
When into BIOS,search for a menu First Boot Device etc.oint that to your CD/DVD device.
If you have more than one CD/DVD drives,
you might have to do that more than once to get the right one,but that's rarely the case.
Then,you'll be able to start from the Windows CD:
just wait until it loads and when asked,press R to go in the Recovery Console.
Type "help" without quotes to see the available commands.
JimIT 's post is pretty informative and I guess it covers almost all of the possible options.
If you tried out everything JimIt suggested and still no luck,2 commands to try out are these:
a)"fixmbr",fixes the master boot record in case it is corrupted and also
b)"fixboot",fixes the windows boot loader in case it was overwritten by another bootloader etc.
It actually edits "automagically" the boot.ini entry.

Good luck and...don't panic,unless there is a pretty serious hardware/disk problem,
your box will be up and running in a few minutes.
(P.S:As i see,JimIt replied while i was writing/editing the post!)

 

Wow - Thank you all! I'll get crackin! D

 

Came back to life!!!!! U guys rock! Thank u soo much for ur help! Deca

 

Awesome!

Alright. Now let us know exactly what you did that made Lazarus rise. It may help another unfortunate soul in the future.

Glad to see you're back up and running.

 

Hello - First I had to use the BIOS feature to get it to read the Install cd. Then I used Method 2 from the earlier post(seemed the easiest at the moment), It required just a disk check & restart, and bango - it was up!
Now the only weird thing is my harddrive space doubled, from using 20 GB to 40, so I guess I have to find where all that extra backup (I assume) is...
I was so upset yesterday morning when that happened & u guys helping was just great ! Tx again, D