system will not boot after install.

Hello, i have just downloaded your trial product.
I installed it and started to run the backup process, i selected the program to create your safe partition and to back up the entire disk drive.
Once i set this up it did a few things and then asked me to reboot.
I clicked reboot and waited...
Well the system never came back up.
This is on a accer 4400 travelmate notebook computer.
What happens is the computer's power starts up , you can see the harddive run for a bit and hear the fans on but thats it, no screen , no flash's nothing.
This worries me a great deal, this is my personal business computer and now i have no access to it.
Can you please advise me on were to go from here.
Jamie

 

Hello everyone.
Well i relized i had to hook up my monitor to my laptop to see what was going on.
I now get the splace screen and then a message comes up.
wondows could not start because the follow file is missing etc...
<windows root>\system32\hal.dll
Please install a copy of the above file

any ideas what i need to do to fix this...

I guess i shouldnt have install the secure zone on the same partion that my operating system was on...
This is turning out to be a nightmare...

Thanks for the help
jamie

 

YOu can do one of two things, either perform a Windows repair, only possible if you have an XP CD, or you'll need to extract hal.dll out from your OEM folder.

There are other posts here on this problem and on MS's knowledgebase. Info here missing/corrupt.

I'm not sure why installing TI can cause this, unless it is something to do with the TI drivers that cause some XP installations to hiccup.

Colin

 

jamie,s

If you have a floppy drive could you download EditBini from

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/utilities.html

This will allow you to view and edit your boot.ini if necessary. Your partition number may no longer match the ARC path.

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=130

Copy EditBini.exe to a Win98 boot floppy and run the file from the A: prompt.

If you don't have a floppy drive you can directly edit boot.ini from a BartPE CD.

You can rebuild boot.ini from the WinXP Recovery console but I haven't found this to be 100% reliable.

It's a worry for you at present.

Any questions?

 

hello and thanks for the help.
I dont have a floppy drive so were do i find the BArtPE cd ?
I also tried the recovery cd.. i can get a dos prompt and can see the boot.ini file but dont know how to edit it from dos.
Thanks again
jamie
thanks
jamie

 

Does this mean you don't have access to an XP CD?

 

Making a BartPE CD for the first time is daunting so first try the link from bodgy. It's the Recovery Console I mentioned and if it works you are done. Try Method #2 and get back to us.

 

Hey
Yes i do and i am in it now... i have a dos prompt and i can see the boot.ini file but i dont know how to edit if from here.
thanks
jamie

 

in the instructions in the link you give it shows editing the file threw windows.
This is no good because i cant get at windows.
The other methods might work but i would really like to see whats in the boot ini file before i change it.
When i run the bootcfg / list it comes up that there are no entried in the boot ini file.
When i do a bootcfg /scan it gives me an error and saying it cant scan the entire disk ... may due to the secure zone

Any suggestions
thanks
jamie

 

That's the sort of trouble I've had with the Recovery Console. Here are some basic instructions for making a ReatogoXPE CD (an upgraded BartPE). When you boot the CD it looks similar to WinXP and you can see and edit boot.ini in the C: drive.

This is a quick and dirty, cookbook approach for first-timers setting up ReatogoXPE. There are lots of “extras” that I’ve omitted. You can add them on later builds if you desire.

http://www.reatogo.de/REATOGO.htm

You need WinXP SP1 or SP2 installed on your computer and the WinXP SP2 CD.

Put Reatogo-240.exe in the root of a NTFS partition. Double click Reatogo-240.exe. There will be lots of OKs to click.

Ignore Steps 1,3,4,5
Click Step 2 and follow instructions. FIX.


Click Start PEBuilder
Tick Burn to CD/DVD
Tick AutoErase RW,
Tick Eject after burn
Burn using StarBurn
Select your Device
Click Build

The whole exercise will take less than 25 minutes if you don’t get confused.

Let us see a copy of boot.ini prior to your edit.

 

is there no way to try a new boot.ini from a cd.
just rename the old one to boot2.ini
then put a few different versions of boot.ini on a cd ?
jamie

 

No simple way I'm afraid. There are other ways to access boot.ini but they involve making boot CDs.

 

Your boot.ini was probably...

[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

If the OS has been shifted to Master Partition Table slot 2 then the boot.ini will need to be...

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

I have little idea why this should have happened with the TI install but you need to follow up the boot.ini lead first. It has always been the cause of a hal.dll error in my experience.

 

Well, I think your problem is exactly what the error message says, your boot.ini is either empty or as Brian said got the incorrect info in it.

You can look in the boot.ini file, but you'd need to be happy playing with console commands to unhide the file and make it read writable.

I think the easiest thing to do is either run the bootcfg or come out of the console mode - reboot with the CD. When it comes up with the first 'R' option (the one you've just used), ignore it and go for an install. The install screen will then come up with a notice that it has found a Windows installation.

It will then ask if you want to 'Repair' or 'Install a new copy' choose Repair, this will then delete all the system files, re-install them and make a new boot.ini and MBR in the same process. All your currently installed programs will still be recognised and work. You will need your product number for this

Colin

Forgot to say, once boot.ini has had its attributes changed to RW, the command you want is --edit boot.ini

 

This is a quick way to do it if you have a floppy drive. ie to boot a winXP with an incorrect boot.ini.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305595/

Make 2 or 3 floppies. The first for partition (1), the second for partition (2) etc.

So if the OS is in MPT slot 2 and the boot.ini is partition (1) then the OS won't boot. But it will if you use floppy #2.

 

no floppy drive..

 

this sounds good but the xp disk i have is for home edition and not professional... does this make a difference ?

 

Unfortunately yes. It won't recognise your product ID - and the file that needs to be changed on the CD so that it will work as a pro version, will require you burning a new CD.


Lets go back to the console mode.

At the prompt type attrib -r boot.ini

then edit boot.ini.

If you only have 1 harddrive and 1 partition and XP was installed in its default directory, just type in what Brian wrote

Once done exit the editor program, boot.ini will automatically be saved, whip out the CD and reboot and you should be back in business.

Once back in Windows you can apply the Read Only attribute to the file again.

Colin

 

I did remember you had no floppy drive. Just general info.

I agree that bodgy's technique (Repair Install) would work but although you won't lose any installed apps, you will lose your Windows Updates.

 

Your WinXP Home would have..

[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 Home" /fastdetect

 

As a test I deleted the boot.ini from a computer (did this from ReatogoXPE). At bootup I received "Invalid boot.ini Booting from C:\Windows" A few seconds later was a BSOD.

I then copied the boot.ini back to the C: drive but deleted its contents. Same error message and BSOD on bootup. So you need text in the boot.ini pointing to an incorrect partition number to get the hal.dll error.

In ReatogoXPE, to see boot.ini in the C: drive, you have to click Tools/ Folder Options, then View and remove the tick from "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)". This is the same technique used in your WinXP.

 

ok i am starting to get lost here ....

You want me to go back to console mode ?
Do you mean load up the recovery and go to dos.
then type in what you have said ?
I do i have more then 1 partion but i can keep trying i guess.
i dont think edit is a command in the recovery enviroment thou..
Thanks again for the help
jamie

 

i just tried the recover console (if that is what you meant) and edit is not a valid comand.

jamie

 

Anybody else know of any solutions ?
Any help would be appriciated.
thanks
jamie

 

Hello.
I have taken my hardrive out of my laptop and installed it into my desktop system.
Now i can get at all the files.
In the c: partion the files are all screwed up.
the WINDOWS is empty and the other files look like they are in ascii.

Is it possible to remove the secure zone from this harddrive using the desktop system ?
jamie