jaclaz

Sure, if there is NO boot.ini in your C:\ drive, how do you expect it to be opened? No actual "need" to use fixboot. BOOT.INI is a plain text file, it may be marked as System and Hidden. Check the root of your C:\ drive, with options to show hidden and system files checked. If there is NO BOOT.INI file, create a new one. The "default" install directory should be C:\WINNT for NT 4.00 and Windows 2000, and C:\Windows for XP and 2003, but it is possible that: you are using a later NTLDR on 2K the 2K NTLDR actually "looks" for the OS in C:\WINNT but outputs "invalid boot.ini loading from c:\windows" the NTLDR actually searches for a NT based installed OS in C:\, similarly to what Recovery Console does (compare with the report about the "no more CATCH 22" trick with RC): http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...20983&st=25 What is your %Systemroot% directory? C:\windows C:\WINNT (choose one) Open a command prompt and enter in it: SET SystemRoot to make sure. jaclaz

Hmmm, . Your question in this thread seems a lot like referring to drive lettering as well. Whilst the question you posted on the other thread makes a lot of sense , this one completely fails to, besides being in the "Install XP from USB" thread that appears fully unrelated. BOOT.INI settings have nothing to do with drive letter assignment, and it is however fully and utterly irrelevant for Vista installs. To any user with an average understanding of the NT/2K/XP/2003 and of the Vista/2008 (COMPLETELY different) boot process, your questions look a lot like: How long should I cook eggs in order to adjust my car ignition? Let's see if I can explain a bit the matter. BOOT.INI settings are like a kind of "phone book" which lists, instead of phone number and addresses of people, the addresses where your installs(s) of NT, 2K, XP or Server 2003 are located. Just as you do not move a friend's house by changing his address in your phone book , you do not move installs changing the BOOT.INI values. Vista and server 2008 use a different kind of "boot phone book", the BCD store, but basically the working is the same, the file contains the addresses of where the installs were made. In other words, settings in BOOT.INI and in BCD stores are the consequence of where you installed the Operating Systems, not the cause. jaclaz

Basically, he didn't. Read this post: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...12630&st=11 and links within it. Dietmar Stoelting found out that the XP SP1 NTDETECT.COM is "more tolerant" than SP2 and (possibly ) later versions. jaclaz

Actually using a .iso is the least "flexible" way. You can rebuild/change/modify the stick instead of the .iso. Why don't you take some time reading the stickies in the sub-forum to see what the "normal" way (when installing from USB) is? However: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=121502 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=125138 If the .iso image is smaller than 512 Mbyte, it would be possible to use RAMDISK booting, but I doubt that your .iso is that small. jaclaz

Because you posted in two places? I replied on your other thread. In any case, please avoid putting pressure on members, the idea of a board is more or less: someone asks a question someone else, WHEN he has time and IF he wishes to do so, tries and help the OP with his problem OP thanks people that tried helping him There is an alternative, which involves the use of service of professionals and parting from some money. jaclaz

The OP did not specify which OS is on. I assumed 2003, which defaults to C:\windows, and which is confirmed by the OP report, if his install path isn't c:\windows, system won't boot. I gave an example I had handy, which was XP related and links to: an old post 2K related documentation about BOOT.INI switches I wasn't clear enough in specifying that the CODE posted was just an example and needed to be adapted to the actual OS switches and text description, sorry. jaclaz

How much is 79+30? If the answer is 109 you've found the 4th partition. Seriously, a Primary partition is BOTH a partition and a volume. An Extended partition is ONLY a partition and can contain one or more volumes. About partition order and lettering, it depends on which exact method you used to install from USB and if the booted device was (as it should) being remapped to (hd1) through the use of grub4dos or other method. Since you also opened a thread here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=129900 I guess you should report with some more detail the steps you took while installing XP and the ones you are taking when installing Vista. BOOT.INI has nothing to do with drive lettering. Where is your \Windows\ directory? If on C:\ you can use Disk Management allright to change drive letter from E:\ to D:\ and from F:\ to E:\ If viceversa windows has been installed to either E:\ or F:\ DO NOT try changing letter assignments. jaclaz

No need to. If someone "lands" here after a serch, he can find the solution you found and if needed ask for further help. jaclaz

You joking, right? Everything is done for the sheer satisfaction of doing it, and for fun. You should however comply with Careware License : http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.net/careware.html jaclaz

Yep. That's meaning that your BOOT.INI is corrupt, or missing. By default the NTLDR, when it cannot find a BOOT.INI (or cannot find a valid entry in it) tries nonetheless to boot the system from the "default" path (hardcoded) C:\windows. (to be more accurate from directory "windows" on first active primary partition of first hard disk) Since most probably you have your windows installed as above, the PC boots nonetheless. If you had used a non-standard install directory (like "\mywin" as an example) that error would have been critical and your PC would have failed booting. Recreate a "normal" BOOT.INI file on C:\: [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" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect to solve the problem. FYI: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=25365 Updated link to sysinternals BOOT.INI options list: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb963892.aspx jaclaz

Good one! jaclaz

jaclaz

Why you cannot have a partitioned drive? This: should come from "somewhere", probably the bootsector or MBR. I am not familiar with Vista's ones, but these may put you on the "right path": http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...121391&st=0 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...=5736&st=24 Otherwise it comes from the BIOS. Right now, it seems to me like you have a "badly" partitioned/formatted HD. If I were you, I would clear first, say 100 or 200 sectors and re-partition/re-format the drive: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...=4015&st=21 jaclaz

I will do. But first, I would try to run WinSetup from XP and see if it is a Vista-related issue. I would also try on another PC, or double check the BIOS, some (few) BIOS have a setting that to avoid Viruses tampering with MBR disable writings to it, as well some antivirus softwares have this feature. Maybe this is the case. jaclaz

ilko_t already replied to you a couple posts above. jaclaz

Which error? A BIOS may have several limitations when it comes to booting from USB, typically the first CHS HD barrier (÷ 528 Mb) or the "normal" CHS one (÷8 Gb). Read FAQ's: http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.n...SB/USBfaqs.html FAQ #10. If you use Diskpart, check that cylinder/head boundaries are set correctly: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21186 With an actual description of the exact steps you followed for partitioning/formatting the drive AND a detailed description of the "error", I may be able to help you. jaclaz

I don't get it. You need to repair your laptop install? Do you have a CD working on the laptop? If yes, use it, if no, how can you say that the build works from CD on the specific laptop? Can you change in BIOS the settings for SATA to "IDE compatibility mode" or the like? Or is it a "philosophical" kind of questions, and you are testing it "just in case"? jaclaz

Yep, and in the other 80% of the times someone will tell you. Now, you know. B) jaclaz

If I may, .iso sizes: gparted 0.3.7-7 94,947,328 gparted 0.3.9-4 98,347,008 gparted 0.4.1.2 100,026,368 (latest) partedmagic 3.1 50,345,984 partedmagic 3.2 50,653,184 partedmagic 3.4 55,412,736 partedmagic 3.5 78,800,896 (latest) the good thing about partedmagic is that can also be mapped as (hd32) with grub4dos , but while not having become as big as gparted, latest released is BIG. Maybe someone could suggest a slimmer Linux Distro with just the needed functionalities of partitioning/re-partitioning? jaclaz

Would "Small number of drives" be a valid alternative to "only some percentage"? FYI : http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...092&st=1034 jaclaz

No, it is not. There are three main programs/methods in the given thread: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=157 Choose the one that you think better suits you: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=111406 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=120444 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=121446 Read the FAQ's before, EXPECIALLY if you are nliting, and EXPECIALLY FAQ #2: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=116766 Though sticks tend to be less sensitive to surface scratches.... jaclaz

This is working for me: http://www.nokia.ca/NOKIA_CANADA_ENGLISH_6...81_1_eng_us.msi jaclaz

FYI: http://www.msfn.org/board/Petition-Nuhi-t119463.html jaclaz

This quote describes IMHO very well the path one has to take: That would be very nice of you. Sometimes it is hard for "veterans" to explain to "newbies" the steps involved, as it is easy to overlook info unwantingly assumed as already known. A report or guide written from a "new perspective" may help a lot. jaclaz

Browse the thread one or two pages back. Sometimes it is needed to connect the GROUND too. EDIT: Here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...mp;#entry833372 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=833454 jaclaz