the line red marked i didn't understand copy the files from USB to which drive of internal disk Drive C(Win7) or Drive F(Win XP)? contents of boot.ini from USB: [Boot Loader] Timeout=30 Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(5)\WINDOWS [Operating Systems] C:\$WIN_NT$.~BT\BOOTSECT.DAT = "1st, text mode setup (Boot from flash again after finished)" multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(5)\WINDOWS="2nd, GUI mode setup, continue setup + 1st start of Windows" /fastdetect C:\ = "---> DEBUG, in case of HAL.DLL or NTOSKRNL.EXE not found errors <---" multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Debug boot rDisk 1 partition 2" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Debug boot rDisk 1 partition 3" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINDOWS="Debug boot rDisk 1 partition 4" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Debug boot rDisk 2 partition 1" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Debug boot rDisk 2 partition 2" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Debug boot rDisk 2 partition 3" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(4)\WINDOWS="Debug boot rDisk 2 partition 4" /fastdetect Looks like this: i went thru ur instructions and found out that there is actually a boot.ini in the windows xp directory but no NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM in the root(Drive F) when i'm in Windows 7 boot.ini contents in windows Xp root directory are: [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" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect Root looks like: i did find all three files from windows 7 root directory boot.ini from Win7: [boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(5)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(5)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\G\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect Root looks like this: and my drives looks like this: