Windows bootup problems

[ghosty]

Hi all...
I seem to have this problem booting up my computer where recenlty i installed the windows xp on. it seem that only if I put the windows xp CD in the drive and let the computer run the "PRESS ANY KEY TO BOOT FROM CD" then I can actually boot up my computer where they will display 2 choices. Of booting up my XP on my C drive or my E drive. MY C drive xp is damaged which is why I had another XP on my E drive.

If i take out the windows xp from the CD ROM I just get a black screen with a cursor on the upper left hand corner. Anyone can help me with this... its really weird. I would like to add that the windows xp in E drive is a brand new one!

 

[root]

the reason you get two choices of what to boot is because there is two choices of OS in a hidden system file called boot.ini (Which I expect will be on the C drive). you can safely take out the one you don't want (open it in notepad).
I can't think of any reasononable explenation of why you can't boot from your hard disk unless you sort of half boot from the CD drive.
at a guess I could say loko at your booting options in the bios (press delete wen you start your comupter), or perhaps your boot sector is damaged somehow.

 

[ghosty]

Root:
I took a look at my BIOS boot up settings. THe only ones that are there are my CD and DVD roms and my harddisk which is a SATA drive which i connect to a SATA controller to my motherboard. HHMmmm i just bought the new sata harddisk... how could there be a problem with my boot sector?

 

[root]

I was thinking that the C was set in the boot order before the hard disk. (which is why f the CD was in the drive then it boots from that first) I assume your disk is labled as IE0 except it's sata, I don't know if that makes a difference.
Idont know how your boot sector could be damabged, it just seemed strange you could only boot if there was a CD in the drive.
Although normally if it can't find a boot record it'll saysomething along those lines (insert bootable disk and press any key to continue...)
perhaps your computer is booting automaticlly to the broken copy of windows when you start the computer.
Did you look at the boot.ini file?

 

[ghosty]

ya man thats why I think its weird.. hhhah.. ya I looked for the boot.ini files. There is one in the new windows drive.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

this is what it says. I assume that rdisk2 is the one that has the working windows in E drive right? where can i find the information as to which one is rdisk2 and which is rdisk0.diskmgr?

 

[root]

I would assume that the one on the drive E is the one rdisk(2), but normally when you install a new OS it will update the existing boot file, rather than create a new one so it'd a little strange that there is not one on drive C.
Just to be safe, before deleting and try changing the text on one of the entries.
then try and boot to thatentry, if it boots, but the one left unchaned hangs then you know which is the entry you want to keep.

 

[Gary Graefen]

Id try reinstalling the damaged system on the c drive-that SHOULD repair the boot selection routine. Just overwrite the old system when asked.