Re: XP reinstallation woes on Multiboot system

On Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:54:01 GMT, "pmj" <post@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


I naively thought the whole File was created by XP

It is, as part of the very first WinXP Install that you did.
From then on, all the other WinXP Installs you do will just *Edit* it.

... and therefore if you wanted to start with a clean *** you would
delete the whole file.

Nope!!!
Definitely not!!!

The MBR (Master Boot Record), on the First Physical Hard Disk
has *also* been changed (by WinXP) & that now looks for (& expects
& needs to) find a (Valid) Boot.ini File.

...With your exceptional patience you will no doubt explain it
to me.

I've tried to, above!
:-)

I hope that what I have explained is clear, if not please Post back.

And I need to leave it at that for now as I have to go out this
morning.

I'll be back in here later, to see how things are going.

I will provide details of the other files and folders littered
about as a result of the various attempts to reinstall XP.
You are right there's quite a lot.Then you can tell me what to
delete.
I'll do that after I get back.

That will dpend on how you want to proceed.
If you want to Start from Fresh, then you can get shot of almost all
of them.
Post back with a Directory Listing of the Root of all the Partitions
on all the Hard Disk(s) - remember, we haven't actually seen your
System, so we are working "blind".

Do you want to have a Session in the "BikeSheds"? - Using M$ Netmeeting
(or VNC), so we can see what's what?

Continuing grateful thanks

I'm finding it all very interesting! (& Intriguing).
:-)

& I am (& I'm sure others as well are!) learning from your probs.
:-)

Thanks for the detailed advice on Boot.ini both from you and from Jeff
and I'll come back to it later.
I've only snipped it from the top of here to prevent the post getting
excessively long.

I wanted in this post to list out the various bits of XP laying about
on the various partitions as a result of these various failed
installations.This is just to check with you before I go deleting
everything.

Firstly I'll deal with C:\ the root of the single active partition of
the old HDD which contains the original W98SE and all programs and
data etc.
First there are 4 files in C:\ with the XP date/time (4/08/04 12:00).
$ldr$ 255KB
Ntdetect.com 47KB
Ntldr 245KB
txtsetup.sif 441KB

Then there are 2 dir in C:\
$win_nt$.~bt with various files/subdir incl Bootsect.dat.

$win_nt$.~ls withvarious files/subdir incl \i386.

Then in C:\Windows which is otherwise W98SE there is one subdir
\WINNT32 with 2 subdir \drw and \win9xupg and 10 files including
WinNT32.exe and various WinNT32.xyz.

Then in E:\ the second partition/first logical partition on the new
HDD which used to house XP till we reformatted the partition there is
E:\Windows which has 22 subdir mostly but not all empty plus 10 files
incl Twunk16 and 32.exe.
For completeness there is a second dir E:\Window94 when on one
installn I renamed the folder to which XP would install to see what
happened when.It contains the same subdir and files as E:\Windows.
For abslute completenes there are several other dirs called E:\Found.
000 .001 .002 etc each containing lots of files called File0000.chk
File0001.chk etc.These arise I think from the BSOD crashes and the
subsequent disk checking on restart which sometimes finds nothing and
sometimes finds so much it scrolls past toofast to see what it is.
These Found.00x folders now litter all the partitions on my system
like confetti - even the empty partitions.I have so far assumed they
are a product of our problems and not the cause.I mention them now so
you can tell me if I'm wrong.
Then finally on H:\ the fourth and last logical partition of the 2nd
HDD there is H:\i386 which we copied from the XP CD (plus a
H:\Found.000).

So there you are.All the bits and pieces of XP that I have sprayed
about in my unsuccessful attempts to reinstall XP.I don't know whether
it helps or not.You will hopefully tell me.
I am relieved to hear that you find this mass of detail interesting.
Many thanks

Hawkeye
.

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