Member Avatar for Warpig

Hey, i'm trying to fix this laptop for a buddy, and it won't startup.. it goes to straight to the screen with it saying it's sorry for the inconvience but windows couldn't start. then it let me choose from safe mode, start windows from last working configuration, and start windows normally. None of these work. So i put in a boot disk, and it says invalid Boot.ini file, starting from the C:\windows\ and then returns to the Sorry for the inconvience screne once more. Does anyone have suggestions?

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Member Avatar for caperjack

Hey, i'm trying to fix this laptop for a buddy, and it won't startup.. it goes to straight to the screen with it saying it's sorry for the inconvience but windows couldn't start. then it let me choose from safe mode, start windows from last working configuration, and start windows normally. None of these work. So i put in a boot disk, and it says invalid Boot.ini file, starting from the C:\windows\ and then returns to the Sorry for the inconvience screne once more. Does anyone have suggestions?

hello ,first suggestion is to tell us what OS[windows version ]is he using and what boot disk you tried

Member Avatar for Warpig

hello ,first suggestion is to tell us what OS[windows version ]is he using and what boot disk you tried

yeah, sorry about that, it's windows xp home edtion. and the boot disk i used was one that i and another buddy made. we tried a few different Boot.ini files, but not worked. thanks.

Member Avatar for gerbil

ok, here's a boot disc with a recovery console on it; the console runs from the cd so you don't need an xp cd or any files from your C drive. I know it works. All you need is an image burner like Nero 6, CD Writer...
Tips... unzip the file to get the iso and then BURN THE IMAGE. Do not use data cd or any other mode cos all you will get is a copy of the iso [which you will already have]... if you look at the files on your new cd n you see iso anywhere, start over. If you use Nero6 then the defaults for image burning are fine, skip the guff on the web. Burn it to a CD-RW if you wish; there is no need to close the CD whether it is a RW or R, cos later you may wish to add other good files. If you use a CD-R then hold the burn speed lowish, say 4x.
May i leave you to work out what to do with recovery console?
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/Tools/bootdiscs/xp_rec_con.zip

Member Avatar for caperjack

and if don't have a burner ,only floppies you can get floppy boot disk for xp here .
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

see attached doc for insrtuction a fixing invalid boot.ini

Enter The Recovery Console
The safest, surest way to resolve problems such as "Missing or corrupt HAL.DLL," "Invalid Boot.Ini," or "Windows could not start..." is to boot the PC from an XP Setup CD and use the pristine, uncorrupted files and tools there to effect repairs. The one catch is that if your setup CD is significantly older than your current Windows version, you may have file compatibility problems. For example, you can hit snags if you use an original or SP1 XP Setup CD to try to repair an XP SP2 installation. You'll get a message to the effect that the version you're trying to upgrade is newer than the version on the CD.

The solution here is to use a "slipstreamed" setup CD, which adds the newer files to your original setup CD. This kind of updated setup CD can be used on just about any XP installation. It's a good idea to have an up-to-date, slipstreamed setup CD available in any case, as it simplifies all future installs and CD-based repairs.

Once you have a startup CD with the same version of system files as the PC you're working on, configure your PC to boot from CD if it isn't already set up that way. (You may need to enter the BIOS setup tool to configure the PC to boot from the CD.)

Start your PC with the XP Setup CD in the drive. When you see the "Press any key to boot from CD..." prompt, do so and let the CD-based boot process begin.

When the Recovery Console option is offered ("Press R to start the Recovery Console"), do so. You may be asked which Windows installation to enter, in which case type the number of the Windows installation you wish to work on (usually "1").

When prompted, enter the Administrator's password for that Windows installation.

At the command prompt, type "Bootcfg /Rebuild" (without the quotes) and hit enter. Windows will then scan the hard drive, looking for valid Windows installs and startup information.

The exact verbiage will depend on your setup, but after a few moments you'll see a prompt that says something like:

    Total Identified Windows Installs: 1
    [1] C:\Windows
    Add Installation To Boot List?

Assuming the information you see is correct, enter "Y" for yes, and Bootcfg will start the process of rebuilding the boot list to include the indicated Windows installation. Along the way, it will repair most "Missing or corrupt HAL.DLL," "Invalid Boot.Ini," "Windows could not start...," and similar errors.

After a moment, you'll be asked to "Enter Load Identifier." This is the name of the operating system that will appear in boot menus. For consistency with the standard nomenclature used by Microsoft, enter "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" or "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" without the quotes and hit enter.

Next you'll be asked to "Enter OS Load Options." For normal installations, enter "/Fastdetect" (without the quotes) and hit enter.

In most cases, that's all it will take. You can type "Exit" to leave the Recovery Console and reboot the PC, which should then start normally.

But if you wish, or in cases where you suspect a problem with the boot sectors on the hard drive (as with problems in a dual- or multi-boot system that's become unstable, or where a third-party boot manager may have run amok), you can run Fixboot from the command line (without any parameters) prior to exiting the Recovery Console. This will write a new partition boot sector to the default drive, undoing any changes caused by dual-, multi-, or third-party boot processes. (You can reactivate those alternate boot methods later if you wish, but running Fixboot now simplifies the boot process and removes nonessential boot variables, which in turn helps ensure that the repaired XP installation will have the best chance of successful booting.)

After running Fixboot, type "Exit" to leave the Recovery Console and reboot the PC, which should then start normally.
Member Avatar for afufu

Re: computer won't startup, and bootdisk won't work. Invalid Boot.ini.
#4
Jan 7th, 2007
ok, here's a boot disc with a recovery console on it; the console runs from the cd so you don't need an xp cd or any files from your C drive. I know it works. All you need is an image burner like Nero 6, CD Writer...
Tips... unzip the file to get the iso and then BURN THE IMAGE. Do not use data cd or any other mode cos all you will get is a copy of the iso [which you will already have]... if you look at the files on your new cd n you see iso anywhere, start over. If you use Nero6 then the defaults for image burning are fine, skip the guff on the web. Burn it to a CD-RW if you wish; there is no need to close the CD whether it is a RW or R, cos later you may wish to add other good files. If you use a CD-R then hold the burn speed lowish, say 4x.
May i leave you to work out what to do with recovery console?
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/Tool...xp_rec_con.zip

Can u renew the link for me?because i had the same problem :)

thank you

Member Avatar for gerbil

The site exists still, but that file has been removed. If you can borrow an XP disk from someone you would find the Recovery Console on that... and it is naturally a bootable disk. And then, when you finally get your sys running, install the Recovery Console to your hard drive. Follow these steps [copied shamelessly from M$]:
1. Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive.
You will then have the Recovery Console as a boot option.

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