Re: Dual boot with XP - Windows 2000 doesn't boot

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Pegasus \(MVP\) (I.can_at_fly.com)
Date: 02/06/05 

Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 00:53:54 +1100

"nez" <nez@foppastreet.it> wrote in message
news:OznlSwEDFHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
> > "nez" <nez@foppastreet.it> wrote in message
> > news:ePAZcY7CFHA.3540@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> >
> >>My problem is, i have XP and 2000 on the same machine, only XP boots. If
> >>i choose 2000 from the OS list, it just shows a blank screen and does
> >>nothing, no disk activity, no errors, nothing.
> >>(...)
>
> > As a starting point, let's have a look at your configuration.
> > Please supply the following details:
> > - What disks do you have?
>
> One 120 GB IDE disk.
>
> > - What drives do you have?
> > - What type are they? (primary/logical/FAT32/NTFS)
> > - Where is each OS located? (Which drive? Which folder?)
>
> - 1st partition, primary, 30 GB, FAT32, XP SP2, %WINDIR% = c:\windows
> - 2nd partition, primary, 20 GB, FAT32, 2000 SP4, %WINDIR% = d:\winnt
> - 3rd partition, primary, 61 Gb, NTFS, data only, e:\
>
> > - Contents of the hidden file c:\boot.ini?
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=5
> 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
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000
> Professional" /fastdetect
>
> > When you boot into WinXP, can you see the file ntoskrnl.exe
> > pertaining to Win2000?
>
> Yes. It is in D:\WINNT\SYSTEM32.
>
> BTW, in the meantime i tried to re-install WIN2K using base CD (not the
> one with SP4 slipstreamed) but the behaviour remains the same.
>
> Any suggestion?
>
> Thank you for your time.
>
> --
> Francesco

I'm puzzled. Everything looks exactly as it should. If it was my machine
then I would start playing with the number in "partition(2)". If you have
another machine then you can accelerate the testing process by making
yourself a floppy boot disk like so:

- Format a floppy disk on a Win2000/XP PC.
- Copy c:\ntldr and c:\ntdetect.com to A:\.
- Copy the your current boot.ini file to it.
- Boot the problem machine with it.

This will let you make rapid changes to boot.ini.

I would also rename d:\WinNT to WinNT.bad for a quick
experiment. If the boot loader works the way it should then
it should complain immediately about not being able to find
%WinDir%\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.

Actually I lied when I said what I would do if this was my
machine. If it was my machine then I would install a proper
boot manager (e.g. XOSL, which is free), which would
give me completely independent operating systems rather
than this interdependency that you now have. But that's
another story.

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