Re: PC asks to choose an OS

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

I have NOT changed anything yet -- but will tonight. However, does this info
help clarify anything?

Disk 0
DRV2_VOL1 (C:)
298.09 GB FAT32
Healthy (System)

Disk 1
(H:)
55.9 GB FAT32
Health (Active)

Joe

"Joe Starin" <joespamfreestarin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:FYvLj.715$7Z2.132@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi, John John. Many thanks to you and Gary for staying with this thread.

You're correct that I did not have the parent hidden from the clone on
first boot. And, when I first booted after cloning, I had the old 60GB
drive connected to the black (end) connector on the EIDE cable, while the
new drive was connected to the middle (grey) connector. Both drives were
set to "cable select." IIRC, the new drive after boot was named "H" and
the old 60GB was still "C."

At the suggestion of Western Digital, I've since physically swapped the
position of both drives -- could that have prompted the PC to
assign/reassign the letter "C" to the new 320GB drive, and "H" to the old
60GB drive? Just a guess. And don't I want the new (parent?) drive to be
named "C" anyway?

I know your advice is good from earlier posts on these newsgroups, but
your advice seems to differ from that of Gary, who suggested that I take
the old drive "boot.ini" content (last line only, the line below the
[operating systems] line) and add it to "boot.ini" file of the new drive
(making it the last line immediately following the [operating systems]
line.) I'll do either or both.

Joe

"John John (MVP)" <audetweld@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eLYG5xzmIHA.1052@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It looks like you are booting the old Windows installation and that your
drive letter assignment was changed because you neglected to take
precautions to have the parent hidden from the clone on the first boot
after the cloning operation.

Modify the boot.ini file on the old 60GB drive to read as so:


[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 = "60Gb Microsoft Windows XP
Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS = "320GB Microsoft Windows XP
Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

I don't know the real layout of your drives, the 60GB & 320GB may not
represent the actual drive, but it doesn't matter the installations will
still boot, the stuff between the "quotation marks" is just descriptive
text that you see at the boot menu when the computer boots, it is just
for human eyes you could put what ever you wanted between the quotation
marks and the operating system would still boot.

Try to boot the computer with the new modified boot.ini file and report
your findings.

To access the Disk Managment tool click on Start-> Run type diskmgmt.msc
in the box and then press <Enter>.

Using the SET command at the Command Prompt will reveal a great deal of
valuable information. To start a Command Prompt click on Start -> Run
type cmd in the box and then press <Enter>.

John

Joe Starin wrote:

Yes, you run into that situation where you already have too many "new
entries" on the new drive. I'm there now.



When I initially used the DataLifeguard tool, a full 17,000 (or maybe
1,700?) files "could not be copied." Everything seems to work, although
it appears that I'm still booting from the older 60GB drive (now named
"H.") One definite casualty: I cannot run msconfig from the start/run
menu anymore. I also suspect that my Norton AV did not make the cut.



Anyway, I looked at both "boot.ini" files. And, as you suggested, it
looks like I need to copy that critical last line from the old drive to
the new. FWIW, here are the two files:



>> Boot.ini file from new 320GB drive DRV2_VOL1 (C:) <<

[boot loader]

timeout = 30

default =multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows

[operating systems]



>> Boot.ini file from old 60GB Local Disk (H:) drive: <<

[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 XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn



You used Acronis to re-copy from old to new, right? Could I use Acronis
to compare drives - and sort of see where the WD copy effort came up
short? Guess I could also copy the key "My Documents" folder from the
new drive to the old. Then clone the whole old drive back to the new
drive after a reformat.. <grin>.



Thanks, again. Western Digital tech support was partially helpful, but
quickly suggested I contact Microsoft to find out how to "edit the
'boot.ini' file."



Joe



"Gary Brandenburg" <Gary@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e1%23aFWymIHA.1212@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Also,Joe-I might add-
Some of the programs didn't completely transfer
fully,(IE7,Avast,Intellipoint& Intellitype) & I couldn't reinstall the
mouse/keyboard apps. because it kept saying that I had to uninstall them
1st.(The uninstallers weren't even there)
I even used Regseeker to remove any keys related to the mouse/keyboard
software & they still wouldn't reinstall.

I didn't know at that time,what other programs might have not copied
fully & didn't want to wait to find out,so I downloaded the trial
version of Acronis(to the old HDD/operating system) & cloned the drive
to the new 1.
This worked great & didn't even have to edit the boot files this
time.The whole clone took less time than the DLG tools from WD &
everything was up & running(& still is)in less than 10 mins.
Just thought I would offer another option in case you have the same
problem,before the data on the old drive becomes too "outdated" compared
to the new drive's contents.

~Gary


[Cut text]





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