Re: Cannot Boot Into any Option for Safe Mode

Thanks for the reply. After 1.5 years I have looked at most of the
assistance you have linked in. The main problem is they refer to the NTLDR
missing. Mine is not and the computer behaves perfectly in normal boot and
operation. It is only safe mode that has problems.

When I installed the OS it was to a clean new 60GB HDD formatted NTFS during
install. I used PQ Magic 8 to create 5 other logical drives for programs,
files games etc so the C:\ drive is for Windows "only" and any progrmas that
cannot install anywhere else. The other drives were created as FAT32 drives
so I ended up with windows installed on NTFS and the rest of the drive being
FAT32.

I then followed some "expert" advice that I was gaining nothing by having
the C:\ drive formatted NTFS and used Partion Magic 8 to convert from NTFS to
FAT32. After this there were a few changes to long file names and it appears
that at that point the Win installation "lost track" of the NTFS installation
- but only if trying to boot into anything after pressing F8 on startup.

The message is that NTLDR is less than expected - not that it is missing.
With SP2 installed the message does not appear at all - the machine merely
reboots from a blue screen when an option is selcted from Safe Mode boot
screen. The message was briefly spotted when trying safe mode after
re-installation of the XP CD which is, by the way, pre SP1 (i.e. very
original). In all normal start-ups and operation (including things like disc
check and PQ Magic that run before Windows starts when required) there is no
problem with the machine at all.

Re-installation of the same XP Home disc did not correct it since it seemed
to compare something on the CD with the installed files and merely pointed
out things were different. Re-installation went ahead but did not correct
the problem. Some hardware is now "incorrectly" identified like an on-board
AMR which the OS no longer accepts the motherboard CD drivers for (I got the
ones it wanted from the web so no big deal) and I installed a USB 2.0 PCI
card for which the OS will not accept all the maker's drivers for (had to
force it to accept the root hub drivers for the card to work again no big
deal). I think these minor hassles are merely a result of a re-installation
and a cheap USB card and that the OS is still working fine.

Rather than the hassle of a clean install would an upgrade to XP Pro help or
would it also decide my installation had changed since original install and
either fail or give the same problems?

Would copying anything from the XP disc to my HDD make any difference? Is
the NTLDR file installation specific or would copying it from the XP CD work?
Are there any other CD files (that are not installation specific of course)
that may be corrupted on the HDD that can be copied? For copying I have a
Win98 boot disk created on an entirely different machine if required.

By the way I have tried repairing from the XP CD recovery console with
fixboot and fixmbr with no diference. I have always run AVG, Zonealarm,
Spybot S&D and Adaware so the problem seems to remain an XP "recognition" one.

Any further help much appreciated - safe mode doesn't seem very important
until you realise how many fairly minor problems have to be fixed in safe
mode!

Thanks - Dave A



"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

Make sure that there are no disks in any removable drives when you boot.

NTLDR is missing, why does it happen?

[[This problem may occur if the basic input/output system (BIOS) on your
computer is outdated, or if one or more of the following Windows boot files
are missing or damaged:
Ntldr
Ntdetect.com
Boot.ini ]]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid18728

[[Cause:
Computer is booting from a non-bootable source.
Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS.
Corrupt NTLDR and/or NTDETECT.COM file.
Misconfiguration with the boot.ini file.
Attempting to upgrade from a Windows 95, 98, or ME computer that is using
FAT32.
New hard disk drive being added.
Corrupt boot sector / master boot record.
Seriously corrupted version of Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
Loose or Faulty IDE/EIDE hard disk drive cable. ]]
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm

[[For this problem to occur, all the following conditions must be true:
• The system/startup partition is formatted with the FAT32 file system.
• The computer starts by using INT-13 extensions. (This is a partition
larger than 7.8 GB with a System-ID type of 0C in the partition table).
• Because of the cloning procedure, the Heads (sides) value in the FAT32
BIOS Parameter Block (BPB) does not match the geometry of the physical
drive. ]]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314057


Error Message When You Start Your Computer with a Non-System Disk
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;812492

Windows XP Does Not Start on a Computer That Is Configured for Dual Booting
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315233

You Receive an "NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message When You Start Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;320397

HOW TO: Troubleshoot the "NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;318728

Err Msg: Boot - Can't Find NTLDR, or Windows Could Not Start..
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;101862

"NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message When You Upgrade or Install Windows XP Over
Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314057

The Computer Does Not Start After You Change the Active Partition by Using
the Disk Management Tool
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315261

Cannot Start Windows XP After You Install Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283433

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:D85F1782-0754-46C1-8D8E-6C17113ABE68@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Dave A <DaveA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
About 1.5 years ago I added SP2 to Win XP Home and about the same time
decided to convert my NTFS C:\ drive to FAT 32 using PQ Magic 8 (only
third party will go that way I gather). Since then I cannot boot into
any option from the safe mode options after pressing F8. The screen goes
blue and the machine reboots. I recently did a repair installation of XP
and apart from confusing the OS with some hardware and having to
re-install a couple of programs the safe mode problem remains.

Before installing SP2 this time I tried to boot into safe mode and the
blue screen had a message that the "NTLDR is less than......". Once SP2
is added this blue screen message is not shown.

Do I have any options apart from backing up files and settings etc and
doing a clean install? Will upgrading to XP Pro sort this out with less
effort? I do not have XP recovery discs and I presume this would have
been sensible?


.

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