Fix #2: Manually attempt recreation of boot.ini Insert your Windows XP CD and restart your computer. Press a key to boot into the CD when you see the 'Press any key to boot from CD' message. When you arrive at the 'Welcome to Setup' message, press R to start the Recovery Console. Type in your. To boot from the Windows XP CD, insert it into the CD-ROM drive on the problem system and press CtrlAltDelete to reboot the computer. Once the system begins booting from the CD, simply follow the prompts that will allow the loading of the basic files needed to run Setup.
The boot.ini file is a hidden file that's used to identify in what folder, on which partition, and on which hard drive your Windows XP installation is located.
Boot.ini can sometimes become damaged, corrupted, or deleted, for any number of reasons. Since this INI file contains critical information about how your computer boots, problems with it are usually brought to your attention by an error message during the Windows startup process, like this one:
Follow these easy steps to repair the damaged/corrupted boot.ini file or replace it if it has been deleted:
How to Repair or Replace Boot.ini in Windows XP
Time Required —Repairing or replacing the boot.ini file usually takes less than 10 minutes but the total time could be a lot longer if you need to locate a Windows XP CD.
Enter the Windows XP Recovery Console. The Recovery Console is an advanced diagnostic mode of Windows XP with special tools that will allow you to restore the boot.ini file.
When you reach the command line (detailed in Step 6 in the link above), type the following command and then press Enter.
The bootcfg utility will scan your hard drives for any Windows XP installations and then display the results.
Follow the remaining steps to add your Windows XP installation to the boot.ini file.
The first prompt asks Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All). Type Y in response to this question and press Enter.
The next prompt asks you to Enter Load Identifier. This is the name of the operating system. For example, type Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition and press Enter.
The final prompt asks you to Enter OS Load options: Type /Fastdetect here and press Enter.
Take out the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC. Assuming that a missing or corrupt boot.ini file was your only issue, Windows XP should now start normally.
How to Rebuild Boot Configuration Data in Newer Versions of Windows
In newer versions of Windows, like Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, boot configuration data is stored in the BCD data file, not in a boot.ini file.
Boot.ini Windows Xp 4gb Ram
If you suspect that boot data is corrupt or missing in one of those operating systems, see How to Rebuild the BCD in Windows for a full tutorial.
Do I Have to Fix This Problem Myself?
Boot.ini Windows Xp Sp3 Download
No, you do not have to manually run the command above and follow those steps in order to repair the boot.ini file — you do have the option of letting a third-party program do it for you. However, it's really not that difficult if you follow the directions as they are. Plus, lots of the software that can fix the boot.ini file for you will cost you.
You shouldn't ever need to purchase a software program to fix errors with the boot.ini file. Even though there are probably dozens of applications that can do the fixing for you, when it comes down to the way those programs work, each of them will, at their core, be doing the exact same thing we described above. The only difference is that you can click a button or two to have the commands written out.
Boot.ini Windows Xp Pro
If you're curious, Tenorshare's Fix Genius is one such program. They do have a free trial version that we haven't tried, but we have a feeling not all the features will work unless you pay full price.