MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/A13C5D12/InvalidBoot_iniorWindowscouldnotstarterrormessageswhenyoustartyourcomputer.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" "Invalid Boot

"Invalid Boot.ini" or "Windows could not start" error messages when y= ou start your computer

View products that this article applies to.

Th= is article was previously published under Q330184

SYMPTOMS

Wh= en you start your computer after you upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP, you may rece= ive one or both of the following error messages:

Invalid Boot.ini

 

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

Windows\System32\Hal.dll

CAUSE

Th= is issue may occur if the Boot.ini file is missing, damaged, or contains incorrect entries.

RESOLUTION

To= resolve this issue, start the computer from the Windows XP CD, start the Recovery Console, and then use the Bootcfg.exe tool to rebuild the Boot.ini file. To= do this, follow these steps:

1.      =              Configure the computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD= -ROM drive. For information about how to do this, see your computer documentatio= n, or contact your computer manufacturer.

2.      =              Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM or DVD-R= OM drive, and then restart your computer.

3.      =              When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM.

4.      =              When you receive the "Welcome to Setup" mess= age, press R to start the Recovery Console.

5.      =              If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, sel= ect the installation that you have to use from the Recovery Console.

6.      =              When you are prompted, type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.

7.      =              At the command prompt, type boo= tcfg /l= ist, and then p= ress ENTER. The entries in your current Boot.ini file appear on the screen.

8.      =              At the command prompt, type boo= tcfg /r= ebuild, and then p= ress ENTER. This command scans the hard disks of the computer for Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows NT installations, and then displays the results. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to = add the Windows installations to the Boot.ini file. For example, follow these s= teps to add a Windows XP installation to the Boot.ini file:

a.      =             &nb= sp;            =             When you receive a message that is similar to the following message, press Y:

Total Identified Windows Instal= ls: 1

[1] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)

b.      =             &nb= sp;            =             You receive a message that is similar to the following message:

Enter Load Identifier

This is the name of the operati= ng system. When you receive this message, type the name of your operating syst= em, and then press ENTER. This is either Microsoft Windows XP Profession= al or <= span class=3DHTMLKeyboard1>Mic= rosoft Windows XP Home Edition.

c.      =             &nb= sp;            =             You receive a message that is similar to the following= :

Enter OS Load options

When you receive this message, = type /fastdetect, and then p= ress ENTER.

Note The instru= ctions that appear on your screen may be different, depending on the configuration= of your computer.

9.      =              Type exit, and then pr= ess ENTER to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts, and the updated boot list appears when you receive the "Please select the operating system = to start" message.

MORE INFORMATION

Fo= r additional information about the Bootcfg.exe tool, click the following article number = to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

291980= A discussion about the Bootcfg command and its us= es