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Invalid Boot.ini Error

You may encounter invalid Boot.ini error if the Boot.ini file on your Windows XP system is missing, damaged, or contains invalid entries. This file contains the configuration options for the boot menu.

Boot.ini problems usually occur when you upgrade to Windows XP from an older operating system. When the error occurs, the following error message may be displayed on the screen.

Invalid Boot.ini
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

Windows\System32\Hal.dll

In order to resolve this error, you will have to rebuild the Boot.ini file from the Recovery Console.

Let's now go through the steps to open the Recovery Console and rebuild the Boot.ini file.

Insert your Windows XP installation CD-ROM in the CD or DVD drive and restart your PC.
On the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press the R key to open Recovery Console.
On a dual-boot or multiple-boot PC, select the installation you want to access from the Recovery Console.
When prompted, log on using a user account that has administrative rights to the system and press Enter.
To view the entries in your Boot.ini file, type bootcfg /list at command prompt and press Enter.
Next, type bootcfg /rebuild at command prompt at press Enter.

This command searches the hard disks for Windows NT, 2000 or XP installations, and displays the result on the screen. Now, follow the screen instructions to rebuild the Boot.ini file.

Given below is an example of screen instructions and messages that you may receive and how you need to respond to these instructions.

Note: The following steps are indicative and the messages that you may receive may be different depending on the configuration of your PC.

When a message similar to the one listed below is prompted, after the bootcfg /rebuild finishes scanning your hard disks, press Y to select the Yes option.

Total Identified Windows Installs: 1

[1] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
Next, you are prompted to enter the Load Identifier.

This is the name of your operating system, depending on the version of your Windows XP operating system, specify Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and press Enter.
Next, you will be prompted to specify OS load options. Here, type /fastdetect and press Enter.

Your Boot.ini file is now rebuilt.
Type Exit and press Enter to quit Recovery Console and reboot your PC.
When the PC restarts with updated boot list, the "Please select the operating system to start" message is displayed, make your choice continue with the system startup.

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