Boot loader help. Multi boot Installation problems

Hello to everyone.

I have a Pentium III Dell box running @ 600 Mhz and 384 MB Ram.

I have recently bought a 160 Gb disc which i partitioned in 2. One for
Windows XP Pro (Local Disk E 120 Gigs) and the second one for W2003
Standard(Local Disk F 36 gigs).

For study purposes i need to have both OS's installed, but here is the
problem. I Installed XP first (in english) and then installed Server 2003
standard (in english as well), the problem is that installation stalls, the
files needed for installation copies, but when the system restarts to begin
the real installation process the screen goes black, nothing happens, the
multi system menu appears with both systems XP and Server 2003 Standard
select but a black screen follows.

Looking for startup options I remember that Boot Loader file (right click my
pc, advanced, Setup and recovery Settings, then select edit to see the boot
loader file) appears like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows Server 2003, Standard"
/fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

I have installed Server 2003 on the C Local disk, is it possible and correct
to tell the
boot loader to look for startup files in that partition instead of F?. What
should i type or change in that file? Or maybe the boot loader file is wrong
configured?

Thanks very much!

Regards

Pablo

 

I would have thought the first OS (XP) would have the drive letter "C"

The boot.ini you posted tells us that Windows XP is installed on the first
partition of disk 0 and that 2003 is installed on the second partition of
the same disk.

rdisk(0)partition(1)
rdisk(0)partition(2)

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Pablo"wrote:
| Hello to everyone.
|
| I have a Pentium III Dell box running @ 600 Mhz and 384 MB Ram.
|
| I have recently bought a 160 Gb disc which i partitioned in 2. One for
| Windows XP Pro (Local Disk E 120 Gigs) and the second one for W2003
| Standard(Local Disk F 36 gigs).
|
| For study purposes i need to have both OS's installed, but here is the
| problem. I Installed XP first (in english) and then installed Server 2003
| standard (in english as well), the problem is that installation stalls,
the
| files needed for installation copies, but when the system restarts to
begin
| the real installation process the screen goes black, nothing happens, the
| multi system menu appears with both systems XP and Server 2003 Standard
| select but a black screen follows.
|
| Looking for startup options I remember that Boot Loader file (right click
my
| pc, advanced, Setup and recovery Settings, then select edit to see the
boot
| loader file) appears like this:
|
| [boot loader]
| timeout=1
| default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
| [operating systems]
| multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows Server 2003,
Standard"
| /fastdetect
| multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
| Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
|
| I have installed Server 2003 on the C Local disk, is it possible and
correct
| to tell the
| boot loader to look for startup files in that partition instead of F?.
What
| should i type or change in that file? Or maybe the boot loader file is
wrong
| configured?
|
| Thanks very much!
|
| Regards
|
| Pablo
|

 

This is very confusing. Do you have a second HD in this machine - rdisk(1)?
How are you reading this boot.ini file if "the multi system menu appears
with both systems XP and Server 2003 Standard select but a black screen
follows"?

Doug Sherman
MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

 

Now you're confusing me. Where are you getting rdisk(1)? The OP is starting
up XP to view boot.ini

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| This is very confusing. Do you have a second HD in this machine -
rdisk(1)?
| How are you reading this boot.ini file if "the multi system menu appears
| with both systems XP and Server 2003 Standard select but a black screen
| follows"?
|
| Doug Sherman
| MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

 

I know. I'm just wondering how you can have a HD with two partitions
somehow called E: and F: and then in the end "installed Server 2003 on the C
Local disk." Maybe 2 HDs, or1 HD with 3 partitions, or 1 HD with one
primary and one extended partition where the extended partition has 2
logical drives? Dunno - but if I'm confused, I want to make sure everyone
else is too.

Doug Sherman
MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

 

Yes, I also didn't get that. I think the OP just doesn't understand how
windows assigns drive letters but remains to be seen.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
|I know. I'm just wondering how you can have a HD with two partitions
| somehow called E: and F: and then in the end "installed Server 2003 on the
C
| Local disk." Maybe 2 HDs, or1 HD with 3 partitions, or 1 HD with one
| primary and one extended partition where the extended partition has 2
| logical drives? Dunno - but if I'm confused, I want to make sure everyone
| else is too.
|
| Doug Sherman
| MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

 

Hello Dave and Doug,

Thank you very much for the replies.
I will try to clarify the confussion.

I have 2 hard drives on my pc.
Following my BIOS table:

#1. IDE O is the 160 gigs hard drive.
#2. IDE 1 is the 6 Gigs hard drive

The 160 gigs has 2 logical partitions, Logical drive 1 "Local Disk E" equals
to 117 GB has Windows XP Pro installed and running.

Logical Drive 2 "Local Disk F" Equals to 35,4 Gigs. Is the target partition
where i want to install the Server 2003.

Now, maybe i am getting a bad reading but if the IDE O is the 160 Gigs can't
be E and F drives am I right? Since the master drive (I have not jumpered the
drive) is the 160 one.

Now the 6 gigs does not have any partition, is a Windows Server 2003 disk
right now. The boot loader file was read from E. partition disk (which has
XP installed)

I hope this clarifies the confussion, thank you very much.

P.

 

The system partition is the first primary active partition (where the boot
sector resides) and usually gets the drive letter C This can't be on a
logical drive in an extended partition. Maybe that helps.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Hello Dave and Doug,
|
| Thank you very much for the replies.
| I will try to clarify the confussion.
|
| I have 2 hard drives on my pc.
| Following my BIOS table:
|
| #1. IDE O is the 160 gigs hard drive.
| #2. IDE 1 is the 6 Gigs hard drive
|
| The 160 gigs has 2 logical partitions, Logical drive 1 "Local Disk E"
equals
| to 117 GB has Windows XP Pro installed and running.
|
| Logical Drive 2 "Local Disk F" Equals to 35,4 Gigs. Is the target
partition
| where i want to install the Server 2003.
|
| Now, maybe i am getting a bad reading but if the IDE O is the 160 Gigs
can't
| be E and F drives am I right? Since the master drive (I have not jumpered
the
| drive) is the 160 one.
|
| Now the 6 gigs does not have any partition, is a Windows Server 2003 disk
| right now. The boot loader file was read from E. partition disk (which
has
| XP installed)
|
| I hope this clarifies the confussion, thank you very much.
|
| P.

 

Thanks Dave.

So should I remove the Server 2003 partition (C and try again?

Regards

P.

 

It's not clear what you started with and what you're trying to accomplish.
It appears you may have done some disk swapping. If you want XP and 2003
installed on the 160 gB disk then I would remove the 6 gB disk temporarily.
Then to install XP;

To do a clean install, boot the Windows XP install CD-Rom. Setup inspects
your computer's hardware configuration and then begins to install the Setup
and driver files. When the Windows XP Professional screen appears, press
ENTER to set up Windows XP Professional.

(Note: If your drive controller is not natively supported then you'll want
to boot the Windows XP CD-Rom. Then *F6* very early and very important (at
setup is inspecting your system) in the setup to prevent drive controller
detection, and select S to specify additional drivers. Then later you'll be
prompted to insert the manufacturer supplied Windows XP driver for your
drive controller in drive "A")

Read the license agreement, and then press the F8 key to accept the terms of
the license agreement and continue the installation.

When the Windows XP Professional Setup screen appears, all the existing
partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard
disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partitions Press D to delete an
existing partition, If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must
then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System
partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this
step for each of the existing partitions When all the partitions are deleted
press F3 to exit setup, (to avoid unexpected drive letter assignments with
your new install) then restart the pc then when you get to this point in
setup again select the unpartitioned space, and then press C to create a new
partition and specify the size (if required). Windows will by default use
all available space so choose a reasonable size for XP (say 15 or 20 gB)

Be sure to apply SP2 or at least these two below to your new install before
connecting to any network. Internet included. (sasser, msblast)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...be-3b8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-043.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-049.mspx

Once XP is installed you can install 2003 by following the same steps and
choosing to install to the unallocated space on 160 gB drive again choosing
a reasonable size for 2003

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Thanks Dave.
|
| So should I remove the Server 2003 partition (C and try again?
|
| Regards
|
| P.

 

Thanks David I will do that...

regards. And thank you again.

Pablo

 

You're welcome.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Thanks David I will do that...
|
| regards. And thank you again.
|
| Pablo

 

Hello Dave.

I have followed your instructions, a new problem have came present:

As soon as the Windows Server 2003 installation restarts my computer to
begin the process there is a message telling me that could not start windows
because the file NTOSKRNL.EXE is missHello Dave.

I have followed your instructions, a new problem have came present:

As soon as the Windows Server 2003 installation restarts my computer to
begin the process there is a message telling me that could not start windows
because the file NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or damaged, suggests to reinstall
that file, my question is where should i reinstall it? in C partition (XP) or
E partition (WinServer 2003)? Should i download it from microsoft? Please let
me know. Thank you.

regards

P.
ing or damaged, suggests to reinstall that file, my question is where should
i reinstall it? in C partition (XP) or E partition (WinServer 2003)? Should i
download it from microsoft? Please let me know. Thank you.

regards

P.

 

Can you start XP? If so post the contents of boot.ini

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Hello Dave.
|
| I have followed your instructions, a new problem have came present:
|
| As soon as the Windows Server 2003 installation restarts my computer to
| begin the process there is a message telling me that could not start
windows
| because the file NTOSKRNL.EXE is missHello Dave.
|
| I have followed your instructions, a new problem have came present:
|
| As soon as the Windows Server 2003 installation restarts my computer to
| begin the process there is a message telling me that could not start
windows
| because the file NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or damaged, suggests to reinstall
| that file, my question is where should i reinstall it? in C partition (XP)
or
| E partition (WinServer 2003)? Should i download it from microsoft? Please
let
| me know. Thank you.
|
| regards
|
| P.
| ing or damaged, suggests to reinstall that file, my question is where
should
| i reinstall it? in C partition (XP) or E partition (WinServer 2003)?
Should i
| download it from microsoft? Please let me know. Thank you.
|
| regards

 

Hi Dave, yes, the XP partition is working, actually i am using right now. But
I have to select it manually in the boot process, as you can see Win Server
2003 is configured as "fast detect" I am copying boot.ini file:

[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows Server 2003, Standard"
/fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

where is the error? Why it asks for the NTOSKRNL.EXE file? I am using a
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 180 days evaluation copy which came with a book.

Regards and thanks!

P.

 

What drive controller are you using?

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Hi Dave, yes, the XP partition is working, actually i am using right now.
But
| I have to select it manually in the boot process, as you can see Win
Server
| 2003 is configured as "fast detect" I am copying boot.ini file:
|
| [boot loader]
| timeout=1
| default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
| [operating systems]
| multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows Server 2003,
Standard"
| /fastdetect
| multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
| Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

 

Hello

I am using a MAXTOR 6L160P0 (160 Gigs) hard drive. Its controller is:
5.1.2535.0 (Microsoft)

As an IDE controller: PCI Intel 82371AB/EB. Version 5.1.2600.2180

Should I select F6 when the CD installation begins? I have never selected
that because the hard drive is listed.

Regards

P.

 

No, you should be OK with the standard IDE controller. This problem is
usually boot.ini pointed to the wrong (or non-existent) windows folder.

You might start the 2003 recovery console and from the command line issue
the commands;

fixboot
bootcfg /rebuild

To start the Recovery Console, start the computer from the Windows 2003
CD-Rom. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen. Press F10 or R to repair a Windows
2003 installation, and then press C to use the Recovery Console. The
Recovery Console then prompts you for the administrator password. If you do
not have the correct password, Recovery Console does not allow access to the
computer. If an incorrect password is entered three times, the Recovery
Console quits and restarts the computer. Note If the registry is corrupted
or missing or no valid installations are found, the Recovery Console starts
in the root of the startup volume without requiring a password. You cannot
access any folders, but you can carry out commands such as chkdsk, fixboot,
and fixmbr for limited disk repairs. Once the password has been validated,
you have full access to the Recovery Console, but limited access to the hard
disk. You can only access the following folders on your computer: drive
root, %systemroot% or %windir%


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Hello
|
| I am using a MAXTOR 6L160P0 (160 Gigs) hard drive. Its controller is:
| 5.1.2535.0 (Microsoft)
|
| As an IDE controller: PCI Intel 82371AB/EB. Version 5.1.2600.2180
|
| Should I select F6 when the CD installation begins? I have never selected
| that because the hard drive is listed.
|
| Regards
|
| P.

 

Dave thanks again.

There must be something wrong with my PC, i dont know if could be the BIOS
version?

I followed the instructions and did not work, the details i will write them
later.

What if i install Server 2003 before XP Professional?

Regards

P.

 

If you install XP last then the boot sector is overwritten with an XP
version so you'll need to follow the same steps to repair the 2003 boot
sector. Always best to install OS's sequentially; oldest to newest.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Dave thanks again.
|
| There must be something wrong with my PC, i dont know if could be the BIOS
| version?
|
| I followed the instructions and did not work, the details i will write
them
| later.
|
| What if i install Server 2003 before XP Professional?
|
| Regards
|
| P.