[gomer555]

Hi, i recently had an lsass.exe error with my windows xp and decided to just install windows again, so now i have two versions on one hard drive, the new one and the corrupt one. Anyway, what i wanna know is how to disable the computer asking me which operating system to boot when i turn on my computer and if its ok for me to delete the old windows folder that is no longer in use. Thanks in advance.

[Advertisements]

Do you have your windows XP CD? If you do, I want you to put it in and turn on your computer. When you are given the message press any key to boot from cd..., press a key and Windows Setup will start. At the first screen where you have to enter input, hit R to enter the Recovery Console. Then you will have to hit 1 to log into your windows installation and then just hit Enter for the Administrator password because it is normally blank unless you changed it. Once you are at the command prompt C:\WINDOWS I want you to type each of the following, hitting enter after each line:

* attrib -s -h -r c:\boot.ini
* del c:\boot.ini
* bootcfg /rebuild
* fixboot

Now type Exit and take your XP CD out. Your computer will reboot itself. Post back how things are going.

[ultimateslacker2]

Do you have your windows XP CD? If you do, I want you to put it in and turn on your computer. When you are given the message press any key to boot from cd..., press a key and Windows Setup will start. At the first screen where you have to enter input, hit R to enter the Recovery Console. Then you will have to hit 1 to log into your windows installation and then just hit Enter for the Administrator password because it is normally blank unless you changed it. Once you are at the command prompt C:\WINDOWS I want you to type each of the following, hitting enter after each line:

* attrib -s -h -r c:\boot.ini
* del c:\boot.ini
* bootcfg /rebuild
* fixboot

Now type Exit and take your XP CD out. Your computer will reboot itself. Post back how things are going.

[gomer555]

Well, my comp is an alienware laptop, and i do have the recovery disc that came with the system. Now what you are telling me is to log into my old windows xp installation? If so, i cant do that because that installation is corrupted. Even when i try to access it via the recovery disc, the computer just shuts down on me, which it also does if i try to boot that installation. it was annoying the [bleep] outta me so i just installed another installtion, and now things seem to be running just fine. i have access to all my old files, installed drivers etc etc. I just want to disable windows asking me which installation to boot from when i turn on my computer, i figured there was some way to do it by editing the boot.ini file. And if there is, is it ok if i delete this old windows installtion, since it is taking up 3 gigs of space.

[ultimateslacker2]

Yeah there is a way to edit the boot.ini file.

Right Click My Computer.
Click Properties.
Click the Advanced Tab.
Then under Startup and Recovery click Settings. Then under System Startup click Edit.

Post the text here for me please.

[gomer555]

here is what it says:

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

windows.o is the installtion that works, the other is corrupt

[ultimateslacker2]

O.K. This is pretty simple. delete this line for me please.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Do not forget to reboot.

Does it go through without asking for a OS choice?

Edited by ultimateslacker2, 14 February 2007 - 10:25 PM.

[gomer555]

ok it worked fine and didnt ask me which OS to boot. Now the question is can i delete that old windows installation folder? i dont think it will harm anything since its not in use.

[ultimateslacker2]

Yeah you can. Locate it and delete the whole folder.

How is the PC running afterwards? more space?

[gomer555]

Well i tried deleting the folder and it says cannot delete because some of file flash8b.ocx. Says access is denied. guessing because that windows installation still technically has a user or something? dunno

[ultimateslacker2]

Try it in safe mode.

[gomer555]

alright, ill try that in a few, downloading some windows updates atm for new installation. ill let ya know how it goes. Thanks for all the help so far.

[ultimateslacker2]

O.K If that does not work, I'll give you one last set of directions as I gotta go to sleep now. Check out the link here of taking ownership of the files.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810881