Please go back to boot.ini and open that file again in notepad and then follow these instructions.
Save a Backup Copy of Boot.ini
- Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. -or- Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
- On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
- Under System Startup, click Edit. This opens the file in Notepad ready for editing.
- In Notepad, click File on the Menu bar, and then click Save As.
- Right click in an empty area of the Save As dialog box, point to New in the context menu, and then click Folder.
- Type a name for the new folder, for example temp, and then press the ENTER key to create the folder named temp.
- Double-click the new folder named temp, and then click the Save button to save a backup copy of the Boot.ini file.
To view and edit the Boot.ini file:
- Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. -or- Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
- On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
- Under System Startup, click Edit.
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Whistler Personal" /fastdetect
please be careful that you do not delete beyond the m of multi.
HOWEVER you need to then make another change
Look carefully at your post 28. Note the difference between the /fastdetect on the line you are deleting.
AND the Fastdetect on the line above.
You need to change that Fastdetect to the /fastdetect - as the / is missing.
If you feel unhappy doing ALL of this, then you will note that the default system is the partition 2 - in your boot.ini -on your post 28, so it will boot to that by default.
If you wish to make that quicker = change the timeout value - which is the number of seconds it takes to boot to the default from 20 to 5.
THIS TIME after editing you simply click the File tab and exit.
A message will appear telling you that boot.ini has been changed and asking if you wish to save the changes. Click YES.
DO NOT THEN shut down.
Click Edit again and CHECK once more that you have it correct.
This time when you click exit you will not have made any changes - hopefully, so the message will not appear.
When you then reboot, you will go straight to Windows.
So if it helps your new boot.ini will be
[boot loader]
timeout=20
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect