Windows XP won't load and gives an error. What to do error loading operating system error

Need good advice on how to produce Windows 7 Boot Loader Recovery, if restoring the startup using the 7 installation disk did not help. I’ll briefly explain what’s going on: Windows 7 was first installed on the computer, then the second system needed Windows XP, after installation it naturally started alone, to boot two operating systems I used the EasyBCD program. Later, XP was no longer needed and I formatted the partition on which it was located from Windows 7. Now, when loading, there is nothing except a black screen. What can be done in this case? More details if possible. Sergey.

Restoring the Windows 7 bootloader

Hello friends! The most important thing is not to worry, your problem is not complicated and, in principle, the simple “Windows 7 Startup Recovery” tool described in our article should help, but! If this article does not help you, then two others should help:

These articles describe several more good ways to restore the boot of your operating system, besides them there is one more, so try it and don’t just give up.

Let me remind you that you cannot install an older operating system after a younger one; Windows 7 will under no circumstances boot after installing Windows XP on a computer, since the latter overwrites the master boot record (MBR) during installation. Therefore, you installed an additional boot manager, which is used to configure the boot of several operating systems and, in turn, has its own bootloader.

1. I also want to say that file system errors are often to blame for unsuccessful loading of Windows 7; they can be corrected even if the operating system does not boot; all the details are in our other article." "
2. Friends, in this article we will work with the Windows 7 recovery environment, or more precisely with the recovery environment command line. I will give you the necessary commands, but if it is difficult for you to remember them, you can. This will make your work much easier.

• The master boot record (MBR) is the first sector on the hard drive, which contains a partition table and a small bootloader program that reads from this table the data from which partition of the hard drive to boot the OS, and then the information is transferred to the partition with the installed operating system, to download it. If the master boot record contains incorrect information about the location of the system, then we will receive various errors during boot, here is one of them “BOOTMGR is missing press CTR-Alt-Del for restart” or we will see a black screen. The problem is being fixed restoring the Windows 7 boot loader.

When you uninstalled old XP along with EasyBCD, you left your computer to the mercy of fate with an incomprehensible boot record, and it gives you a black screen as a sign of gratitude. To rectify the situation, we will carry out boot recovery Windows 7, namely, we will overwrite the master boot record using the Bootrec.exe utility located on the recovery disk or on the Windows 7 installation disk (friends, if you have a netbook and you want to use the recovery environment located on a flash drive, then read the comments first). We will also use this utility to record a new boot sector, understandable to Windows 7.

Recovering Windows 7 bootloader automatically

We boot from a recovery disk or installation disk with Windows 7, in the initial phase of booting the computer, when prompted to boot from the disk “Press any key to boot from CD...”, press any key on the keyboard for 5 seconds, otherwise you will not boot from the disk

There is a short search for installed Windows systems and analysis of problems that prevent them from loading

Usually problems are quickly found and the recovery environment offers to fix them automatically. Click on the "Fix and restart" button, after which the computer will restart and boot Windows 7 will be restored.

If problems with loading the system continue or you are not prompted to fix the problems automatically, then in this window you need to select the operating system that you need to restore, you most likely have one and Next.

First of all, choose a productStartup recovery, it can also solve Windows 7 boot problems

Restoring the Windows 7 bootloader manually

If this remedy does not help, choose a remedy Command line

Enter the commands:

diskpart

lis vol (we display a list of hard drive partitions and see that “Volume 1” is a hidden System Reserved partition, volume 100 MB, it should contain Windows 7 boot files and it is this that needs to be made active). We also see a partition with Windows 7 installed, it has the letter D:, the volume is 60 GB.

sel vol 1 (select Volume 1)

activ (make it active)

exit (exit diskpart)

bcdboot D:\Windows (where D: the partition with Windows 7 installed), this command restores the Windows 7 boot files (bootmgr file and boot storage configuration files (BCD))!

"Download files created successfully"

Restoring the Windows 7 bootloader manually (method No. 2)

In the command line window, enter the command Bootrec and Enter

full information about the capabilities of the utility is displayed. Select the master boot record entry Bootrec.exe /FixMbr.

The operation was completed successfully. A new boot record is written to the first sector of the boot partition.
The second command, Bootrec.exe /FixBoot, writes a new boot sector.

The operation was completed successfully. Exit. Next, we try to load our Windows 7.

Friends, if the Bootrec.exe /FixMbr and Bootrec.exe /Fixboot commands do not help you, do not despair, there is another remedy.

Method No. 3

Enter the command Bootrec/ScanOs, it will scan all your hard drives and partitions for the presence of operating systems and if any are found, an appropriate warning will be issued. Then you need to enter the command Bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd, this utility will offer to add the found Windows to the boot menu, we agree and enter Y and press Enter, all the found Windows are added to the boot menu.

In my case, two operating systems were found. Everything can be seen on the screenshot.

In addition to the above method, there is another one, enter bootsect /NT60 SYS on the command line, the main boot code, it will also be updated.

Exit

So, the error is that on both hard drives the first hidden System Reserved partitions should be marked with a red flag. On Windows 7, the volume of such a partition is 100 MB, and on Windows 8, 350 MB, these sections have the attributes: System. Active and it is on these partitions that the boot store configuration files (BCD) and the system boot manager file (bootmgr file) are located. And it turns out that these attributes are carried by other sections. Because of this, Windows 7 and Windows 8 will not boot.

Select the first hard drive 1, right-click on the first System Reserved partition and select “Mark as active”

The System Reserved volume will be marked as active. Click OK.

We do the same with Disk 2. Acronis Disk Director works in pending operation mode; for the changes to take effect, click the “Apply pending operations” button

Continue.

As you can see, after our changes, those sections that were needed became active.

We exit the program and reboot. The result of the work is positive - both operating systems are loaded one by one.

Booting Windows consists of many steps performed sequentially. If one of the startup operations is performed incorrectly, the system will not boot. One of the most common problems of this kind is a corrupted Windows XP boot record.

What is a boot record?

The master boot record, better known as the MBR, stores a piece of code, a special signature, and partition tables necessary for the system to start correctly. When you turn on the computer, the BIOS, after completing the initial test, loads a fragment of MBR code into RAM, transferring control of the further launch of Windows to it (the code).

If you see a message on the screen like “ntldr is missing”, “no boot device” or just a black background with no further progress, then to fix the error you need to perform a Windows XP boot loader recovery.

Reasons for failure:

• Incorrect installation of several operating systems, which causes the boot code to be overwritten.
• Uninstalling Linux OS or boot manager.
• Virus infection (usually ransomware that blocks Windows from starting).
• Hardware damage to the disk.
• Power outages (emergency shutdown).

Sometimes it is possible to return the system to functionality by simply rewriting the MBR, sometimes you have to restore the boot sector. The most difficult case is manually copying bootloader files to the boot sector of the hard drive.

MBR recovery

The first thing to do if the system does not start is to restore the MBR using the recovery console:

The boot record has been restored - try rebooting and turning on Windows XP again.

Boot sector recovery

If a message like “NTLDR is missing” appears on the screen, then the problem is caused by a damaged boot record. The symptoms of this failure are similar to an MBR error, so it is better to run two recovery commands:

If rewriting the boot sector and MBR did not help, then try fixing the errors in the Boot.INI file:

When the command is executed, the program will scan all disk partitions, trying to find a copy of Windows. The user will be prompted to record information about loading this system into the configuration file, as a result of which Windows will start correctly.

Copying download files

If creating a new MBR and boot sector does not help resolve the startup error, you will have to manually move the NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and boot.ini files to the root of the disk.

1. Boot from the disk, open the recovery console.
2. Write the MBR and boot sector as shown above.
3. Run the "map" command to list all mapped drives. Find the drive letter of your Windows distribution.
   
4. Enter the drive letter of the distribution and press Enter to start working with it.
   
5. Enter “cd i386” to open the folder of the same name on the Windows XP distribution.
   
6. Type "copy NTLDR C:\" to copy the NTLDR file.
7. Enter "copy NTDETECT.COM C:\" to copy the NTDETECT.COM file.

Next in line will be the BOOT.INI file.

Many computer system users are so accustomed to working in Windows XP that they do not want to change it to a more recent version of the operating system under any pretext.

However, XP itself, like the following versions of Windows operating systems, is susceptible to errors such as “HAL.dll cannot be started”, “The file is damaged or missing”, “File not found”, etc. Let's see how you can restore the system boot without radical measures, such as reinstalling the operating system.

What file is this?

If we talk about the file itself, then it will be quite difficult for the average user to understand the principle of its operation. In simple terms, the HAL.dll file in the Windows XP operating system is responsible for the interaction of software and hardware components. This is the so-called layer of software code at the level of hardware abstractions. It hides some aspects of hardware implementation at all levels - from hardware to programs. This applies to all components present in the system. Then why do errors appear that many people do not understand when loading the system? What does the message “HAL.dll is missing or damaged” mean on the monitor screen?

The Windows XP operating system is one of the most outdated operating systems. It is most susceptible to this type of failure.

Main functions of HAL.dll

If we talk about functionality, it can be noted that this library is a kind of layer that allows users and software developers to use application commands to directly access a specific hardware component, without even taking into account the brand of the device, the name of the manufacturer, etc. This is a generally universal bridge that gives the program the ability to run on any hardware in a universal mode. Let's try to express it a little differently. Based on the principle of operation, the functionality of the HAL.dll library can be compared with DirectX.

Why does the "HAL.dll is missing or damaged" error occur?

Generally speaking, there are many reasons for these types of errors to appear. The most common reasons are damage to the RAM and hard drive. In this case, you just need to perform diagnostics. Of course, we cannot exclude the possibility of infection with a virus that can change the structure of this file, as well as completely delete it from the computer’s hard drive. However, today we will not take such situations into account. You should assume that everything is fine with the hard drive in the computer, and there are no viruses on the computer. Thus, the error can be caused solely by software glitches.

System Restore

First of all, let's consider the situation when the system does boot. At the beginning of the boot process, a line may appear on a black screen that tells the user that the HAL.dll file is missing or damaged. In this case, the simplest solution is to boot Windows XP in safe mode with the command line. To do this, at the beginning of the boot process you need to use the F8 key, and then you need to select the appropriate partition. When the command line appears, enter the combination c:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe. Next, you just need to follow the on-screen instructions. In many cases, this allows you to correct the situation. But what should you do if, even after performing this operation, a message appears about the absence of this boot element and the system does not boot at all?

Correcting incorrect entries in boot.ini

Some users do not even know that this error is not necessarily associated with this particular library. Sometimes this problem is a consequence. The reason lies in incorrect entries in the boot.ini file, which point to the volume partition in which the operating system is located. Of course, you can use some programs for Windows XP, but first let's try to figure out how this can be done without third-party tools. First, we boot from any Windows XP installation disk, setting the CD/DVD-ROM as the priority boot device.

After that, press the R button and go to the recovery console. Now you need to select the desired build of the Windows XP operating system. Enter the administrator password and use the bootcfg/rebuild command. Now press “Enter”. When a copy of Windows is detected, add it to the download list and confirm the operation by pressing the Y button. Enter the identifier in the form of a modification of Windows XP. Then we reboot and select the download option with a new source. After this, you can find the boot.ini file on the system. Open it using the standard Notepad program and delete the incorrect download path.

Troubleshoot using the console

The above system recovery options do not always work. The cause of this problem may lie in the absence or corruption of the required file. By default, it should be located on the system drive at Windows\System32\HAL.dll. Here we again need a boot disk and a recovery console. Only now the task comes down to finding the original file on the disk and copying it to the system partition of the hard drive. It should be immediately noted that such operations are only possible in the XP operating system; such tricks will not work with Windows 7 or 8. Let's assume the disk drive on your computer is designated by the letter E.

The file is located on the disk in the i386 folder. In order to make sure that this file is really present, you must use the E:\i386>dir command. The file name may not correspond to the original and is designated as HAL.dl_. In this case, you need to unpack the packed CAB archive. To do this, use the command expand e:i386hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32. Drive C must have a space in front of it. Of course, you can unpack the file directly to the system drive, and then simply copy it to the desired location. But why, if replacement and copying can be done directly? The system should then boot into normal mode without any problems.

How to fix the situation using third-party programs?

There are ways to fix errors related to damage or missing HAL.dll file that require the use of specialized applications. Type Acronis Recovery Expert, Acronis Disk Director, Bootice. These programs are, in principle, not much different from each other. You need to load them from a flash drive or optical media. They use the same principles in their work. Another thing is that the user does not have to enter specific commands. The menu of such applications is completely specific. Such programs are designed to recover damaged and lost data, as well as entire hard drive partitions.

As you have probably already noticed, all of these applications are general programs that are suitable for literally all occasions. In some ways they can help even an inexperienced user. Although the fact that an ordinary user who does not have certain skills and abilities will use these programs is highly doubtful. Most of them, unfortunately, do not even try to understand the essence of the issue and immediately rush to reinstall the operating system. And in vain, because when reinstalling the operating system, such errors may occur that the installation will not be completed. As a result, you risk getting a completely inoperable system.

Conclusion

Using special programs for data recovery is certainly good. However, there is no firm certainty that the required dynamic library file will actually be completely restored. For this reason, despite the ease of working with these applications and their almost complete automation, it is still better to use standard methods for restoring system boot. Of course, they are more complicated and take more time, but in this case you can be sure that the system’s functionality will be fully restored.

But still, in some cases, when dynamic library errors arise due to other software failures, the use of these programs may be completely justified. But if the problem is a malfunction of the RAM or hard drive, then it is unlikely that you will be able to fix this problem at the software level. To begin with, it is better to undergo a full test and, if necessary, replace some elements.

A number of users of the Windows operating system (especially for users of the rather archaic Windows XP) may encounter a situation where, when trying to load the operating system, an error message “Error loading operating system” appears. Restarting the computer in such a situation usually does not give anything, and the person does not know or imagine what to do next in this situation. In this material, I will tell you what to do with the Error loading operating system error, introduce the reader to a list of reasons that cause this problem, and also explain how to fix it.

Error loading operating system - symptoms and causes

Typically, the Error loading operating system error occurs when you turn on the computer, when it tries to load the operating system (most often Windows XP). The user is presented with a black screen with one line “Error loading operating system” (translated as “error loading operating system”), and then simply nothing happens. Restarting the computer usually only leads to a repetition of this situation.

The causes of the Error loading operating system error may be as follows:

When you turn on the PC, other texts with errors may also appear, I have already described several of them on MakeComp.ru:

How to fix operating system boot error

and press enter. Wait for the process to finish, type exit to exit, and restart your computer. This often helps with the question of how to fix the Error loading operating system error;

Run the command chkdsk /P/R

• We fix the OS boot option. As in the previous case, we enter the recovery console using the “R” key, enter the number of the OS we need (usually it is 1). Then enter the following lines one by one, remembering to press Enter after each command:

After that, type exit again to exit and restart our computer.

In operating systems more modern than Windows XP (for example, Windows 7), another similar command operates - Bootrec. Type the following commands into the command line, remembering to press “Enter”:

bootrec /FixBoot

bootrec /rebuildBcd

then restart your PC.

• You can also try updating your BIOS, this may be quite effective in solving the problem in question.

How to use a special system recovery disk

Special disks for emergency recovery of your operating system can also help us solve the problem of Error loading operating system. For example, I would recommend Easy Recovery Essentials - a universal, powerful and automated product for restoring the operation of Windows OS from XP to Windows 10. The program itself is distributed in the image of a boot disk, which must be burned to a blank and used when boot problems appear on your computer.

When booting from such a disk, just select the “Automated Repair” option, then select the disk you need to restore, and click on “Automated Repair” again at the bottom. The program will do everything else itself, and the user usually gets a stable working system as a result. And although this product has a paid basis, it is worth it.

Select Automated Repair

Conclusion

If you are thinking about what to do with Error loading operating system, then I recommend following the tips I described above to correct the situation. I recommend starting by changing the BIOS settings, then using the capabilities of the CHKDSK command, and if all else fails, then you should consider using special disks for emergency system recovery; they usually give a very effective result.

Fix error loading operating systems in windows

Error loading operating system windows 7 occurs when the operating system is turned on directly, so the user simply does not have a seemingly huge set of tools to correct this error - the error does not make it possible to turn on the OS even in safe mode in order to gain access to various built-in debugging elements .

Considering the situation described above, some users, when asked what to do - error loading operating system, confidently answer that only reinstalling the OS will help. But for many people this is not always the optimal solution to the problem, so they begin to search for alternative methods.

They really do exist and can help even if the message “error loading operating system” appears when installing Windows 7 from a flash drive.

How to fix loading operating system error? The fact is that there are two main root causes, the consequence of which is this situation:

• Conflicts with the hard drive being used.
• The OS itself has crashed.

Based on these data, the further stages of human actions are built.

The first stage is an attempt to solve the situation with error loading operating system windows 10 or 7 by bringing the hard drive to the desired functional state:

1. Initiate turning off/on the computer.
2. Enter the BIOS settings menu.
3. Travel to the section where the installed hard drive and other devices are displayed.
4. Click on the name of the hard drive to bring up an additional menu.
5. Go to “Access Mode” and set the value to “Large”.

Save all changes just made and try to turn on the system again. If the problem remains the same, then move on to the second step:

1. It is necessary to have a bootable drive on hand. You should start the startup from there - to do this, you almost always need to first go into the BIOS again and set the desired boot priority.
2. After several automatic processes, the launched program will provide the user with access to a menu where it is possible to select an operating system recovery tool.
3. Go to the command line. Select the OS version that should be restored. Most often, the answer to this question will be the number “1” - if the equipment uses one operating system.
4. The next step is to use the command "chkdsk /P/R". After the automatic process is completed, you need to wait until the PC restarts and make sure that the problem is completely resolved.

The final stage - if the first two methods did not help achieve a positive result:

1. Repeat the launch from a bootable CD or flash drive using the method described above.
2. Another transition to the command line and selection of the damaged OS.
3. Alternately entering two commands: “fixmbr” and “Fixboot”. Each time you will need to confirm the planned actions.

In the end, all that remains is to initiate a restart of the equipment again, go into the BIOS again and return the priority to using the operating system from the stationary screw.

Error loading operating system, what should I do?

Hello everyone, “Error loading operating system” is another error due to which the computer sometimes stops working. A little background. Before the weekend, they brought me a computer and asked me to see what was wrong with it, as the user said: “Windows won’t load and an error appears.”

Well, of course, to start diagnosing the problem, I connected it to myself. The computer turned on, seemingly normally, even the BIOS made one short sound, which indicated that the system was ready for operation. But, as soon as it was time to load the operating system, the same error that the user mentioned was immediately displayed in front of me: “Error loading operating system.”

You can immediately draw certain conclusions that the problem is a malfunction of the hard drive or operating system. What could have caused this error? There is no exact answer, since there could be many reasons for the error, starting from an incorrect shutdown of the computer, ending with the installation of some program that could damage system files.

As it turned out, a very large number of different tips and recommendations (such as flashing the BIOS, reinstalling the system or formatting the disk) for eliminating the text message with the error “Error loading operating system” are described on the Internet. But, as it turned out, most of them were simply ineffective and did not bring any benefit. So I had to look for ways to restore the system to a working state on my own. Looking ahead, I’ll say that I succeeded, so read on and you will find out a hundred percent option that will help you cope with the operating system loading error

I want to immediately note that this message appears mainly only on Windows XP. Therefore, all further actions that I will describe below will be shown using this particular operating system as an example. But, if you have this error on Windows 7, then write to me in the comments and I will definitely try to help you.

Getting rid of the “Error loading operating system” error

As I mentioned earlier, I found a lot of advice on the Internet, but for me they were useless. But, I still want to share the topics with you in ways that, in my opinion, are the most appropriate and can really help.

The first of the simplest solutions is to change some settings in the BIOS settings. My examples will be on Pheonix - AwardBIOS, but if you have a different version it's okay, just look for similar names and items. As always, if you have any questions, please leave comments.

Having entered the BIOS, go down one line and select “Standard CMOS Features”.

Additional hard drive settings will open. This is where we click on the “Access Mode” item and select the “Large” value. After that, save the changes and exit the BIOS by pressing the F10 key. We check the result, if it does not help, move on to the next method.

Fixing the error using Check Disk

In this option, to get rid of the “Error loading operating system” error, we need an installation disk with Windows XP (Example of writing windows to disk). Which we insert into the drive and use the BIOS to boot from the disk. The selection and installation of the necessary drivers will begin, so you will have to wait a few seconds. Then, a menu should appear where you need to press the “R” key for the recovery line.

A black screen will appear in the form of a command line; a message should appear on the screen stating that first you need to select the operating system with which we will work. In my screenshot there is only one, so I put the number 1 accordingly, most likely you will have the same.

It will take several minutes to check for errors and correct them, if any were found on the hard drive. At the end of the check, we finish the work in the recovery line with the “Exit” command, after which the computer will begin to reboot, and you just have to check the result of the work done. Again, in case of failure and when the “Error loading operating system” error appears again, we try to get rid of it using the following method.

Getting rid of the “Error loading operating system” error using the Fixmbr command

For this option, as for the previous one, you will need to boot from the installation disk and go to the system restore line. Just like in the previous method using the number 1, select the windows that we will restore and press the “Enter” key.

Now enter the command: fixmbr. A text message will appear on the screen warning you that the existing partition table may be damaged. But, since our windows does not load at all, you can safely press the “Y” (YES) key, which will confirm the start of the process.

Below, we will write the Fixboot command. Once again, a message will appear asking: “Do you want to write a new boot sector to the C: partition?” As in the previous option, click on “Y” and confirm the choice.

Now, having entered “Exit”, go back to the BIOS and change the boot priority from the drive to the hard drive. After the next startup of the computer, its performance should be restored to its previous state.

What to do if an error occurs: Error loading operating system

Surely most of us have encountered a problem that at first glance is quite difficult to solve. It occurs when installing the operating systems Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows XP. In fact, solving the problem that has arisen is not so difficult. In this article, you can find a suitable way to fix the Error loading operating system error.

What does this error mean?

First, you need to understand a little about the essence of the error itself and what it is. Typically, this problem occurs during the process of turning on and loading the operating system of a personal computer. In this case, the following is observed: a black screen and only one inscription in English “Error loading operating system”, which, in fact, means “error loading operating system”.

There may be several reasons for this:

• Old version of BIOS on PC. In this case, the BIOS does not support hard drives with a large amount of memory;
• Incorrect BIOS settings for a given drive;
• The boot partition of the hard drive is not functioning properly. Most often this happens due to surges in voltage supply in the networks.

How to fix error loading operating system code

If you still encounter such a problem when turning on your personal computer, then there is a way to try to fix the problem yourself.

1). First of all, check the BIOS boot order, make sure that the hard drive you currently need is the boot priority. If this is not the case, then change the order yourself.

2). The second thing you can do is edit the BIOS settings. Log into the BIOS itself and go to the settings of the hard drive that did not boot. Adjust the “Access mode” parameter to the “Large” state.

3). If you are the owner of Windows XP (by the way, it is with this version of Windows that such an unpleasant but completely solvable problem most often occurs), then you will need to use the installation disk of your operating system (Windows XP OS) to log into the system. To do this, you must first go into the BIOS, insert the disk into the drive and try to boot from this installation disk. In the menu you need to press “R” in order to call the command to restore the Windows XP operating system. Next, select the desired OS and enter the command to check the disk chkdsk /P/R, then press the “Enter” key. A little patience and time to complete the process, after which you can exit the program.

The Windows XP recovery console should appear like this:

4). Also, if you encounter such a problem, you can generally update the BIOS version. This method is effective.

5). Edit the boot option of the operating system. Everything must be done in the same way as in the third case. After you have entered the menu and using the “R” key to restore the functioning of the OS, you need to enter the number of the desired operating system (this is usually one), and then begin entering through the following:

After this, you need to exit again and your PC will boot again. Starting with Windows 7 and other recent operating systems, you can enter the Bootrec value. And for Windows XP the order of commands will be as follows:

bootrec /FixMbr bootrec /FixBoot bootrec /ScanOs

bootrec /rebuildBcd

How to cure - Error Loading Operating System (replacing HDD with SSD) - 140200.pro

When installing windows or when copying from an old HDD to a new one. After rebooting, the system displays the error “Error Loading Operating System”.

The problem here is in the boot area of ​​the disk. There are two options for solving the problem. More precisely, if the first option does not help, then we also do the second.

1) Boot from the Windows XP or Windows 7 installation disk and launch the command line (aka the recovery console). If you already have Windows XP on your disk, then the recovery console will ask for the administrator password, which is not very convenient. So a Win 7 console is better.

windows xp recovery console

windows 7 recovery console

Type commands in the Win XP console

FIXBOOT then Enter and

FIXMBR then Enter

In seven it is a little more difficult - the teams look like this:

BOOTREC.EXE /FixBoot

BOOTREC.EXE /FixMbr

2) If after a reboot the message “Error Loading Operating System” appears again, then most likely this is a problem with connecting the new large hard drive to the old motherboard.

Go to Bios and go to the hard drive management section:

In the Access mode line set Large

Save (F10), exit and reboot.

If, after all of the above, the system does not try to start, then the problem may be in the HDD; you can try checking it for bad sectors using Victoria.

OS boot problems are a widespread phenomenon among Windows users. This happens due to damage to the means responsible for starting the system - the MBR master boot record or a special sector that contains files necessary for a normal start.

As mentioned above, there are two reasons for boot problems. Next, we’ll talk about them in more detail and try to solve these problems. We will do this using the recovery console, which is contained on the Windows XP installation disk. For further work we need to boot from this media.

If you only have a distribution image, you will first need to burn it to a flash drive.

MBR recovery

The MBR is usually written in the very first cell (sector) on the hard drive and contains a small piece of program code that is executed first when booting and determines the coordinates of the boot sector. If the record is damaged, Windows will not be able to start.

1. After booting from the flash drive, we will see a screen with options available for selection. Click R.

   

2. Next, the console will prompt you to log in to one of the copies of the OS. If you did not install the second system, it will be the only one on the list. Enter the number here 1 from the keyboard and press ENTER, then the administrator password, if there is one, if it is not set, then just click "Enter".

   

   If you have forgotten your administrator password, please read the following articles on our website:

3. The command that “repairs” the master boot record is written like this:

   

   

4. The new MBR has been successfully written, you can now exit the console using the command

   and try to start Windows.

   

   If the launch attempt was unsuccessful, then we move on.

Boot sector

The boot sector in Windows XP contains the boot loader NTLDR, which “fires” after the MBR and transfers control directly to the operating system files. If this sector contains errors, then further start of the system is impossible.

Recovering the boot.ini file

In file boot.ini the order of loading the operating system and the address of the folder with its documents are specified. If this file is damaged or the syntax of the code is broken, then Windows will not know that it needs to start.

Transferring boot files

Except boot.ini files are responsible for loading the operating system NTLDR And NTDETECT.COM. Their absence makes booting Windows impossible. True, these documents are on the installation disk, from where you can simply copy them to the root of the system disk.

1. Launch the console, select the OS, enter the admin password.
2. Next you need to enter the command

   This is necessary to view a list of media connected to the computer.

   

3. Then we need to select the drive letter from which we are currently booting. If this is a flash drive, then its identifier will be (in our case) "\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1". You can distinguish a drive from a regular hard drive by its capacity. If we use a CD, then select "\Device\CdRom0". Please note that the numbers and names may differ slightly, the main thing is to understand the principle of choice.

   So, we have decided on the choice of disk, enter its letter with a colon and click "Enter".

   

4. Now we need to go to the folder "i386" Why are we writing?

   

5. After the transition you need to copy the file NTLDR from this folder to the root of the system disk. Enter the following command:

   and then agree to a replacement if offered ( "Y").

   

6. After successful copying, a corresponding message will appear.

   

7. Next we do the same with the file NTDETECT.COM.

   

8. The final step is to add our Windows to a new file boot.ini. To do this we run the command

   

   Enter the number 1 , enter the identifier and boot parameters, exit the console, boot the system.

   

All actions we take to restore the download should lead to the required result. If you still fail to start Windows XP, then most likely you will have to reinstall. You can “rearrange” Windows while preserving user files and OS settings.

Conclusion

A download “breakdown” does not happen on its own; there is always a reason for it. These can be either viruses or your actions. Never install programs obtained from sites other than official ones, do not delete or edit files that were not created by you, they may turn out to be system files. Following these simple rules will help you avoid having to resort to a complex recovery procedure once again.