No harddrive found?

[TKJay15]

I recently attempted to install the Windows Vista Beta 2 opperating system and it didnt work. So i removed it from my computer but it still boots to the windows bootloader and i have to select to boot from a previous opperating system each time i want to load XP. I got tired of having to do this so I decided to try and repair my boot using the XP disc but when i did i couldnt even get to the repair screen because the CD says it does not detect a harddrive. I was wondering whats going on with this because i used this CD to install windows in the first place.

 

[Ididmyc600]

I recently attempted to install the Windows Vista Beta 2 opperating system and it didnt work. So i removed it from my computer but it still boots to the windows bootloader and i have to select to boot from a previous opperating system each time i want to load XP. I got tired of having to do this so I decided to try and repair my boot using the XP disc but when i did i couldnt even get to the repair screen because the CD says it does not detect a harddrive. I was wondering whats going on with this because i used this CD to install windows in the first place.

The question is ,can you still boot from the HD into windows ?

If so you can edit what is called the Boot.Ini file to get rid of the multiple choice startup.

Run explorer click tools /folder options\view choose "show hidden files and folders and also untick "hide file extentions for known file types"

Now browse to the C drive and find Boot.ini and right click it and choose properties, untick read only and apply it, now double click it to open it in notepad it should look like this

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Yours will have more than one entry in which case just delete the one applying to Vista,

Save and close it and reboot, you can also achieve the same by right clicking the "My computer" choose properties and advanced and startup and recovery settings , in there is a way to do it, it's self explanatory so I'll save myself some typing.

If however you can't boot then post back and we will work from there.

 

[TKJay15]

I can boot into windows and i did everything you said but boot.ini was no where to be found. I even used the search utility to try and find it but no go. I may just be looking in the wrong place though. I was looking in the C drive in the Windows folder. Thanks for all your help so far.