Weird problem booting.

[SloppyC2007]

I've had to install a new motherboard, so I reinstalled Windows XP Pro. Unfortunately, the OS will only boot when I leave the install CD in the drive. I don't boot from the CD, I just leave it in, and everything's perfect. If I take it out, I get an error about no bootable disk being found. I've ensured that no drive letters have changed, tried installing with the SATA enabled/disabled (I'm installing to an IDE HDD), no luck. I've tried repairing Windows from the CD, no change.

Everything's fine if I just remember to have that CD in when I boot, but it's annoying, and I shouldn't have to.

Ideas?

 

[edklite]

not sure, but is your ide drive enabled and set as second optons for boot?

if yes then set it as the first option and see what you get

 

[SloppyC2007]

I can't specify IDE or SATA, just "Hard Drive" but setting that first in the boot sequence will give me the no bootable disk error - I have to set the CD-ROM as the first boot device, Hard Drive second. Then I have to leave the bootable CD in the drive, then just not "push any key to boot from CD." If I set it up that way, everything's fine. This makes no sense to me.

 

[edklite]

now when you say you have tried repairing the os from the cd with no change, what do you mean by that exactly ?

 

[SloppyC2007]

I've gone in to use the bootcfg command to try and repair things. Didn't seem to make a difference.

 

[Guest]

Is this a legal copy of XP Pro or is it a pirated one?

Grumpy

 

[SloppyC2007]

I'm not sure of the relevance of the question.

 

[Guest]

A lot of the pirated XP Pro CDs don't install the boot files (boot.ini, NTLDR & NTDECT.COM) on the hard drive.

Grumpy

 

[SloppyC2007]

Ah. This copy's good - I've used it several times successfully, the only new thing is the motherboard in this machine. I've since downloaded a new copy of XP, though (the original copy that came with the Dell PC obviously won't work).

 

[edklite]

next time you say repair you should mean this xp repair and you should try that also

 

[SloppyC2007]

I haven't bothered with that option, because Windows works perfectly well once it boots. I've also reformatted and reinstalled. So that repair seemed a little unnecessary.

 

[edklite]

the repair is to repair your problem, your problem arrived after your installed so your installation has nothing to do with it, if you want it fixed do a repair

 

[SloppyC2007]

Even though I still have the identical issue after a clean install to a different partition from a different source?

I don't think the problem arose after I installed, it seems more likely to be a pre-existing condition. Maybe I should post this in the motherboard forum, it's a new MSI PM8M-V.

 

[edklite]

no if you getting the same exact problem then its something else

 

[Guest]

Ah. This copy's good - I've used it several times successfully, the only new thing is the motherboard in this machine. I've since downloaded a new copy of XP, though (the original copy that came with the Dell PC obviously won't work).

So it's not a legal version? Did you check if the boot files were on the primary partition?

Grumpy

 

[SloppyC2007]

Boot files are where they belong. I think this is a motherboard issue.

It's not a legal copy, no. I wasn't about to re-purchase a copy just because my Dell crapped out.

 

[Guest]

FWIW, if you replace the mobo in a Dell, you can use a Windows XP OEM CD (either Home or Pro depending on the Product Key) to reload Windows. You just have to call MS to activate and explain that the mobo was replaced. All Windows XP OEM CDs are generic.

Grumpy

 

[pcjim]

Try this, I had this problem once and IT was a bad motherboard. My client did not want to buy a new M.B. I ended up having to re-install XP with BOTH the hard drive and cd-rom on the same IDE channel (hard drive master & Cd-rom slave) worked for me..

 

[Zoron]

Is the hard drive set to master on the primary IDE channel? When you specify which order to boot, did you try putting the hard drive before the CD to see if that worked? When selecting "Hard Drive" in the boot order, you should be able to specify which hard drive to boot from (especially if you have more than one).

 

[SloppyC2007]

So, I fixed it a while back, but forgot to come back with my solution. Problem was this (and I thought so initially, but couldn't find the setting to correct it, hence this thread):

First: this motherboard is fine. It has both SATA and old IDE sockets on it. I've been using the IDE as that's how my disks are partitioned, I don't want to lose my mp3s and have to re-rip 300+ CDs. Plus there's my porn. Anyhoot, the issue was that the boot options were too general. Instead of being able to choose "CD, Floppy, SATA HDD, IDE HDD, etc., " there was only "CD, Floppy, Hard Disk."

I had to find the setting to tell the motherboard to use the IDE over the SATA as the primary boot "Hard Disk." It was looking for boot info on the SATA disk instead, and that's where my problem lay. The option was nested in some submenu that I'd overlooked when I first tried to find a setting like that.

FWIW, if you replace the mobo in a Dell, you can use a Windows XP OEM CD (either Home or Pro depending on the Product Key) to reload Windows. You just have to call MS to activate and explain that the mobo was replaced. All Windows XP OEM CDs are generic.

Grumpy

Hmm, I seem to remember having some issues prior to getting to that point when I tried before, so haven't bothered since. Maybe I'll try that next time. Thanks.