XP Only, prior ntldr, HAL errors

C

carversm

Member
I want to try see if Easybcd helps or hinders booting.
I recovered to a new HD my Acronis Backup after the old HD started doing chkdsks and having soft areas.. Many dupe files but Acronis addressed that, I think.
Slow boot with blinking cursor in upper left of XP screen for 1.25 minutes. Then it boots.
If I put a floppy with Boot.inn and ntldr and ntdetect or even a boot CD I Created with those files, it comes up VERY QUICKLY.

So I wanted to try BCD but I want to be able to back out of it.

This is an XP only installed HD and I found those directions. I have a Vista laptop so I did that trick.

I have another backup after the dupe files.

I want to make sure I can revert to the old, boot.ini, ntdetect and ntldr.
Thanks
 
If you install the bootmgr/BCD from vista onto your XP system, it adds an extra step (bootmgr will ultimately chain to NTLDR), so the boot will be slower than a native XP boot.
You need to find the reason for the delay, which is obviously not normal.
Have you checked your BIOS boot sequence ?
It sounds like the system is having to search for the bootloader, instead of being directed to the correct place immediately.

In answer to your question, EasyBCD will enable you to return to a native XP boot with "install XP bootloader"
 
Great ideas. Experts-exchange suggested, and it sounded good, to do Fixmbr Fixboot in THAT order.
So I Installed Recovery console form CD, I did not have it.
When I said fixmbr from RCosnole, it warned me that I had an abnormal MBR. Light bulb came on as I have a Lenovo with, after reading, a 4 sector MBR for the Rescue and recover partition. I can get the Rescue and Recovery fix kit from Lenovo and I brought it down. It scares me when it says I might lose my MFT by replacing the MBR with XP. I'll sleep on that and ask on the Lenovo forum.
I think that BCD certainly can't be any slower than my 1.25 minute wait to find ntldr-ntdetect.
I'll meditate.
As long as the MBR could be put back then I am okay. Of course can I backup the 4 sector Lenovo MBR?
Thanks
 
"factory reset" from your Lenova media should always be available to put you back to square one.
Install XP bootloader from EasyBCD will not give you back your Lenovo custom bootloader, just a vanilla XP.
If you're contemplating the former, (not a bad idea to occasionally refresh your PC by a reinstall to de-clag the registry and remove those few hundred freeware apps you tried once and then forgot) then remember to move your personal files to external storage first.
 
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