Replacing a Damaged Boot.ini
If your system fails to start due to a damaged Boot.ini file, you can use the following methods to replace the file or to correct errors.
The bootcfg command is a new addition to the Windows XP Professional Recovery Console.
To use the Recovery Console bootcfg command to rebuild a Boot.ini file (Automatic Method)
Start Recovery Console.
At the Recovery Console prompt, type bootcfg /rebuild.
Windows XP Professional scans the hard disks on your system and checks for Windows installations. You can then rebuild the Boot.ini file.
Note
The Recovery Console bootcfg command is not the same as the Windows XP Professional Bootcfg.exe command-line tool. Bootcfg.exe resides in the systemroot\System32 folder and is a stand-alone command-line tool that you cannot use in Recovery Console.
To use Recovery Console to create a new Boot.ini file (Manual Method)
Start Recovery Console.
For more information about installing and using Recovery Console, see "Using Recovery Console" earlier in this chapter and "Tools for Troubleshooting" in this book.
From the Recovery Console prompt, type:
map
A list appears containing hard disk and partition information for Windows XP Professional and other operating systems, such as Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0. Record and use this information to correct errors to an existing Boot.ini file, or to create a new Boot.ini file by using a text editor, such as Notepad, on another computer. (You must use another computer because Recovery Console does not provide text-editing tools.)
When you are trying to copy an existing Boot.ini file to a floppy disk to edit on another computer, be aware that floppy disk write access is disabled by default.