installing problems

[aiha]

I try to install the program in dos (plpinst.com) but after the y for installing i got the message 'harddsik write error',  before that the system says that an application tries to access the hd directly which is not supported. you can close the application or ignore the message.can you help me out ?

[Elmar]

hi,
you are running plpinst.com from a windows command shell. this is not a real dos. the windows command shell does not allow direct harddisk access from dos programs. there are other ways to install the boot manager:
o) from floppy
o) from cd
o) with booting from network
o) from the windows boot menu

regards
elmar

[aiha]

I want a fresh install of windows xp at my latitude c400 which has no floppy drive, no cd or dvd player. The only way seems to be by means of a modular bay cable and a c400 install disk. The bios doesnot support usb boot.
I hope to manage it with plop bootmanager, but your suggestions 1 and 2 are not possible.
3 seems to be very complicated as well. I have a usb hd with windows attached to the laptop and thought to be ready.
Can you help me with installing from the windows boot menu ?

[Elmar]

ok, please read those instructions first.

http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html#wininst

tell me if you understand all steps or if something is unclear

regards
elmar

[aiha]

the exe file is in the iso ? I will try to get it out.
ad the line under the boot.ini ? there is no c:\boot.ini file ? If I can find the boot.ini fili can i open it as txt and add the line or are these 2 command lines in the command shell ?
If that all is done i should be able to install the boot manager. What do I have to do to install it after all the points are done ?

[Elmar]

which windows are you using?

[aiha]

XP

[Elmar]

first of all backup all your data. it seems you are entering new terrain.

how to make the boot.ini visible under xp:
open an explorer
in the explorer menu select tools, then folder options, then view
search for "show hidden files and folders" and enable it
now you should see a file called boot.ini in c:\

to make the boot.ini writeable select propperties of boot.ini and remove the read-only and hidden option.
editing the boot.ini will be required later.

download the plpgenbtldr zip file from here
http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanagerdl.html

and follow the instructions here
http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html#wininst

download contig from here. maybe its needed
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897428.aspx

[aiha]

backing up the data is not the problem I want a fresh install.
new is for sure trying to boot from a usb drive where the bios does not support this
I don't have my folders hidden but even with the search option I cannot find a boot.ini file.

[aiha]

although I cannot find the boot.ini file I can edit it when I type in the command shell edit boot.ini
So now I going through the rest of your suggestions
I let you know !
thanks for your support so far.

[aiha]

Took me some time to try it, work before pleasure.

When editing the boot.ini file it turned out to be empty. So now only the install plop sentence is in the file. Followed the rest of the rules and rebooted the system.
I get the message invalid boot.ini and xp starts up.

So I guess I did something wrong.

[Elmar]

post the boot.ini here

[aiha]

I tried under the additional options to attach the boot.ini file but recieved an error message

[Elmar]

post the content with copy & paste

[aiha]

c:\plop\plpbtldr.bin="Install PLoP Boot Manager"

this is the error message when I tried to upload boot.ini:

cannot access attachement upload path

Thanks for not giving up !

[Elmar]

c:\plop\plpbtldr.bin="Install PLoP Boot Manager"

this is all what in your boot.ini is? there is nothing else? no line with "Windows XP" or so?

[aiha]

Sorry, nothing more !

As mentioned before, there was no boot.ini file and when I run the command shell and typed edit boot.ini I got the empty boot.ini file. So the only thing I entered was the plop install sentence.

Normally this is not a problem because there is only xp on the machine. On other machines I have xp, vista, 7 and playing with linux so there you need the boot.ini

[Elmar]

hmmm, when you start a command prompt and enter "ver", what version do you see?

[SunBlade]

maybe there is a simple solution:

try:

Code Select Expand

notepad c:\boot.ini

when "c:\" is omitted boot.ini could be anywhere

[aiha]

hmmm, when you start a command prompt and enter "ver", what version do you see?

5.1.2600

[Elmar]

i thought windows xp cannot boot without a valid boot.ini but its possible. surprise

ok

if you only want to start the boot manager installer use this

Code Select Expand


[operating systems]
c:\plop\plpbtldr.bin="Install PLoP Boot Manager"


[operating systems] was missing in your boot.ini

if you still want to boot windows and edit boot.ini then use this

Code Select Expand


[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP" /fastdetect
c:\plop\plpbtldr.bin="Install PLoP Boot Manager"


there is no guarantee that this works

[aiha]

i thought windows xp cannot boot without a valid boot.ini but its possible. surprise

ok

if you only want to start the boot manager installer use this

Code Select Expand


[operating systems]
c:\plop\plpbtldr.bin="Install PLoP Boot Manager"

[operating systems] was missing in your boot.ini
there is no guarantee that this works

I've tried this version. There was no remark at all during booting. Without the [operation systems]  it said the boot.ini is not correct but now it boots, you can see it uses the boot.ini (black screen) but no sentence about installing plop.

[Elmar]

and when you use the other boot.ini version?

[tri_zet]

windows xp (ntldr) can boot windows without boot.ini (in case boot.ini missing or invalid), and by default will load windows xp in first partition (if any). i just confirmed this.

try follow this:
1. find your ntldr file, normally in active partition
2. create boot.ini using any text editor and put on the same partition with ntldr

Code Select Expand


[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP" /fastdetect
c:\plop\plpbtldr.bin="Install PLoP Boot Manager"

3. generate and save plpbtldr.bin in the same partition with ntldr and boot.ini
4. reboot, if you can see boot menu then you work on the right partition

[aiha]

and when you use the other boot.ini version?

YES this did the job, thanks for being so patient.
Now next (maybe new topic ?":
I copied an install cd on a harddisk connected with a usb connection to the laptop. I want a fresh install of xp and the laptop doesnot contain a cd player or floppy. Normally you have to use a modular bay cable.
Now I can boot thanks to the bootmanager by means of the usb, but when it tries to access the usb hd it says there is no  ntldr. This is appearantly not part of a normal installation cd ? Should I add something on the usb hd to make it an install device ?

Hope you help me out here as well !

[aiha]

windows xp (ntldr) can boot windows without boot.ini (in case boot.ini missing or invalid), and by default will load windows xp in first partition (if any). i just confirmed this.

try follow this:
1. find your ntldr file, normally in active partition
2. create boot.ini using any text editor and put on the same partition with ntldr

Code Select Expand


[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP" /fastdetect
c:\plop\plpbtldr.bin="Install PLoP Boot Manager"

3. generate and save plpbtldr.bin in the same partition with ntldr and boot.ini
4. reboot, if you can see boot menu then you work on the right partition

I have only one partition so that is not the issue i guess but the part of the boot.ini is correct, see the next reply, it works. Never thought of the ntldr file before you mentioned it and it never came up until now. Now i want to install from an usb hd with the xp install software but it asks for a ntldr file which is not on the usb hd. See alsothe next reply.
thanks for thinking wiith us

[Elmar]

YES this did the job, thanks for being so patient.

good that this part works now

Now next (maybe new topic ?":
I copied an install cd on a harddisk connected with a usb connection to the laptop. I want a fresh install of xp and the laptop doesnot contain a cd player or floppy. Normally you have to use a modular bay cable.

yes, a new topic will be good. i think i can help you

[aiha]

I posted a new topic.
Should I close or lochk this topic ?

[Elmar]

closing or locking is not needed