HELP!!! Tried to dual boot XP and VISTA on my m1530, now pc wont even boot up!!

Hey guys, I used this guide:

http://apcmag.com/5485/dualbooting_vista_and_xp

I got down to the xp install part and got it installed, I THINK. I have no way of knowing, sicne after it supposedly installed, I haven't seen a vista or xp screen since....

I think the problem is that I didn't have a boot manger already installed, which I think you were supposed to have installed. But I didn't see any instructions on it, so it kinda slipped my mind

Now all I get when i boot the pc is a VERY QUICK flash and i recorded it with my camera and paused it, and it says the following:
"Invalid boot.ini file
Booting from c:\windows....
ntdetect failed"

and then it just restarts and tries again. It never gets past the dell screen, and it does it OVER and OVER until I just hold the power button.

I have tried lots of stuff.

SOme of you pc experts, please help me out. I would try to explain what all I have tried, but it's so much. Please make any suggestions and I will try them.

I don't care about any files at this point as its brand new and haven't put my files form my old pc on it yet.....so I'm not losing anything important.

I'll try anything at this point

Just help me out!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!

EDIT**
Sidenote: If the only problem is that I didnt have a boot manager installed, is there any way I can get it on here now?

Also, would Dell come out and fix this? Or do they only so hardware support?

I don't want to send it back as I got a good machine, I mean EVERYTHING is PERFECT!! (physically anyway)

 

You have to install a bootloader such as EasyBCD. You could try pressing "f3" while it's booting and see what happens.

 

Okay... i am guessing that the boot.ini was corrupted during the installation of xp.
I think you might have tried this one but here you go anyway.
Go to the bio settings (F10 i think)
Set it to boot from cd-rom
Save
Put the vista recovery disk
In the seleting, find and click recover my system or something.
It would process and reboot when done
take out the cd and let it boot
--- Tell me if you still have the problem

 

You can try to either boot off the Vista install disk, and select the repair option, or you can try to repair it using the one on the xp disk.

EDIT: Bah, people beat me to it. And they did it so much more eloquently too.

 

Nothing happens when I press f3.....just beeps a few times...ignores me and then restarts again....

How would I install a boot manager now that I can't get into my system though?

Thanx, but really I don't think the boot.ini is the reason I can't get past this. I have had boot.ini problems on my old systems, and some still do and it still boots up....

I think the problem is the ntdetect failed error

I WILL TRY THIS THOUGH, but I think I tried to run the "startup repair" before and it didn't do anything..

 

You probably just need to go into the Bios like he said, which I think is actually F12, and boot from your Vista CD. Even if you can't just recover, you can at least re-install.

 

i tried booting form vista and reinstalling vista but it doesn't see ANY drives!

the screen that asks you where to install vista is just blank and doesn't detect anything

 

oka if you have a pc avalible go to http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php (get the live cd) and download it burn it to a cd after that restart your broken laptop and hold dow f12 at the dell screen put the cd in and go to the option that says sumthing like boot from cd,dvd when that is loaded right click the largest partion (if you made 1 for xp delet that too) and select "format to" and chose ntfs then hit the tick button and restart your pc then put in the vista cd an boot from cd and the install like normal.

 

ps if you need xp try vm ware (virtual machine)

 

Ok, you said cd, it doesnt have to be a cd does it? Because I only have blank dvd's left.

I really hope I don't have to go get some cause I was in for the night, but if I have to I will.

I'll try it and see.

Downloading right now (connection here at wmu is SLOOOOOW, 23 kb/s right now, might as well have dial-up!!)

will update in a bit after i burn the iso

thanks

 

Well...I did what you said and soon as I booted form that cd...I got this message:

"No bootable devices--strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility
Press F5 to run onboard diagnostics"

.......

this sucks....can I return it to dell like this? or will they come out and try to help me with it?

 

someone please help

 

did you burn the iso (a dvd will do fine)
or did you just copy it to the dvd
you need to burn it

 

(1)use this instead of gparted
http://www.download.com/Parted-Magi...-PartedMag&subj=dl&tag=button&cdlpid=10663999
(2)extract it using winrar
http://www.rarlab.com/rar/wrar371.exe
(3)get and install this
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
(4)Start the program,
Choose "Burn ISO Image"
Choose "Next"
Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd
Select the ISO file
Click on "Burn ISO"
(5)after that restart your broken laptop and hold dow f12 at the dell screen put the cd in and go to the option that says sumthing like boot from cd,dvd when that is loaded right click the largest partion (if you made 1 for xp delet that too) and select "format to" and chose ntfs then hit the tick button and restart your pc then put in the vista cd an boot from cd and the install like normal.

 

You can load the original install disk and choose repair boot loader or something like it. Make sure the CD loads first before the HD.

 

The option i have is reinstalling from the beginning. If you have a important data. Back up in someway.
Format the drive and see what happens and reinstall

 

Well, I've tried eveyrhting up to this point.

I gave up and called Dell and told them what happened (not all of it though )

and after a hr and a half of doing the same stuff I had already tried over the phone with xps support....it was decided we'd salvage the hdd and they're sending me a new one. Should be here tomorrow I think. 1 day service he said....hopefully anyway.

Thanks for all the help.

Can someone instruct me to a guide that is less complicated to dual boot xp?

I told the xps guy I wanted to dual boot xp and he told me it wouldn't work right. I laughed at him because I know people here have got it working just fine....

 

well if you really need xp i recomemd virtualization (get vm ware)

 

e personal messaged u check ur in box

 

i personal messaged u check ur in box

 

Yo man i run vista ultimate and xp in a dual boot config, i used this guide: http://www.syschat.com/dual-boot-vista-xp-vista-already-1946.html
setting up dual boot is the easiest bit, finding drivers is the hard bit... that includes getting xp to recognise your sata drive, i ended up having to use nlite and slipstreaming the sata drivers to install xp, (but i cant recall which ones now).

goodluck dude