no boot XP after FC4

[Grant Allan]

>> >> just installed FC4 into empty partition on same
>> drive as WindowsXP
>> >> (disk1).  i'm aiming for dual-boot using NTLDR
>> menu.
>> >>
>> >> i think i messed something up, cos now during
>> reboot i get told that
>> >> NTLDR
>> >> can't be found.  strange thing is, when i boot
>> from SystemRecoveryCD,
>> >> and
>> >> then choose the option to boot from "disk1",
>> WindowsXP boots fine (and
>> >> so
>> >> obviously NTLDR is there after all).
>> >
>> > No, it's not.  XP boots because it's partition is
>> "active" but the
>> > actual boot loader that belongs in the MBR is
>> missing.  You need to
>> > either reinstall NTLDR or install grub as your
>> boot manager.
>>
>> hi again,
>>
>> i already have a file named NTLDR in my C:\
>> directory.  when you say to
>> 'install' it, do i have to get a copy of that NTLDR
>> into my MBR?  is that
>> what FDISK /MBR would do?
>>
>> thanks for your advice,
>> grant
>>
>
> I do not see a need to mess with NTLDR.
>
> The problem usually lies with the hidden WinXX
> BOOT.INI file in your root (C:\) directory.

hi,

i tried editing boot.ini as you suggested and there is no improvement - i
still can't boot XP from harddrive directly, but i can by telling rescue
CD to boot from disk1. (also i found that windows couldn't boot from the
extra option that i added to boot.ini)

do you think that maybe it is NTLDR that makes use of boot.ini, rather
than boot.ini being required to point to NTLDR?  seems more likely when i
read about how linux can be booted by adding an appropriate boot.ini entry
- presumably there is no NTLDR being pointed to in that case.

cheers,
grant