Windows Could Not Start Because of a Computer Disk Hardware Configuration Problem

[ataxy]

ok i posted this on other forum but i guess asking in other place wont hurt

Ok yesterday i was playing a game of BF2 and when i came out my color on the desktop where all wash out sort of like if the brightness was turned up high so anyway i remember having that problem a few year back with another system and just switching resolution and coming back to my resolution was fixing that problem, but not this time, so i decided to reboot to see if it would fix the problem but upon rebooting i was presented with my os choice, winxp pro on my "D" disk and win64 on my "C" disk since i am not often using the win64 install i switched the the boot selection around to boot winxp pro by default in the Boot.ini file
Code:

[boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOW S [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional x64 Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


please note both disk "D" and "C" are single partition disk.
So anyway as i was saying upon rebooting i was presentend with the os choice and i selected winxp pro but right after selecting the os i would received a message saying
Code:

Windows Could Not Start Because of a Computer Disk Hardware Configuration Problem


and some more sorry i did not write down the whole message as i took only that part to make my search on the web.
Now i am still able to boot the win64 install with no hitch so upon making my search true google i found a few link that where recommending to fix manualy or true the repair consolle the boot.ini file so i went on and loaded my winxp cd in and booted from it and selected the "R" repair consolle, weirdly enough the repair consolle asked me wich win install i wanted to boot the one on "C" or the one on "D" i decided to repair from "D", now ounce i was presented with the prompt i entered "bootcfg /?" then chose "/list" to see the system i had listed in the boot.ini now it was telling me that it only had the win64 install, so i decided to do a rebuild of it by entering "bootcfg /rebuild" i was then presented with a "please wait while the computer was searching for all win install", after around 6 minute i was told that two win install where found as expected one on "C" and one on "D" i went on saying to add both of them to the boot.ini one titled "Windows XP Professional" and the other "Windows XP Professional 64bit Edition" and as recommended i entered no boot option for both of them i then went on a booted again.
Upon reboot i was now presented with both old entry and the two new entry i just added, so i choose the new winxp pro entry i made but again i was presented with the
Code:

Windows Could Not Start Because of a Computer Disk Hardware Configuration Problem


message so i rebooted my computer and booted back to my win64 install now here is where thing started to get weirder, here are the entry i had in the new boot.ini
Code:

[boot loader] timeout=30 default=scsi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] scsi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional x64 Edition" multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional x64 Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


as you can see it now says that i have one install on a scsi??? but what scsi anyway i am now stuck there dont know if somebody can help me out i would appreciate as win64 is not that great and as alot of compatibility problem.

***EDIT*** in the first boot.ini i posted i dont know why but the "WINDOW S" is "WINDOWS" dont know why it gets posted with a space between the window and the s

***EDIT2***
forgot to add the "D" disk is still accessible and software that are on it still ruun good

[ataxy]

ok got it fix so hope the info found here will help others here is what i did i do not know wich of the two operation i did fix it but i think its the "fixboot" command that did the job, so what i did was
1-delete the boot.ini file
2-reboot and boot from win cd
3-go to repair consolle
4-do "bootcfg /add" and not "bootcfg /rebuild"
5-reset the two install to the new boot ini
6-ounce the boo.ini was rebuild enter "fixboot"
7-answer yes to prompt about fixing boot in c:
8-enter exit and reboot
9-select wich install to boot and thats it at least it worked for me

here is the new boot.ini that i have
Code:

[boot loader] timeout=20
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="win32"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="win64"

[dooo36]

hi i as wondering if you are still around so you can help me with this same very similar problem. i think i understand what i have to do i was just wondering how to do some of the minor things like deleting the boot.ini file. and i think i understand how to do the rest cause i was trying the rebuild but to no avail.

and how to view the boot.ini code. i think that might help out too if i know whats in it.

let me know if you can help me i would certainly appreciate it.

[dooo36]

by the way i can;t get into any operating system on that machine but when i use the win xp installation disk it allows me to install and repair all as normal i just can;t get it to boot cause of that same error message im getting, that you got too.
and i have tried on several other hard drives, for certain one of the HD's i have tried the same thing and gives me the same error message.
let me break it down a little more..

the 750 gig HD is the one im am currently talking about and i am trying to install win xp pro 64 and i get this error message. funny part is, is that i am only able to load the O/S when i change the settings in my BIOS for that particular HD to "none" and then i reboot and it gos into the windows install or repair. when i reboot leaving the HD settings in the bios to "none" i get "DISK BOOT FAILURE INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER." and then i enter the disk and does the same thing to install or repair.
so then i reset to factory settings in the bios and reboot and i get... the "windows could not start because of a computer disk..." etc..
anyways my deduction of reasoning tells me its the boot.ini file

on the second HD 500 gig i tried to install win xp pro 32 and i'm getting basically the same thing. which is weired cause i would think that the boot.ini file is on the HD right?!

but why do i have to keep changing the settings in my bios on the hard drives in order to get to the installation prompt??!!??

anyways i do have another fresh 500 gig hd i am going to try the install on again. and hopefully it works but my assumption is that i am going to get the same results.

the 4th HD im trying to leave alone in hopes that i can recover any data that i might still have on it.

any help would sure be appreciated thanks.

[Nickeleye]

by the way i can;t get into any operating system on that machine but when i use the win xp installation disk it allows me to install and repair all as normal i just can;t get it to boot cause of that same error message im getting, that you got too.
and i have tried on several other hard drives, for certain one of the HD's i have tried the same thing and gives me the same error message.
let me break it down a little more..

the 750 gig HD is the one im am currently talking about and i am trying to install win xp pro 64 and i get this error message. funny part is, is that i am only able to load the O/S when i change the settings in my BIOS for that particular HD to "none" and then i reboot and it gos into the windows install or repair. when i reboot leaving the HD settings in the bios to "none" i get "DISK BOOT FAILURE INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER." and then i enter the disk and does the same thing to install or repair.
so then i reset to factory settings in the bios and reboot and i get... the "windows could not start because of a computer disk..." etc..
anyways my deduction of reasoning tells me its the boot.ini file

on the second HD 500 gig i tried to install win xp pro 32 and i'm getting basically the same thing. which is weired cause i would think that the boot.ini file is on the HD right?!

but why do i have to keep changing the settings in my bios on the hard drives in order to get to the installation prompt??!!??

anyways i do have another fresh 500 gig hd i am going to try the install on again. and hopefully it works but my assumption is that i am going to get the same results.

the 4th HD im trying to leave alone in hopes that i can recover any data that i might still have on it.

any help would sure be appreciated thanks.

You're not the only one. I just built a new system tonight and put in a WD Raptor that had been used in a previous system and I'm getting the same error. The strange part is that I still get the error when I tell bios to boot straight to the CD-ROM, but when I "press a key" to go into the XP installation it never does anything and goes straight to that error. So I tried a different SATA drive and the same problem. Then I unplugged the power to the drive and bingo... right into the XP setup, but that doesn't do a whole lot of good considering the hard drive is unplugged so I can't reformat!!

Anybody have some thoughts on this? I'd really prefer not to have to buy another drive just so I can install one of these problem drives as a secondary just to clean it off.

[ashrafneo]

Thanks a lot your clear instructions helped me get my HD working again before a crucial school project Thanks again. Ataxy