www.bootdisk.com

There are 4 parts to this readme. Please read each one. 

A windows XP quickboot diskette is used to boot into your otherwise
healthy XP when your startup files are bad, missing, corrupted, or
the MBR is damaged.

While the boot.ini file is technically specific to each machine
depending on what partition you have Windows installed on and if
you have a multiple boot setup, the majority of pcs have windows
on C: in the default folder and are using an IDE hard drive.

Unlike other bootdisks, the quickboot diskette doesn't care where
the 3 main boot files are located, so simply unpacking them to a
disk that has been formatted on an XP pc should result in a workable
disk for the majority of PCs.

The files included are:
boot.ini
ntdetect.com
ntldr

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Part 1. I have two packs for download. The first is called xpquick.zip

xpquick.zip

To create this disk, simply copy these files to an disk that was
formatted on an XP PC. Keep in mind that you can also format a disk in
XP and then use it on another PC like a win9X pc to make this disk. 

One can simply unzip this pack to A:

Of course, it may work on an XP PC using any old disk, depending....

Perhaps you just need a basic boot.ini to copy to the root folder.

To use this disk set the pc to boot from the A: drive first by going
into the bios and setting the boot order. 

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Part 2. The second pack is called xpquick.exe

xpquick.exe

This is an image of a quickboot disk that was formatted in XP and then
an image was made. To create the disk, download the file to a folder on
your hard drive, put a NEW floppy disk in A:, and click on the file to 
make the disk. You dont need an XP PC to create disk. 

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Part 3. The boot.ini file

This is what the boot.ini file looks like on both packs. It's a basic
boot.ini file and assumes XP is on Drive C:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP" /fastdetect

If Win98 is on C: and XP is on drive D: the boot.ini would look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:\ = "Microsoft Windows"

After this disk is created one can also copy your boot.ini from
the root folder on C: to A: and you'll be set if you dont want to
manually edit. 

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Part 4. A common XP bootup error is:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
Windows root \system32\hal.dll
Please re-install a copy of the above file.

The first thing to do if you get this message is NOT to take it's advice. 
The second thing to try is to get a good working copy of a boot.ini file
on C:, or edit the existing file, as that's a VERY common reason for the 
above, mostly incorrect, error message. 

You'll get the same message if you boot with a quickbook diskette that
has a boot.ini file that's incorrect for that system. 


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Kindest regards,
Ed Jablonowski