two windows xp professional showing boot up

Hi,

This is a Windows 7 forum, but I maybe able to help. :)

You will have to edit the Boot.ini file in order to remove one of the installations.
This usually happens when you have re-installed XP, or when you didn't complete an installation fully.

Important: Please ensure you remove the correct installation, usually you would leave the default one
and delete the 2nd installation.

I would suggest backing up all important data before attempting anything.

To remove an XP installation from boot:

1. Right click on 'My Computer' and select properties.
2. Go to the advanced tab and click on 'settings' under startup and recovery.
3. Click on the 'Edit' button. The Boot.ini file will open in notepad and it should look something like this:

Code:

[boot loader]
 timeout=30
 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti…
[operating systems]
 multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WI… Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
 multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WI… Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Now you will have to delete the last line starting from multi(0)disk.... /fastdetect (Showing in Red bold). Save the file and reboot your computer to see the changes.

Cheers

Dave

Hi,

Is the first one the default installation?

Are they both on same partitions? Or separate?

Do both XP installations boot?

Post up a screenshot of your Boot.ini file.

To back up your Boot.ini file:

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
   -or-
   Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
2. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
3. Under System Startup, click Edit. This opens the file in Notepad ready for editing.
4. In Notepad, click File on the Menu bar, and then click Save As.
5. Right click in an empty area of the Save As dialog box, point to New in the context menu, and then click Folder.
6. Type a name for the new folder, for example temp, and then press the ENTER key to create the folder named temp.
7. Double-click the new folder named temp, and then click the Save button to save a backup copy of the Boot.ini file.

cheers

Dave

Post the BOOT.INI file please

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

2 exact same lines!!! Delete one line, save the file and reboot. Fixed?

Delete the second line as stated in my 1st post! :)

Hi,

You have marked the thread as solved, can you tell us if it was fixed using
the methods suggested or by another means?
This may help other users with the same issue, in the future.

Thanks

Dave