subject: How To Fix A Damaged Boot.ini File In Microsoft Windows? [print this page] When you Windows computer hardware seems to power up and run properly, but the operating system does not boot up, you can not get into your system and access data from it. The problem could be due to damaged Boot.ini file. In such situations, you encounter data loss problems as data inaccessibility is a type of data loss. Such cases require windows data recovery to get your business-critical data back.
When Microsoft Windows operating system starts to load or boot up, the NTLDR (NT Loader) program refers to Boot.ini file to check where the OS files are stored and what options to enable as operating system keep on loading. Thus if there is any issue with Boot.ini file, it could render the Windows operating system incapable of starting properly.
When you suspect that your Windows operating system does not boot up because the Boot.ini file has been damaged, you could use special Recovery Console of Bootcfg.exe utility to sort it out and perform Windows Recovery. In order to access the Recovery Console, you must first boot your system with Windows installation CD (Compact Disk).
To use Bootcfg.exe utility from Recovery Console at command prompt, type:
Bootcfg /parameter
Here /parameter could be any of the followings:
/Add: Scans hard drive for all MS Windows installations and enables you to add a new one to Boot.ini file.
/Scan: Scans hard drive for all Microsoft Windows installations.
/List: Lists every entry in Boot.ini file.
/Default: Sets default OS as main boot entry.
/Rebuild: Re-create the Boot.ini file. You must confirm every step in it.
The Bootcfg.exe utility possibly handles most of the problems with system booting. But you should always remember that improper editing of the Boot.ini file requires hard drive formatting. The formatting removes all of the hard drive related errors but also has a disadvantage. Formatting deletes all of the data from your Windows hard drive and you have to go carry out Windows Partition Recovery to retrieve data.
Recovery is best possible with the help of windows data recovery software. The applications use advanced scanning techniques for in-depth scanning of drive and absolute recovery. They allows you to have quick, safe and easy recovery in most of the data loss situations.
Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is the most comprehensive application for smooth, simple and secure recovery of your precious data. It recovers data from FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS5 file system partitions. The software is designed for Windows 7 RC1, Vista, 2003, XP and 2000.
