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You cannot start Windows XP after you install Windows Vista so that the computer can start either in Windows Vista or in Windows XP

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Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
©2005-©2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks
Article ID: 933172 - Last Review: April 12, 2007 - Revision: 1.4

You cannot start Windows XP after you install Windows Vista so that the computer can start either in Windows Vista or in Windows XP

View products that this article applies to.

Summary Section

This article describes a problem that occurs if the disk layout changes when you install Windows Vista. To resolve this problem, modify the Windows XP Boot.ini file to point to the correct partition.

You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.
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Symptoms of the problem

After you install Windows Vista so that the computer can start either in Windows Vista or in Microsoft Windows XP, you cannot start Windows XP. When you try to start the computer by using Windows XP, you receive an error message that resembles the following:
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install a copy of the above file.
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Steps to let Windows XP start

To resolve this problem, modify the Windows XP Boot.ini file to point to the correct partition. To do this, follow these steps.

Step 1: Find the Boot.ini file
  1. Start Windows Vista, right-click Start
    Collapse this imageExpand this image
    Start button
    , and then click Explore.
  2. In the Start Menu window, click Folder and Search Options on the Organize menu.
  3. In the Folder Options window, click the View tab.
  4. In the Advanced settings area, click Show hidden files and folders.
  5. Click to clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box.
  6. Click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.
  7. Click Yes to confirm that you want to display operating system files, and then click OK.
  8. Click the drive that contains the Windows XP installation folder. Typically, this drive is drive D.
Step 2: Prepare the Boot.ini file for editing
  1. In Windows Explorer, right-click boot.ini, and then click Properties.
  2. In the boot.ini Properties dialog box, click the Security tab, click Advanced, click the Owner tab, and then click Edit.

    Collapse this imageExpand this image
    User Account Control permission
    If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
  3. In the Change owner to list, click your alias or leave the default Administrators option selected.
  4. Click OK in the "Advanced Security Settings for Boot.ini" window.
  5. Click OK in the Windows Security dialog box.
  6. Click OK in the "Advanced Security Settings for Boot.ini" window.
  7. Click OK in the Boot.ini Properties window.
Step 3: Modify the Boot.ini file
  1. Right-click Boot.ini, and then click Edit.
  2. Find the line in the Boot.ini file that contains the name of the Windows XP operating system. Then, modify this line.

    If the Windows Vista Setup program created a partition in the unallocated disk space in front of the partition where Windows XP is installed, the new Windows Vista partition is marked as partition 1, and the previous Windows XP partition becomes partition 2. In this scenario, you must increment the Windows XP partition value by one. Therefore, if the Boot.ini file contains "partition(1)" for Windows XP, modify this text to "partition(2)." The modified line resembles the following: 
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
  3. Save the changes to the Boot.ini file, and then exit Notepad.
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For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
927817  (http://kbalertz.com/Feedback.aspx?kbNumber=927817/ ) You cannot start Windows XP after you install Windows Vista in a dual-boot configuration together with Windows XP
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APPLIES TO
  • Windows Vista Home Basic
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • Windows Vista Ultimate
  • Windows Vista Business
  • Windows Vista Enterprise
  • Windows Vista Starter
  • Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
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Keywords: 
kbexpertiseinter kbceip kbtshoot kbpending kbbug kbenv kbprb KB933172
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