Repairing boot.ini-winxp-system is starting anyhow

[europanorama]

After succesful repairing of bootsector of an old winxp-hdd(no systemboot) see here
http://www.sysopt.com/showthread.php...accepted-WINXP
at start i see "defective boot.ini"
c:\windows
windows is starting properly.
Comparing boot-inis of old and new system shows no difference:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


should i repair with this method? after backing up systempartition. It seems true-image-backup was ok, there was only a problem on systempartion. maybe i err. will now do also a ghost-backup.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184/de

[Train]

I would try it.

[europanorama]

When i try a new installation(repair-console not working the way it should) i see drive-letters mixed up:

I: systemparTition (should be: C)
C: datapartition (should be: E

have also seen unallocated area of about 2gb.

here are the 3 partitions plus unallocated 2gb
I: systempartition 34gb (C)
unallocated 2gb
D: images (D)
C Data (E)

In a forum someone gives the hint to use the installation-path but not format.
what does that mean, is it wrong?
Will there be a real installation afterwards?

Repairconsole and bootcfg-command is working but asked chdsk did not help.
maybe i should try a repair with repair-program?

[europanorama]

I have found where the problem is:
wrong partition is active.
Is this the solution?
diskpart // Öffnet Programm welches Partitionieren kann
list disk // Zeigt alle Disks an
select disk X // Wähle nun die Systemfestplatte aus
list partition
select partition Y // Wähle Parition mit MBR
active // Setze Partition aktiv

[europanorama]

I should have tried(but forgot) this old repair-method. Maybe not the same issues like when it was succesful.
attaching drive as slave to a systemdrive. need not be the same pc.
then bootsector will could be repaired magically. At least i was successful twice.
I wonder how this could happen. I didnt use partition magic only yesterday when the problem was already there.
ghost takes more time but never let me down. I wonder if this could happen with trueimage or if it was done in background automatically when i tried to repair bootsector with special programs.

[Train]

Evident something worked.