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My PC thinks I have two copies of Windows installed?

When my computer boots up, it gets past the reading and verifying of the computers components fine and when it gets to the reading of the hard drive to launch a platform (windows xp) it asks me which windows would I like to load? So I have gathered that the computer thinks i have two Windows XP's installed. But the twist is that one is corrupt... as in, it cannot find the system32 file to run the windows platform, while the other version of Windows runs just fine.

I have tried to sort this out myself and have been looking for the file that is telling my computer there are two Windows XP's installed but have not succeeded. Can you help?

Dave's Answer:

This one baffled me too, so I asked my colleague and friend Jim Boyce (author of tons of great computer books, among other things) and here's his response to you:

Sounds like your computer's boot.ini file is configured with multiple operating system entries, and apparently, one is not configured correctly. How did this happen? It could be from an incomplete or aborted Windows installation or someone messing around with the boot.ini file. In any case, you can edit the boot.ini file to delete the incorrect entry.

The first step is to determine which is the correct, functioning one. Boot the system and note the text that the boot menu offers you, or the order in which they are displayed (is the first one in the list the working copy or is it the second?)

Next, boot Windows to the working copy and follow these steps:

Open My Computer and choose Tools, Folder Options.
Click the View tab, place a check beside Show hidden files and folders, and click OK.
Open drive C and look for the file boot.ini.
Right-click boot.ini and choose Properties.
Clear the Read-only check box and click OK.
Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Notepad.
In Notepad, open boot.ini from drive C. Look in the [operating systems] section. There should be two entries, one for each of the boot options offered by the boot menu.

Let's add some text to each one to help you better identify them during boot so you can verify which is working and which is not.
Click in the text that is enclosed in quotes and add a descriptor, like WORKS or DOESN'T WORK. Make sure you add this text somewhere inside the two quotes.
Save the file and restart the computer. At boot, choose the entry that includes WORKS in the operating system description.
If the system boots properly, you now know that the entry with DOESN'T WORK in its description is the one to delete. Open boot.ini in Notepad again, delete the entire line (it will probably start with the word multi or scsi), and save the file
Reboot to make sure the system boots normally.

That should give you the information you need to track down this problem.

Many thanks to Jim Boyce for his splendid, precise help with this problem.

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Comments

There is an additional item that will cause that reaction. As a tech, I can not stress the importance of a security wipe. There are programs out there that will provide this feature. After getting rid of partition viruses, I have noticed the double entry of windows after a dump and reload. If I did NOT do a security wipe, then I get the double entry. I assume that with a security wipe, the boot.ini is blanked also, so I get a totally clean install. I have to assume that without the security wipe, the windows reinstall just writes over the old boot.ini and the reference to the partition virus is left in, even though you deleted the partition virus itself.

Just a heads up.

Posted by: Mic Nelson at November 2, 2005 9:24 AM

I know this is an old article but it's these kind of helpful guides that make life a bit easier when working out windows problems. Just wanted to say thanks because this helped my issue!

Posted by: Makou at May 3, 2007 9:15 AM

Hi Dave,
I've had my PC in for repair several times, upon getting it back, the same problem exist, and I'm hoping you can help. My question; My computer turns pages by two or three at a time. When clicking go back, pages then go back by two or three's. When deleting emails, they also are deleted by two or three, then I have to go into recently deleted, and retrieve the ones that should not be there. What can be the problem? In advance Thank You.

Posted by: Taupe at May 5, 2007 4:12 AM

I have the same problem as listed above. I tried to follow your instructions, however my pc fails to find the boot.ini file that you mention in the instructions. Do you have any suggestions to help me further?

Posted by: Denise Brenneman at August 8, 2007 9:16 AM

You need to uncheck 'Hide protected operating system files' in the View tab, as well as 'Show hidden files and folders' as stated in the solution

Posted by: Sven Lowry at September 5, 2007 4:56 AM

I've had this problem on my girls PC for months. I just fixed a friends pc with new mobo. installed windows and had 2 OS. Found this and it was fixed straight away.

Many, Many thanks

Andy

Posted by: Andy at October 28, 2007 2:42 AM

That way is far too complex. Go to the start menu, go to the run command. Type in msconfig and press ok. Go to the boot.ini tab and click Check All Boot paths. It should pick up the second boot path and offer to delete it or do it automatically (cant remember which).

Posted by: anonymous at November 23, 2007 2:22 PM

Thx for your profesional advice on the boot.ini file. I checked it out and didalso have two operating systems that were installed "windows xp home and proffesional. the xp home did not work so I deleted it. now there is an xp profesional option and a windows default option. the default option also does not ork. However, it is not listed in the boot.ini file. Any ideas of how I can get rid of the default option. to where it just says xp proffesional? Any ideas would be greatly apprcated. thanks in advance.

Posted by: Lance at December 21, 2007 6:07 PM

when you said the following below i was not able to enter text where there are quotes so i tried to delete the file that i did not want but it would not let please help me

Click in the text that is enclosed in quotes and add a descriptor, like WORKS or DOESN'T WORK. Make sure you add this text somewhere inside the two quotes.

Posted by: Carrie at February 6, 2008 2:32 PM

i have a comment like lance comment after i deleted the file it add the default opetion and its not in the boot file so i cant delete it how do i fix it please

Posted by: john griner at March 16, 2008 8:33 PM

"That way is far too complex. Go to the start menu, go to the run command. Type in msconfig and press ok. Go to the boot.ini tab and click Check All Boot paths. It should pick up the second boot path and offer to delete it or do it automatically (cant remember which)."

works simple and perfect! thanks!!

Posted by: Carl at April 26, 2008 1:14 AM

thanks I benefited a lot from your instructions

Posted by: M. A. Khamis at August 1, 2008 8:44 AM

I can't beleive someone else had this issue. And am astonished that I was able to apply this and fix my own computer.

Many thanks to people like you who are there to help.

Thank you so very much.

Posted by: Rita Walker at August 20, 2008 4:44 PM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!