Hi,
I'm new user here. My desktop was installed with Linux and Windows OS. Now I'm unable to start Linux during the OS selection. It gives error message which is " Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could not be read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware. Please check the windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information".

I'm not sure what went wrong.

Make sure you installed in this order: Winblow$ first, then GNU/Linux.

Which boot manager are you using, Linux's or Windows??

I'm using Windows boot manager. It seems like boot.ini file is having problem.

hello friend,
Reinstall windowsbut dont go for complete installation better go for recovery console manually or automated recovery console,may be your ntldr file from windows is deleted, so go for automated recovery it will be restored and you can boot windows and for linux u have to edit the grub.
Thank you

Unless I'm misreading, the OP is having a problem booting Linux not Windows.
There is no need to re-install or recover Windows unless there is a problem there.

@drence:
- is Windows itself booting o.k. ???
- what has changed recently ???
- and let's see a listing of boot.ini

it may also help as to what distro you are using

Hi syg00,
you are correct. I can boot into Windows XP without any problem. The PC can't boot Linux OS.

here is the content of boot.ini

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Linux="RedHat Linux"

I guess the configuration was changed lately since this is 1st time I'm using this PC loaded with Linux & Windows XP.

Can you explain what this means ??? Did you only just get (presumably) Redhat installed (by some-one else ???), or did you only just aquire this PC ???.

How many disks do you have ???.
Have a look in your C: drive for a file called Linux.
The normal entry to boot a Linux boot sector record would be;That would be worth a try, but presumes the distro (boot-loader actually) was installed correctly and the sector copied across to the c: partition properly. Only try changing this if you find the file Linux.
You might be lucky.

Hi syg00,
Linux was installed by a diffrent people who used my PC. Confirmed my PC is installed with Linux Red Hat. My PC has 2 hard disk (1 for XP & 1 for Linux). I'm able to use Linux if I dismantel hard disk and power cable for XP hard disk. Means that both OS are working independantly. It seems like the boot.ini unable to load / detect the hard disk loaded with Linux.

No, it means the Linux system wasn't installed properly to allow dual-boot from ntldr.

Best solution for you is to change the boot disk in the BIOS -less stress on the hardware. With luck you should be able to boot both systems from that (Linux) disk, but I don't hold out much hope.
Try it though - it's easy to fix so both systems can be trully dual-booted.

Wouldn't be better to use GRUB instead of the NT Loader?? I don't think it is possible to boot a GNU/Linux distro with the NTLDR.

its possible but not very easy

If dismantling the XP disk allows Redhat to boot it means that grub is installed in the MBR of the second disk. So my advice to change the boot disk means the OP will be using grub.
Also means that the Msoft loader is still in the MBR of the original disk, and so service packs can be installed merely by changing the BIOS boot disk back. XP service packs can't be instlled if grub exists in the MBR - well, they couldn't last time I tried.

Different people have different requirements.

As for ntldr booting Linux, that is certainly do-able. A bit messy, and a serious PITA if you use lilo, but well documented on-line.
Of course, (almost) all of those documents are wrong now that Vista uses a different scheme. Turns out it is easier under Vista - just completely different.