Fix ARC Firmware boot config problem
Windows did not generate ARC name for HAL and System Path

Using bootit, an image of C: partition containing Windows XP pro
was created on a laptop and written to CDs.

That image was restored from cds onto a different laptop.

The result was the above error and failiure to boot.

The solution:

I installed Win XP from Windows XP pro CD and the laptop booted normally.

I used recovery console of windows XP pro CD:

attrib -rh c:\boot.ini

md C:\filez
 
copy C:\boot.ini c:\filez/v

copy c:\windows\system32\hal.dll c:\filez/v

I then removed the laptop hard drive and attached it to an adapter 
which allowed me to connect the laptop HD to the secondary IDE of 
a desktop PC running Win XP from the desktop HD on the primary IDE.

I copied the contents of the filez folder (boot.ini and hal.dll) from
the laptop HD to the floppy diskette in the floppy drive of the 
desktop PC.

The laptop did not have a floppy drive.

I replaced the laptop HD into the laptop and restored the image on CDs

I removed the laptop HD and attached it to the desktop PC as previously
described.

I copied boot.ini from the floppy diskette to the root drive of the 
laptop HD and copied hal.dll to the rootdrive\windows\system32 of the
laptop HD

I replaced the laptop HD into the laptop and booted successfully into
safe mode.

WHY I did all this is because my Win XP image contains many programs 
over and above Windows XP, many tweaks of XP, games, firewall, 
antivirus, etc. Reinstalling all this would consume several hours and 
burn some grey cells too!

Installing XP from the CD over an existing Windows requires you to 
reinstall all the programs again.  A major inconvenience!

I wish the Windows XP Pro CD had the ability to preserve the settings
of a previous Windows XP installation!

Chris