invalid boot.ini file-- keeps restarting

turned on my xp home machine 2 days ago and it got through the cmos checks screen then flashes for an instant "invalid boot.ini file" then starts over and keeps doing the same thing over and over. I can boot with an xp floppy, but then can't access the cd drives or the main partition of my c drive. I can dir the second partition of the c drive (which HP calls D drive when you're in windows) which has all of the windows files and recovery stuff.
If I boot with a win98 floppy, I can get to the cdroms, and the 2nd partition, but not the first. If I fdisk, I can see both partitions, and my 2nd hard drive (L: in windows), but it says that the first partition is 100% full and I know it shouldn't be (should have about 20 gigs free). I don't have an xp cd, I guess HP figures that second partition with all the files is sufficient.

any ideas on how to get this thing up and running again??

HP pavillion 522n
1.8ghz celeron
256mb ram
40 gig? hd
160gig hd
cd-rw
dvd-rw
onboard video
motorola wireless network pci card
pinnacle av/dv firewire card

Is this any help:

HP Desktop PCs - Performing a System Recovery in Microsoft Windows XP

This is the microsoft page Re: "Invalid Boot.ini"
The solution requires an XP CD.

"Invalid Boot.ini" or "Windows could not start" error messages when you start your computer


...

THANKYOU, THANKYOU, THANKYOU!!!!!!!

I did the f10 thingy, HP recovery. Because the microsoft bulletin says I need the cd, which the HP computer doesn't come with.
I had to do it 3 times, and it got stuck at 71%, and had about 30 files it says it couldn't open, I just clicked ok, and then the 4th time it kept going after I got through all the files it couldn't open, and then I had to restart it 3 times, then set up my wireless network again, but everything is still there!!!!!!

now I hope my pinnacle 9 av/dv program will work now.

thanks for the heads up again, I guess if I read my HP literature, I would have known that's how they do it without xp cd's.


Bless you, and all your family.

The Family sends their Regards!

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