Problem: After installing XP SP3 you get the following message: “\windows\inf\biosinfo.inf” is missing or corrupt.
Fix: File biosinfo.inf is broken. Replace it with a working version.
The knowledge base article that describes this problem says that this problem may occur after an update if you have “third-party” software installed. The article does not mention SP3 since it was written in 2005 but instead talks about upgrading to Windows XP from a different version of Windows. It really does not help us with SP3 issues
So to be quite honest I don’t know why this error occurs except that I’ve seen it once on a computer after I had removed a whole ton of spyware on it and then installed SP3. I rebooted and received this error.
So what to do? Fortunately Windows is a smart cookie and stores backups of important system files that are modified by the update process. So we merely need to replace the broken file with the backed up healthy file.
You will need to boot into recovery console to replace the file or use software such as the Ultimate Boot Disc for Windows to replace the file. With the ultimate boot disc you merely need to copy and paste, with the recovery console you need to use command line tools.
I’ll outline the recovery console process.
THE METHOD:
- You need to load into the Windows recovery console using your Windows XP OS Disc. I’ll assume you know how to do this. (If you don’t it’s really easy, just ask me on the forums and I’ll be glad to outline the steps.)
- Type in “delete C:\Windows\inf\biosinfo.inf”
- Type in “copy C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\biosinfo.inf c:\windows\inf\biosinfo.inf”
How to explain this problem to the client: This error occurred because updating to Windows XP SP3 did not agree with another program/setting on your system. I merely replaced the faulty file with a healthy one and your system is good to go!
Good luck and tell me how it goes on the forums.
After doing so you might have to Reactivate Windows Like I did and then not only that I got a new Product Key for my windows.
To see if your windows is activated click on start run type in “oobe/msoobe /a” click ok.
To Reactivate Windows click Start, Run type “system32” clcik ok a folder then will pop up.
Scoll down and delete the “wpa.bak , wpa.dbl”.
Click on Start, Run type in “Regedit” then go to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\windows NT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents”
You will then see a LastWPAEventLogged and a OOBETimer.
Right click on the LastWPAEventLogged Delete it.
Double click on the OOBETimer erase everything you see in there you should only have 0000 left save it.
Close everything out and reboot your pc and when it comes back up you will then have to reactivate windows.
Refreshing. There are a million ways to do most anything in windows. It seems a fair amount of “techs” beat theirs chests by complicating things. I like your style.
It worked, as expected. It had been quite a while since I had to use Recovery Console, years in fact.
Hi, pls how do i load into recovry console?. Have already deleted and formated d partition, and d troubl stated after d 1st reboot. Pls help im going crazy over this.
Hello Mark,
You can get into the Windows XP recovery console by following the instructions on this page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654