“Biosinfo.inf is missing or corrupt” after Upgrading XP To Service Pack 3
DONT PANIC – This article includes a relatively easy fix for this problem without having to reinstall Windows – Please read on…
I was running Window XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and I recently upgraded using auto update to Service Pack 3. After restarting I got "Biosinfo.inf is missing or corrupt". I tried going into Safe Mode and every option available, but I still kept getting the same error without being able to get into anything to attempt to fix the problem. Pressing the "R" key as advised on screen with the windows CD inserted just reset the PC, allowing the machine to boot from the CD drive.
Microsoft are aware of a similar problem when you upgrade XP and state that this can occur if there is 3rd party software installed like Norton Anti Virus 2003, I had the latest Norton installed as part of BT Total Broadband. Please see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/829784/en-us for the full Microsoft article. The problem is Microsoft only tell you what causes the problem and if you already have the error message after installing XP Service Pack 3, their instructions fail to fix it. There's nothing specific at the time of writing about this error message occurring after installing XP Service Pack 3 either. Since XP Service Pack 3 has recently been released and is often installed automatically using Windows Update, it's likely many people will be experiencing this problem, including lots of BT customers in the UK. It's a nasty shock to suddenly find your PC is left totally useless just after installing Microsoft approved updates, especially if you don't know too much about PCs.
RESOLUTION
If you can get access to another PC that's connected to the Internet, then you can fix this problem relatively easily. If you can read this, then unless this is a printout or the page is saved off-line, you must have access to the Internet, so your relatively lucky. Without another PC you will need a Windows XP CD to fix the problem, you will then have to attempt a repair (I haven't tried this) or failing that, reinstall XP from scratch. Unless you have no other option – I don't recommend recovering with your Windows CD as you could run into all kind of problems, it's time consuming and at worst you could lose your precious files.
In short, to fix this problem, use NFTS4DOS to copy the missing file over from another machine, if your unsure how to do this, here's some more detailed instructions.
You will need:
1. Someone who is reasonably computer literate (you don't need to be an expert). If you're a total beginner, please try to get a friend or college to assist you and show them this document.
2. Access to a working PC that's connected to the Internet, preferably with XP installed.
3. 2 blank floppy disks or blank CDs if either machine doesn't have a floppy drive. If using CDs, the working PC must have a CD burner and software.
Step 1
NTFS4DOS is totally free and allows you to create a boot disk which takes you to a command prompt with access to the C: drive on the problem PC. This application can be a life saver if you can't boot Windows at all and can be used with any NTFS operating system, including Windows 2000, XP and Vista.
Goto the working PC and download NTFS4DOS, Click on the link below
http://www.ntfs.com/products.htm
Towards the bottom of the page, click on Self-extracting Bootable Floppy Disk Creator for NTFS Reader to download a small application to create a bootable floppy disk. If you don't have a floppy disk or even a floppy disk drive, then you can download a CD image by clicking Bootable ISO Image for NTFS Reader. You will then need to extract the file and use a CD Burner like Nero to burn the Image to CD.
Step 2
If possible, download Biosinfo.inf from the following location and copy it onto a 2nd Floppy Disk or burn it to CD. This file definitely works with XP Pro SP2 or SP3, I assume it also works with XP Home, but I haven't tested this.
Click Here to Download Biosinfo.inf (** NEW ** See below for alternative link) or if the working PC has Windows XP installed, you can copy it from the C:\windows\inf directory instead.
** NEW ** The above link to Biosinfo.inf reached it maximum usage allowance, if you can't download above, Click Here to Download Biosinfo.inf from alternative server.
Step 3
Goto the problem PC and boot to NTFS4DOS from either the floppy disk or the CD, it can take a couple of minutes to load. If the PC still attempts to load windows instead of the bootable floppy or CD, you may need to enter the BIOS and change the boot order priority to the Floppy Drive or CD first. Please refer to your user manual for changing BIOS settings as instructions vary depending on your version.
Step 4
You should eventually get come to the NTFS 4 DOS Menu. You now need to copy the missing file across. You can copy the file using the GUI interface if you choose, but I prefer using the standard command prompt (C:), if you can't get to the C:, press CTRL & C.
Insert the floppy disk or CD with Biosinfo.inf on it and copy it to the c:\windows\inf directory.
Example 1) From the floppy type:
copy a:\biosinfo.inf c:\windows\inf
Example 2) If you haven't got a copy of biosinfo.inf or if it doesn't work:
If you've just upgraded to XP Service Pack 3, you can find a copy in the c:\windows\ServicePackFiles\i386 directory. To copy this type:
copy c:\windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\biosinfo.inf c:\windows\inf
Step 5
Reboot and test the problem machine and it should be okay. It takes a bit longer to load Windows the first time after upgrading to SP3 and a blue maintenance screen appears for a short time, this is normal. I had to reinstall Windows Media Player afterwards for some reason, but apart from that my PC has worked fine ever since.
GOOD LUCK!
Terms & Conditions Of Use
This document is freely distributable as its sole purpose is to help as many people as possible resolve the problem in question. Please keep this document intact and complete in it's original form. Article written and relevant on the 9th May 2008, I hope Microsoft will fully resolve this issue in the future making this document obsolete.
Disclaimer
PJCNET cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to any computer systems while following the free instructions on this page, any changes made to your PC are entirely at your own risk. We have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible, but this cannot be guaranteed. I acknowledge that the Biosinfo.inf file download is a very small part of Windows XP which is copyrighted material. It is included with the sole purpose of helping existing end users recover a failed original copy of Windows XP and shouldn't be used for any other purpose. I don't believe that this file alone can be used to assist piracy or any other illegal activity, however I respect Microsoft Corporation and will remove the file immediately at their request.
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Comments:
Comment from admin
Time May 20, 2008 at 11:17 pm 
I’ve just noticed that the biosinfo.inf download link is disabled as it’s reached it’s maximum usage allowance. I didn’t expect such an anflux of downloads and I apologise to the people who haven’t been able to get the file. I have now updated the main instructions with an alternative download link. I’ll test the link regularly and will posting new links if this becomes necessary.
Comment from feliner
Time November 17, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I have the same problem with biosinfo.inf missing after upgrading XP home SP1 to SP3. I can load the NTFS DOS of a floppy and I got into the NTFS menu screen which shows all the files I have on C: drive but nowhere does it let me copy the biosinfo file as you instructed. I cannot get into C: prompt as you described (tried Ctrl-C). The only thing I could do was end the program where it brings me to A: . I tried the copy command from there but it says c:\windows\inf file not found, out of memeory error. It doesn’t let me get into c: either as it says c: invalid drive. I am at wit’s end, because I don’t have the XP CD and can’t do a repair from there. Please advise.
Comment from admin
Time November 18, 2008 at 8:04 am
Please try another copy of NTFS 4 Dos. Try http://www.free-av.com/en/tools/11/avira_ntfs4dos_personal.html as it’s now distributed by Avira and is up to version 1.9. Hopefully you should have more luck. You could instead download and burn the Ultimate Boot CD, see http://www.ultimatebootcd.com and click on PC World Download to download. The ultimate boot CD has a few different utilities to access your hard drive. If not If not, then you need to borrow an XP Disk from somewhere and copy the file over from the recovery console instead. Good luck.
Comment from dave allen
Time December 29, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hi, Ive had this same problem on my Toshiba laptop after downloading SP3. Since the laptop has no floppy drive, I used the CD method mentioned above. After burning the image to the CD, I had about 8 different items/objects listed as being on the CD (all from the burning). So at this point everything seemed fine.
I go to start it on the laptop, and I boot to CD/DVD. It waits about 2 minutes with a little underscore at the top of the screen–like these instructions said it would–but then it gives me the message “the media device failed” or something like that. Then it takes me right back to the other screen saying I have a missing BIOS file.
If you have any thoughts on what might be causing this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.
Also its Windows XP home edition, if that makes any difference.Thanks
Comment from admin
Time December 29, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Hello Dave,
1) You could try booting the CD/DVD you’ve created on a working PC to see if it’s actually working okay, obviously don’t change anything on the working PC if it does boot. If the CD/DVD isn’t working on any PC, then please try option 3 next.
2) If possible, please check the boot device order in the BIOS on the Toshiba Laptop. If you have a Windows XP CD, you can confirm this is okay by inserting this and booting as far as the first XP set-up screen only. If the XP CD doesn’t boot at all or if you haven’t got a Windows XP CD to test, please find out how to get into your BIOS options and check the boot order as the CD/DVD Drive should be selected before the hard drive. Different BIOS’s vary from PC to PC and unfortunately I haven’t got a Toshiba Laptop to look at to advise further. If this setting was incorrect, please try booting from a CD again.
3) If you tried burning the NTFS Reader image to CD, you could try downloading and burning an Ultimate Boot CD from http://www.ultimatebootcd.com as this includes 2 different NTFS 4 DOS applications that might work. If you were trying the Ultimate Boot CD, then you could try the NTFS Reader image instead.
If you have a Windows XP CD to boot off, you could additionally try option “R” to attempt to get into the recovery console as if this works, you could then copy “BIOSINFO.INF” from there. Unfortunately for me however this method wasn’t successful as my PC just kept rebooting in a continuous loop, but it might work on some PCs with this problem.
Best of luck! Please let me know how you get on, if you still are unable to fix it, please let me know the exact error message you are getting and as much information as possible so I can try and assist further.
Comment from dave allen
Time December 31, 2008 at 6:12 am
Thanks for the quick response, Im glad you care enough to help people who need it
Its a bit scary to hear that the XP cd might not even fix this problem–because if worst came to worst i planned on possibly being able to get a copy from a friend in a few days…but so far nothing else I have done has worked…
The NTFS reader CD worked on other computers–just not on mine. I have tried other DOS boot programs, different media like flash drive–nothing. I even got the ultimate boot cd–and guess what–another problem totally unrelated. The CD ISO image wont burn–it worked for the other one–but not for this one. I even tried other burners…all failed. Its just one thing after another really.
What happens, if anything at all, is I get this error “media test failure: check cable”
This is a nightmare…and I know you dont have a toshiba or xp home, but so far I havent found any solutions anywhere.
The irony of it all is that I got SP3 to fix minor issues with my laptop, but it ruined everything.
Thanks for helping though, even if I cant get it to work
Comment from dave allen
Time December 31, 2008 at 6:24 am
Also I have tried switching the boot order, this doesnt change anything, and I assume this is the same as booting to CD, just by default instead of manually doing it..which i use F12 for.
Comment from dave allen
Time January 1, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Alright by some stroke of luck I was able to create a UBCD and it works on the problem computer.
I was hoping it would be simpler to get to a command prompt and everything but so far Im having a bit of trouble navigating around. I found the 2 NFTS programs under filesystem tools, but when i enter them i go through a confusing process of loading screens where it gives me a lot of text and a dialogue box with a 3 second timer on it–it seems automatic since it hardly gives you enough time to read what it is doing.
However when it stops and finished it gives me a command prompt for Q,A, and T —all part of the CD I assume…I dont know how to access the hard drive or anything else from there. I admit I dont know enough about this to be able to figure it out on my own without causing more problems than I started with.
Comment from dave allen
Time January 2, 2009 at 6:52 am
Im really sorry to keep leaving these replies, this should be the last.
I got into the program it works. I just dont know how to copy the file correctly.
I have the file burned to cd. I also have found several versions of the file on the C drive…but I dont know how to correctly copy the file ONTO the c drive in the correct place. In the instructions (this is the NTFS reader im reffering to) you say something about a command prompt–I dont know how to access it and replace the file.
Comment from admin
Time January 4, 2009 at 5:31 am
The file needs to be copied to the c:\windows\inf directory.
If you are in the command prompt, the line where you are typing will begin with “c:\” or perhaps “a:\” and it’s usually on a black screen. If so you need to use the “copy” command in the following format:
copy [source] c:\windows\inf
If you have booted from the CD drive, then please load the CD with biosinfo.inf into the drive and type:
copy biosinfo.inf c:\windows\inf
It should say “1 file(s) copied.”, if not, your not in the correct directory where biosinfo.inf is located. If you know how to get into the correct directory, please do so and type the same copy command again there, if not, please let me know.
If your not in the command prompt at all, please let me know.
Comment from dave allen
Time January 4, 2009 at 7:17 am
i found the command prompt (i assume this is the right one–by hitting ‘browse’ as the program loads instead of ‘ok’
my disk drive is T: however when i do the command copy biosinfo.inf c:\windows. inf I receive this error message
[ "file not found- 'c:\windows\inf'
out of memory error ]
I dont think it recognizes my c drive for whatever reason that may be.
Otherwise i may not have accessed the correct command prompt.
Comment from admin
Time April 7, 2009 at 3:11 am
IF ANYONE NEEDS TECHNICAL HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM – PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT!
Comment from Dave
Time June 22, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I folloed all the above instructions, butwas never able to get a ‘C’ to do a copy?
I got the following message:
[ "file not found- 'c:\windows\inf'
out of memory error ]
How do you get a ‘C’ Prompt after loading NTFS reader
Comment from admin
Time June 23, 2009 at 3:24 am
Dave, I unsure why you’re not getting a C prompt, but please try my comment dated November 18, 2008 at 8:04 am above about trying anther NTFS reader.
Best of Luck
Comment from admin
Time August 31, 2009 at 3:26 am
WOW! Loads of people have been having the same problem, it’s a shame Microsoft still haven’t rectified this problem. If anyone else needs further help, you are welcome to leave a comment.
Comment from conscious
Time September 8, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I’m having this problem, but I just installed Windows 7. I checked on another machine I installed 7 to and it has no biosinfo.inf file! So why am I being told it’s missing if it shouldn’t even need it? Can anyone verify this? Can I just make a blank one and will it populate? I can’t believe I’m even having this issue as it has rendered my PC unusable!
Comment from admin
Time September 11, 2009 at 3:54 am
Conscious, this article was first written before Windows 7 existed even in pre-release and therefore hasn’t took it into account. I’ve used the 64 bit pre-release of Windows 7, but I haven’t studied it technically in great detail as yet. Firstly are you sure that Windows 7 is fully installed and it’s not still trying to load XP?
Okay I’ve just read about someone else who’s had the same problem with Windows 7, I’d try copying the BIOSINFO.INF file across in NTFS4DOS as in the article, but I’m don’t know if it will work as I having got a working Windows 7 PC to check for file locations, versions Etc. at present, sorry. Please let me know how you get on with hopefully a definite solution.
Installing Windows 7 with Windows XP
I know you can’t upgrade XP to Windows 7, well not using the pre-release anyway. If you wanted to keep Windows XP as well as Windows 7, you need to install Windows 7 to another hard disk or partition as then you will get a dual boot menu on your PC’s start-up? If you don’t have a spare partition or hard disk available, I suggest you use a partition utility to make a new partition on your existing hard disk especially for Windows 7, a free partition utility is available at http://www.partition-tool.com/ (the free home edition is good enough for this purpose) but you should always backup any important data first as if things go wrong you could lose the lot (you’ve been warned!). By using the utility, you will need to reduce the size of your main Windows XP partition and then use the free space to create a new NTFS partition for Windows 7. If you get an error during the preliminary checks of the repartitioning process, you should reboot your existing windows and run a CHKDSK /R to repair any disk errors before running it again. It can take a few hours to run CHKDSK /R depending on the size of your disk, but you may want to do this first anyway as an extra precaution. If you don’t understand disk partitions or how to run CHKDSK /R, then I suggest you don’t install Windows 7 without assistance, sorry.
Remember running a partition utility is NOT without dangers, there’s always a slim chance things could go wrong and you could lose your data. Never ever power off your computer while executing a repartition process as in this situation you’re very likely to end up with a corrupt hard disk. Sometimes your PC may appear to have hung while executing the utility and could stay still on a certain completed percentage for up to half an hour or even longer, please be patent, don’t panic and DON’T RESET YOUR COMPUTER!
Run a partitioning utility entirely at your own risk!
Comment from admin
Time November 1, 2009 at 2:57 am
I have to say that I’m amazed just how many people have encountered this problem, please don’t be afraid to register and comment if anyone needs any further help.
Comment from gchq
Time November 9, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Was I sooooo glad to stumble upon this!
I was removing a shit load of viruses from a friends computer – no updates since May so I installed SP3! When you take on a job as a favour and get hit with that at re-boot it usually means saying goodbye to a couple of days.
Thankfully I have a copy of ERD Commander, and it took a few minutes to copy the file over and boot back up to a working system.
Thanks! A real life (well time) saver!
Comment from xis
Time November 19, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Hi, I have the same problem, but I’m using Virtual PC 2007. The problem is that I can boot from a CD or floppy disk. Can you help me? Do you know someone with similar problem?
Comment from admin
Time November 20, 2009 at 3:06 am
I’m sorry, XIS, but I’ve never used Virtual PC 2007. Is there any way you can do a raw file copy to your virtual machine to copy the file across?
Comment from admin
Time December 17, 2009 at 4:22 am
Hirens Boot CD – Another Method to Get To A Command Prompt:
Another way to use NTFS4DOS to obtain a command prompt where one can access your main NTFS windows partition on your hard disk is to download and burn a Hirens Boot Disk. If you have problems with one version of NTFS4DOS there’s 2 other versions to try included on the disk, one is bound to work properly on the offending machine. This excellent boot disk is packed with numerous useful utilities that are invaluable in a problem scenario where Windows won’t boot at all. Please see http://www.9down.com/Hiren-s-BootCD-10-1-265449/ to download or http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd for full details of the many utilities included on the CD. Also remember to ensure the BIOS boot sequences is set to boot off the CD/DVD drive if you intend to boot from a CD.
Good Luck!
Comment from xis
Time December 17, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Hi, I solved my problem using your solution, but I had to copy the files of my virtual machine to another machine with a functional CD/DVD drive. Thanks for the sugestions.
Comment from rcloninger
Time April 13, 2010 at 2:46 am
I’ve copied the Hirens Boot CD, but can’t get the PC to read it. I’ve changed the BIOS to boot from the CD, but no success. Are there specific files that need to be extracted?
Comment from pepefs
Time November 10, 2010 at 9:55 am
Hi,
I have HP Compaq nx6110, with XP Home Ed. I decided format and install win xp pro, since that moment I have this error “Biosinfo.inf is missing or corrupt”, I have tried with 3 diferent copies of win xp, always get the same error.
I also have tried go to repair console, all kinds of chkdsk, all kinds of copying or deleting and replacing the biosinfo.inf file with the one in thes cd’s, always the same error.
Do you have any suggestions? Can any utility of hirens bood cd help me? Wich one would you use?
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Comment from admin
Time May 20, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Problems adding / removing Windows Components:
After fixing the BIOSINFO.INF problem, I later found that I couldn’t add or remove Windows components. Files reported missing when I tried using Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Add/Remove Windows Components. I also couldn’t add Networking components and it wouldn’t even give me the chance to “Have Disk”.
To fix this problem I went to a working PC with XP Professional Service Pack 2 installed (I suspect it would also work okay it if this PC had Service Pack 3 installed, but if using XP Professional, DON’T use a machine with XP Home Edition). I then copied the c:\windows\inf directory onto a CD (you could also use a memory stick). I then simply copied all the files on the working PC c:\windows\inf directory (on the CD or memory stick) to c:\windows\inf on the problem PC, ANSWERING NO REPEATEDLY to all prompts so NOT to overwrite any files what-so-ever, but to copy over all the files that are missing.