It appears that the following files are required for Windows XP Pro:
Table 29-1 Windows XP Professional Startup Files
File Name
Disk Location
Description
Ntldr
Root of the system partition
The operating system loader.
Boot.ini
Root of the system partition
A file that specifies the paths to Windows XP Professional installations. For multiple-boot systems, Boot.ini contains the operating system choices that display on the startup menu.
Bootsect.dos (multiple-boot systems only)
Root of the system partition
A hidden system file that Ntldr loads for a Windows XP Professional multiple-boot configuration that includes MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me. Bootsect.dos contains the boot sector for these operating systems.
Ntdetect.com
Root of the system partition
The file that passes information about the hardware configuration to Ntldr.
Ntbootdd.sys
Root of the system partition (required for SCSI or Advanced Technology Attachment [ATA]controllers with firmware disabled or that do not support extended INT-13 calls).
The device driver used to access devices attached to a SCSI or ATA hard disk whose adapter is not using BIOS. The contents of this file depend on the startup controller used.
Ntoskrnl.exe
systemroot\System32
The core (also called the kernel) of the Windows XP Professional operating system. Code that runs as part of the kernel does so in privileged processor mode and has direct access to system data and hardware.
During installation on single processor systems, Windows XP Professional Setup copies Ntoskrnl.exe from the operating system CD. During installation on multiprocessor systems, Windows XP Professional Setup copies Ntoskrnlmp.exe and renames it Ntoskrnl.exe.
Hal.dll
systemroot\System32
The hardware abstraction layer (HAL) dynamic-link library file. The HAL abstracts low-level hardware details from the operating system and provides a common programming interface to devices of the same type (such as video adapters).
The Microsoft Windows XP Professional operating system CD contains several Hal files. Setup copies to your computer the file that fits your hardware configuration and then renames the file as Hal.dll.
System registry file
systemroot\System32
\Config\System
The registry file that contains the data used to create the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SYSTEM. This key contains information that the operating system requires to start devices and system services.
Device drivers
systemroot\System32
\Drivers
Driver files for hardware devices, such as keyboard, mouse, and video.