WHERE IS THIS ELUSIVE "autoexec" FILE?

[nucleus]

where is this elusive "autoexec" file?

background: had a BSOD in winXP pro SP2 (which made windows
unbootable) and since i needed a larger hard drive, i formatted a new
western digital 320MB drive and used their packaged utility to copy
everything (except the corrupt windows folder) from my old drive onto
the new WD320 drive. then i rebuilt winXP pro SP2 from the windows
cd, onto the new hard drive.

now when i boot up, my old autoexec.bat file is definitely getting
executed (i am 100 percent certain of that), but a search will
not show me this autoexec file (either as autoexec.bat or
autoexec.nt),
even though i have folder options set to show hidden files (and the
"hide protected operating system files" is not checked) and also
the search option to show hidden files (and search system folders and
search subfolders). i have tried to find this file, even after booting
to
safe mode. xp will not show me the file!!!

SO, WHERE IS XP HIDING THIS AUTOEXEC FILE??? i need to edit it.

 

[Jose]

where is this elusive "autoexec" file?

background: had a BSOD in winXP pro SP2 (which made windows
unbootable) and since i needed a larger hard drive, i formatted a new
western digital 320MB drive and used their packaged utility to copy
everything (except the corrupt windows folder) from my old drive onto
the new WD320 drive. then i rebuilt winXP pro SP2 from the windows
cd, onto the new hard drive.

now when i boot up, my old autoexec.bat file is definitely getting
executed (i am 100 percent certain of that), but a search will
not show me this autoexec file (either as autoexec.bat or
autoexec.nt),
even though i have folder options set to show hidden files (and the
"hide protected operating system files" is not checked) and also
the search option to show hidden files (and search system folders and
search subfolders). i have tried to find this file, even after booting
to
safe mode.  xp will not show me the file!!!

SO, WHERE IS XP HIDING THIS AUTOEXEC FILE???  i need to edit it.

Could it be that it won't show it to you because it does not exist?

How are you 100% sure your old autoexec.bat is being executed? Why do
you think it is being executed? When do you think it is being
executed? Why do you think you need to edit it?

I haven't touched an autoexec. (or config. file) in many years. When
NT and then Windows rolled around things changed to a .NT extension,
so if you are 100% sure your autoexec.bat file is being executed, I
would find that most curious and then just how you are 100% sure.

I believe that the autoexec.nt and config.nt files only come into play
when you are trying to run a DOS program and probably a CMD from
Start, Run.

Mine are in my c:\windows\system32 and c:\windows\repair folders, but
have a timestamp of more than 8 years ago. If I run mem /c from a DOS
windows, it looks right to me.

Please stop yelling.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

where is this elusive "autoexec" file?

background: had a BSOD in winXP pro SP2 (which made windows
unbootable) and since i needed a larger hard drive, i formatted a new
western digital 320MB drive and used their packaged utility to copy
everything (except the corrupt windows folder) from my old drive onto
the new WD320 drive. then i rebuilt winXP pro SP2 from the windows
cd, onto the new hard drive.

now when i boot up, my old autoexec.bat file is definitely getting
executed (i am 100 percent certain of that), but a search will
not show me this autoexec file (either as autoexec.bat or
autoexec.nt),
even though i have folder options set to show hidden files (and the
"hide protected operating system files" is not checked) and also
the search option to show hidden files (and search system folders and
search subfolders). i have tried to find this file, even after booting
to
safe mode. xp will not show me the file!!!

SO, WHERE IS XP HIDING THIS AUTOEXEC FILE??? i need to edit it.

WinXP doesn't use either AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS; it doesn't
even read them. Usually, the empty files are present in the root of the
system partition simply to provide some backwards compatibility with
legacy applications that "expect" or require their presence. To set
environmental variables, Right-Click My Computer > Properties > Advanced

Environment Variables > System Variables/New (or Edit, as

applicable). You can also add the appropriate line(s) to
C:\Windows\System32 Config.nt.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[John John - MVP]

When Windows is started the autoexec.bat file is parsed for path
variables only and *nothing* else. The option to parse the file can be
changed by way of a registry edit:

INFO: Configuring Parsing of the AUTOEXEC.BAT File
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/124551

The Autoexec.nt and Config.nt files are only used by 16-bit
applications, these files are not used at all for any of the 32-bit
functions, they are not read when Windows XP is booted.

To find the autoexec files run the following commands at a Command
Prompt, pressing <Enter> after each:

cd\
dir /s \a autoexec.*

John

 

[Jose]

     WinXP doesn't use either AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS; it doesn't
even read them.  Usually, the empty files are present in the root of the
system partition simply to provide some backwards compatibility with
legacy applications that "expect" or require their presence.  To set
environmental variables, Right-Click My Computer > Properties > Advanced
 > Environment Variables > System Variables/New (or Edit, as
applicable).  You can also add the appropriate line(s) to
C:\Windows\System32 Config.nt.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

But he is 100% sure his old autoexec.bat is being executed!

I agree - they are not needed and sure as heck do not exist anywhere
on my system.

I am still waiting for the 100% sure part. Then maybe we will know
the real problem, or perhaps, he will tell us his real (Windows XP
oriented) problem.

 

[Jim]

where is this elusive "autoexec" file?

background: had a BSOD in winXP pro SP2 (which made windows
unbootable) and since i needed a larger hard drive, i formatted a new
western digital 320MB drive and used their packaged utility to copy
everything (except the corrupt windows folder) from my old drive onto
the new WD320 drive. then i rebuilt winXP pro SP2 from the windows
cd, onto the new hard drive.

now when i boot up, my old autoexec.bat file is definitely getting
executed (i am 100 percent certain of that), but a search will
not show me this autoexec file (either as autoexec.bat or
autoexec.nt),
even though i have folder options set to show hidden files (and the
"hide protected operating system files" is not checked) and also
the search option to show hidden files (and search system folders and
search subfolders). i have tried to find this file, even after booting
to
safe mode. xp will not show me the file!!!

SO, WHERE IS XP HIDING THIS AUTOEXEC FILE??? i need to edit it.

It is a hidden, system file. You can only view this file if you have turned
off hidden files and turned off hiding of protected system files. On this
computer, the size if C:\autoexec.bat is 0 bytes.

Jim

 

[Jose]

where is this elusive "autoexec" file?

background: had a BSOD in winXP pro SP2 (which made windows
unbootable) and since i needed a larger hard drive, i formatted a new
western digital 320MB drive and used their packaged utility to copy
everything (except the corrupt windows folder) from my old drive onto
the new WD320 drive. then i rebuilt winXP pro SP2 from the windows
cd, onto the new hard drive.

now when i boot up, my old autoexec.bat file is definitely getting
executed (i am 100 percent certain of that), but a search will
not show me this autoexec file (either as autoexec.bat or
autoexec.nt),
even though i have folder options set to show hidden files (and the
"hide protected operating system files" is not checked) and also
the search option to show hidden files (and search system folders and
search subfolders). i have tried to find this file, even after booting
to
safe mode.  xp will not show me the file!!!

SO, WHERE IS XP HIDING THIS AUTOEXEC FILE???  i need to edit it.

I figured it out.

He is booting from a floppy disk.

 

[Alister]

It is a hidden, system file. You can only view this file if you have turned
off hidden files and turned off hiding of protected system files. On this
computer, the size if C:\autoexec.bat is 0 bytes.

Jim

Blimey! if you look 7 lines up in the OP's post (which you quoted) he
says he has turned off Hide protected System files and and set Show
Hidden Files and Folders.

Alister

 

[Alister]

where is this elusive "autoexec" file?

background: had a BSOD in winXP pro SP2 (which made windows
unbootable) and since i needed a larger hard drive, i formatted a new
western digital 320MB drive and used their packaged utility to copy
everything (except the corrupt windows folder) from my old drive onto
the new WD320 drive. then i rebuilt winXP pro SP2 from the windows
cd, onto the new hard drive.

now when i boot up, my old autoexec.bat file is definitely getting
executed (i am 100 percent certain of that), but a search will
not show me this autoexec file (either as autoexec.bat or
autoexec.nt),
even though i have folder options set to show hidden files (and the
"hide protected operating system files" is not checked) and also
the search option to show hidden files (and search system folders and
search subfolders). i have tried to find this file, even after booting
to
safe mode. xp will not show me the file!!!

SO, WHERE IS XP HIDING THIS AUTOEXEC FILE??? i need to edit it.

What did you have in your old autoexec.bat that makes you so sure it is
executing?

XP DOES NOT execute autoexec.bat on boot. And it only runs autoexec.NT
when you open a command prompt.

The only exception is if you originally had Windows 95, 98 or SE and did
an in place upgrade to XP. It then transfers the contents of the
autoexec.bat to the registry. If you have since reloaded windows those
registry entries will not exist.

Alister.

 

[nucleus]

i am booting from hard disk and am POSITIVE the old autoexec.bat
is being executed (i delete certain specific files and wish to
continue
doing that, but i need to add other commands to it). it used to show
me each file that was deleted when it was deleting them at boot time,
but now it deletes them without showing me. you are right, there is no
reference to autoexec.bat or autoexec.nt in the registry. i was
running
XP before the BSOD.

 

[John John - MVP]

Running dir /s \a autoexec.* from the root folder will find the file,
if it doesn't find it the file doesn't exist! Windows NT operating
systems DO NOT execute the autoexec.bat file, it is only parsed for
environment variables:

AUTOEXEC.BAT Is Read by Windows NT
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/104199

INFO: Configuring Parsing of the AUTOEXEC.BAT File
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/124551

If the file is executed then it is started from another one of the
startup locations, for example it would be executed if you were to put
it or put a shortcut to it in your Startup folder. If you think that
the file is executing commands then it can only be happening if the file
is launched from one of the startup locations, get a tool like
SysInternals' Autoruns and find out what is going on when the computer
boots.

John

 

[nucleus]

john, thanks for your reply. the command "dir /s \a autoexec.*" shows
nothing (but as i have stated before, i am 100 percent convinced that
my old autoexec.bat is being executed at boot time).

i even turned off parseautoexec in the registry for "Software\Microsoft
\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ParseAutoexec"
and my old autoexec.bat file is still executed at boot time.

the only entries related to "autoexec" in the registry are
"ParseAutoexec"
and they are all set to "0".

noted in "http://support.microsoft.com/kb/12455", it makes NO mention
of windows xp pro.

as you suggested, i downloaded sysinternals autorun and executed it.
there was certainly NO reference to any autoexec files or startup
files that reference autoexec files.

in my effort to understand this issue, i am puzzled as to why the
"c:\documents and settings" folder has two references to
"computer names"; one is for the current winXPpro system and
the other is for my "old" winXPpro system. the OS will not let me
remove the "old" winXPpro system from the "c:\documents and settings"
folder, even if i boot to safe mode. i wonder if this "retained"
link
to my "old" winXPpro system is how that elusive and hidden
autoexec.bat (or similar batch file) is being executed at boot time?

is there a boot time log file for winXPpro, like there was for
(i think it was bootlog something) win98 ?

 

[Bill in Co.]

Why don't you first check the size of your autoexec.bat file in the C:
directory. Mine is zero bytes (even though I imported much stuff from
Win98SE, which means there is nothing there to execute. And yours may be
too. If it is, then there is nothing there to execute.

 

[John John - MVP]

See in-line below.

john, thanks for your reply. the command "dir /s \a autoexec.*" shows
nothing (but as i have stated before, i am 100 percent convinced that
my old autoexec.bat is being executed at boot time).

Why are you convinced that this file is being executed? You say that
the file is being executed yet you say that the dir command returns
nothing, how can a file that doesn't exist be executed? I don't know
how often we have to tell you that other than parsing the file for
environment variables Windows NT operating systems DO NOT execute the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file! Windows XP is an NT operating system, this is not
Windows 9x, NT operating systems do not use this file.

i even turned off parseautoexec in the registry for "Software\Microsoft
\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ParseAutoexec"
and my old autoexec.bat file is still executed at boot time.

As I said in my other post, if it is running it's being run from another
startup location and being that you can't find any Autoexec.bat files on
your system then this file must have been renamed, for all we know it
could now be called Bonanza.bat!

the only entries related to "autoexec" in the registry are
"ParseAutoexec"
and they are all set to "0".

So then the file would not be parsed, it isn't run for anything!

noted in "http://support.microsoft.com/kb/12455", it makes NO mention
of windows xp pro.

Yes, this also applies to Windows XP. Please run the following test:

Create an Autoexec.bat file with only the following contents:

==========================================
@Echo Off
set foo=foobar

==========================================

Save the file in the root folder of the sytem drive (C:\).
Set the HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ParseAutoexec value to 1

Note: 1 = autoexec.bat is parsed
0 = autoexec.bat is not parsed

Reboot the computer and then at a Command Prompt run the following command:

set foo

What do you see? Now change the ParseAutoexec value to 0 and reboot and
try the set foo command again, what do you now see?

Now, go back in the registry and set the ParseAutoexec value to 1 again
then add an extra line as shown below:

==========================================
@Echo Off
set foo=foobar
md Abracadabra!

==========================================

Reboot the computer, and once again run the set foo command, do you see
the variable? Yes? Now, look for the Abracadabra! folder, do you see
it? What does this test tell you?

If you put the autoexec.bat file or a shortcut to the file in one of the
startup locations it will be executed but other than parsing of the
environment variables it will not be executed from the default location.

as you suggested, i downloaded sysinternals autorun and executed it.
there was certainly NO reference to any autoexec files or startup
files that reference autoexec files.

in my effort to understand this issue, i am puzzled as to why the
"c:\documents and settings" folder has two references to
"computer names"; one is for the current winXPpro system and
the other is for my "old" winXPpro system. the OS will not let me
remove the "old" winXPpro system from the "c:\documents and settings"
folder, even if i boot to safe mode. i wonder if this "retained"
link
to my "old" winXPpro system is how that elusive and hidden
autoexec.bat (or similar batch file) is being executed at boot time?

Your "old" winXPpro system? What is this "old" system? The system
won't let you remove this "old" system? Running the SET command at the
Command Prompt may reveal a few things.

is there a boot time log file for winXPpro, like there was for
(i think it was bootlog something) win98 ?

Yes, tap the F8 key when the computer is booting and Enable Boot
Logging, the Ntbtlog.txt file will be found in the %SystemRoot%
(Windows) folder.

John

 

[Jose]

john, thanks for your reply. the command "dir /s \a autoexec.*" shows
nothing (but as i have stated before, i am 100 percent convinced that
my old autoexec.bat is being executed at boot time).

i even turned off parseautoexec in the registry for "Software\Microsoft
\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ParseAutoexec"
and my old autoexec.bat file is still executed at boot time.

the only entries related to "autoexec" in the registry are
"ParseAutoexec"
and they are all set to "0".

noted in "http://support.microsoft.com/kb/12455", it makes NO mention
of windows xp pro.

as you suggested, i downloaded sysinternals autorun and executed it.
there was certainly NO reference to any autoexec files or startup
files that reference autoexec files.

in my effort to understand this issue, i am puzzled as to why the
"c:\documents and settings" folder has  two references to
"computer names"; one is for the current winXPpro system and
the other is for my "old" winXPpro system.  the OS will not let me
remove the "old" winXPpro system from the "c:\documents and settings"
folder, even if i boot to safe mode.  i wonder if this "retained"
link
to my "old" winXPpro system is how that elusive and hidden
autoexec.bat (or similar batch file) is being executed at boot time?

is there a boot time log file for winXPpro, like there was for
(i think it was bootlog something) win98 ?

Better yet, answer the question that has been asked many times:

Why are you 100% sure your old file is being executed?