Annoying start up screen

[Alex]

I just installed a new hard drive and did a complete file transfer from the
old one to the new one. Everything works fine except when Windows starts up I
get this screen:

Please Select Operating System To Start:

Windows (Default)
Windows (Default)

Showing the same option twice, 30 second timer, etc. I don't know where it
came from, I only have Windows XP home. It doesn't matter which option I
select or wait for the timer, it still boots to my desktop just fine, but it
is annoying. I know it's a line in the msdos.sys file but I don't know which
one to edit and correct to get rid of it.

Thanks for anyone that can help.

A.

 

[John John]

I just installed a new hard drive and did a complete file transfer from the
old one to the new one. Everything works fine except when Windows starts up I
get this screen:

Please Select Operating System To Start:

Windows (Default)
Windows (Default)

Showing the same option twice, 30 second timer, etc. I don't know where it
came from, I only have Windows XP home. It doesn't matter which option I
select or wait for the timer, it still boots to my desktop just fine, but it
is annoying. I know it's a line in the msdos.sys file but I don't know which
one to edit and correct to get rid of it.

It's in the Boot.ini file.

John

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I just installed a new hard drive and did a complete file transfer from the
old one to the new one. Everything works fine except when Windows starts
up I
get this screen:

Please Select Operating System To Start:

Windows (Default)
Windows (Default)

Showing the same option twice, 30 second timer, etc. I don't know where it
came from, I only have Windows XP home. It doesn't matter which option I
select or wait for the timer, it still boots to my desktop just fine, but
it
is annoying. I know it's a line in the msdos.sys file but I don't know
which
one to edit and correct to get rid of it.

Thanks for anyone that can help.

A.

There is no msdos or msdos.sys in XP. The file you're looking for is the
boot.ini, and you can access this via Control Panel, System, Advanced. In
the Startup and Recovery section click on Settings, then the Edit button.

HTH
-pk

 

[Ron Badour]

Open your boot.ini file and post the contents to this thread. It appears
you have a problem in it and someone can tell you what changes are needed.

 

[David Webb]

Use the msconfig.exe utility. Select the BOOT.INI tab then click on the "Check
All Boot Paths" Button.

To start the msconfig.exe utility, click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the
Open box, and then click OK.

More info on this utility:

How to troubleshoot by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

 

[Alex]

Open your boot.ini file and post the contents to this thread. It appears
you have a problem in it and someone can tell you what changes are needed.

Here it is....

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]



A.

 

[Opinicus]

Here it is....
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]

Anybody have an idea as to how those entries might have been added to the
boot.ini file?

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Those entries ARE the boot.ini file at it's most minimal. Anything less and
the system wouldn't boot. In fact, there should be at least one line
following the ones posted. Mine is:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

Here it is....
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]

Anybody have an idea as to how those entries might have been added to the
boot.ini file?

 

[John John]

Open your boot.ini file and post the contents to this thread. It appears
you have a problem in it and someone can tell you what changes are
needed.

Here it is....
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]

Anybody have an idea as to how those entries might have been added to the
boot.ini file?

??? Which entries? The file is incomplete! If that is all that there
is in the boot.ini file then the OP has more than one file on more than
one partition or the one that he has copied is not in the root folder of
the system drive. The boot.ini file is a hidden system file usually
found at C:\. For XP It typically looks like so:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect


The OP said that he has two choices when he boots and that both start
Windows properly, so he most likely has two line under the Operating
Systems section, as so:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect


He should be able to delete one of the lines without problems, but he
may want to post the *complete* boot.ini file here so that someone may
confirm the entry to delete.

John

 

[Ron Badour]

Did you copy all of the text in the file? As noted by Gary and John, your
boot.ini is incomplete and like John, I expected to see a duplicate line
that needed to be deleted.

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP 1997 - 2007

Open your boot.ini file and post the contents to this thread. It appears
you have a problem in it and someone can tell you what changes are
needed.

Here it is....

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]



A.

 

[Alex]

Open your boot.ini file and post the contents to this thread. It appears
you have a problem in it and someone can tell you what changes are
needed.

Here it is....
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]

Anybody have an idea as to how those entries might have been added to the
boot.ini file?

??? Which entries? The file is incomplete! If that is all that there
is in the boot.ini file then the OP has more than one file on more than
one partition or the one that he has copied is not in the root folder of
the system drive. The boot.ini file is a hidden system file usually
found at C:\. For XP It typically looks like so:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect


The OP said that he has two choices when he boots and that both start
Windows properly, so he most likely has two line under the Operating
Systems section, as so:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect


He should be able to delete one of the lines without problems, but he
may want to post the *complete* boot.ini file here so that someone may
confirm the entry to delete.

John

The contents of my boot.ini file is exactly as I posted it. I didn't leave
anything out. One partition, one file, and it is in the root directory.

But that last line under [operating system]: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition
(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Now what would happen if I were to just add that line in? Let's find out.....

 

[Alex]

Did you copy all of the text in the file? As noted by Gary and John,
your boot.ini is incomplete and like John, I expected to see a duplicate
line that needed to be deleted.

That's it exactly. Nothing missed.
Though when I added the
"multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect" line under the [operating system] section it
produced this result:

Please select operating system to start:

Microsoft Windows XP
Optin / fastdetect

Usual stuff below that - "up/down arrow to highlight choice, enter.....
troubleshoot or advanced options press F8"

A.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Note that the command you added should all be on one line. Is it all on one
line in your Boot.ini file? Are you certain of the spaces and quotation
marks?

I'd rename Boot.ini to Boot.old and then create a new Boot.ini file, or use
the attached copy.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

Did you copy all of the text in the file? As noted by Gary and John,
your boot.ini is incomplete and like John, I expected to see a duplicate
line that needed to be deleted.

That's it exactly. Nothing missed.
Though when I added the
"multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect" line under the [operating system] section it
produced this result:

Please select operating system to start:

Microsoft Windows XP
Optin / fastdetect

Usual stuff below that - "up/down arrow to highlight choice, enter.....
troubleshoot or advanced options press F8"

A.

 

[Ron Badour]

Alex,

It is acting like you have too many " marks. Try renaming boot.ini to
boot.bak and then create a text file and name it: boot.ini To this new
file, copy and paste this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Home Edition"
/fastdetect /NoExecute=OptOut

Save the file and reboot.

In case you don't want to do that, here is an article on editing the
boot.ini that basically says what we have been saying:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=289022

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP 1997 - 2007

Did you copy all of the text in the file? As noted by Gary and John,
your boot.ini is incomplete and like John, I expected to see a duplicate
line that needed to be deleted.

That's it exactly. Nothing missed.
Though when I added the
"multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect" line under the [operating system] section it
produced this result:

Please select operating system to start:

Microsoft Windows XP
Optin / fastdetect

Usual stuff below that - "up/down arrow to highlight choice, enter.....
troubleshoot or advanced options press F8"

A.

 

[Alex]

Alex,

It is acting like you have too many " marks. Try renaming boot.ini to
boot.bak and then create a text file and name it: boot.ini To this
new file, copy and paste this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Home Edition"
/fastdetect /NoExecute=OptOut

Save the file and reboot.

In case you don't want to do that, here is an article on editing the
boot.ini that basically says what we have been saying:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=289022

That still came up with the startup options, but I decided to try editing
the last line to read:

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Home" /fastdetect

And that did it. There's no more startup options screen. Just goes from
POST to Windows now. I don't suppose the old "logo=0" trick would work to
get rid of the windows startup screen?

Thanks to everyone for their help.

Alex

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Note that those last two lines should be one long line.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

Alex,

It is acting like you have too many " marks. Try renaming boot.ini to
boot.bak and then create a text file and name it: boot.ini To this
new file, copy and paste this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Home Edition"
/fastdetect /NoExecute=OptOut

Save the file and reboot.

In case you don't want to do that, here is an article on editing the
boot.ini that basically says what we have been saying:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=289022

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP 1997 - 2007

Did you copy all of the text in the file? As noted by Gary and John,
your boot.ini is incomplete and like John, I expected to see a duplicate
line that needed to be deleted.

That's it exactly. Nothing missed.
Though when I added the
"multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect" line under the [operating system] section
it
produced this result:

Please select operating system to start:

Microsoft Windows XP
Optin / fastdetect

Usual stuff below that - "up/down arrow to highlight choice, enter.....
troubleshoot or advanced options press F8"

A.