Boot.ini

[Guest]

Where is the file Boot.ini in Windows Vista?? I can't find it...Help!! (I'd
like to modify the logon screen)

 

[Jimmy Brush]

Windows Vista uses a brand new bootloader that no longer uses the boot.ini
file for the boot menu.

Windows Vista includes a command-line tool called bcdedit to edit the boot
menu. For more information on this tool, read the TechNet article
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/library/85cd5efe-c349-427c-b035-c2719d4af778.mspx

The easiest way to edit the boot menu is by using a third-party tool. I
recommend Vista Boot Pro http://www.vistabootpro.org/intro.php

If you choose to use the bcdedit command-line tool, you will need to run it
from an elevated command prompt. To do this:

- Click Start
- Type: cmd
- Right-click cmd when it shows up under Programs
- Click Run As Administrator

- JB

Vista Support FAQ
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

 

[Andyistic]

While we're talking about booting, how do you add an entry for Windows XP to
Vista's boot manager without having to revert to NTLDR to get XP loaded?

-- Andy

 

[Jimmy Brush]

I don't think the bootloader for Vista supports booting an older version of
Windows.

- JB

Vista Support FAQ
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Use VistaBoot Pro. I have done it at least once. You may not have a
boot.ini file in XP afterwards, but you can recreate it in the Recovery
Console off the XP cd and XP will boot without it anyway.

 

[John Barnes]

It does. It calls the ntldr (ntdetect.com and boot.ini) to complete the
connection

 

[John Barnes]

How?

Use VistaBoot Pro. I have done it at least once. You may not have a
boot.ini file in XP afterwards, but you can recreate it in the Recovery
Console off the XP cd and XP will boot without it anyway.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

In VBP click the Manage Entries button in the left pane and in the Add an
Entry button in the lower half click on the Legacy OS button. Choose the
drive letter and name the entry. Click the Add button.

 

[Andyistic]

I tried just that - I get errors when I try to boot with that new entry.
Oh well ...

-- Andy

 

[Intel Inside]

You are not the only one that has had this problem Andy.

 

[John Barnes]

You really do need the 3 xp boot files for it to work. On the partition
that you have the Vista Boot file (system partition), copy your XP ntldr,
boot.ini and ntdetect.com files onto the root of the same partition.
You will have to adjust the entries in the boot.ini to reflect the current
ARC set-up. It can be difficult to determine the rdisk, so the easiest
approach is to set up the partition number that XP is on and then one entry
for each hard drive (ie 0,1,2 etc). then try them until you hit the one
that works, then delete the unnecessary entries.