Save a Backup Copy of Boot.in
Edit the Boot.in
Sample Boot.ini Fil
Modifying the Boot.in
Adding an Operating Syste
Removing an Operating Syste
Setting the Default Operating Syste
Setting the Time Ou
Open the Boot.ini File to Verify Change
REFERENCE
SUMMAR
This article describes how to view and manually configure the Boot.ini file in Windows XP from within the Startup and Recovery dialog
In Windows XP, you can quickly and easily locate the Boot.ini to verify and/or edit the file
It is suggested to backup the Boot.ini file before editing. The first tasks will involve modifying folder option so as to view hidden files and then backing up the Boot.ini file
back to the top
Save a Backup Copy of Boot.in
Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
-or-
In Control Panel, start the Performance and Maintenance tool, and then click System
On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery
Under System Startup, click Edit. This opens the file in Notepad ready for editing
In Notepad, click File on the Menu bar, and then click Save As
Right click in an empty area of the Save As dialog box, point to New in the Context menu, and then click Folder
Type a name for the new folder, for example temp, and then press the ENTER key to create the folder named temp
Double-click the new folder named temp, and then click the Save button to save a backup copy of the Boot.ini file
back to the top
Edit the Boot.ini Fil
To view and edit the Boot.ini file:
Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
-or-
In Control Panel, start the Performance and Maintenance tool, and then click System
On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery
Under System Startup, click Edit
back to the top
Sample Boot.ini Fil
This is a sample of a default Boot.ini file from a Windows XP Professional computer.
[boot loader
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW
[operating systems
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
This is a sample of the above Boot.ini file after adding another partition running Windows 2000 Professional.
[boot loader
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW
[operating systems
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" /fastdetec
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
back to the top
Modifying the Boot.in
While you can modify the Boot.ini file using the Startup and Recovery dialog, where you can select the default operating system, change the timeout value, or manually edit the file, the following method uses the command line utility, Bootcfg.exe.
Click Start, and then click Run
In the Open text box, type cmd
At the command prompt, type bootcfg /?
The help and parameters for BOOTCFG.exe will display
back to the top
Adding an Operating Syste
At the command prompt, type:
bootcfg /copy /d Operating System Description /ID
Where Operating System Description is a text description (e.g. Windows XP Home Edition), and where # specifies the boot entry ID in the operating systems section of the BOOT.INI file from which the copy has to be made
back to the top
Removing an Operating Syste
At the command prompt, type:
bootcfg /delete /ID
Where # specifies the boot entry ID that you want to be deleted from the operating systems section of the BOOT.INI file (e.g. 2 for the second Operating system that is listed
back to the top
Setting the Default Operating Syste
At the command prompt, type:
bootcfg /default /ID
Where # specifies the boot entry id in the operating systems section of the BOOT.INI file to be made the default operating system
back to the top
Setting the Time Ou
At the command prompt, type: bootcfg /timeout# Where # specifies the time in seconds after which default operating system will be loaded
back to the top
Open the Boot.ini File to Verify Change
Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
-or-
In Control Panel, start the Performance and Maintenance tool, and then click System
On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
Under System Startup, click Edit.
back to the top
REFERENCES
For additional information about this topic, click one of the following links:
Safe-Mode Boot Switches for Windows 2000 Boot.ini File
How to Set Up a Remote Debug Session Using a Modem
