XP Pro and Server 2003 Dual Boot Boot.ini file

[Guest]

Hi all, I currently have XP Pro on my c: and Server 2003 installed on my F:.
Two completely seperate hard drives, c: is my master and F: my primary slave.

How should my boot.ini file read for doing a dual boot, at the moment I have
no problem getting in to XP but when i select server 2003 at boot the pc just
restarts. The reason for this is researching server for exams.
My current boot.ini looks like 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="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Server 2003"
/fastdetect

Thanks in advance.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Hi all, I currently have XP Pro on my c: and Server 2003
installed on my F:. Two completely seperate hard drives,
c: is my master and F: my primary slave.

How should my boot.ini file read for doing a dual boot,
at the moment I have no problem getting in to XP but
when i select server 2003 at boot the pc just restarts.
The reason for this is researching server for exams.
My current boot.ini looks like 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="Microsoft
Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft
Windows Server 2003" /fastdetect

The boot.ini file is set up correctly if WinXP is on partition 1
and WS 2003 is on partition 2 OF THE SAME HARD DRIVE.
Assuming that they are each in partition 1 of their respective
hard drives, change the "partition" argument on both menu
entries to "1", i.e. "partition(1)". Also change the "rdisk"
argument for WS 2003 to "1", i.e. "rdisk(1)".

Then boot.ini will be set up correctly if the WinXP-
containing hard drive is at the head of the BIOS's hard
drive boot order, i.e. at relative disk position 0 in the boot
order (rdisk(0)), and the WS 2003-containing hard drive to
be at relative disk position 1 in the boot order (rdisk(1)).
Assuming that the hard drive which contains WinXP is at
the head of the BIOS's hard drive boot order, the boot.ini file
(and ntldr and ntdetect.com) in that hard drive will control
the boot-loading of the OS.

If the OS-containing partitions are not both partition 1
on their respective hard drives, set the partition arguments
to be the number of the partition that contains the OS (partition
numbering starts with 1), and make sure that the partition is
marked "active" (which is done using the Disk Management
utility of WinXP). The "active" flag is only significant if there
is more than one partition on a hard drive.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Guest]

Okay, things are getting weird now!
Boot ini currently looks like 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="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Server 2003"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect

If I run msconfig and check the boot paths it comes back saying that
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Server 2003"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect is not a valid OS, however, if I remove the
words Server 2003 and put in 'XP Professional 2' it comes back as okay. If I
reboot with that then when I am given the option of OS and choose the second
one (XP Professional 2) the pc restarts!

 

[Guest]

UPDATE

Okay, boot.ini is fixed, it reads like this and works,

[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
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows Server 2003, Standard"
/noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Only problem now is that when server starts up and I enter admin password it
loads the background but nothing else. No start menu, no icons. All i can do
is ctrl alt del and get the usual options of lock, shutdown etc, even when i
click on task manager nothing loads.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

UPDATE

Okay, boot.ini is fixed, it reads like this and works,

[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
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows
Server 2003, Standard" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Only problem now is that when server starts up and I enter
admin password it loads the background but nothing else.
No start menu, no icons. All i can do is ctrl alt del and get
the usual options of lock, shutdown etc, even when i
click on task manager nothing loads.

Has Windows Server 2003 EVER worked on your system?
I think it's time for a cross-post to:
microsoft.public.windows.server.setup

*TimDaniels*

 

[Guest]

I first installed it last September. Once installed I ran automatic updates
and installed Testout Software on it. It was working fine and i was using it
for about a month then work commitments took hold and I neglected to log on
to it until today. Nothing has been changed on the drive since I last logged
on successfuly last October. From googling my problems I believe it may be
down to Automatic Updates hanging, I can access the event logs if I log in on
XP and load the logs from the F: drive where server is, decription,
'The Automatic updates Service hung on starting'
Now I can easily turn these off in XP but can I turn them off by somehow
accessing the F: drive?
Thanks for the help so far, at least if I can't find a solution i can still
backup all my testout files from F: to C: and do a reinstall.

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

Hey Kevin,

You might want to try renaming one/more of the Windows Update files and when
Win2003 can't find the file, it shouldn't be able to hang on start up.

In your Win2003's system drive, locate and rename the following files:

%systemdrive%\WINDOWS\system32

wuapi.dll
wuauclt.exe
wuaucpl.cpl
wuaueng.dll
wuauserv.dll
wucltui.dll
wupdmr.exe

But renaming any of the above files should work (you don't need to rename
all of them).

Please let us know if this works.

 

[Guest]

Gave it a try but didn't work, now the event viewer just states that it
cannot find the file and hangs.

Will just install server again and see if that works.

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

What about booting into Safe mode and disable the Windows Update service
there?

--
Jabez Gan [MVP]
Microsoft MVP: Windows Server
http://www.blizhosting.com
MSBLOG: http://msblog.resdev.net

 

[Guest]

Safe mode (normal, with networking, command prompt) just take me as far as
black screen with safe mode in corners. No ability to right click, no start
menu, nothing, just the black screen. Safe Mode Command Prompy does give me
command prompt abilities, from there in can terminate processes in command
prompt task manager but nothing helps the actual desktop. I even tried
deleting the windows update files from system32 after testing with them
renamed but again, nothing. Event viewer either returned the errors of update
cannot be found, system hangs, update has caused system to hang.
Could this have anything to do with a change in ISP since I last used server
successfuly from qwest to comcast?

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

I don't think a change in ISP will result into this issue.

Let me suggest that you try a reinstallation of WIndows.

Please see here for instructions:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/

Hope this helps.