Win boot.ini question -- Easy bunny for somone

[John Collier]

I am wanting to adjust my boot.ini file to change the default OS that boots (I currently have a dual-boot system controlled by the Windows boot loader. This was not by choice, but this is how it is, nonetheless.

In the win.ini file, it has the Microsoft entry on top of the list, the Microsoft recovery console next, and the alternate OS as the last option. Of course, this means that the M$ O$ is the default boot.

I want to change that order to make the current last choice the default first choice. I have thought about simply putting the entry from the bottom of the file at the top, but I can't help but notice that the current top listing is full of M$ specific code to identify the IDE controller, the disk, and more.

My basic question is simply this:

Would it break my system to the point of no recovery if I were to replace the first line with all the special M$-specific hardware IDs with the simple listing that goes something like

c:\{filename}={OS_of_choice}


Is this a valid concern or am I just being paranoid?

[Oviwan]

Hy

Check this links:

http://www.oreilly.com/pub/h/2337

and

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Dual_Boot_from_Windows_Bootloader_(NTLDR)_and_why

hope this helps

Regards

[Jon Finley]

To change the boot order is REAL easy.

You can edit the Boot.ini file, or you can change it from within windows through the drop-down selection menu. System, Advanced, Startup.

To change the boot.ini file manually, first change the ReadOnly flag. Change the default line to match the OS line you want to boot with.

Example:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WIN98="Microsoft Windows 98"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional"
/fastdetect /sos /NoExecute=OptIn

default would be changed to:
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WIN98

Jon

[Rich S]

So many ways you can alter your boot.ini file.


See:

http://www.geocities.com/thestarman3/asm/mbr/bootini.htm

or

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q289022

or

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000492.htm


Have a great holiday...


Rich

Say thanks with HP POINTS

[John Collier]

Rich,

Seems as if the first link you provided was a dead one. Must be too popular for the Yahoo servers and their free accounts. Both good and bad news for the site creator (and myself, it would seem.

The other two just assume that a person would be using WinXP. Since this is not a WinXP boot.ini file (it is in fact a Win2kServer environment).

I never thought about it being important to specify exactly what OS it was, not having dealt with the boot.ini in any detail prior to this. Now I know better.

Quick question about your first link. Is it also WinXP specific, or does it give you more info on the possibilities of modifying the boot.ini in general?




For all:

I guess I was not really specific about my real question here. Perhaps I should restate my curiosity just for the record.

I know that there are many different ways to accomplish the same goals regarding this file. Just looking at the current one proves this.

What I wanted to know specifically was if I could simply reorder the lines in my existing boot.ini to get the results I want or if I have to go with a total reformat of the simple:
c:\bootlinux="Linux"
to be a little more like the default Win line if I want it to be first (default) boot.

Of course, there is also the fact that the recovery console was also in the "C:{path}\{file}={name} format as well and I had NOTHING to do with configuring it. Win did that for me, so......

[Rich S]

The first link deals with NT/2000/XP/2003. The syntax to the boot.ini hasn't really changed much in all those operating systems.

Here is a dup of the first link in case it had a break:

http://tinyurl.com/45uss


Rich

[Jon Finley · Accepted solution]

John,

All you would need to do is change your boot.ini file's default line to:

default=c:\bootlinux

Jon

[John Collier]

Rich,

Thanks for the tiny URL, but I still get the following message:

Sorry, this GeoCities site is currently unavailable.
The GeoCities web site you were trying to view has temporarily exceeded its data transfer limit. Please try again later.

Perhaps I will try it later if time permits.


Jon,

That is the type of answer I was really hoping for. I thought it might be that simple, but I wanted someone to confirm for me that I wouldn't break anything if I did it.

I will most likely try that tonight and hand out points to all who contributed at that time.


Thanks everybody.

[Rich S]

JOhn C,

Are you on a company comuter?

I am able to get into that site every time. I am on a highly restricted system too that the DoD controls and can still get on it. If you are at home, you might want to check another geocities site and see if you can access it.

In fact, try this one to see:

http://www.geocities.com/sd4sys/home.html

BTW, A feature in XP now will check your boot.ini to be sure its valid. It in the MSCONFIG command under boot.ini tab.


ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSConfig


and here is another good boot.ini link:

http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/bootini.htm


Happy Holidays...


Rich

[John Collier]

Rich,

You seem to know more links to boot.ini info than anybody I have ever met! They are all very helpful in their own way and I thank you for including them.

As for the Geocites site, it is simply a data transfer cap thing for the one user. No big deal. It works, then it does not. Most sites work fine.

As for the bunny, I had to go with Jon. He was the one that gave the straight forward answer I was searching for (and it worked perfectly, I might add), but this does not mean that any of the response I got were not useful. I am sure that there will be someone that will look at this thread and wonder why I did not choose to give the bunny to someone else, but this is my thread and I get to make the choices :-P~

Happy Holidays to you all and thanks again for sharing all the great info on my thread as well as with the rest of the forum.

The true giving spirit is demonstrated daily here. It is what makes this place so valuable to everybody!


John