Multi-system startup secret: Boot.ini Setup Method _ Installation Tutorial

Source: Internet
Author: User
When we have multiple systems installed on our computers (such as Windows 98 and Windows XP), a System boot menu appears each time you start your computer, where you select the system you want to enter and then enter. This bootstrapper, named Boot.ini, is automatically installed when Windows XP is installed, using which we can easily boot multiple systems on the computer, and through the boot file, set up a personalized boot menu. The Boot.ini file, located in the C-packing directory, is a hidden file that can be started by entering "C:\Boot.ini" in "Run" (Figure 1).

Figure 1

1. Custom Delay time
latency is when the system starts the boot menu and enters the default operating system when the user does not perform any action during the set latency period. The default delay time for the system is 30 seconds. If you feel that the default delay time is too long, you can enter your own required delay time, such as 10 seconds. When set, first open the Boot.ini file (note that you want to remove the hidden, read-only properties of the file), then find the "timeout =" statement under the [Boot Loader] field, and change 30 to 10. We can also modify it in the System Configuration Utility. Type the Msconfig command in Start/Run, and in the System Configuration utility that pops up, click the Boot.ini tab (Figure 2) to enter the required delay time in the "timeout XX seconds" item in the "Boot.ini" interface.

Figure 2

2. Customizing display content
At multiple system startup, there is an operating system selection list that displays the names of all operating systems on your computer, such as Microsoft Windows XP Professional. We can modify these display contents and load some personalized settings. Open the Boot.ini file and locate the [operating systems] field, which displays a list of the current operating systems, in the form of multi (0) disk (0) rdisk (0) partition (3) \windows= " Microsoft Windows XP Professional "/fastdetect. The part of the quotation marks is what is displayed when the system starts, as long as the contents of the quotation marks are changed to the text you want (Figure 1).

3. Define the default boot system
with multiple systems installed, Boot.ini will set one of the systems to be the default boot system, such as Windows XP, which automatically boots the default system boot after a delay time. We can change the default boot system to other systems (such as Windows 98) as needed. Right-click My Computer the first time you change it. Select Properties, click the Advanced option in the System Properties dialog box, and then select the Settings button in the Startup and recovery entry below to pop up a startup and Recovery dialog box (Figure 3). Click the default operating system Drop-down menu in the System Startup key, select a desired system, and click OK.

Figure 3

4. Load Startup parameters, change splash screen
Boot.ini provides a number of parameter commands when booting multiple system launches, which can get different startup effects. Boot.ini is loaded with the/fastdetect parameter by default, indicating that the serial port and parallel port are not checked at startup. In fact, we can change to other parameters, first in "Boot.ini" select the list of systems that need to be changed, then the parameters of the system/fastdetect to the corresponding parameter values. Starting the system later will load some settings information or screen. We can set some parameters in the System Configuration Utility, switch to the "Boot.ini" option, select the system that needs to be changed, and then tick the required startup parameters at the bottom of the startup options. Several common parameters are described here.
/safeboot: Security boot, only drivers and services in Hklm\system\currentcontrolsetcontrol\safeboot are started, followed by three parameters minimal, network, or Dsrepair. Minimal and network allow the system to start under Network connections. The Dsrepair requires that the system call into the Active Directory settings from the backup device. Another option is minimal (Alternateshell), which lets the system transfer to the SHELL program specified by Hklm\system\currentcontrolsetsafeboot\alternateshell instead of using the default Explorer.

/noguiboot: Does not load the VGA driver, it does not display the startup process and the blue screen information when it fails.

/bootlog: Writes the log to the Nnbtlog.txt file.

/basevideo: Boot using standard VGA mode, which is used primarily to display driver failures.

/sos: Displays its name when the driver name is called and is better used when the driver fails to start.

With the above settings, we can easily set the launch menu!

Contact Us

The content source of this page is from Internet, which doesn't represent Alibaba Cloud's opinion; products and services mentioned on that page don't have any relationship with Alibaba Cloud. If the content of the page makes you feel confusing, please write us an email, we will handle the problem within 5 days after receiving your email.

If you find any instances of plagiarism from the community, please send an email to: info-contact@alibabacloud.com and provide relevant evidence. A staff member will contact you within 5 working days.

A Free Trial That Lets You Build Big!

Start building with 50+ products and up to 12 months usage for Elastic Compute Service

  • Sales Support

    1 on 1 presale consultation

  • After-Sales Support

    24/7 Technical Support 6 Free Tickets per Quarter Faster Response

  • Alibaba Cloud offers highly flexible support services tailored to meet your exact needs.