Boot in windows xp where is located. Boot ini file in Windows XP
Sometimes when the operating system boots Windows XP The message appears .
This means that the boot file is missing (or corrupted). boot.ini. The loader will load operating system from the C:\WINDOWS folder.
Basically, if the files are not corrupted, then Windows will load, it's just that when loading for some time, the above message will "get" you.
There are several ways to recover a file boot.ini.
Consider how to give a new life to the file boot.ini by using recovery console.
Paste boot disk with installation package Windows XP Professional into the tray CD-ROM, reload ;
- press during reboot Delete to enter CMOS Setup Utility;
- install download from CD-ROM, click F10, the changes made, a reboot will begin;
- when the installer Windows XP will load its files into RAM, a window will appear Windows installation XP Professional, containing the selection menu from which we are interested in the item *To restore Windows XP using the Recovery Console, click;
– press R;
- the recovery console will load. If one is installed on , and it () is installed on disk C:, the following message will appear:
1: C:\WINDOWS
In which a copy of Windows should you sign in?
– enter 1 , click Enter;
- a message will appear:
Enter administrator password:
– enter the password, press Enter(if there is no password, just click Enter);
- the system prompt will appear:
C:\WINDOWS>
– enter bootcfg /rebuild, click Enter;
- a message will appear:
Browse all drives to find installed Windows systems. Wait…
– after a while the following message will appear:
Search installed systems Windows completed successfully.
Note: Search results are statically stored for this session. If the disk configuration changes during a session, you must first restart the computer and then search again to get updated results.
Total Windows systems detected: 1
: C:\WINDOWS
Add system to boot list? (:
– enter Y, click Enter;
- a message will appear:
Enter download ID:
– enter Microsoft Windows XP Professional US, click Enter;
- a message will appear:
Enter download options:
– enter /fastdetect, click Enter;
- at the invitation of the system C:\WINDOWS> enter enter exit, click Enter;
– press Del, sign in BIOS Setup and install download from hard drive;
- download Windows;
- file boot.ini restored.
Notes
1. File bootcfg.exe- this is Boot Configuration Tool.
2. Download ID is the name of the operating system (for example, Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition).
Editing BOOT.INI it is not difficult to produce on a running operating system, you can find it in the root directory system disk C:\, you won't see it right away, because the hidden attribute has been assigned to the BOOT.INI file. How to find the BOOT.INI file can be found in our article. But I suggest something else, let's complicate our task. Suppose you could not boot Windows XP, as a result of an error you made while editing the BOOT.INI file, or it was corrupted by some program. How now to get to our BOOT.INI file and edit it?
Editing BOOT.INI
We will need either a bootable floppy disk, how to create and boot Windows XP from it, read Or you can use the Windows XP distribution kit to change the BOOT.INI file directly into, or a simpler option: Live CD - an operating system that boots from removable media(CD, DVD, USB stick, etc.), which does not require installation on a HDD, if you still don't have one, you definitely need to get one, it's very easy to find such Live CDs on the Internet. We exhibit in BIOS boot from the disk, if you do not know, read and boot from the Live CD, go to the root directory of the "C" drive and find our file there. We open it with any text editor, such as Notepad, it is located in the root directory of the system drive C:\. Here I have given the decryption and contents of a typical BOOT.INI file and, for clarity, I have attached a photo of the computer control.
timeout=20
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional RU" /fastdetect
Decryption:
Controls the download process.
timeout=20 time given to the user to choose a system, in this case 20 seconds
multi(0) disk controller, must be 0
disk(0) this parameter must also be set to 0
rdisk(0) determines the ordinal number of the disk that contains the boot partition, note the numbers start from zero, that is, if you have two hard drives and the operating system is on the first hard drive, then it should be specified like this rdisk(0), look at the Disk Management photo, I have three hard drives
the countdown is not from one, but from zero, the operating system is located on the disk designated as zero, that is, on the first one. In the photo, it is 232.88GB in size.
partition(1) number boot partition hard disk, the numbers start with one, in the photo you can see that the operating system is on partition (1) or in other words on the system partition "C" with a capacity of 92.29 GB.
And the last \WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect.
WINDOWS = path to the directory or, more simply, to the folder where the operating system is installed.
" Microsoft Windows XP Professional"the name of the operating system, by the way, here you can write any name.
/fastdetect is a special key that disables recognition of devices connected to serial and parallel ports.
At the beginning of the article, we also wanted to edit the BOOT.INI file on a working Windows XP, but it seems to me, having read all of the above, editing the BOOT.INI file on a working Windows XP will not be difficult for you.
Here I have given parameters like key/fastdetect : If you are not experienced, be very careful with these options.
- /basevideo system will use the standard VGA driver, used if you have problems with your video card
- /fastdetect system does not detect Plug and Play devices in the process of loading.
- /maxmem apply if RAM works unstable.
- /bootlog is used to find the reason why the system can only boot in safe mode.
- /safeboot When installed, the system will boot in safe mode.
- /sos includes a list of drivers to load on the screen, it will help to find out what the system stumbles on when loading.
- /crashdebug the debugger is loaded and remains inactive until a kernel error occurs.
- /nodebug does not print debug information to the screen.
- /hal specifies the file that is used as hal.dll after loading.
- /kernel specifies the file that is used as ntoskrnl.dll after loading.
Look carefully where you made a mistake and what you entered incorrectly, make the correct changes and try rebooting and logging into your operating system.
Some users require multiple versions of operating systems on their computer to work. Switching between them in the standard version is carried out at reboot. But the PC is configured in such a way that the time to select an OS to run is strictly limited. If the user does not have time in time, the system will turn on by default.
boot.ini file
In Windows XP boot ini is responsible for the boot order. it system file, located in the main directory. The document has a stealth attribute, so you can’t just open it from the explorer. It contains all the operating systems available for entry. From there, you can change their order, the default option, as well as the timeout.
File access options
There are many options for accessing a file, including indirect ones. The article will discuss four simple ways, which will work in any case, regardless of the version of XP.
Option 1: System properties
This method is considered the most popular. Go to category "My computer" Explorer. Hover your mouse over a free area and right-click. Open the folder properties.
There needs to be a section "Additionally". Click on the last (third from the top) button "Options".
Now select "Edit". In this case, boot ini will open in the standard text editor. You can make any changes to it, but do not forget to exit with saving later.
Option 2: Run window
Dialog window "Run" designed to access a large number Windows components. It starts from the menu. "Start" or by pressing Win + R at the same time. In the text box, paste the query msconfig and confirm it.
A window will open system settings. There, select the BOOT.INI section and proceed to make changes.
Option 3: Windows Explorer
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, boot.ini is physically located in the main directory of the Windows logical drive. It is disguised not only by the attribute of stealth, but also by system protection. This was done to close access to it to unprepared users who can make incorrect changes. But now we will consider the option of opening a document through Windows Explorer.
Open the partition with the system (usually - local disk(C:)). On the Browser toolbar, click "Service". There select "Folder properties…" and immediately go to the tab "View". Scroll to the very bottom of the list. Activate the last item "Show hidden..." and uncheck "Hide protected...", then press "OK".
The result of the described actions will be the appearance of many elements that look more transparent than usual. Among them you will find the desired document. Double click on it and start editing.
Important: when all actions are completed, it is advisable to turn on the hiding of system elements again. This will increase the protection of your computer against virus threats.
Option 4: Command line
You can also edit boot ini in Win XP using the command line. In this case, the document itself does not have to be opened, all actions are performed through the command bootcfg with the following additions:
- /timeout "digit" - the time that is given to the user to activate self-selection.
- /add - activates the search Windows versions present in the computer. When the procedure is over, the user will be able to add them to the general list.
- /list - calls the contents of boot.ini to view. In this case, editing is not available.
The command line is launched from the section "Standard" complete list Start items.
Content
Initially, the boot file contains only a few lines.
The first one after the opening one indicates the time during which the operating system selection window hangs for the user. Then comes the indication of the standard OS to boot.
Next, you can find the graph «» . She opens the list of all Windows versions installed on the computer. Note that there are four options available for each item: partition, disk, multi, and rdisk. Still there is one optional - scsi. They all serve to describe the record of the system. Let's look at two of them in a little more detail:
- Partition is used to designate the partition of the physical disk on which the OS is located.
- rdisk stores the number of the hard drive itself.
The remaining parameters will be of interest only to experienced users, since they are associated with different options for the operation of equipment in the BIOS. To change the default OS when starting the PC, it is enough to configure only the two mentioned.
This article describes how to view and modify the Boot.ini file using the Windows XP Startup and Recovery tool. Windows XP contains features that make it easy to view and modify this file.
Before making changes to the Boot.ini file, it is recommended to make it backup. To do this, you must first enable viewing hidden files.
Backing Up the Boot.ini File
- My computer and select the item Properties.
or
On the menu Start select item Run, enter the command sysdm.cpl and press the button OK. - On the tab Additionally in the group click the button Setting press the button Edit. The file opens in Notepad for editing.
- AT " notepad» click File in the panel Menu and select command Save as.
- Right click on an empty space in the dialog box Save as, select a command Create in context menu and then select folder.
- Enter a folder name, for example, temp and press the key ENTER to create a folder named " temp»
- Double-click this folder, and then click Save to save a backup file Boot.ini.
Editing the Boot.ini File
- Right click icon My computer and select the item Properties.
or
On the menu Start select item Run, enter the command sysdm.cpl and press the button OK. - On the tab Additionally in the group click the button Setting. press the button Edit
Boot.ini file example
Below is a sample file Boot.ini, which is used by default on computers under Windows control XP Professional
timeout=30
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
Changing the Boot.ini File
When modifying the Boot.ini file using the Boot and Recovery dialog box, which allows you to select a default operating system, setting a timeout, or manually editing the file, use the command line to type Bootcfg.exe.
Note. The Bootcfg.exe utility is only available in the operating system. Windows system XP Professional. This utility is not available in the operating system Microsoft system Windows XP Home Edition, so the content in this section does not apply to the Windows XP Home Edition operating system
- Click the button Start and select the item Run.
- In field Open enter the command cmd.
- AT command line enter bootcfg /?
- The help and options for BOOTCFG.exe are then displayed.
Adding an operating system
At the command line, type
bootcfg /copy /d /ID#
where operating system description is a text description (for example, Windows XP Home Edition), and # is the number of the item in the "operating systems" section of the BOOT.INI. file that you want to make a copy of
Removing the operating system
At the command line, type
where # is the number of the item to be removed from the "operating systems" section of the BOOT.INI file (for example, 2, which corresponds to the second operating system in the list)
Choosing a default operating system
At the command line, type
where # is the number of the entry in the "operating systems" section of the BOOT.INI file that will become the default operating system.
Setting the waiting time
At the command line, type
where # is the time in seconds after which the default operating system will boot
Opening the Boot.ini file to confirm changes
- Right click icon My computer and select the item Properties.
or
On the menu Start select item Run, enter the command sysdm.cpl and press the button OK. - On the tab Additionally in the group click the button Setting. press the button Edit
Have you ever installed multiple O.S.(Operating systems), on one computer.
If you had to, then you probably noticed that when you start the computer for 30 seconds, it allows us to select that O.S which we would like to download now.
In this case, if you do not make a choice, then the system will boot by default. This function is performed by the Windows bootloader.
As you can see in the screenshot, the bootloader stores only a few lines with information about the system boot.
If you installed or uninstalled Windows incorrectly, the entry about O.C., will be stored in a non-working state in the bootloader boot.ini. To remove it painlessly for the system, you just need to remove the extra line and that's it.🙂.
2 How to create a Windows bootloader
For example, the task is the following.
You suddenly lostboot.ini . At the same time, you have two working operating systems on your computer,WindowsXP and Windows 7.
Do you know that xp,you have it on a separate physical disk, in the sectionc, a Windows 7is on diskD,also on a separate physical disk (i.e.installed in the bodytwo HDD) .
The goal is to make it possible to boot from any system, whileWindows 7should be loaded by default, waiting time 10 sec.
and change it.
The entry will look like this:
timeout=10
default= multi (0) disk (0) rdisk (1) partition (1)\WINDOWS
multi (0) disk (0) rdisk (0) partition (1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XPprofessionalEN" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi (0) disk (0) rdisk (1) partition (1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
As you can see, everything is simple. It was enough for us to change the number of the physical disk in the valuedefault.And after copying the last line, we change the boot and the name of Windows.
Also, if any entries inboot.ini do not work correctly, you can fix them by meanswindows. To do this, the menu start - run - command "msconfig" , find tab boot.ini and press "check all download paths".
In my case, the download pathWindows 7not working, so I agree to remove the line fromboot.ini.
