two OS's and boot.ini timer does not work

  • Thread starter Thread starter *ProteanThread*
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*ProteanThread*

i have windows xp installed on my machine on two separate hard drives.
everything boots fine into one OS or the other. however, the count
down timer to automatically select the default OS does NOT work. it is
currently set to 10 seconds; i tried changing the time as well as the
default OS and still nothing. here is a copy of my boot.ini


[boot loader]
Timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Home Edition SP
2" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Programming and
Development" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
 
Go To Control Panel

Open System Properties
Select the Advanced Tab
Select Settings for Startup and Recovery

From there you set up your preferences.

Hope this helps
Michael Wayne
 
i have windows xp installed on my machine on two separate hard drives.
everything boots fine into one OS or the other. however, the count
down timer to automatically select the default OS does NOT work. it is
currently set to 10 seconds; i tried changing the time as well as the
default OS and still nothing. here is a copy of my boot.ini


[boot loader]
Timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Home Edition SP
2" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Programming and
Development" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
Click to expand...

How are you editing the boot.ini file? Directly or using the UI (System
Properties> Startup and Recovery)? If doing it through the UI, which
install of XP are you booting to/logging on with to make the changes? Try
the one that was installed last. Then do your changes.

Or, from either operating system, open boot.ini with Notepad and manually
make your changes. (May want to make a backup of the original boot.ini file
before experimenting.)
 
Try
the one that was installed last. Then do your changes.
Click to expand...

Excuse this error, please. It should be the main XP install that you log on
with to make changes. Not the secondary (last installed) one.
 
Sharon said:
Tried /fixboot from recovery console?
Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058/en-us

A repair install of the "main" operating system should work but will mean
reinstalling all security updates.
Click to expand...


I'm confused; will fixboot from the recovery console mess with anything
else (will i still have to do a repair install)?
 
I'm confused; will fixboot from the recovery console mess with anything
else (will i still have to do a repair install)?
Click to expand...

There are two commands in that article that I would look at closely:
bootconfig and fixboot.

You *shouldn't* have to reinstall either installation. The recovery console
commands are dealing with boot.ini /configuration files for the two
installations. According to that article, recovery console is capable of
doing this. However I have never had to use those commands. /fixboot gets
recommended often for messed up single installs that won't boot because
that code in the special area of the disk is messed up (the one that fdisk
/mbr used to address). Seems it would be worth a try anyhow?

When you run dual boot, you usually install your oldest operating system
first. Then install the newer one. The newer install is the one that picks
up on the presence of the other operating system and adds the boot menu and
alters the necessary files for the boot menu. Since you're running two XPs,
that could get confusing and is why I wondered which XP you were editing
the boot.ini from.

Currently, I'm dual booting but since I'm using a different boot manager I
can't do a test run with recovery console. Sorry.
 
i now reformatted one of the drives and reinstalled windows, still
nothing; but even before i did this, my other drive locks up when i try
to reboot or shutdown, i have to bring up taskmon to reboot or shutdown
(see alt. thread).
 
i now reformatted one of the drives and reinstalled windows, still
nothing; but even before i did this, my other drive locks up when i try
to reboot or shutdown, i have to bring up taskmon to reboot or shutdown
(see alt. thread).
Click to expand...

So you have one bootable XP and "one nothing." Sometimes reformatting is
not enough. Instead try deleting the partition that holds the non-working
Windows during setup, recreating it and then formatting. Then finally
running setup.

Before doing that, edit the boot.ini to get rid of the duff installation.

If it still fails, start a new thread in the windowsxp.setup_and_deployment
group with details of your hardware and your method of installing. Example:
What kind of drives? SATA or PATA or a combination. If SATA, do you have
the drivers on a floppy to do an F6 driver install during setup? Are you
booting with the CD to initialize setup or running it from within the
working XP? Include anything that else that may be of importance. If there
are error messages, include those too.
 
thanks sharon; as it turns out, my ide hd controller went south anyway.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. Sorry to hear about the controller. The problem you were
having was "odd." I don't think this hardware caused them but it could have
been complicating matters and making your troubleshooting more difficult.
 
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