Boot.ini problem.

I am running Windows XP Home Edition / Windows XP Professional on more than
one physical disk on my PC.

I do not have a RAID solution on my system.

Each disk may have more than one startup partition (boot / bootable
partition).

Although I do have Norton PartitionMagic installed as well as Norton
BootMagic (for FAT32), I prefer the standard Windows boot-up menu
when having a disk with more than one partition on it.

I select which disk to boot from in the PC's ROM-BIOS.

For example when running a disk having two partitions both with Windows XP
Home Edition I may have a boot.ini file in the root (\) on
drive C: (partition 1) which looks like the following:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect

Partition 2 may be drive D: or perhaps something else.

Another disk with two partitions of Windows XP Professional may have a
boot.ini file on its C: drive (partition 1) which looks like the following:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect

By default as set in these boot.ini files, the C: drive (partition 1) boots
up automatically when no selection has been manually made from the
boot-menu.

Of course I can readily choose to edit these parameters as I prefer.

One of my disks has the following alternative parameters which look like
this (substitute Windows XP Home Edition with Windows XP Professional if
necessary).

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Depending on whether I run Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional or
whether the file system is FAT32 or NTFS,
should I have more or less of these boot.ini files and what should its
contents read to make the system work better ?

Any suggestions out there will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance !

Knut Arvid Keilen

Knut Arvid Keilen

On Sat, 2 Jun 2007 19:06:22 +0200, Knut Arvid Keilen wrote:

If you don't want to read through the comments, the last one has been
copied at the top -

My opinion - Don't do anything.

>I am running Windows XP Home Edition / Windows XP Professional on more than
>one physical disk on my PC.

What boot.ini problem? They all look okay.

>I do not have a RAID solution on my system.

So why mention it.

>Each disk may have more than one startup partition (boot / bootable
>partition).

You do make things complicated don't you.

Stick to the terms,

System Partition - MBR / ntldr.

Boot Partition - Windows OS folder.

>Although I do have Norton PartitionMagic installed as well as Norton
>BootMagic (for FAT32), I prefer the standard Windows boot-up menu

Stick to 1 loader.

>when having a disk with more than one partition on it.

Well it is easy.

>I select which disk to boot from in the PC's ROM-BIOS.

Someone had to do it that way.

>For example when running a disk having two partitions both with Windows XP
>Home Edition I may have a boot.ini file in the root (\) on
>drive C: (partition 1) which looks like the following:
>
>[boot loader]
>timeout=30
>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDO WS
>[operating systems]
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micr osoft Windows XP Home
>Edition" /fastdetect
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micr osoft Windows XP Home
>Edition" /fastdetect
>
>Partition 2 may be drive D: or perhaps something else.

Fine no problems there, however I usually edit the descriptions to make
things easier.


>Another disk with two partitions of Windows XP Professional may have a
>boot.ini file on its C: drive (partition 1) which looks like the following:
>
>[boot loader]
>timeout=30
>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDO WS
>[operating systems]
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micr osoft Windows XP
>Professional" /fastdetect
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micr osoft Windows XP
>Professional" /fastdetect
>
>By default as set in these boot.ini files, the C: drive (partition 1) boots
>up automatically when no selection has been manually made from the
>boot-menu.

Still okay, maybe there is a question somewhere below.

>Of course I can readily choose to edit these parameters as I prefer.
>
>One of my disks has the following alternative parameters which look like
>this (substitute Windows XP Home Edition with Windows XP Professional if
>necessary).
>
>[boot loader]
>timeout=30
>default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDO WS
>[operating systems]
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micr osoft Windows XP Home
>Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micr osoft Windows XP Home
>Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

That's 3 disks then.

>Depending on whether I run Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional or
>whether the file system is FAT32 or NTFS,

File system is your choice it doesn't matter in the OS selection.

>should I have more or less of these boot.ini files and what should its

If you have 3 disks each with a MBR and the OS menu you are stuck with
the BIOS selection method. You can have only 1 active bootable MBR at a
time.

>contents read to make the system work better ?

Better how? You don't want to pick the BIOS options, you don't want 3
boot.ini files?

>Any suggestions out there will be appreciated.

Find a boot manager, you mentioned 2 earlier, pick 1 and use it. Any
good boot manager will swap the active boot partitions by hiding those
you don't want to pick.


If you want to have only 1 Windows OS selection menu then you have to
read the Microsoft articles on the ARC boot.ini commands, and figure out

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)

how to refer to the other partitions on the other disks.

BOOT.INI and ARC Path Naming Conventions and Usage
This article explains the conventions in the Advanced RISC Computing
(ARC) specifications that are used to define the path to a Windows NT
installation on ...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/102873 - Similar pages

Remember this is based on the disk you have the bootable active
partition on, so if you pick the disk in the BIOS and then work out the
numbering scheme from there.

There is likely to be other issues, but from your previous posts and
this one telling you about the active partitions, backups, reformatting
and likely many other things isn't going to help you except to be more
confused.

Of course the big problem with all of this is if you boot from 1 disk,
run an OS from another your C and D drive letter mappings won't be the
same and then the OS installed program files paths will all fall over.


Another choice is backup everything, have 1 disk with the MBR on it,
create the partitions on any disk you need and reinstall Windows and
your Apps to as many partitions you need. This will give you 1 MBR and 1
boot menu.

My opinion - Don't do anything.

Me

why?

"Knut Arvid Keilen" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I am running Windows XP Home Edition / Windows XP Professional on more
>than one physical disk on my PC.
>
> I do not have a RAID solution on my system.
>
> Each disk may have more than one startup partition (boot / bootable
> partition).
>
> Although I do have Norton PartitionMagic installed as well as Norton
> BootMagic (for FAT32), I prefer the standard Windows boot-up menu
> when having a disk with more than one partition on it.
>
> I select which disk to boot from in the PC's ROM-BIOS.
>
> For example when running a disk having two partitions both with
> Windows XP Home Edition I may have a boot.ini file in the root (\) on
> drive C: (partition 1) which looks like the following:
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=30
> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
> [operating systems]
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
> Edition" /fastdetect
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
> Edition" /fastdetect
>
> Partition 2 may be drive D: or perhaps something else.
>
> Another disk with two partitions of Windows XP Professional may have a
> boot.ini file on its C: drive (partition 1) which looks like the
> following:
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=30
> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
> [operating systems]
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP
> Professional" /fastdetect
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP
> Professional" /fastdetect
>
> By default as set in these boot.ini files, the C: drive (partition 1)
> boots up automatically when no selection has been manually made from
> the boot-menu.
>
> Of course I can readily choose to edit these parameters as I prefer.
>
> One of my disks has the following alternative parameters which look
> like this (substitute Windows XP Home Edition with Windows XP
> Professional if necessary).
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=30
> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
> [operating systems]
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
> Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home
> Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
>
> Depending on whether I run Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional
> or whether the file system is FAT32 or NTFS,
> should I have more or less of these boot.ini files and what should its
> contents read to make the system work better ?
>
> Any suggestions out there will be appreciated.


Stop using multiboot managers that first require loading an operating
system. That includes Microsoft's, grub, and BootMagic. Microsoft's
requires loading an OS to read the boot.ini and handle your choice, if
you make one. So you load one OS to then decide which one to really
load. Grub is the same way (used by Linux). BootMagic requires a FAT32
partition in which to store the rest of its program, so the bootstrap
part of it that usurped the MBR ends up loading the rest of the program
from a FAT32 partition.

Use a multiboot manager that doesn't give a fart as to which operating
systems you have installed. Use one that never resides within any
partition. Use one that resides entirely within the first unusable
track on the hard drive (which includes 446-byte MBR area of the first
sector along with the partition table and drive signature along with
using the rest of the sector in that first track). GAG at
sourceforge.net is one such solution. I'm sure there are others that
keep out of every partition so they never get destroyed if the
partitions gets deleted or reformatted.

Vanguard