Changing XP Boot menu order

[hbw27854]

I am a newbie to this forum. This is probably a simple task if you know how.

I have a XP system that I have two XP installations in different directories. I want the last installation to be second choice on the boot menu instead of the first choice that automatically opens if you donot press a key.

Where and how do I change this? I also would like to change the names on the bootmenu from MS Windows Professional to something like "First Choice", "Second Choice".

Thanks in advance.

[Markoman01027]

Welcome to PCMECH forums HBW27854!


You need to edit the BOOT.INI file. Go into the file options of your Windows Explorer, and find the "Show Hidden Files" option and make sure that is checked.

Go into your C:\ and right click on BOOT.INI , hit properties and remove the "Read Only" attribute and hit OK.

Now open the file with notepad.

I believe you can just change the two entries around(like have the 2nd entry be the 1st one, and the 1st entry be the 2nd one) . See if that works. I am not positive. Maybe somebody will know the answer.

If you want to change the names, if you look at this example here;

[Operating Systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect /nodebug

C:\="Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition"

Just change the "Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition"

to "First Choice"

After your done with all of your changes, save the changes on your boot.ini file, go back to C:\ and then hit the properties of the file again and check "Read Only" and hit OK

Hope that helps.

[hbw27854]

Thanks Markoman01027

That was just what I needed. I tried to change boot.ini with msconfig, that works but I could not change the line names but I could change the menu order and default boot OS.

Thank again!!