startup menu

[rebert]

if you have two HDDs and a windows on each of them, you could make a menu at the start up to display which OS you want to start up. its in the system, advanced, and statup and recovery.
i cant do it now, there is only one hard drive in the menu.
can some1 help me please. im kinda frustrated

[Force Flow]

What O/S's are you running?

[rebert]

im running windows XP service pack 1.
i almost know how to do it but forgot plz help

[rebert]

guyz, either i got buried under the SP2 questions or wither you thought im okay. this thing keeps buging me, can some1 here answer this stupid question.
How do I make a manu or which OS to chose on the startup.
i have windows xp, it was done before but i forgot.

[rebert]

ok, is this such a hard question?
i have win xp installed on two separate HDs.
i have recently reinstalled the xp on one of them.
i want a menu to pop up when i turn on the comp.
i had the menu before, but now its gone (due to the reinstallation DURRRR).
i assume the menu file is a file called boot.ini?
how can i change the boot file to allow this stupid freaging menu to pop up.
im raving mad

nature plays cruel joks upon people of all walks of life.
Plato, of course, the guy from sucked up to socrates

[Force Flow]

Have a little patience, rebert.

You can find the boot.ini file by going to start > run > type "msconfig" > "boot.ini" tab

You're saying that you have two instances of XP?

[rebert]

yes, as a matter of fact i do, the reson is that my dad likes to put quite a bit of software on his system and I wana light system so i could work and play games AFAP.
the problem is that i can see the file from system/advanced/startup and recovery. when i go there is only displays one OS. thats the problem. i want it to display two OS. i though i could edit the text file by clicking the edit button on that window. the attachment is below this text.

[TheMajor]

Start/Run type "boot.ini"

add something like this:
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"

[rebert]

this attachment is would clarify a bit what im talking about

[TheMajor]

if there's only one u have to add the second XP manually

[rebert]

ok, but i probably should substitute the name with Oz's startup because my dad already changed the name on his menu?

[TheMajor]

his menu? only one menu works...dont try to set it on both windows, only one windows (wich normally boots without the menu) must be changed in boot.ini.

you can change the name "Microsoft Windows XP" in whatever you want.

sorry if I misunderstood anything

[rebert]

one thing though, how u access boot.ini again
i wen to run>boot.ini and it didnt open, i opened it from the menu i attached on my post

[TheMajor]

that's ok, too

please post the text it contains when you're ready

[rebert]

what u mean "post the text"?
sorry if i misunderstood u

[TheMajor]

everything that's in boot.ini. Maybe I can see something wrong

[rebert]

here ya go

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Garegin's Startup"
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[TheMajor]

ok, it looks ok.
is the second windows on a harddrive with only one partition?
if yes..the "partition(1)" part is OK this way, but I am not sure about the zeros and ones behind multi and disk and rdisk...change these everytime the booting of the second XP fails until you find the right combination.

DON'T change anything to the upper line, the one with Garegin's etc

good luck booting

[TheMajor]

too bad I haven't got a dual boot system right now..else I could take a look in its boot.ini

[rebert]

well, no i have a multi-partition harddrive.
i changed the boot.ini, but the other OS, doesnt start.
how can i get the correct info from from OS, so i could write the boot.ini according to it?

[TheMajor]

dunno, but disk has to be (1) im pretty sure because its the second drive. If the XP2 is on the first partition of the second drive partition has to be (1).

I don't know where to get this info..i'll try google

[TheMajor]

put all these in your boot.ini and reboot. delete those who don't work:

multi(1)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="test item 1"
multi(1)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="test item 2"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="test item 3"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="test item 1"

good luck

for more info: http://windows.about.com/library/weekly/aa032099.htm

[rebert]

success, the boot.ini file has been set up
i have also learned how it actually works
the first line inticates the controller, the second the drive, third the partition and the forth the windows path.
my windows was on 0 controller(same IDE channel as the other drive), 0 drive (because the thing is multix) and the 1 partition

boot.ini is a very complecated thing.
last time i reinstalled the same thing happened again. i called dell, they made me reset my CMOS, and didnt tell me that i had to rewrite my boot.ini file, because the drive was now on a different IDE channel.

thanks major

[TheMajor]

no problem..you found the same link in google?

[rebert]

nay, i just read the about.com article
its off topic, but about.com has some dump moderators.
the teen advice moderator wrote that "going first base" means to kiss. watta dummass

still laughing my butt off