Re: [OT] Any XP experts around?
From: Terry Pinnell (terrypinDELETE_at_THESEdial.pipex.com)
Date: 10/13/04
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Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 12:47:15 +0100
Roy Battell <news@vutrax666.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <r1jnm0p7jg50nje551dosgdbtlocteqruk@4ax.com>, Terry Pinnell
><terrypinDELETE@THESEdial.pipex.com> writes
>>Roy Battell <news@vutrax666.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>Terry,
>>>
>*** Lots Snipped
Brilliant, thanks a bunch Roy. A few comments inline.
>>In fact, I've been working on similar lines late last night and this
>>morning. XP actually makes it fairly easy to edit boot.ini, without
>>the chore of changing attributes, as follows: System
>>Properties>Advanced>Startup and Recovery>Settings>System startup>Edit.
>
>All very nice, but I'm never sure WHICH version of boot.ini it is
>editing - if it is the one on you Secondary/Slave drive it won't
>be changing the right one. That why I suggested the pedantic way
>to make sure you hit the copy on the FIRST bootable partition.
Yes, see your point. In a similar context, it seems that boot.ini can
get edited behind your back. I've not touched it directly since I
pasted it for you. Yet I just rebooted and was disarmed to see during
the boot-up that the default was now called 'Windows XP Media Center
Edition'! Here's what boot.ini now looks like:
[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center
Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="XP Home Edition (#2)"
/fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Recovery Console C" /cmdcons
The only thing I can think of is that TweakUI did it. I decided to
remove my 'automatic log-on' for a while. So I made a rare use of
TweakUI to change that option. So I now get the log-on screen, where I
choose user and enter my password. Can you think of any other
possibility for that bizarre change of title?
>You have checked the boot order in your BIOS looks at the drives
>in the right order (only applies if your second drive the secondary
>master rather than primary slave.
Haven't explicitly looked at BIOS, but I've changed nothing physically
or in BIOS since I installed that 2nd HD 2 years ago.
<snip my earlier stuff>
>>http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/Misc/Sep12-XP.gif
>>
>>>From that, can you tell definitively what partition I am 'running
>>in'?
>See below.
>>BTW, both Drive Image 2002 and Partition Manager 7.0 just show both C
>>and E as 'Active', no distinction.
>>
>Normally boot the first. Check your BIOS setup if you are worried.
>
>>My interpretation before that post above was that I am 'in' E, instead
>>of C where I want to be. That was based on seeing that 'Active'
>>annotation XP shows against E. But it now seems I was mistaken, and
>>I'm 'in' C after all, yes? No?
>>
>
>In your DOS box type
> set<enter>
>and look for 'windir', or type
> echo %windir%
>Whichever drive letter it has is your 'Windows' drive letter.
My Command Prompt comes up with
C:\Documents and Settings\Terry Pinnell>
The first gave me 'syntax of the command is incorrect' but the echo
one gave 'C:\WINDOWS'.
So that seem to confirm that I am 'in' C.
<snip>
>Of course you have to get things right, so that when it falls
>over (as it will sooner or later) you will not be in a total shambles.
>
>>So, bottom line: can you tell me if I'm already back in the required
>>state of grace, or whether I still need to do something
>>clever/complex/risky?
>>
>
>Look like you are there.
Excellent news if indeed finally proved!
>Its unfortunate that some backup tools tend to do crazy things with
>disk letters when you copy a partition unless you know the right
>options. I don't know what does what anymore because I archive Windows
>using Linux and restore it the same way. You can view the partition
>table with Knoppix using
> Start a shell
> su (super user - blank password)
> fdisk -l (minus Ell)
>
>I'm sure some of the Windows groups can tell how not to get
>messed up again!
The only thing still nagging at me is the picture I get when I boot to
my 'alternative', XP Home Edition (#2). I'll do it again right now.
-------
I've just rebooted to XP Home Edition (#2), and I'm picking up the
composition of this post in Agent. (Agent data files are on D, HD1,
BTW.)
I can't get my mind around C now being shown on HD2?
http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/Misc/AnotherBootOption.gif
Everything works. All files that know as being in C are still shown in
C, etc. All shortcuts are still exactly the same as in 'XP Home
Edition'. For example, if I click my shortcut 'Prog Files', I get a My
Computer folder C:\Program Files. But how can I square that with C now
being physically shown on HD2?!
While I'm here, this is what Edit displays as boot.ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="XP Home Edition"
/fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="XP Home Edition (#2)"
/fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Recovery Console C" /cmdcons
As you see, it's identical to the boot.ini in the other environment.
Aha!! But if I view C:\boot.ini in Explorer, I see this:
[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition (#1)" /fastdetect
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
That second option has now somehow gone wrong! It's pointing to my F
partition, which is data...
That implies that if I were to try to boot to it, it would screw up.
I think I'm going to go and lie down in a dark room for a bit...
-- Terry Pinnell Hobbyist, West Sussex, UK
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