Understanding Boot.ini and first boot drive sequence.
Hi, Unfortunately, I dont know how you get line B in your Boot.ini. Following is a Boot.ini file from a Windows XP Professional computer with a previous installation of Windows 2000 on a separate partition. Line1: [boot loader] Line2: timeout=30 Line3: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS Line4: [operating systems] Line5: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect Line6: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect Note: I added Line number such as Line 1 manually for simplicity of discussion If you have such a computer, you will be able to see a Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000 Professional dual boot menu when you start the computer. You can select the operating system you want to boot manually. You can also define the default operating system in Line 3. The above boot.ini specified the default operating system as Windows XP Professional. For more information, you can refer to: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289022/en-us
September 1st, 2012 3:12am

I have a boot.ini below on a 2003 server. I think that some of the lines have been swapped (see Line B. & C. ) over the years with drives going bad etc. (although thats not my question for the moment) I have added the A. & B. for simplicity of discussion. I hope that I can explain my questions clearly. There are many articles on the syntax of the individual lines in the boot.ini but Im confused a little on the sequence of lines. I always use to think that the booting of the comptuer read line A. and then just booted, But now Im lead to believe that it reads from line A. and then from Line B. (which is really the same as line A. Accept that normally it has a few parameters on it like /fastdetect etc.) The reason Im interested in this is because I have seen where Line A and line B if they are different the system will not boot and will give ntldr type message. Thanks. [boot loader] timeout=30 A. default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] B. multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Boot Mirror C: - secondary plex" C. multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Win2003 Srv (on Volume 1)" /fastdetect
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September 1st, 2012 8:52am

V.H. thank you for your comments. Actually as I mentioned in my original post the A and B were added by me only for this discussion in the same way that you added Line1 etc. QUOTE "I have added the A. & B. for simplicity of discussion." What Im trying to ask is what is the relation between the Line 3 in your example and line 5 . What is the boot process. Im looking for some understanding of this. I recognize that pressing on one or the other will boot from that disk if the disk is set up with the right boot data. But if they are different eg line 3 and 5 it screws things up. I thought that the boot only looked at line 3 but I also think it looks at line 5 (if you leave things alone) Im looking for some understanding of this. Thanks.
September 1st, 2012 9:45am

Hi, Please check the following KB. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314081
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September 1st, 2012 1:50pm

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