Create a Startup Menu With Different Boot Options
- Your normal operating system
- A mode that lets you trace any startup problems
- Safe Mode
All you have to do is create entries with different switches!
Setting up Boot Options
If you wanted to start XP in a mode that will trace potential startup problems, you could create this entry: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Trace Problems XP Home Edition"
/fastdetect /bootlog /sos
This setup creates a startup log and displays information about the drivers and other operating system information as it loads them.
To boot in Safe Mode with networking, you’d setup this entry:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Safe Start XP Home Edition" /
fastdetect /safeboot:network
Example
Lets say that you want the bootloader menu to display for 30 seconds, normal XP startup to be the default and the above examples listed above there too:
[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=”Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition” /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Trace Problems XP Home Edition”
/fastdetect /bootlog /sos
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Safe Start XP Home Edition” /
fastdetect /safeboot:network
GUI Options
If you’re not too comfortable editing the boot.ini file, you could always use the System Configuration Utility. It won’t provide you with as many options as setting your own switches, but it can be much safer if your leery.
- Hit the Windows Key+R
- type the following, then enter:
msconfig - Click the Boot.ini tab
- Select options under the Boot Options section.
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Ooh cool. I’ve never heard of the thing for tracing problems. Does is just show everything it’s loading and if it loads properly or not?
For my old laptop I just used GRUB, which we can easily add some graphics to and hear all the ooh’s and ahh’s from my friends when I load it. But with my Dell laptop I don’t even use GRUB. They have a separate button for MediaDirect, which is like Media Center but it’s a separate OS, so it doesn’t take as long as loading Windows, and uses less battery. Uninstalled that and found some instructions to make that load Linux instead
Going off topic, do you know why it doesn’t save my information on comments? I always have to type in my name, e-mail, and URL, even though it used to be saved… really weird.
actually nevermind… it’s back =S it wasn’t for a while. And also my comment didn’t even show up for awhile. It usually shows up immediately. Or do you have it set to review each one? Although I doubt you would be up at this time to have approved it =S
No, I don’t moderate each post - that would take me forever to go through them all! It’s odd that your comment didn’t show up right away, maybe WP-Cache was having a bad day….