Fuzz

I wanted to install an O/s on another hard disk on this same pc, I ticked the box that says something like "let me choose the drive letter location" and restarted the machine when asked.
However it appeared to be installing the new o/s over or next to the original o/s [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] so I cancelled the install.

The the problem now is that I'm getting two choices on boot
XP set up
XP pro

By default it's choosing setup, which I now don't want to do. :roll:
where are the setup files likely to be stored,so I can delete em. (So that it only see's one O/s )

Cheers
Andy

Hanslow

Should be in the hidden file in the root directory of your bootable disk. The file is called boot.ini.

Fuzz

found it

was hidden

still the same though after changing the partition (1) to partition (0)

No other script in there that indicates looking for two O/s's


Andy

[Edited by Fuzz - 10/13/2003 11:01:57 AM]

Fuzz

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(0)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(0)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

Does that look OK to you ?

Andy

Dave_A

try going into control-panel > system > advanced > and see what that presents you with. You shopuld be able to select and set which one you want and remove the other, or at least set the default and timeout options

Dave
www.scoobyphotos.com

Hanslow

Fuzz, that looks the same as mine (apart from the partition number as mine is on a different partition).

However, my windows dirctory is on drive D: (the second partition) and my partition number in boot.ini is set to 2 (not 1 like I thought it would be with most systems starting to count from 0).

You could always try setting the partition number to 1 in boot.ini?

This might be of interest to you http://support.microsoft.com/default...ontent=1#Task6

Gedi

not sure exactly how windows setups work, as I don't work with windows machine.....I would susspect the setup may alter the master boot record. Windows does not let you access this directly (unless you install progs for this, and you must also be able to code in asm)

The easiest way would be to rebuild the mbr by booting into DOS and typing fdisk /mbr

Fuzz

well I tried the hanslow technique and on resart it said some system dll was missing. nothing I could do with it after that.
so pulled the plugs on all my hard disks.
left the SATA one in on it's own and did a complete new install (tried recovery) didn't work..
Now all I have to do is activate windows AGAIN. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
find some sata drivers (one's I used to get it booted have not passed logo testing
and re install all the catalyst drivers..

**** it.

and guess what
even after the full delete partition, new partition format and install.... it still comes up with the dual boot question...
I hope that cos I still had the XP disk in the drive, else it will have all been a bit of a waste of time [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Andy
(still... had nothing better to do today )

Figment

Think you can fix that by inserting the XP CD, starting the repair console when prompted, logging onto the boot partition and repairing the MBR.

Gedi

hehe, I already said that. Changing the disk numbering from 0 to 1 would not have worked and was not a good idea , but my post was at the same time as the previous, and I didn't see it until now.

If the 2 boot options were coming from the boot.ini file, then you would have had 2 entries in there.

Rewrite the mbr. It will do no harm at all and only takes 2 mins.

Fuzz

change of hard disk a another install.

all done.

I can put the other hdd back in my old puter now and flog it.

Andy

Hanslow

Sorry chap, didn't realise it would completely stuff it

That's why I had the question mark after the trying to change it comment as I wasn't sure what it would do. Can anyone explain why mine is set as partition(2) when it is on my D drive of the disk that is split into C,D,E? Am I right in assuming that if it's on C then it's partition(0) as in Fuzz's case?

At least Gedi knows what he's talking about I'll go back to MS-DOS


[Edited by Hanslow - 10/13/2003 5:15:22 PM]

Gedi

As I say, I normally work with Linux systems, but I think they are as follows

multi - indicates the controler
rdisk - will always be 0 for IDE. SCSI use a range related to SCSI ID numbers
disk - identifies the disk number
partition - identifies the partitoin number
/dir - indicates the directory the kernel is in

Hanslow

Gedi, I understand that, but what I can't work out is that mine says partition(2) when I would have expected it to say partition(1) assuming C = 0, D = 1, etc.

It works anyway, just wondered how it picked the numbers

Gedi

I think the partition numbering starts at 1

If the logic is the same as Linux systems (hda, hda1, hda2 etc) then I would think that 0 will be the whole disk, or primary and 1 will indicate the first partition.