Phil Harrison

Hi All,

Anyone know an easy way to change the default OS on the boot menu for a PC with two OSs on it?? I've put a second (legit!) copy of XP on my machine so that I can have an XP or Vista option in due course, by upgrading ONE of them! But the installation I usually use is not the default one on the boot menu, so I can't leave my machine to boot up while I do something else. A minor irritation, I know, but worth a tinker if it can be done!!

TIA

Phil Harrison

john_s

iTrader: (1)

Haven't done this for ages. Is it not just a case of editing boot.ini in the boot drive's root directory (c:\boot.ini)?

John.

Markus

Go to Start menu and right click on My Computer (If there is a My computer option on the desktop you can right click there too). Select Properties from the menu. Click on the Advanced tab and look for the "Startup and Recovery" option and click the Settings button.

The System Startup section will show you what the current default booting OS is, so you can simply click to change it. If you want to change the names of the install click "edit" and it'll open the boot.ini file, where you can change the name of the installs.
It should tell you there which is the default install it'll boot from, and if you had not changed that in the previous screen it'll be the "wrong" install, so look in the list below that and edit the name in the quotes to change the name of the "wrong" install to something different, and whilst you're there, you might as well change the name of the "correct" install.

Save the file and then if you didn't switch the default install, pick it from the menu, click ok and then reboot to see the changes.

As an aside, I think Vista does change the way this works, seem to recall something about it ignoring changes made to the boot.ini file as it has another method of handling things, thus you might want to have a quick search on vista and dual boot to make sure when you do upgrade it's not going to muck up your dual boot setup and prevent you getting into XP.

mike1210

How To: Edit the Windows Vista Boot Menu Options – BCDEDIT

yeah it changed in vista mine is doing the same

ill have to read this at some point as well

edited to add this as well

VistaBootPRO - Go PRO with Windows Vista and VistaBootPRO

Phil Harrison

Thanks Guys! Took the 'edit boot.ini' route - thanks John - and all is OK! I'll watch out for the Vista probs tho' - I want an XP boot for Games and a Vista Boot 'cos that's the way things'll go.

Pleased to see you're still around, Marcus ... "black beast... Hunter Trials @ Matfield..." remember? For me a bugeye STI/PPP for 4 years but, aged 60, finally 'grew up' and got an x-trail to tow horses and or family, whichever!!

Cheers

Phil

Markus

Phil,
Yup I remember the Hunter Trials, then g/f's sister got first place in some category at the trials. I'm still posting here, but am a tad far away from the old stomping ground as I relocated to Toronto in 2003.