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    boot.ini question

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by hendra, Nov 14, 2007.

  1. hendra

    hendra Notebook Virtuoso

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    I am confused with how Windows assigns partition number in boot.ini file.

    Here's my boot.ini setting
    [boot loader]
    timeout=30
    Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

    And here's a screen shot of my current partitions
    [​IMG]

    The boot.ini setting is the one for the first partition, the 68.36 GB NTFS partition. The 2 unknown partitions are hidden NTFS. And the last one is an extended partition that contains my Documents.

    My question is: why do I have to set up my first partition (the 68.36 GB NTFS) as partition(2) in the boot.ini file? Isn't that supposed to be partition(1)? It is in the beginning of the drive and it is the first one that was created. So, why do I have to make it partition(2)? If I change it back to partition(1), XP hangs.
     
    hendra, Nov 14, 2007
    #1
  2. Lite

    Lite Notebook Deity

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    Lol.. Why does that worry you??? Xp disk manager has a habbit of ordering things... Dont ask why because i have no clue.. But thats genrally the imperssion i get.. Its not a great tool to use.. Paragon partition manager 8.5 reccomended by me (Y)
     
    Lite, Nov 14, 2007
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  3. gerryf19

    gerryf19 I am the walrus

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    to answer this, we need to know how you created these partitions...
     
    gerryf19, Nov 14, 2007
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  4. hendra

    hendra Notebook Virtuoso

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    Hi, I used System Commander ver. 9 to create those partitions.
     
    hendra, Nov 16, 2007
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  5. gerryf19

    gerryf19 I am the walrus

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    not familiar with that, but I am going to guess that this utility also has a boot manager?

    I suspect that it creates a small parition for itself and the boot manager files (partition 1) and hides itself from other operating systems and placed windows xp in partition 2
     
    gerryf19, Nov 16, 2007
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  6. hendra

    hendra Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yes, it has a boot manager but it resides in the MBR, not a partition. When I installed a second copy of Windows XP in the 2nd partition, the boot.ini of that partition is indexed as partition(1). So, I still don't know why the first partition is indexed as partition(2) while the the second partition is indexed as partition(1).
     
    hendra, Nov 16, 2007
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  7. kegobeer

    kegobeer 1 hr late but moving fast

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    Anytime you install a Windows product, it will basically force itself into the #1 position. I'm going to guess that the second install caused the odd numbering.
     
    kegobeer, Nov 17, 2007
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  8. gerryf19

    gerryf19 I am the walrus

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    That is not accurate--Windows XP will install to whatever partition you wish; it will not force its way into the #1 position.

    It will install "some" files into the first partition it can read (fat, fat32, ntfs), but that is not what boot.ini is pointing at...it is pointing to the system directory

    As for system commander, I will take your word it installs in the boot sector, but it seems pretty clear it did something odd when it put your first install on the second partition
     
    gerryf19, Nov 17, 2007
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