Important
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This topic describes the boot options supported in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. If you are changing boot options for modern versions of Windows, see Boot Options in Windows Vista and Later.
If there's more than one installation of Windows that's pre-Vista, another boot menu is given (one that's generated from the contents of the boot.ini file) so that you can select one of those operating systems.
Prior to Windows Vista, BIOS-based computers running Windows store boot options in a Boot.ini text file. You can edit Boot.ini using Bootcfg (
bootcfg.exe ), a tool included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, or using a text editor such as Notepad. Bootcfg is documented in Windows Help and Support. You can also view and change some boot options in Control Panel under System. In the System Properties dialog box, on the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery. Because this functionality is limited, it is not discussed in this section. For information about the Startup and Recovery dialog box, see Help and Support Center.
Bootcfg
Prior to Windows Vista, BIOS-based computers running Windows store boot options in a Boot.ini text file. You can edit Boot.ini using Bootcfg (bootcfg.exe), a tool included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, or using a text editor such as Notepad. Bootcfg is documented in Windows Help and Support. The four boot files for Windows 7 and Vista are: bootmgr: Operating system loader code; similar to ntldr in previous versions of Windows. Boot Configuration Database (BCD): Builds the operating system selection menu; winload.exe: Loads the Vista operating system if selected from the operating.
Bootcfg is a command-line tool that can edit boot options on local and remote computers. Using the same Bootcfg commands and procedures, you can edit Boot.ini, as well as the boot options in Extensible Firmware Interface Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (EFI NVRAM). Bootcfg is included in the
%Systemroot%System32 directory in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. (The Bootcfg display is slightly different on systems that store boot options in EFI NVRAM, but the commands are the same.)
You can use Bootcfg to add, delete, and change all boot entry parameters and boot options; however, you cannot use it to set an indefinite boot time-out value. You can also use Bootcfg commands in a script or batch file to set boot options or to reset them after you replace or upgrade an operating system.
Unlike manual editing, Bootcfg edits boot options without changing the protective attributes on Boot.ini. It also helps you avoid typing errors that might prevent the operating system from starting.
You must be a member of the Administrators group on the computer to use Bootcfg. For detailed instructions about using Bootcfg, see Help and Support Center.
Editing in Notepad
You can use a text editor, such as Notepad, to edit Boot.ini. However, because this method is prone to error, use it only when Bootcfg is not available.
Before editing Boot.ini, you must remove the file attributes that Windows uses to protect the file from inadvertent changes. When Boot.ini is on an NTFS volume, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the computer to change its attributes.
Use the following procedure to prepare Boot.ini for manual editing. This procedure removes the system, hidden, and read-only attributes of the file.
To configure Boot.ini attributes for editing
Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR) is a small piece of software, called a boot manager, that's loaded from the volume boot code, which is part of the volume boot record.
BOOTMGR helps your Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vistaoperating system start.
BOOTMGR eventually executes winload.exe, the system loader used to continue the Windows boot process.
Where Is Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR) Located?
Configuration data required for BOOTMGR can be found in the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store, a registry-like database that replaced the boot.ini file used in older versions of Windows like Windows XP.
The BOOTMGR file itself is both read-only and hidden, and is located in the root directory of the partition marked as Active in Disk Management. On most Windows computers, this partition is labeled as System Reserved and doesn't have a drive letter.
If you don't have a System Reserved partition, BOOTMGR is probably located on your primary drive, which is usually C:.
Windows Boot File DownloadCan You Disable Windows Boot Manager?
Why would you want to disable or turn off the Windows Boot Manager? Simply put, it can unnecessarily slow down the boot process as it waits to ask you which operating system to boot. If you don't need to choose which operating system to boot to, maybe because you always like to start the same one, then you can avoid it by pre-selecting the one you always want to start.
However, you can't actually remove the Windows Boot Manager. What you can do is reduce the time that it waits on the screen for you to answer which operating system you want to start. You can do this by pre-choosing the operating system and then lowering the timeout time, basically skipping the Windows Boot Manager altogether.
This is accomplished through the System Configuration (msconfig.exe) tool. Here's how to do this:
Windows Vista Boot Manager File
Be careful when using the System Configuration tool — you might make unnecessary changes that can just cause more confusion in the future.
Additional Information on BOOTMGR
A common startup error in Windows is the BOOTMGR Is Missing error.
BOOTMGR, together with winload.exe, replaces the functions performed by NTLDR in older versions of Windows, like Windows XP. Also new is the Windows resume loader, winresume.exe.
When at least one Windows operating system is installed and selected in a multi-boot scenario, the Windows Boot Manager is loaded and reads and applies the specific parameters that apply to the operating system installed to that particular partition.
If the Legacy option is chosen, the Windows Boot Manager starts NTLDR and continues through the process like it would when booting any version of Windows that uses NTLDR, like Windows XP. If there's more than one installation of Windows that's pre-Vista, another boot menu is given (one that's generated from the contents of the boot.ini file) so that you can select one of those operating systems.
The Boot Configuration Data store is more secure than the boot options found in previous versions of Windows because it lets users in the Administrators group lock down the BCD store and give out certain rights to other users to determine which ones can manage boot options.
As long as you're in the Administrators group, you can edit the boot options in Windows Vista and newer versions of Windows using the BCDEdit.exe tool included in those versions of Windows. If you're using an older version of Windows, the Bootcfg and NvrBoot tools are used instead.
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