How to preserve boot menu

[rajat22]

I want to format win 98 partition without disturbing boot menu. All I want to keep XP Media Centre Edition only.
Please help.

[kalpik]

After installing Windows 98, boot from Windows XP CD, go into recovery console, then type fixmbr. That should do the trick!

[Vishal Gupta]

@rajat22
Pls give more details.

If in ur system win 98 is installed on a partition other than C: Drive, then u can safely format that partition and then edit Boot.ini file & remove the win 98 entry.

But if ur win 98 installed on C: Drive, then delete all file/folders in C: Drive except ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini files. and then edit boot.ini file and remove win 98 entry.

[rajat22]

Thanks Vishal, win 98 installed on C. Now please let me know in more details about where to keep ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini and how to restore after a format on C.

ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini

After a search the above files are not found in Drive C but they are in XP drive D.

Now what next?

Thanks again

[Vishal Gupta]

OK!

1.) Goto: Tools -> Folder Options and in View tab, enable "Show all files & folders", "Display the contents of system folders" options and disable the option "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)".

2.) Now open C: Drive and delete all files/folders but keep following 3 files:

ntldr
ntdetect.com
boot.ini

3.) Now the last thing is to remove win 98 entry from the boot loader. U can use any of the following method:

a.) Goto: System Properties and in Advanced tab click on Settings button in Startup & Recovery section. It'll open nother window, in that window click on Edit button. and remove the line saying C:\="Microsoft Windows (or something like that). and then save the file and close it.

b.) Open msconfig and in Boot.ini tab click on the button Check all paths (or something like that). It should automatically remove the win 98 entry.

[SE><IE]

I think you are already running win 98 as well as win xp media centre edition. Do you own a media center PC. If you do then media centre edition already comes loaded with the PC (and hence there is no point in Uninstalling windows 98.
If not, then sorry I can't help you. media center edition is NOT available at the shelves. So its pretty clear thet the one you own is illegitimate copy (a pirated one).

[rajat22]

I think you are already running win 98 as well as win xp media centre edition. Do you own a media center PC. If you do then media centre edition already comes loaded with the PC (and hence there is no point in Uninstalling windows 98.
If not, then sorry I can't help you. media center edition is NOT available at the shelves. So its pretty clear thet the one you own is illegitimate copy (a pirated one).

Just a month back I have purchased an assembled PC & purchased XP MEDIA CENTER EDITION 2005 WITH CASH MEMO, installed 98 absolutely by mistake. Can show if you like as many pirated XP users like to see a genuine copy cash memo.
Please dont bother.

[SE><IE]

@rajat22: You brought MCE...AMAZINGggg!! coz as far as I know MCE is NOT available off shelves.
Maybe they have changed it now.
for your query: okey, its pretty simple. simply start your PC by choosing MCE from the boot menu. Then go to Run and write c:\boot.ini

It will present you with something like:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

There will be 2 lines like multi(0)(disk(0)... simply delete the on which has "Windows 98" written. No need to backup NTLDR and NTDETECT. (coz you won't find them on 98's partition).

reboot and you are done.

(and yes from your talk it looks like you are pointing that I have a cracked version. Its NOT. i was just giving the 'gyan'.
Anyways did you buy the MCE from your assembler?)

*MCE Media Center Edition

[rajat22]

Thanks a lot buddy, this is my boot loader. Now?
I did buy MCE from the assembler. Easily available with 2 CDs. During installation it requires both CDs alternately. MCE 2005 do not support WMP 11 as I had to download Rollup 2 about 26 MB from Windows update by selecting Custom update, to install WMP 11.

[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP Media Center Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:\="Microsoft Windows 98"

[royal]

After installing Windows 98, boot from Windows XP CD, go into recovery console, then type fixmbr. That should do the trick!

Hey kalpik, I have WinXp in C and Win2003 in D . Now if i format C after logging in Win2003 and then paste ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini in C: , do i have to follow your step ?

[Vishal Gupta]

If u format C:, then u'll not be able to boot into win 2003 coz the boot loader will be also gone!

1.) Format C: Drive
2.) Boot using XP Bootable CD
3.) Enter into Recovery console
4.) Give following commands one by one:

fixmbr
fixboot
bootcfg /rebuild

[SE><IE]

@ rajat:
Rearrange your boot menu to look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP Media Center Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

the line default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOW S
shows the default path where your PC is supposed to look for an OS (after timeout, ofcourse).
in your case this isn't pointing to the location of 98, hence not a problem.

save the file and you are done.(changes will take place at next reboot)


(looks like you have Xp home edition in c: and MCE in d: , right??)

so you took the MCE from your assembler. sorry to say dude but I think you have been taken for a ride. Your assembler took you on a ride. Its not your fault though. But then it IS ILLEGITIMATE.
perhaps you never knew that MCE is not available off-shelf. what do you say.

[vikasg03]

hy,

i don't think that just copy of 3 files( ntldr ,ntdetect.com ,boot.ini) we can protect other Operating systems installed in other partions . In my PC i have 4 Operating Systems. In C drive i have Win 98 SE and others 3 are in different partions. due to some problem i hv decide to format c . so i also copy these 3 files, then format C drive.then again fresh install windows 98 again in c drive and finally copy all 3 files( ntldr ,ntdetect.com ,boot.ini) in c drive. but none of the O/S works other then windows 98.

vikas gupta

[royal]

If u format C:, then u'll not be able to boot into win 2003 coz the boot loader will be also gone!

1.) Format C: Drive
2.) Boot using XP Bootable CD
3.) Enter into Recovery console
4.) Give following commands one by one:

fixmbr
fixboot
bootcfg /rebuild

I hope that will allow me to boot to Win2003 the next time

[SE><IE]

hy,

i don't think that just copy of 3 files( ntldr ,ntdetect.com ,boot.ini) we can protect other Operating systems installed in other partions . In my PC i have 4 Operating Systems. In C drive i have Win 98 SE and others 3 are in different partions. due to some problem i hv decide to format c . so i also copy these 3 files, then format C drive.then again fresh install windows 98 again in c drive and finally copy all 3 files( ntldr ,ntdetect.com ,boot.ini) in c drive. but none of the O/S works other then windows 98.

vikas gupta

What 98 does it that the stupid thing thinks it will be the only one to reside on your computer.The other OSes are still intact (U can see by going through the partitions). What actually has happened is that the boot.ini got altered by Win 98 thus leaving just its(98s) entity there. Thus leaving you with no way to boot into other OSes.
If you had copied the original boot.ini (before formatting) then just copy all of its contents and paste it into the new boot.ini (replacing them, not appending them)

(you may have pasted the boot.ini at wrong place)
There should be no issue now