Modifying boot.ini during unattended install

[imthemp3king]

I was wondering if anyone out there might know of a utility like bootcfg.exe for Windows XP that will allow me to change the wait period on the OS selection screen for Windows 2000 Server?

[Alanoll]

if you do have a WindowsXP machine, you could try using bootcfg from it on your Win2k machine. Should still work.

[mdes]

That's what I am using at and of RunOnceEx.reg (which is called in command.txt):

SETLOCAL ENABLEEXTENSIONS ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION
TITLE Modifiy Boot Delay

SET ProgPath=C:
SET ORIG=%ProgPath%\Boot.ini
SET NEW=%ProgPath%\Boot_New.ini

ATTRIB -R -S -H %ORIG%

IF EXIST "%NEW%" (
    ATTRIB -R -S -H %NEW%
    DEL /Q "%NEW%"
)
FOR /F "delims=*" %%L IN (%ORIG%) DO (
    SET Begin=%%L
    IF "!Begin:~0,8!" == "timeout=" (
        ECHO.timeout=5 >>"%NEW%"
    ) ELSE (
        ECHO.%%L >>"%NEW%"
    )
)
COPY /Y %ORIG% %ORIG%_OLD
COPY /Y %NEW% %ORIG%

[imthemp3king]

Alanoll, Bootcfg will not run on Windows 2000 and will tell you so if you attempt to run it on a Win2k system.

mdes, Should that code snippet be saved as VBS script?

Thanks

[Alanoll]

the code is a BATCH file.

just copy and past into Notepad, and save as a CMD or BAT file.

[Jazz]

Ok i got a similar problem...

I wanna after install, modify the boot.ini so that it displays more than one list of Boot screens to choose, so i have this command in my batch file.

@echo off
cls

Echo Changing the Default Boot Screens..

bootcfg /copy /D "Windows XP Professional (Pirated)" /id 1
bootcfg /copy /D "Windows XP Professional (Gabrial)" /id 1

bootcfg /RAW /fastdetect /Kernel=pirated.exe /ID 2
bootcfg /RAW /fastdetect /Kernel=gabrial.exe /ID 3

bootcfg /default /id 2
Bootcfg /Timeout 0

But the errors i get are..

E:\xpmod_test\xptest\$OEM$\$1\install>Echo Changing the Default Boot Screens..

Changing the Default Boot Screens..

E:\xpmod_test\xptest\$OEM$\$1\install>bootcfg /copy /D "Windows XP Professional

(Pirated)" /id 1

SUCCESS: Made a copy of the boot entry "1".

E:\xpmod_test\xptest\$OEM$\$1\install>bootcfg /copy /D "Windows XP Professional

(Gabrial)" /id 1

SUCCESS: Made a copy of the boot entry "1".

E:\xpmod_test\xptest\$OEM$\$1\install>bootcfg /RAW /fastdetect /Kernel=pirated.e

xe /ID 2

ERROR: Invalid Syntax. Default option is not allowed more than '1' time(s).

Type "BOOTCFG /RAW /?" for usage.

E:\xpmod_test\xptest\$OEM$\$1\install>bootcfg /RAW /fastdetect /Kernel=gabrial.e

xe /ID 3

ERROR: Invalid Syntax. Default option is not allowed more than '1' time(s).

Type "BOOTCFG /RAW /?" for usage.

E:\xpmod_test\xptest\$OEM$\$1\install>bootcfg /default /id 2

SUCCESS: Changed the default OS in the BOOT.INI.

E:\xpmod_test\xptest\$OEM$\$1\install>Bootcfg /Timeout 0

SUCCESS: Changed the timeout value in the BOOT.INI.

And as result, my boot.ini becomes

[boot loader]

timeout=0

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional (Pirated)" /FASTDETECT

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /FASTDETECT

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional (Gabrial)" /FASTDETECT

See there is no /kernel option now.. how do i change this ??

Bye,

Jazz

[[BM]Crusher]

This is how I do it:

bootcfg /RAW /A /Kernel=kernel1.exe /ID 1

I don't do the copy section that you are doing...

That works good, I believe it even keeps the /fastdetect feature

[Jazz]

@echo off

cls

Echo Changing the Default Boot Screens..

bootcfg /copy /D "Windows XP Professional (Pirated)" /id 1

bootcfg /copy /D "Windows XP Professional (Gabrial)" /id 1

bootcfg /RAW /A /fastdetect /Kernel=pirated.exe /ID 2

bootcfg /RAW /A /fastdetect /Kernel=gabrial.exe /ID 3

bootcfg /default /id 2

Bootcfg /Timeout 0

is the new code that i'm using now.. what ur code does is it directly replaces the default entry in the boot.ini with the specified entry.. so the user has to modify the boot.ini to get the previous boot screen, but with my method, u can add as many as boot screens u want ot the boot.ini the /copy command copies the id1 entry to the id2 and id3 and then the next section modifies the paramaters for them..

Works like a aharm now,

Thanks anyways.

BYe,

Jazz

[[BM]Crusher]

i use only the command i previously stated, and it makes a second item in the boot list which is set to the default item (so I end up with 2 choices of what to boot, one with normal boot screen and one with my modified boot screen)

oh, i also set the timeout to 1 on the next line of that CMD file (i didn't copy+paste that line) but that doesn't affect the list having 2 items