How to: Change your DEFAULT Boot.ini settings

[JasonGW]

So I wanted to setup my XP Gamer Edition CD to be 100% separate from my Windows stock(ish) install, but the trouble was that when you booted they both showed as "Windows XP Professional". Which is which? Well as a geek *I* knew, but my gamer friends aren't all necessarily that adept. Of course, it also changes depending on whether you installed Gamer Edition first or second.

Anyway, so here it is, it's stupidly simple. You need to edit a couple lines in i386\TXTSETUP.SIF, as follows:

BEFORE:

cdname = "Windows XP Professional CD-ROM"

productname = "Windows XP Professional"

wks_id = "Microsoft Windows XP Professional"

wks_id_vga = "Microsoft Windows XP Professional [VGA mode]"

AFTER:

cdname = "Windows XP Gamer Edition CD-ROM"

productname = "Windows XP Gamer Edition"

wks_id = "Windows XP Gamer Edition"

wks_id_vga = "Windows XP Gamer Edition [VGA mode]"

Just name it whatever the hell you want to call it in your source and badda-bing, badda-boom, you're good to go. Thanks to this process, and of course nLite, RyanVM and others who contribute updates I use, I have a Gamer Edition of XP that's 100% separate and 100% clearly identifiable at boot. Yay!

Enjoy!

Jason

Edited January 18, 2007 by JasonGW

[mitsukai]

where is this file located

[albator]

Thank for the tip. But how did you setup 2 windows ? on different HD/Partition ?

[mitsukai]

where is TXTSETUP.SIF located?

[JasonGW]

Thank for the tip. But how did you setup 2 windows ? on different HD/Partition ?

Sorry guys, txtsetup.sif is located in the i386 folder of your Windows XP installation source.

Also, with this configuration, both copies of Windows are located on C:\, in completely separate sets of folders with completely separate pagefiles and boot entries to reflect each version. nLite's tweaks section (or might be options, I forget) will let you specify your system folders. In this case I have:

STOCK   
Documents and Settings 
Program Files 
TEMP
Windows
PageFile.sys

GAMER EDITION
GamerDocs
Game Files
GamerTemp
GamerXP
GamePage.sys      

Enjoy! Hope that helps!

Edited January 18, 2007 by JasonGW

[rehbar]

where is TXTSETUP.SIF located?

this is located in i386 folder of XP CD

[jaclaz]

...and may I ask what this has to do with boot.ini?

Thread title:

How to: Change your DEFAULT Boot.ini settings

jaclaz

[JasonGW]

...and may I ask what this has to do with boot.ini?

Thread title:

How to: Change your DEFAULT Boot.ini settings

jaclaz

I thought it was fairly obvious. If you change these settings on your Windows XP install source, it will be reflected in your boot.ini *by default*, at installation. You might want to read it again. Or, you know, *at all*

[nuhi]

Yeah cool tweak.

[jmjm003]

I'm sure most appreciate the info you are sharing...

However it sounds as if most (possibly me included) are not geekish enough to quite follow exactly how you did this.

I can understand this confusion myself, most of us would use a separate HD or partition the one we have.

I'll ask at the risk of sounding like an id***....(maybe late for that.)

As I understand it. You create your stock(ish) XP and install it. This one has the modified TXTSETUP.SIF as you have mentioned.

You've left all the default settings as is.

Now, on your gamers edition of XP. You change all of your default locations using Nlite (great tool Nuhi) so they do not have any effect on your stock(ish) install default locations.

This way you have installed XP twice on the same HD without either one having conflicts with the other one.

Now, do you edit the TXTSETUP.SIF for both installs?

I would assume the first one on the list is the first one you installed. Stock being first and gamer second by your example.

I could be way off on this but to help make it clear I feel I should ask.

Thank you..

[JasonGW]

I'm sure most appreciate the info you are sharing...

However it sounds as if most (possibly me included) are not geekish enough to quite follow exactly how you did this.

I can understand this confusion myself, most of us would use a separate HD or partition the one we have.

I'll ask at the risk of sounding like an id***....(maybe late for that.)

As I understand it. You create your stock(ish) XP and install it. This one has the modified TXTSETUP.SIF as you have mentioned.

You've left all the default settings as is.

Now, on your gamers edition of XP. You change all of your default locations using Nlite (great tool Nuhi) so they do not have any effect on your stock(ish) install default locations.

This way you have installed XP twice on the same HD without either one having conflicts with the other one.

Now, do you edit the TXTSETUP.SIF for both installs?

I would assume the first one on the list is the first one you installed. Stock being first and gamer second by your example.

I could be way off on this but to help make it clear I feel I should ask.

Thank you..

You're exactly right except for one thing: You only modify the TXTSETUP.SIF on the stripped-down *gamer* version of XP. I agree that often most geeks would prefer to have separation on two drives, but sometimes these days with drives as big as they are--and let's face it, most machines have a single drive standard--that this would be a good way to achieve the same separation level while only using on drive

Oh, and yes, of course the list will populate first and second depending on which order you installed them, but remember that you can easily edit that order from within Windows (either one) no problem.

[JasonGW]

Thank for the tip. But how did you setup 2 windows ? on different HD/Partition ?

Same hard drive, same partition, but two completely separate sets of folders with two completely separate pagefiles and 2 completely different boot.ini entries. Obviously the main boot files are shared, but that's true even of multi-partition/multi-drive dual boot setups, so you haven't lost anything

[jaclaz]

If you change these settings on your Windows XP install source, it will be reflected in your boot.ini *by default*, at installation.

Now I see.

Nice trick, I always directly edit boot.ini post-install with Notepad, I would have never thought of this, but I can see the usefulness of it.

jaclaz