JBELL
11-12-2002, 01:53 PM
Windows Tip: Add a Boot Menu to Windows XP
Get into Safe mode the easy way.
If you're troubleshooting your Windows XP drivers, you can add a new menu during the boot process that will ask you if you want to boot normally or boot into Safe mode. This menu will ask you for an answer each time you boot up, so you can avoid frantically searching for F8. Just follow the steps below to add a new menu to the XP boot process.
Warning: Make a copy of your boot.ini file before you begin. Since this tip is slightly advanced, please do not attempt it if you do not feel comfortable re-editing your boot.ini file in DOS if something goes wrong.
The steps
Show your hidden files and open boot.ini (in C:/) in Notepad.
There's probably only one line under [Operating systems]. Copy this line and paste it directly below the first.
Change the OS name in quotes (originally something like Microsoft Windows XP Professional) to Safe mode. The name is unimportant -- you can call it Happy Banana, if you like -- but Safe mode is a more descriptive and useful title.
Now add to the end of the second line the following information, without the quotes: "/safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog" and then save the file. If you want to enable Safe mode with network support, replace the word "minimal" with "network."
Open Msconfig, where you can see a replica of the boot.ini file you just edited. Click "Check All Boot Paths" to make sure you correctly entered the information.
"Timeout" is how long the computer waits at the menu before it makes a choice for you, and you can modify it either in Msconfig or in boot.ini by setting "timeout" equal to your preferred number of seconds.
You can specify what choice your computer makes for you by putting that line first, or you can select the entry in Msconfig and choose "Set as Default." If the option is grayed out, the line you have selected is already the default option.
This tip is not for everyone. If you're not having computer problems and don't need to boot into Safe mode, you'll just be adding an annoying step in the boot process.
This is a good tip to help out someone who doesn't know how to boot into Safe mode, or if you're troubleshooting your video drivers and need to reboot often. You can restore everything to normal by deleting the extra line from within boot.ini.
Get into Safe mode the easy way.
If you're troubleshooting your Windows XP drivers, you can add a new menu during the boot process that will ask you if you want to boot normally or boot into Safe mode. This menu will ask you for an answer each time you boot up, so you can avoid frantically searching for F8. Just follow the steps below to add a new menu to the XP boot process.
Warning: Make a copy of your boot.ini file before you begin. Since this tip is slightly advanced, please do not attempt it if you do not feel comfortable re-editing your boot.ini file in DOS if something goes wrong.
The steps
Show your hidden files and open boot.ini (in C:/) in Notepad.
There's probably only one line under [Operating systems]. Copy this line and paste it directly below the first.
Change the OS name in quotes (originally something like Microsoft Windows XP Professional) to Safe mode. The name is unimportant -- you can call it Happy Banana, if you like -- but Safe mode is a more descriptive and useful title.
Now add to the end of the second line the following information, without the quotes: "/safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog" and then save the file. If you want to enable Safe mode with network support, replace the word "minimal" with "network."
Open Msconfig, where you can see a replica of the boot.ini file you just edited. Click "Check All Boot Paths" to make sure you correctly entered the information.
"Timeout" is how long the computer waits at the menu before it makes a choice for you, and you can modify it either in Msconfig or in boot.ini by setting "timeout" equal to your preferred number of seconds.
You can specify what choice your computer makes for you by putting that line first, or you can select the entry in Msconfig and choose "Set as Default." If the option is grayed out, the line you have selected is already the default option.
This tip is not for everyone. If you're not having computer problems and don't need to boot into Safe mode, you'll just be adding an annoying step in the boot process.
This is a good tip to help out someone who doesn't know how to boot into Safe mode, or if you're troubleshooting your video drivers and need to reboot often. You can restore everything to normal by deleting the extra line from within boot.ini.