Editing the Boot.ini file in Windows XP is possible with the Windows XP Startup and Restore tool, with features that make it easier to view and modify the file.
Necessary
Windows XP
Instructions
Step 1
Click the Start button to bring up the main menu and go to Run to back up the Boot.ini file.
Step 2
Enter the value sysdm.cpl in the command line field and click OK to execute the command.
Step 3
Click the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery section of the Advanced tab of the Properties window.
Step 4
Click the Edit button in the Operating System Boot section to open the file in Notepad for editing.
Step 5
Select File from the Notepad menu bar and choose Save As.
Step 6
Call the service menu by right-clicking on an empty space in the "Save As" dialog box and select "Create".
Step 7
Specify "Folder" in the "New" context menu and enter the desired name. Press the Enter key to execute the command.
Step 8
Select the created folder with a double click of the mouse and click the "Save" button to confirm the creation of a backup copy of the Boot.ini file.
Step 9
Return to the Start menu and repeat all operations up to step 5 to edit the Boot.ini file.
Step 10
Click the Start button and go to Run to modify the Boot.ini file.
Step 11
Enter cmd in the Open field.
Step 12
Enter bootcfg / copy / d OS Description / ID # in the command line field, where OS Description is the text name of the operating system and # is the item number in the operating systems section of the Boot.ini file to be copied to add the operating system.
Step 13
Enter bootcfg / delete / ID # in the command line field, where # is the number of the item to be deleted from the operating systems section of the Boot.ini file to remove the operating system.
Step 14
Enter bootcfg / default / ID # in the command line field, where # is the element number of the operating systems section of the default Boot.ini file to select the default operating system.
Step 15
Enter bootcfg / timeout # in the command line field, where # is the default time to wait before loading the operating system, in seconds, to set the timeout.
