"bvanderpool" <bvande...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8D5EE2D7-D4D5-499B...@microsoft.com...
> I recently formatted a Windows 2000 machine and installed 2000 Server. I
> formatted it using the 2000 Server CD, and after the instillation the
> boot.ini file still shows the previous version of Windows as an option. I
> have seen this a couple times before when reinstalling too. Does the CD
not
> do a complete format of the drive? Just a curiosity question.
--
Regards,
Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
"Dave Patrick" <ma...@Nospam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:OaMOmXMC...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
--
Regards,
Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
If you are confident that boot.ini will survive then I'll
try it for myself, just to satisfy my curiosity.
"Dave Patrick" <ma...@Nospam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:eKafgvN...@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
"Dave Patrick" <ma...@Nospam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:Op2WofYC...@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
Strange . . .
"Dave Patrick" <ma...@Nospam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:uTwYWoyC...@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
BOOT.INI Not Cleaned Up After Repartitioning
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=141188
It seems this is one of these quirks with NT Operating Systems under
specific conditions.
John
"Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51. We
are researching this problem and will post new information here in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available."
Now WinNT 3.51 was a loooooooooong time ago. The article
itself was last reviewed on 7 May 2003. I suspect that someone
at Microsoft is dragging his/her feet.
I suspect that the cause is nowhere near as exotic as some
respondents in this thread have suggested, e.g. that boot.ini
"dwells in the MFT" etc. etc. A more likely explanation is
that the installation process reads boot.ini at the start of the
installation process, keeps the contents in memory, then
replicates some of the original lines when the new boot.ini
is generated. This would line up with the fact that none of
the Win2000 boot files (c:\ntldr, c:\ntdetect.com, c:\boot.ini)
need to be located in a specific sector of the disk (like some
DOS boot files). They can occupy any physical location,
and can deleted/copied/replicated freely, as long as their
logical location is the root directory of the active partition.
"John John" <aude...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:enmSyx9C...@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
• Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
I'm along with you on the possible reason, I kind of think that it reads
the boot.ini file and temporarily store it in the RAM, then restores it.
I'm inclined to believe that if one was to use W98 disk and format or,
format the disk slaved in another NT pc that it would be toast. It says
in the article that it happens if you use an NT setup cd. It's probably
is one of these quirks that just carried on from version to version.
Like W95 things that still apply to NT. As for MS dragging their
feet... well I guess it isn't much of an issue other than academia.
Maybe it will be different with Longhorn setup cd... whenever it comes out.
John
John