XP Boot Menu: Delete, Modify, or Disable Entries
Dealing with Multiple Boot Menu Entries in Windows XP
Have you perhaps encountered a situation where a Windows XP computer displays multiple options on its boot menu screen? Frequently, one or more of these entries may be non-functional. This forces users to either press a key or endure a 30-second delay each time the system starts.
Important Note: If your system runs Windows 7 or Vista, a different procedure is necessary for managing boot menu items.
Two Approaches to Resolution
There are fundamentally two ways to address this issue. You can either eliminate the problematic boot menu entry directly, or you can simply disable the display of the boot menu altogether. For those less comfortable with technical procedures, disabling the menu is generally the recommended course of action.
I was prompted to create this guide by a friend, Shawn, who had forgotten the steps involved. =)
Removing a Faulty Boot Menu Option in XP
Caution: This method requires modifying a critical boot configuration file. Exercise extreme care and ensure you have backups of your important files before proceeding, as errors could lead to system instability.
All boot menu options within Windows XP are stored in the boot.ini file, typically located in the root directory of your boot drive (usually C:). Initially, you must make the file writable using the attrib command from the command prompt:
attrib -r boot.ini
Following this, you can open the boot.ini file in Notepad by navigating to Start > Run and entering the following command:
notepad c:\boot.ini
Within this file, you will find representations of the options displayed in your boot menu. Pay close attention to the default= item, as this indicates the operating system that will be launched by default.
Important Tip: The value following the "=" character in the default line should correspond to the value preceding the "=" character within the [operating systems] section. Keep this in mind when making any modifications.
To remove a specific entry, such as the second one in the list, assuming the first is set as the default, simply delete the corresponding line from the file. (It is strongly advised to create a backup of the boot.ini file before making any changes.)
If the default line points to an incorrect entry, you must remove the erroneous line from the [operating systems] section and then adjust the DEFAULT= line to reflect the correct operating system.
Remember to exercise caution when manually editing this file.
A Simpler Method: Disabling the Boot Menu
Rather than risking potential issues by directly editing the boot.ini file, you can disable the boot menu entirely, which is a much safer approach. If you consistently select a single operating system, there is no need to display the menu.
You can access the necessary settings by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting Properties, or by typing sysdm.cpl into the Start > Run box. This will open the System Properties window. Navigate to Advanced > Startup and Recovery > Settings as illustrated below:
In the Startup and Recovery dialog, verify that the default operating system is correctly specified, and then uncheck the option labeled "Time to display list of operating systems." Close the dialog box.
Upon rebooting your system, the boot menu should no longer appear.
Bonus Tip: The Edit button within this dialog provides direct access to the boot.ini file in Notepad, mirroring the first method described above.
Next week, we will explore methods for resolving incorrect entries in your Vista boot menu.