Skip to Content
Windows XP in a Nutshell
book

Windows XP in a Nutshell

by David A. Karp, Tim O'Reilly, Troy Mott
April 2002
Beginner
640 pages
27h 54m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Windows XP in a Nutshell

Name

Boot Configuration Manager — \windows\system32\bootcfg.exe

Synopsis

Configure and view entries in the boot.ini file, used by the Windows XP Boot Manager.(Boot Configuration Manager is included with Windows XP Professional only.)

To Open

Command Prompt bootcfg

Usage

bootcfg /command [parameters]

Description

The Windows XP Boot Manager, responsible for supporting multiple operating systems on the same system, is installed when Windows XP is installed. If there is more than one boot entry, a menu appears before Windows is loaded, allowing the user to choose an operating system to load. The entries in the menu are configured in a file called boot.ini, located in the root directory of your boot drive. Boot.ini is a plain text file and can be edited with Notepad. However, the syntax can be complex, so the Boot Configuration Manager can be used to add, remove, or configure entries and options.

Unfortunately, the Boot Configuration Manager doesn’t have an interface to speak of. Rather, commands are issued by typing them at the command prompt, like this:

bootcfg /query

There are eleven primary commands, each with its own set of parameters. To list all the available commands, type:

bootcfg /?

To see the usage of any particular command, type the command followed by /?, like this:

bootcfg /query /?

Notes

  • Among the commands available to the Boot Configuration Manager, the most interesting are the /copy, /delete, and /query commands, used to add, remove, and view the entries in boot.ini, respectively. ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

AirBnbBlueOriginElectronic ArtsHomeDepotNasdaqRakutenTata Consultancy Services

QuotationMarkO’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
QuotationMarkI wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
QuotationMarkI’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
QuotationMarkI'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
Mark W.
Embedded Software Engineer

You might also like

Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition

David A. Karp, Tim O'Reilly, Troy Mott
Windows XP Professional: The Missing Manual

Windows XP Professional: The Missing Manual

David Pogue, Craig Zacker, L.J. Zacker
Microsoft® Windows® XP Unleashed

Microsoft® Windows® XP Unleashed

Terry William Ogletree, Walter Glenn, Rima Regas

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596002491Catalog PageErrata