boot.ini Timeout changes

I have the Timeout set to 0 on my boot.ini. It changes to 3, without any help from me, about once a week, even though I have it set to Read only. I cannot think of anything that happens each time it changes. This is not fatal, but it sure is a pain.

 

Hello wahlroot,

The system won't allow zero timeout. I've tried on a freinds system and on mine when I first started dual booting. On mine I've since found the timeout usefull, I switch between OS's frequently.

Never did find out what the mechanism is, but that was a long time ago.

Regards - Charles

 

I assume then you are seeing the boot menu when you don’t want to? If you want XP to boot directly to just one OS then remove the other entry in the boot.ini that is causing the boot menu to be displayed.

I used to use timeout 0 sometimes and never had a problem with it. Perhaps something else on your system is restoring the original boot.ini. Some back-up utility, or your anti-virus or some other app or maybe Windows file protection "“ which I always turn off.

 

Hi Mctavish, at a guess I'd say that's it. No app that I ever ran into would touch the boot.ini

There is a boot.ini.bak in \Windows\pss which the system restores. Maybe play with that and change the timeout there manually with Notepad.


whalroot, not clear on whether you want to dispense with dual booting altogether or still have access to the other OS every once in a while?

If you want to get rid of the other OS, then modify the boot.ini and delete the other OS, or as McTavish wrote, just modify the boot.ini. Make a copy first though.

Regards - Charles

 

No dualboot on this computer. I have a dualboot on my other computer ( Win98SE & WinXP SP2) set at 0 time out and it seldom changes. This machine has ( C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT= "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons ) but that is not an OS. This is a Compaq recovery partition "D ". I have never used it, but I do not want to delete it in case I may need it sometime. I do not have a backup utility. Do not know where Windows file protection is. Same Anti Virus on both computers. I do not have boot.ini.bak. I do have BOOT.BXP which is set to 0. I have Tweakui set to Log on automatically at system startup to my username. Welcome screen & Fast user switching are turned off.

 

Try uninstalling bootxp and see if the problem goes away. It sounds like a bug in that non-MS program. There is nothing native in XP that will cause the boot.ini file to change settings.

Actually that's not partition "D," it's the Recovery Console entry that will allow you to boot to the RC without having to have the XP install CD.

 

I do not have BootXP on this computer.

 

That was the only program that I could find that took over control of the boot.ini file and also creates a boot.bxp file, so I suggested it. From what I find, BOOTXP is a program that will allow you to change the Welcome screen graphic.

If you can't recall installing anything that may be creating this boot.bxp file, I would suggest that you may have some malware, worm or virus. Why not do an online scan with Housecall or one of the others to see if you are clean?

You may also want to post up a HJT log file in the Security forum here.

As you said, it's nothing fatal but it does deserve some attention. I'd be interested in finding out how anything can change your files without some sort of justification or advanced assignment of that privilege. AFAIK, the boot.ini file is not a Windows Protected file and under ordinary circumstances will not edit itself.

 

I have run my Antivirus scan and have never found a problem. I ran Spybot and AdAware scans and found nothing. I did remove the BOOT.BXP file. I do not know where it came from. It could take a while for this problem to come back, if it does.

 

I have never installed BootXp on this computer. I did have BootXP on my other computer, but I did a clean install of 98SE and XP on it, and did not reinstall Boot Xp on it when bought this one and moved that one to the other room. I do have a wireless card in that one, but I do not share files or folders between them. Just internet connection. I do not remember seeing BOOT.BXP file before. It is not in the other computer. I also do not remember having this problem on the other computer, even when BootXP was installed. I now use "noguiboot" on both computers.

 

I just went to msconfig, startup, and removed the checkmark from ctfmon. Restarted and bootini timeout changed to 3. I do not know if this made the change, or why. This is the first time it has changed for a week.

 

By the way I had to remove the readonly to change back to 0.

 

Eureka! You have found the elusive and obscure beast! Good work!

It appears to be a bug since I can see no good reason for the change. I duplicated your experience by unchecking an item from my startups in msconfig and the same 3 seconds showed up in lieu of the 0 I had for the timeout duration.

I never use msconfig since I've always had other tools I like better so I guess it won't bother me. I do find it interesting that you seem to be the first one to dig it out.

Thanks for posting back the discovery.

 

Further testing of the Wahlroot Effect reveals that merely opening msconfig and unchecking any startup item and immediately rechecking it and then clicking on the Apply button causes the 3 second glitch. It is immediate in its action a can be confirmed by opening the boot.ini file without rebooting.

It will occur on any action that requires the Apply button to be pressed, whether disabling something or re-enabling it.

 

As they say on the T.V. commercials, "But wait, there's more! "

Just opening Msconfig and clicking on OK to close the applet will also do the 0 = 3 second deed. Only by clicking on Cancel or the X symbol can you escape without losing your 0 setting.

 

I’d never come across this one either as I also seldom open msconfig, plus I don’t normally use the Windows bootmanager and so don’t have more than one entry in the boot list, which means the timeout is never used so I have no need to change it from the default 30 secs.

I would say it’s most likely by design as a safety feature. A bad choice in msconfig when timeout is set to zero could lock you out of Windows.


EDIT: Was curious so I just tried this in an original release of XP Home and it was there even then. So it slipped past us for nearly six years.

 

[SIZE= "4"]The Wahlroot Effect[/SIZE]

Thank you gentlemen - a most interesting find and great name for the behavior.

 

Just tried this on my laptop where two OSes running - MCE and Vista. For the moment using Vista's boot loader and Vista is the default OS.

In Vista > Computer > Advanced > Startup changed the time out to 0.

The timeout unchecks and greys out. Then went into msconfig, no effect, timeout stays at 0.

I do want 30 seconds, went back in and rechecked the timeout and it reverted to the default 30 seconds.

It appears that in Vista msconfig doesn't 2nd guess you as far as the timeout is concerned. Whether something else does or not - ?.

 

I was not looking for an effect to be named for me. Just trying to learn why. Hope that is the only why. You people make me keep looking, in case I can get lucky. I am sure I will be back.