I assume you're wanting to automatically boot a different hard-drive? If so, it's a real simple fix. I'll take you through the steps using Windows XP Professional. In the example below we will tell the system to automatically boot Windows 7 if the user does not make a choice in 30 seconds.
1. Open My Computer.
2. Open your C:\ drive.
3. At the top, select Tools -> Folder Options (
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4. Select "Show Hidden Files and Folders," Uncheck "Hide Extensions for known File Types," Uncheck "Hide Protected Operating System Files." (
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5. Locate "boot.ini." (
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6. Right-Click boot.ini and go to "Properties." (
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7. Uncheck "Read-only" and press OK. (
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8. Open boot.ini
9. Find the line corresponding with the system you want to boot automatically every time your system starts. (
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10. Place the system's path into the "Default" slot. (
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NOTE: Only place the system's path into the default slot, not the boot options and description!
11. Save the file and exit boot.ini.
12. Once again, right-click boot.ini and go to Properties. (
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13. Check "Read-only" and press OK. (
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14. Restart your system to ensure the changes were made correctly and that your system starts the correct operating system.
CAUTION: Altering the lines below "[operating systems]" can change the way you system starts and might prevent your system from starting! DO NOT ALTER ANY ENTRIES BELOW "[operating systems]" UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING! Altering the "Default" slot will not harm your system as long as you enter a system path that is described in the "[operating system]" sector.
Altering boot.ini the way we just did tells the system to automatically start Windows 7 if the user does not make a choice in 30 seconds. Additionally, if you want the timer to run for say 1-3 seconds, you can alter the "timeout" value to read something similar to: timeout=2
That way when the system will automatically boot the "default" system in 2 seconds if the user doesn't make a choice. NOTE: Don't forget, you can't alter boot.ini unless "Read-only" is unchecked. Also, don't forget to check it again once you're finished editing boot.ini.
Let me know if this solved your problem, or if you were wondering how to do something else.
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