Sams Teach Yourself MCSE Windows NT Server 4 in 14 Days
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): David Schaer, et al
ISBN: 0672311283
Publication Date: 12/15/97

After you complete these steps, use the floppy to boot a Windows NT Server. Keep in mind that the NTOSKRNL.EXE file must reside on the hard disk where the Windows NT files are. If the NTOSKRNL.EXE file is missing, the boot disk won’t do you any good.

You should test your boot disk to make sure it works. Nothing is more frustrating than attempting to boot up to a boot disk and discover it is not working properly. Your main concern should be that the BOOT.INI is correct.

14.3.2. The BOOT.INI

The BOOT.INI file creates the menu at boot-up of Windows NT on Intel-based machines. It is a text-based file that points to the location of the NTOSKRNL.EXE. There may come a time when you must modify the BOOT.INI. You can use any text-based editor (such as Notepad or Edit) to do so.

However, most people are confused with the layout of the BOOT.INI file. It uses ARC (Advanced RISC Computing)naming conventions to specify the location of the NTOSKRNL.EXE. You must specify the correct ARC naming convention for the exam. Here is an example of a BOOT.INI file:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINNT

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINNT=“Windows NT Server Version 4.00”
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINNT=“Windows NT Server Version 4.00
⇒[VGA mode]” /basevideo /sos
C:\=“MS-DOS”

The BOOT.INI file contains two sections: boot loader and operating system. The boot loader portion specifies the timeout value, which is how long the computer will wait, in seconds, for you to make a choice. If the timer runs out, it will pick the default operating system, which also is specified in this portion of the BOOT.INI.

If the timeout portion is set to 0, the default operating system specified will be booted without any action from you.

The operating system section specifies the different operating systems to which you can boot. In the preceding example, there are only two choices, Windows NT Server and MS-DOS. It specifies the operating systems through the use of ARC names. Here are two examples of ARC names:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)
scsi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)

•  multi /scsi—Adapter. When the boot device is attached to a SCSI adapter with its BIOS disabled, use scsi. In all other situations, use multi.

•  disk—Hard disk assignment on the adapter, which is used when scsi is used in the ARC name. If multi is used, disk always will be 0.

•  rdisk—Hard disk assignment on the adapter, which is used when multi is used in the ARC name. If scsi is used, rdisk always will be 0.

•  partition—Partition in which the operating system resides.

Two basic situations play a big role in the ARC name. The first situation is one in which the boot device is a SCSI device without the built-in BIOS enabled. If this is the case, the first section of the ARC name will be scsi.

The second situation basically is all others. This includes IDE devices and SCSI devices with the BIOS enabled. When this situation arises, the first portion of the ARC name will be multi.

Here is where I see some folks stray when they come across this topic on the exam. It may sound confusing, but actually it’s simple. There must be a differentiation between scsi and multi so that Windows NT knows whether to load the NTBOOTDD.SYS necessary for SCSI devices. On standard SCSI adapters (without the BIOS enabled), Windows NT cannot access the device and must load the NTBOOTDD.SYS. You specify this situation by placing SCSI at the beginning of the ARC name. However, if the SCSI adapter has its BIOS enabled, it acts very similarly to an IDE device. In this case, the NTBOOTDD.SYS does not need to be loaded, so you specify multi in the ARC name.

So how does the numbering work? Well, take a look at a few examples, and it should become self-evident. The first example has a machine with two SCSI adapters (BIOS disabled). Both adapters have two hard drives. Windows NT is loaded on the first adapter, second disk, and first partition.

scsi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)

The next example is a hardware setup identical to the first. However, this time Windows NT is loaded on the second adapter, first disk, and second partition.

scsi(1)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)