You can set default startup OS by editing boot.ini file
By JOHN TORRO
Published September 5, 2005
Q. I had a dual operating system with OS setup with Windows XP Home on E and Windows 98 on C drives. C failed. I replaced C and transferred all my programs and data from E to C. Now, I can't get rid of the Windows dual boot menu on startup. And all my programs "think" they are on E drive. How can I get rid of the dual boot menu and make my programs understand that they are on C drive? I would like to erase E and use it for data.
A. You'll need to edit the boot.ini file on your boot drive. This file contains various information, including about which drive and partition contain your two operating systems. The easiest way to edit the boot.ini file is to right-click My Computer, select Properties and Advanced, and click the Settings button under Startup And Recovery. In the Startup And Recovery dialog, click the Edit button under System Startup. This will open the boot.ini file with Windows' Notepad program. To remove the Windows 98 boot option, simply delete the line that refers to the Windows 98 operating system. Without the line, Windows XP becomes the default startup. When you have completed your edit, save the file and close Notepad.
Getting half-screen displays? Drag the screen by the corner edgeQ. Everything I do on the Internet always pops up in a half screen (Windows XP). I have to click on the little square box in the upper right hand corner to get a full screen. Also when I receive e-mail,most of the time it comes into the Delete file and not into the Inbox.
A. The next time your Internet Explorer screen displays (half size), expand it by dragging the corner edges until you get it to the desired size. Do not click the maximize button. Now the next time you open it, it will remember the larger size. As for your e-mail, you didn't specify any details. All I can say is check to see if you have any pre-processing rules in effect that may be confusing regular e-mail for junk mail. If you have any junk mail filters in effect, try turning them off to see if this changes the behavior, then go from there.
Routers will let you block unsavory Web sites, despite ratingsQ. Would you explain how to block one Web site? When I follow the directions in the Windows XP menu, I block every Web page that I go to and end up having to enter the password to access these pages.
A. Are you speaking of using the RSCAi ratings? It is now the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA). This allows you to block Web sites based on rating. You can access this through Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options, Content, Content Advisor. The problem with this system is that you are dependent upon the Web site to provide the rating. A much better and more straightforward alternative is to use any router/firewall-based utilities you may have. Most routers allow you to block certain Web sites completely, and it is not ratings based. Whichever Web site address you type in is then blocked. If you want to put a site on the restricted site list, do the following. Through Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options, Security tab and Restricted Sites. Type (or copy and paste) the address of the site and then click the add button. This will not prevent you from going to the site, but will render it harmless and unable to do any drive-by downloads, cookies of any kind, home-page hijacking, running of ActiveX/Java scripts and any of the obnoxious popups that go along with them.
Microsoft support documents can help you pinpoint program problemsQ. What could lead System Restore to restore no more?Mine simply responds that it cannot restore as requested, after apparently making a lengthy try. Is the software hiding somewhere, and is it recoverable? I do have recovery discs, but hesitate to use them because of all the reinstallation of software and updates.
A. This could be any number of problems such as a virus, bad disc sectors, corrupted data or insufficient disc space, just to name a few. Microsoft has a document that will help you troubleshoot and hopefully repair your System Restore problem: Go to support.microsoft.com and search for knowledgebase article 302796.