Tech: PB bootup query

Subject: Tech: PB bootup query
From: nickp
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 08:59 AM

Hi Mudcat techies

Not a problem but something I find curious. When I boot up, the autoexec.bat runs twice - I can tell because I have various deltree commands to keep the aging and under-resources beast tidy.

It goes through autoexec and brings up the Windows background then kicks into it again before finally loading. I suspect there's a call to the bat file in something that loads in the background but I haven't got a clue what that could be - or whether it can be removed if I can find it.

Any clever soul (hey it's the 'cat, bound to be!) who can satisfy my curiosity?

Ta, Nick

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: nickp
Date: 13 Jun 03 - 10:55 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: mack/misophist
Date: 13 Jun 03 - 11:06 AM

I can't answer the question. However, if it were me, I might play around with the various options in msconfig. Or I might not. You can't do too much harm, if you're careful.

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: nickp
Date: 13 Jun 03 - 11:08 AM

Thanks Misophist, I'll have a (very) careful look
Nick

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: NicoleC
Date: 13 Jun 03 - 11:58 AM

What version of Windows?

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 13 Jun 03 - 01:26 PM

The BIOS generally will run Config.sys and Autoexec.bat when it "boots" the machine, since it has to get any drivers that aren't "permanently registered" before it can read the drives and get the "rest of the story" about how to start.

Windows pretty much "flushes" the "boot" installation of Autoexec.bat, but will re-run Autoexec.bat when it starts, if it's there, since this is the only place you can put in a call to start drivers needed by "non-compliant" hardware. It can be used to start odd-ball (non-Windows) programs you may want running, but there are usually better ways to do this "inside Windows."

Most people never see the "Windows run" of Autoexec.bat because it's usually a "zero-byte" file, i.e. empty. It's there for those who might need it, but in normal Windows operation it really isn't much more necessary than a third thumb.

If you have installed Windows on a machine that has "legacy" hardware - stuff that doesn't have "Plug-and-Play" capability, you may need a driver for it in Autoexec.bat, so you need to be careful about randomly taking stuff out; but the "run-twice" thing is sort of built in. (You may also be able to find a newer driver that will let Windows start the old hardware.)

You don't say what "cleanup" you feel is necessary, but one way to get it out of running twice would be to put it in a separate .bat file and put an icon on your desktop so that you can "click to run" after Windows starts. You may have to tell it to run in a DOS window in Win95 or Win98, but later versions of Windows do it pretty much all for you.

There also are ways to put a "run-once" file into Windows Startup, that would likely do it for you automatically at each boot, but it's not something I've done recently so I'd have to do some lookup.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 14 Jun 03 - 12:34 PM

The BIOS just reads and loads the program residing in the boot sector and hands over control. This program could be a loader for Windows, could be the popular LILO that is commonly used with Linux, etc.

The reading of config.sys and autoexec.bat is an OS specific operation and is part of a DOS/Windows boot process. These files do not exist in Linux for example.

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: GUEST,cookieless nick at home
Date: 14 Jun 03 - 12:44 PM

Thanks all

It is'nt a problem but merely for my own curiosity wondering why I see my 'deltrees' run twice. I'm unlikely to do anything serious about it so don't spend ages researchiing for me.

Again, many thanks, Nick

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Jun 03 - 01:10 PM

Just out of curiosity, what does the PB in "PB Bootup" mean?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 03 - 01:42 PM

Nickp,

I've been doing a lot of tinkering this week, and finally deep-sixed the earlier operating system (it came with ME) on my HP computer that was running with a dual platform. Now I'm using Win2000 alone (which is of course not the most up-to-date, but is very powerful). I cringe every time I get ready to do one of these operations, because so many things can go wrong. I had to do this because the ME side wouldn't boot at all, it was where some things resided that had to be moved (Partition Magic and Boot Magic) and until I killed it off I couldn't install them on Win2000 to reconfigure how the computer started. I also had to perform extra stuff (choosing the partition to use) or let it take a full minute to run the scripts by itself when I booted up. But I always knew what it was doing. I felt I had to fix this problem, and I have the disks that came with the computer in case I want to backup Win2000 then reinstall ME and put in the partitions again, etc. So far, it all worked out well. All of this came after a day of trying to figure out what system to use to back up this computer. I realized that the ME side was going to mess up a backup via NERO (because it would also backup the excess baggage of that non-functioning partition with the ME on it).

What is this all leading up to? If you have an older system and it still works, don't worry about that little Autoexec Bat script. There's a saying that's big down here in Texas, but applies anyplace else I've lived also:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: PB bootup query
From: GUEST,nick - still at home
Date: 14 Jun 03 - 04:58 PM

Sorry Joe, it should have been PC but I must have been half asleep - or half awake.

And I'm persuaded by the argument to leave it alone!

Thanks all, Nick