SYSK 202: Shining a Light into the Mystery of the Boot Process

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Want to know what’s going on during your computer boot time, i.e. which device drivers are being loaded, the results of the disk check, etc.?  Just add /SOS switch to proper line in boot.ini.  The boot.ini file is hidden, so you want see it in Windows Explorer.  You can, however, type notepad c:\boot.ini in Start->Run prompt.  Alternatively, you can go to My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Start up and Recovery Settings -> Edit button to bring up same file.

 

In the [operating systems] section, add the /SOS switch after /fastdetect, and next time you reboot, you’ll see a bit more on what’s going on as your computer is booting up…  This is especially useful if you think you have device driver related problems.