June 12, 2009

How to Remove Multiboot Option in Windows XP


Dual Boot - Windows XP-Windows Vista
 If under various circumstances you had to install a second Windows OS on the same system, you should have already met the dual boot option. For those who do not know, the dual boot option appears when two or more Windows systems reside on the same computer at the same time. 

It will pop up before booting the system permitting the user to select which OS will boot.
  
This option is very useful for those who own computers with older mainboards that do not provide a quick boot selection option. 

Newer motherboards have this option by default and whenever two or more operating systems are available, you can simply press an F key which will determine a Bios window to emerge offering you the possibility to select the desired drive to boot.

Boot.ini, the house of the dual boot option Boot.ini is a system file found in the system root. Because it has a major importance for the booting process, Windows developers gave it hidden, system and read-only attributes. 

Don't worry though, you can easily view it and even change the attributes by yourself.
  • My Computer/Windows Explorer > 
  • Folder Options > View and check "Show hidden files and folders"
How to edit Boot.ini  

Let's assume that you have the dual boot option enabled and because your second HDD broke down or you simply formatted it losing the second operating system, you want to get rid of the dual boot option. To do it, you need to edit the Boot.ini which can be done in multiple ways.Manual edit using the notepad or any other text editorBeing a plain text file editor isn't a big deal, as all it takes is a simple text editor.


Therefore, the common Notepad provided by my Windows would be more than enough. First of all, remove the read-only attribute because you need to save the file after you have edited it. Because we are dealing with an important system file and any mistake would lead to the impossibility of booting the system, be smart and make a backup copy. 

In case something happens, you can copy back the file from another source such a floppy, USB flashpen or other HDD.Comfortable method to change the "timeout"When the dual boot option works, you are provided with a timeout in order to select the desired OS.

By default, this timeout is 30 sec,If no OS is selected, after 30 seconds, the primary Windows will boot. In case you consider the timeout too high, you can lower it.

  • Go to Start  Click on Run 
  • Type msconfig. 

Once the system configuration window pops up, you will notice that Boot.ini has its own tab. Select that tab and where you see "timeout," set it to a lower or higher value. Remove/Add Operating Systems in the dual boot menuThis is the main issue.




Step 1:Right click on My Computer icon and select Properties. 

 

Step 2:From the properties window go to Advanced > Startup and Recovery > Settings.  


Here, you can both edit the timeout value and modify the Boot.ini file by clicking Edit. If you remove the second operating system from Boot.ini, the dual boot option won't appear before booting.

[Don't forget to backup the file in any situation. It will keep you out of trouble]




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Intel Atom Processor

Intel Atom Processor



Produced : 2008–present
Common manufacturer(s ) : Intel
Max. CPU clock : 800 MHz to 2 GHz
FSB speeds : Data transfers at 400 MHz to 667 MHz
Min. feature size : 45nm
Instruction set : x86, x86-64 (not for the N and Z series)
Cores : 1, 2
Package(s) : 441-ball µFCBGA
Core name(s) : SilverthorneDiamondville

Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of x86 and x86-64 CPUs (or microprocessors) from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in Notebooks. Silverthorne is called the Atom Z series and Diamondville is called the Atom N series. As of June 2009, the most used chips in the Netbook retail market are Z520, Z530, and N270

Prior to the Silverthorne announcement, outside sources had speculated that Atom would compete with AMD's Geode system-on-a-chip processors, used by the One Laptop per Child project, and other cost- and power-sensitive applications for x86 processors. However, Intel revealed on October 15, 2007 that it was developing another new mobile processor, codenamed Diamondville, for OLPC-type devices.

"Atom" was the name under which Silverthorne would be sold, while the supporting chipset formerly code-named Menlow was called Centrino Atom. Intel's initial Atom press release only briefly discussed "Diamondville" and implied that it too would be named "Atom", strengthening speculation that Diamondville is simply a lower-cost, higher-yielding version of Silverthorne with slightly higher TDPs at slightly lower clock speeds.

At Spring Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2008 in Shanghai, Intel officially announced that Silverthorne and Diamondville are based on the same microarchitecture. Silverthorne will be called the Atom Z series and Diamondville will be called the Atom N series. The more expensive lower-power Silverthorne parts will be used in Intel Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) whereas Diamondville will be used in low-cost desktop and notebooks. Several Mini-ITX motherboard samples have also been revealed.Intel and Lenovo also jointly announced an Atom powered MID called the IdeaPad U8. The IdeaPad U8 weighs 280 g and has a 4.8 in (12 cm) touchscreen providing better portability than a netbook PC and easier Internet viewing than a mobile phone or PDA.
Atom N series
On March 2, 2008, Intel announced a low-cost mobile processor (code-named Diamondville) to be used in the Classmate PC Netbook. It is used in Intel's low-cost Mini-ITX motherboards (code-named "Little Falls") and in a number of netbooks.It will supersede Conroe L as the N270 (2.5 W TDP) for netbooks and as 230 (4 W TDP) for nettops, each running at 1.6 GHz per core with a 533 MHz FSB speed. An N280 with a 1.66 GHz clockspeed and a 667 MHz FSB has since appeared.
Atom 300 series
On September 22, 2008, Intel announced a new dual-core processor (unofficially code-named Dual Diamondville) branded Atom 330 of the Atom 300 series to be used in desktop computers. It runs at 1.6 GHz and has a 8 W TDP rating. Its dual core comprises two Diamondville dies next to each other on a single package (substrate).
The intel D945GCLF2 is a mini-ITX board that contains the Atom 330.
The Zotac IONITX-A-U is a board that pairs the Atom 330 with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M chipset. The intel Atom CPU, when paired with NVIDIA's GeForce 9300M or 9400M chipset, is often called the NVIDIA ION platformRead More >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Advantages of Intel Atom Processor
All Intel® Atom™ processors feature:
1.Small Form Factor CPU Package
2.Low TDP
3.Power Optimized Front Side Bus
4.Enhanced Data Prefetcher & Enhanced Register Access Manager




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