Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for Windows 7 [70-680] [A001 70-680] ANSWER

QUESTION - You are a desktop engineer for your company which is configured as a single Active Directory domain running Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controllers. Desktop systems in use include Windows XP running service pack 3 and Windows Vista.

You have been working on a service request to install Windows 7 Professional on a workstation in a dual boot configuration with Windows Vista Business edition.

You have completed the Windows 7 installation but you want Windows Vista to be booted by default.

What should you do? (Choose the best, single answer).

A. Use the Bcdedit.exe command line tool to specify the /default parameter.
B. Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /default parameter.
C. Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /Addsw parameter.
D. Edit the boot.ini file in the root of the Windows 7 partition so that Windows Vista is booted by default.
E. Edit the boot.ini file in the root of the C:\ partition so that Windows Vista is booted by default.
F. Edit the boot.ini file in the root of the Windows Vista partition so that Windows is booted by default.

Answer and Explanation:

The best answer for this question is A - Use the Bcdedit.exe command line tool with the /default switch. This switch specifies the default entry that the boot manager selects when the timeout expires.

For additional details you can review http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709667(WS.10).aspx

Choices B and C, Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /default parameter and Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /Addsw parameter are not the best answers in this scenario.

If you attempt to run this on your Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation you will receive the following error:


ERROR: Cannot open BOOT.INI file.


Bootcfg.exe is designed to work with the BOOT.INI file and it will throw this error when it cannot be found.

For more information on Bootcfg.exe please see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/317521

The remaining answers are not correct because Windows Vista and Windows 7 no longer use the boot.ini system file.

The boot.ini file in prior versions of Windows contained information about the Windows operating systems installed on a computer.

This file has been replaced with Boot Configuration Data (BCD) which can be edited with the Bcdedit.exe command line tool.

Additional information on this can be found via http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows7/What-happened-to-the-boot-ini-file

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