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View Full Version : Ntldr loads and executes Ntdetect.com


yangzhengbao
03-29-2006, 09:30 AM
If the user doesn't select an entry from the selection menu within the timeout period the Boot.ini file specifies, Ntldr chooses the default selection. Once the boot selection has been made, Ntldr loads and executes Ntdetect.com, a 16-bit real-mode program that uses a system's BIOS to query the computer for basic device and configuration information. This information includes the following:


The time and date information stored in the system's CMOS (nonvolatile memory)


The types of buses (for example, ISA, PCI, EISA, Micro Channel Architecture [MCA]) on the system and identifiers for devices attached to the buses


The number, size, and type of disk drives on the system


The types of mouse input devices connected to the system


The number and type of parallel ports configured on the system

This information is gathered into internal data structures that will be stored under the HKLM\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION registry key later in the boot.