another dual boot issue :D

Hello all.

I have read through a few threads related to dual boot problems. I have made a few strides in the right direction. But I don't quite have things back to "normal".

Where things sit right now, I have a fresh install of XP Pro 32-bit on one drive, then I installed W7 64-bit on another drive. For some reason, I never got the boot choice during startup, it just went into W7.

Did all kinds of searching and playing around, 3 hours or so worth. Now it's time to ask, lol :)

I have the EasyBCD program, and I have things to where startup gives me a choice between Windows 7 and Windows XP. I can chose W7 and it boots up fine. If I choose XP, it just reboots and brings me back to the Os select screen again. Here is what BCD setting screen shows:


I feel like I am close to righting this wrong, but I am also possibly tired, anyway, any ideas?

PS: I also noticed in another thread people showing a screenshot of an "About" screen that shows an expiration date, where is that?

How to get a XP/W7 dualboot to work:

The XP boot loader files need to be in the W7 partition. XP bootloader files must be in the root folder of the first partition of the harddisk that boots the computer (usually known as drive "C:"). This is the harddisk that is listed first (in boot priority) in the BIOS, or that is booted first from an external harddisk adapter.

Copy (NOT move!) these 3 files from the XP root folder into the W7 root folder:
(assuming that your W7 is installed in the first partition)

ntdetect.com
ntldr
boot.ini

Now you must modify the boot.ini (in the W7 partition) to point back to the XP partition. DO NOT modify the boot.ini in the XP partition! This can be confusing and difficult but it should not affect your XP install in any way if you get it wrong. Getting it wrong just results in XP not booting.

In two lines in the boot.ini file is a reference to the drive and partition that the XP is installed on:

Code:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN

These two items in the above lines (line 3 and 5) in the boot.ini must be modified:

rdisk(x) points to the physical drive that XP is installed on, this is the order in BIOS that the harddisks are listed starting at 0 as the first harddisk.

partition(x) points to the partition that XP is installed on starting with 1 as the first partition.

Examples:
For XP on the first harddisk in the first partition the result is:
rdisk(0)partition(1)

For XP on the second harddisk in the first partition the result is:
rdisk(1)partition(1)

For XP on the third harddisk in the first partition the result is:
rdisk(2)partition(1)

And for XP on the first harddisk in the second partition the result is:
rdisk(0)partition(2)

You must modify "rdisk(x)partition(x)" in BOTH lines in the boot.ini, and both line's entries must be identical so that they refer to the same harddisk and partition.

Once you get this set up, start EasyBCD (inside W7), remove your "bad" XP entry and start over. "Add" a new Windows XP entry, select the "OS Type" entry as Windows XP and, if you got your boot.ini correct, you don't even need to select the drive letter, EasyBCD will detect the XP install and automatically configure the dualboot. You will see "C:" as the selected drive, that's correct since when XP boots it will be the "C:" drive no matter that it's now "F:" (or whatever).

On my system I have Vista 64 on the first harddisk in partition 1, W7 on the first harddisk in partition 2 and XP on the second harddisk in partition 1. So in the (XP) boot.ini file in the Vista partition I have:

Code:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN

Since I have a Vista/W7 dualboot my XP boot.ini file is in the Vista root folder because that's where the Vista/W7 bootloader is located. With only a W7 install you would put the XP boot files into the W7 root folder.

Without a Vista/W7 dualboot, using only a virgin W7 install, you might need to put the three XP boot files into that "hidden" W7 partition because that's where the W7 bootloader is found, or so I've read. I installed W7 from within Vista so I didn't get the extra "hidden" partition.

This works even if XP is 32bit and Vista or W7 is 64bit, the bootloader does not care what gets booted - 32bit or 64bit. It's even possible to use EasyBCD to boot into a Linux type OS like Ubuntu instead of using GRUB which is an adventure all by itself.

Thanks for the help.

Here is a screenshot of my disk management:


and here is the 2 locations I find for both the ntdetect.com and the ntldr.


I can't locate the boot.ini

Click on Manage Bootloader and then click 'write mbr', but make sure that 'Reinstall the Vista bootloader' is checked. I had the same problem but there is another step to it.

Tried shezz's idea, still the same problem. I get the choice of the 2 OSs to boot to, W7 boots up fine, but choosing XP just restarts the computer right back to the OS selection screen, rinse and repeat.

I appreciate the suggestion though :)

AgentSmith5150 said:

Tried shezz's idea, still the same problem. I get the choice of the 2 OSs to boot to, W7 boots up fine, but choosing XP just restarts the computer right back to the OS selection screen, rinse and repeat.

I appreciate the suggestion though :)

OK, I reckon the drive letter may be wrong where XP is installed, try changing that. Remember, it won't be the same drive letter as it is in Vista. By the look of it from your screenshots, I'd try D:\

From the disk management screenshot he posted he only has two drives/partitions. If XP was installed after Vista then logically XP will inhabit the D:\ drive/partition as recognized from dos. He has it set as F:\ because that is what it is in Vista....in dos mode however the drive with XP on it will be drive D:\. However it may be drive E:\ if your DVD/CDROM is allocated D;\, but it will most certainly not be F:\

Yeah, two seperate drives, not two partitions on the same drive. For the drive ID for the XP drive, under "change settings" I can choose C:\, F:\, or BOOT.

Or should I do "add/remove entries" and remove the XP entry and re-add as a different letter?

And about Grim's idea, should I do that before or after I try anything else?

Thanks again for the help