Dual Boot as an unusual situation

I am really trying to get used to Windows 7 and it is getting better. I have a dual boot which works well. I have several installs of XP of various editions. I use Acronis True Image a lot to make images.

I use only the one Windows 7 but several Acronis True Images of various XP's - Corporate, Home, etc.

My problem is, I have the one XP that I then installed Seven and this is the dual boot. I sure don't want to go about the dual boot by re-installing Seven with all the others. Is there an easy way to do this?

What I thought is to restore an XP image, then putting the what makes the dual boot files in and saving that as an image. Then on to the next XP image. But how would I do this?

I have read up on dual boot software but I need something very simple. And if I ever need to restore an image - either XP or Seven I need to know that it will still dual boot.

Thanks,
Fscltp

Best way to do a dual boot is by using Super F-Disk and GAG. This is basically a dual boot with hidden partitions, so that a) if one partition goes down, you still have a fully functional other partition that has been unaffected, and b) when that part does go down, you can do a reinstall on that part without affecting the other part and it's OS.

Haven't heard of these before, I'm on my way to check it out.
Thanks!

jasong1968 said:

Best way to do a dual boot is by using Super F-Disk and GAG. This is basically a dual boot with hidden partitions, so that a) if one partition goes down, you still have a fully functional other partition that has been unaffected, and b) when that part does go down, you can do a reinstall on that part without affecting the other part and it's OS.

I checked Gag, sounds good. Having never used anything like this before, can I do the following: Make multiple partitions with Super-F. Then restore my XP images to each partition. THEN use Gag to make a multiple boot with all the XPs and Weven. That is, since Gag was installed after I made the images will it still work?

It is highly unlikely that I will have all these going, just one XP and one Seven.

Are you using separate HD's or are both OS's on the same HD in separate partitions?

Please post back a screenshot of your maximized Disk Management drive map and we can advise you better. Use Snipping TOol in Start menu.

First you'll want to make sure Win7 has its System Active boot files so that XP partition can be reimaged, then use EasyBCD from Win7 to add the reimaged XP to Dual Boot. EasyBCD 2.0.2 - NeoSmart Technologies Earlier versions of Easy are still free.

fscltp said:

can I do the following: Make multiple partitions with Super-F.

Ok, let's stop there.

Super FDisk does not create nor format partitions. That is done the standard way. SFD will hide any of the partitions you have created (you choose which), which enables you to successfully install another OS on another part, repair errors, restore an image, etc, without affecting any of the other partitions.

I am not sure exactly how to direct you here; the experience I have is starting out with a clean HD, creating a part, formatting it, installing the OS, hiding it with SFD, then creating and formatting another part, then installing the 2nd OS, then GAG to be able to boot into either or.

My post yesterday must not have took as I don't see it now. I wanted to thank you guys for your help. I don't think the super fdisk would apply to what I do as I just want to replace windows with another Acronis true image of Windows.

So I tried Acronis Disk Director and that took over the current text boot message and it still worked. I tried replacing XP with another Acronis image of XP and the boot menu was still there and I could boot into either 7 or XP. Yaaaayyyy!

I had tried Easy BCD but it wouldn't install, said I needed net framework. So I tried to install Dual Boot Pro and I think this could be the paid version of Easy bcd. Well that needed framework too. So I downloaded version 4, said I needed framework. So uninstalled 4 and installed 2 and finally was able to install. Didn't tell it to do anything yet about dual boot.

Acronis DD works very well, but for me it has a fatal flaw. When I went to restore an image from Acronis, and the point came when it needed to reboot, the loader interfered and it could never get to the point of finishing. The only option I had was to uninstall Acronis Disk Director. Fortunately the text dual boot came back.

So I figure it is time to try Dual Boot Pro and I must have really made it go where it had never gone before. It tells me to back up my boot file right off the bat. When I try to, it tells me I don't have one. But I just booted up with one! Well, I'll just restore an image of XP. Every bootup says it can't boot. Press C/A/D to continue. I restored different images from Acronis again and again but nothing. What saved me, I had saved an image at the point of starting all this, and that one still had ADD dual boot. If I hadn't done that I would be formatting fresh right now.

I have XP on C hard drive and 7 on my second hard drive. I restore XP images frequently. If I cannot disable ADD then I will have to uninstall it everytime I restore an image just so Acronis True Image can get past the dual boot to finish restoring. I am game to try Easy BCD and even Dual Boot Pro again, but either that is over my head or I am ducking ...

Had you not ignored by post I could have explained that the cleanest method to Dual Boot with separate HD's is not to interlock them using a Boot manager at all, but use the BIOS Boot order or one-time BIOS boot menu key so they remain independent to come and go as you please.

This is accomplished by unplugging one HD when installing or imaging the other one until it starts up, then plugging both HD's in, setting preferred to boot first in BIOS setup, use one-time Boot Menu key to boot the other.