Windows 7: Triple boot 2 Windows 7 and 1 XP in one hard drive help

Hello,

Recently I had a drive failure and I need to have an extra Windows 7 x32. The remaining drive a WD 320gb drive has a dual-boot Windows 7 and XP. How can I triple boot in just one hard drive?



On that particular system I am using Neosmart's iReboot/EasyBCD so when I want to boot to either of the former arrangment I can do that easily and not be bothered by the boot selection.

Now I am using ATI Home 2011 and I was planning to make recover an image from the drive that failed to a 3rd partition on the WD320gb drive. How may I do that? Any ideas please...I really need to get this one going in the meantime I do not have the money to buy a new one.

Please help

Post back a screenshot of your maximized Disk Mgmt drive map and listings, using Snipping Tool in Start Menu., if you'd like our advice.

Easiest would be to shrink Windows 7 partition enough to reimage in the shrink space. You would then add it using EasyBCD to multi-boot menu. It may require Startup Repair run on the new image a few times to start it. Keep only the WD HD System partition Active and do not include Track 0 or Active flag in image.

I would use WD's free Acronis premium imaging or cloning app. The Manual is easy to read and on the downloads page: WD Acronis free cloning app

@gregrocker,

Thank you so much for the reply. I was to take a pic of the disk management but it's taking too long..I don't understand really..but allow me to give some details so you can have an idea of the set-up.

On this machine there are (2) hard drives:

Boot Disk : WD 320gb SATA 2 drive with 3 partitions:

a. WD320_W7 (C) --total size 107gb

b. WD320_XPSP3 (D) --total size 107gb --contained the boot folder of the Windows 7 partition(WD320_W7)

c. WD320_Back(I) ----total size 83gb --empty/target partition for the 3rd boot of Windows 7

Logical drive : WD500gb SATA 3 drive with 4 partitions:

a. WD500_2 (E) --total size 161gb
b. WD500_1A (F) --total size 58gb
c. WD500_1B (G) --total size 83gb
d. WD500_Image Backup (H) --total size 163gb

That logical drive is where I keep all my files/backup of those files etc and image backups.

I do image backups with Acronis True Image Home 2011 Build 6942. I also have EASEUS Partition Master 9 Pro.

Now I have an existing image backup of the hard drive that failed on me which is:

SGT_KIS12_W7.tib -- image size is 15.3gb (This image came from an old 160gb Seagate IDE drive. The image backup (SGT_KIS12_W7.tib) has the System Reserve in it along with the Windows 7 partition.

Now in ATI Home 2011 I can "Explore/Recover" that image backup and just select the Windows 7 partition.

I plan to recover it to c. WD320_Back(I) ----total size 83gb

I tried to do that earlier but Acronis said FAILED.

A couple of questions please,

i. Can I use that image backup? I have a different setup there and I like using it over the WD320_W7. It's a leaner setup made for office/design applications etc.

ii. . If I cannot use that, "is" the "shrink" partition you mentioned for the a. WD320_W7 (C) --total size 107gb and then I'll try to recover that in c. WD320_Back(I) --total size 83gb ...Yes?

I am not really someone who knows much about all of this. I try to learn as much from reading and searching from forums such this so pardon if I seem slow to comprehend I'll try to get that image of the Disk Management later and post it again here.

Thank you very miuch for the accomodation!

Type Disk Management in Start Search box, open and maximize.
Type Snipping Tool in Search box, open and select Rectangluar Snip, draw box around drive map and listings, save file. Attach using paper clip in reply box. Screen Shots

Try deleting the partition then apply the Acronis image as I said earlier without Active flag or Track 0 if asked. You do not want the System Reserved partition included so don't select it.

If it fails again then post up the exact error message verbatim. You can also use installed Acronis and provide Screenshots of each step you're doing so we can check your work.

In case you can't understand Greg's clear instructions, this tutorial should help: Screenshots and Files - Upload and Post in Seven Forums

WD320_XPSP3 (D) contains the boot folder you say. So it's an active, system partition in "disk management" (Windows 7)?
If so, then the system boots from that partition and shows a bootmenu with selections: winxp, Windows 7.

Only thing you have to do:

1. restore the backup to WD320_Back(I). Don't mark that partition as active. don't restore the "system reserved" partition.
2. perform a "startup repair" so it finds the new windows 7 and updates the bootmenu

but acronis restore fails? any errors?
image is 15.3GB (maybe compressed?) so fits easy on 83GB. How large was the partion when performing acronis backup? I think you can see that when restoring

Acronis True Image: Resizing Partitions during Restore to Larger/Smaller Hard Drive | Knowledge Base tells you how to restore to smaller partition

-- That's what I did but it does not display. Please see image attached..it's still reading there....

--On the application of the Acronis image will do and will be back. Thank you

I still have not been able to see the Disk Management view..tsk I do not know why..anyway kindly see the EASEUS Partition Master Pro view(the Disk Management is at the background).

[IMG]http://s7.**************/6id1g9vvb/2012_03_23_211040.jpg[/IMG]


-- I must have confused you..sorry for that. I usually use FastStone Screen Capture and post the image in a file hosting site. But I really do not understannd why it is not showing. Kindly see the window at the back of the EPM Pro view.

-- Yes you are correct that the WD320_XPSP3 (D) contains the boot folder. The 15.3GB is I think compressed by Acronis. I use the default settings of ATI.

I am currently at the office so please allow me to read/print first and will get back later when I get home. Thank you very much gregrocker , seavixen32 and Kaktussoft for the accommodation and help

Only thing you have to do:

restore the backup to WD320_Back(I). Don't mark that partition as active. perform a "startup repair" so it finds the new windows 7 and updates the bootmenu.

Has WD320_back(I) enough space to put the data in? acronis shows you the old real partition size and the amount of data thas was filled. Give those numbers please. Don't mark I as active!
perform a "startup repair" afterwards to let the new windows show up in bootmenu.

Why diskmangemnet fails.... no idea

The problem is that C is incompetently placed on a Logical partition. This makes it harder to retrieve the boot files to C so that a Triple Boot can be configured if necessary with I, since a Logical partition cannot be marked Active to accept System boot files.

To re-image to I, delete the partition, during Image selection exclude the System Reserved partition and mark it Inactive. After imaging try adding I: from XP using EasyBCD which is harder to run from XP. If it fails try running Startup Repair repeatedly with XP marked Active to see if it will add I to Triple Boot.

If not try starting Windows 7 on I by marking it Active then running Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times. Partition - Mark as Active (Method Two). Once I: holds the System Active flags you can install Easy BCD to more easily add XP and C: Windows 7.

You have significant corruption if DIsk Management will not load. Run SFC -SCANNOW Command to see if System files can be repaired. If not run a Repair Install or consider a Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which itself will correctly configure the triple boot.