W7-64 clean install will not boot without Windows DVD ?

gregrocker said:

A real mess. The entire System is attempting to boot from the System partition labeled Win2K which is not possible if it really is that ancient OS. All other HDs should always be unplugged during an OS install so that each is made independently bootable. You can create a Windows boot menu afterwards if you don't want to boot via the BIOS.

To get the Dual Boot working on the SSD unplug all other HDs. Swap Disk0 cable to SSD so it is in first position set first to boot. Now with Win7 partition marked Active run 3 Startup Repairs until it starts and holds System flag

Install EasyBCD to 7 to add XP. EasyBCD Download Registration - NeoSmart Technologies

To avoid possible problems I would plug back in each HD one at a time, move its data off to wipe with Diskpart Clean command then repartition in Disk Mgmt. Disk - Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command

The raw partition means it's ruined. Try wipe and repartition w full format then Disk Check and test the drive with maker's diagnostics.

Only System partitions should be marked Active.

You can extend C:Win7 in Disk Mgmt to gain precious space. You can also move your User folders off onto HD when it gets tight. User Folders - Change Default Location

Thank you Greg for this response.
Just as you were writing this, I was deducing that it was going to H: SystemWin2KWDC because when I tried to write something to C:, EasyBCD was writing to H: instead! The other clue was that I found a bootmgr and related files (modified recently) on this partition, while I have not done anything with this partition for years (I am just using the data partition on that old drive).

Indeed, all the other drives were present while I installed W7. I did not know that I should take them out. So maybe the installer of the geniuses from Redmond randomly wrote the BCD to that partition.

Anyway, I fixed it with considerably less pain than removing all drives and adding them back in 1 by 1, wiping drives etc. How? [and there might be something useful in here for someone else who finds themselves in this pickle]

First, I saw in bcdedit that the bootmgr was set to H:. So I changed this via this command in BCDEDIT:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=C:

Next, using diskpart I set this partition on H to inactive, and also made sure that the C: partition was active. However, the former did not stick I think.

Then I booted from the W7 install DVD and went into Repair and specifically to the repair boot setup - 3 times as you suggested. The first time through it made one change; the other times it found nothing wrong.

Then, I booted into W7 and went into EasyBCD and wrote a new BCD on the C: drive, and followed that up by writing a MBR in the same place.

Now the system boots into W7, and I can add XP back later. Hopefully the config will stick!

Probably next year and after all software is running cleanly under the new OS I'll remove the legacy OS's and recover the space.

Thanks again.

I hope you understand that we don't go by blind faith. We determine exactly what is happening by studying the Disk Mgmt screenshot. So please post another, so that others who find this thread in searches will know what needs to be done in this case.

Which hard drive is set first to boot in BIOS setup? This is critical information to know now since it will still be trying to boot from Win2K if DISK0 is set as first hard drive to boot.

The disk boot order setting in the bios was unchanged through this process - the SSD first, followed by the other XP disk, and the W2K disk was last. That is one reason why it did not occur to me that it might be starting with the W2K disk, until I could see my commands being overridden in EasyBCD and by the recently set boot files on the W2K disk (that I had not touched for years).

I hope indeed that this information might be of some use to someone in the future - that's why I wrote down the 4 specific steps that I took to remedy the situation. Looking at the variety of suggestions that I have come across in trying to solve this from others who have solved their issue(s), it appears unfortunately that there is not one solution that works for all situations.

In that case it might have booted had you changed the Win2K disk first to boot since that is clearly where the System flag was, signifying it was multi-booting all the OS's. So either Win7 updated the boot files there to create a Multi-Boot or it failed to be able to do so due to the age of the 2K and relied upon the boot disk to boot it.

In that case XP stayed tied to the 2K disk Dual Boot while Win7 floundered when the boot loader called on its HD to boot.

We really should look over the current disk configuration. These are not mysteries here after helping with tens of thousands of them since Win7 was released.