BSOD when dual booting Windows Vista 32bit and Windows 7 64bit

Hello,

I have another laptop and its a HP 2230s. I originally installed Windows 7 professional 64bit. But I have swapped the ram into my Lenovo ThinkPad. So the HP now has 2GB. I created a new partition and installed Vista Business 32bit on it. When I started the install windows .exe program in Windows 7, everything went well until it rebooted. When I rebooted, windows said something like:

Windows Boot manager:

The system cannot boot because of a recent change to files/hardware. (Something like that). Insert your windows disk.

So I just rebooted my laptop with the vista disk inside and installed. After, when everything was working, I wanted to go to the Windows 7 partition to un-install programs and copy some files over to the vista partition, the laptop just booted into vista.

I downloaded the easy BCD editior and visual BCD editor. (in the vista partition), I clicked the auto fix in visual BCD editor. It detected my windows installations. At the boot screen, I can select either Windows 7 or Vista. But when I select 7, the same error message appears.

Then I rebooted my laptop with a USB containing the Windows 7 (64bit) recovery tools. After, I don't have the message again. But when it goes to the starting windows animation, it stops halfway and it gets a BSOD. I tried debugging mode, it worked.

I found out that the larger partition, (Windows 7) is the C: drive. But when I boot into the smaller partition, (Windows Vista), the drive is also C:!. So I don't know what I could do.

How could I fix this? I insert the windows 7 disk and repaired my installation, it just boots into windows 7. But when I insert the Vista disk and repaired my installation, it just boots into Vista!

What could I do?

Thanks,
Fighter Pilot

P.S,

Sorry for long post!

Is Vista Business a full retail version?
Is Windows 7 professional x64 a full retail version?

Sorry I know I should have included it.

I believe that my Vista is OEM and also the Windows 7.

The original Windows 7 disk is a "upgrade media" issued by HP and by my school. (This HP is a school laptop. But now, we can choose our own laptop so this laptop is just a spare). But since I have bought 8GB RAM, I specially requested the school to put the 64 bit edition. But I don't have the 64bit disk. I only have the 32bit OEM disk.

Thanks!

Hi -

An OEM version is tied to the system it was originally installed on forever.

You can't upgrade Vista x86 to Windows 7 x64.

Upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 - Help & How-to - Microsoft Windows

If you want Windows 7 x64, you'll need to purchase it or obtain it through your school.

Sorry....

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

I'm not upgrading. This is kinda messy but here it goes.

The HP was originally installed with Vista. But the school downgraded it to XP. So when Windows 7 came, they upgraded us to Windows 7. But I'm special because I upgraded my laptop to have 8GB ram. So they specially upgraded me to Windows 7 64bit. Now, the school lets us bring any laptop we want so instead of bring a heavy HP, I swapped the RAM into a Lenovo x61. So now, the HP has only 2GB. There's no point in running a 64bit system with only 2GB ram right? So I wanted to install vista x86 on it.

I tried dual booting Windows 7 64bit with XP 32bit on the thinkpad with no problems.

---
@jcgiff2,
after what you said, I don't think it's OEM anymore. Though the product key looks like an OEM one. And I think that the school installed a retail version of windows 7. Because the so called "upgrade media" was only 32 bit.

Why not forego Vista and just install Windows 7 x64?

W7 x64 can run anything Vista x86 can except 16-bit apps.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

Hi,

Thanks for your reply but I think that Windows 7 was used to my machine having 8GB RAM. Because it keeps on popping up messages like:

Your computer memory is low. Close programs and open them again.

So that's why I wanted to install a 32bit OS

That message usually refers to virtual memory.

Reset your page file (virtual memory settings).

My guess is that it is still configured for 2 GB RAM.

START | type systempropertiesadvanced (you can paste it in) | select 1st "Settings" | "Advanced" tab | "Change" | check box for NO PAGE file

Reboot.

Go back into the above; select "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives"

Reboot again.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

Sorry I think you misunderstood.

My laptop USED to have 8GB RAM. So that's why Windows 7 is so slow because Windows 7 still thinks that my laptop still has 8GB RAM.

My laptop NOW has 2GB RAM so that's why I wanted to install the 32bit Vista

Thanks!

Sorry I think you misunderstood.

My laptop USED to have 8GB RAM. So that's why Windows 7 is so slow because Windows 7 still thinks that my laptop still has 8GB RAM.

My laptop NOW has 2GB RAM so that's why I wanted to install the 32bit Vista

Thanks!

NEW UPDATE!!

hello,

when i looked at the startup recovery report,

it said:

A patch is preventing the system from starting

So what do I do?

Wipe the HDD with KillDisk - http://sysnative.com/jcgriff2com/killdisk_imgburn.html

Install Vista OEM only.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2