Windows 7: BCDEDIT - How to Use

Followed your bcdedit instructions for booting to XP and all looks good except when XP is selected from boot menu it just reboots to the boot menu again and must select Windows 7. I'm thinking your instructions only work if Windows 7 and XP or on the same hard drive? If this is true how to you point the path to XP on a seperate hard drive? Thanks for your tutorial on bcdedit, wish I knew more!/Chuck

Does anyone know if the bcdedit switch 'ramdisktftpblocksize' has been changed in Windows 7? I can't get it to work.

I installed a backup drive and cloned my host drive and setup an the option in my multi-boot menu with bcdedit to boot into the backup os ...since that was easier than resetting the bios boot sequence .. it works fine but I went through the hastle of using the guid number identifier... i'm wondering if {ntldr} is a valid substitue? I guess I'll just try it and see. Here is the method I used:



<P>bcdedit /copy {current} /d "Boot Backup"
<P>You will get this message with DIFFERENT guid numbers
<br>The entry was successfully copied to {bda1ead3-8577-11de-883c-00226808ae4c}
<P>Use YOUR guid number in the 3 following commands:
<P>bcdedit /set { YOUR GUID NUMBER } device partition=E:
<P>bcdedit /set { YOUR GUID NUMBER } osdevice partition=E:
<P>bcdedit /set { YOUR GUID NUMBER } description "Backup Drive"

Patch her RamDiskTFTPBlockSize patch 968718

ME TOO.

I'm kind of desperate to get back into my XP Installation, I hope someone can explain this issue.

Edit boot.ini. Rt click it and edit.

on BOTH lines put in the Disk number in rdisk(1) e.g. 0 or 1 - whatever it says in Disk Management.

Also put the partition number , e.g. 1 if the first partition on that Disk , or 2 if the second, etc.

So if XP is on Disk1 partition 1 , it should read:

[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="Windows XP" /fastdetect

I don't understand that 100%. My XP installation is on Disk 0. Here is what my boot.ini file from XP says:


I don't know how to find the boot.ini for Windows 7.

7 doesn't use boot.ini - it uses bcd instead.


Looks like XP boot.ini is pointing the right way. It also looks like it may be in the wrong place.

Check in Disk Management and see which is the partition marked System.

Copy and paste ntldr, boot.ini and ntdetect.com onto the System partition.

If it is a 100mb System partition without a drive letter - rt click it in Disk Management and give it a drive letter.

Then add an entry for XP to 7 using Easybcd - point it at the System partition.


Please post a screenshot of the 7 disk management window.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...en-forums.html

You set up a multi-boot menu when Windows 7 is running and you only need to run 3 commands:

bcdedit /copy {current} /d "XP"

You will get this message with DIFFERENT guid numbers

The entry was successfully copied to {bda1ead3-8577-11de-883c-00226808ae4c}

Use YOUR guid number in the 2 following commands:

bcdedit /set { YOUR GUID NUMBER } osdevice partition=E:

bcdedit /set { YOUR GUID NUMBER } description "XP"


That's it.... you can even run Msconfig and look under the Boot tab and see it.. and modify the priority and time to default to the first entry.


I think Xp will run from a win 7 multi-boot menu.

Microsoft has relased the virtual XP mode for win 7 but the graphics are limited to 2d.


Download Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode RTM 7600.16393 for Windows 7

Windows Virtual PC: Download
or here:
Download Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode RTM 7600.16393 for Windows 7 | Web Talk

I didn't know I had to copy ntdlr & ntdetect.com over as well, that's probably why it didn't work--I just copied boot.ini.

I ended up fixing the problem by changing the controller order to read the HDD with XP first. I still got the Windows 7 dual-boot screen and this time both worked.

I have 3 HDDs. An IDE C:, Another IDE, H:, and a Partitioned SATA, O: and W:.

XP is on C:, Windows 7 is on O: and I just store data on H: and W: . Despite this, W is listed as the System Drive. O.o

Oh well, I got it all working. That's all I care about.