I would like to add XP and Vista

[dsim]

I have recently bought a Dell Vostro 3500 notebook, with W7 64 bit installed. I would like to add XP and Vista. I seek advice on what probems may arise, as I think that the Dmbr.ini is probably in the hidden partition.

I also wonder if I will see the three OSs on the screen at boot up, to be able to choose, or to "enter" to boot without delay. This is what shows on my desktop at the end of POST - but this notebook does not show a POST screen.

Would appreciate any help.

 

[gregrocker]

Are you able to shrink Win7 or otherwise arrange partitioning to fit XP and Vista onto the HD? Post a screenshot up of your Disk Management drive map if you need help or advice.

When you install XP (first) it will take over the bootloader so you'll need to install Net Framework 2.0 and then EasyBCD 2.0 beta (after doing quick forum registration to use beta) to Add Win7 back from XP.

It may be necessary to start Win7 to Add XP from 7 since EasyBCD works better in 7. To do this mark Win7 active in XP Disk Management, boot into Win7 DVD Repair console or Repair CD, click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots to start Win7. Now add XP in Easy Add/Remove tab: accepted offered boot files, autocompletes, Save, Restart. System Repair Disc - Create - Windows 7 Forums.URL

Installing Vista last may correctly configure the Multi-boot. If not, install EasyBCD again to Add Xp and Win7.

If you need help along the way, post back screenshots of your full Disk Management drive map and listings, and the Easy listings page.

 

[dsim]

Thanks gregrocker

I have already partitoned the drive, using Partition Wizard. (I can't get the screen shot to copy here, but I have three which I named W7,XP and Vista, with unallocated space to be used for data, and unaltered, the Recovery and the small 39MB partitions).

However I have run into a delay - before installing the first of the OSs I decided to make a full backup using the Dell program that camre with the notebook. This failed, with the error message "Bad values in D:\Dell\DBRM. I have decided to refer this to Dell rather than try to fix it myself, and await their reply.

When this is fixed I will continue with the programme you have set out for me. Thanks again.

 

[theog]

Do you repartition the D: drive, as this is the Dell Recovery partition?

 

[dsim]

No Theog, I did not do anything to the D drive. I only patitioned what was then a ladge C drive.

 

[dsim]

Sorry for the typo - I meant large not ladge~

 

[gregrocker]

The prob with recovery might be related to your repartiioning C; drive. I am not sure how Dell will react to this so consider carefully what you say to them.

If it is possible to get Dell to send you Recov partition disks, then you can go ahead and wipe the partition since it doesn't work anyway. It may very well be blocking your progress, along with any boot/utility partitions.

You might ask them hypothetically how you could multi-boot XP and Vista on there to see how cooperative they might be. If they're not, I'd just ask them to make their Recov partition work correctly, which will prob mean sending you disks.

Dell owners might have more insight in how cooperative they are, and aren't.

 

[dsim]

Thanks gregrocker. Dell problems resolved. Have now put Vista on a new partition. Then tried XP - got blue screen - windows shutdown message - run chkdsk/F. Did this but of course no change. I tried a different copy of XP. Same result. I remember seeing some time ago that trying to put on XP as a multiboot with later OSs already installed would cause conflict with boot files - XP would overwrite them. Is this what has happened, I wonder?
Perhaps I will have to take a full image backup, in stall XP and then restore the other OSs?

 

[theog]

Thanks gregrocker. Dell problems resolved. Have now put Vista on a new partition. Then tried XP - got blue screen - windows shutdown message - run chkdsk/F. Did this but of course no change. I tried a different copy of XP. Same result. I remember seeing some time ago that trying to put on XP as a multiboot with later OSs already installed would cause conflict with boot files - XP would overwrite them. Is this what has happened, I wonder?
Perhaps I will have to take a full image backup, in stall XP and then restore the other OSs?

Try this:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/66010-sata-drivers-load-windows-xp-setup-dual-boot.html

 

[dsim]

Thanks theog - I do not get that far in the process, The blue screen comes at the end of loading the Windows files, and the stage of selecting partition is a step or two ahead.

 

[gregrocker]

You actually load the SATA controller drivers during the file loading phase when it prompts to press F6 to load drivers, however it requires a floppy (XPired is that old). If you don't have one then you'll need to slipstream the SATA drivers into the XP installer: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/72185-sata-drivers-slipstream-into-windows-xp-cd.html?ltr=S

 

[dsim]

Thanks theog and gregrocker. After several hours over a few days I am having to leave this attempt for a while - I have run out of time just now.

I regret that so far I have not been succesful. I could not get the Promise Fasttrak 376 Sata driver - the link seems to be missing - so after a bit of searching for others I found on the Dell support site for the laptop there is for XP a download "SATA Drives(1)". It is named as "Intel -Driver". The file name is R254174.exe.

I unzipped the file, and opened it to show a list of two file folders, f6flpy-x64 and x86 togther with a lot of setup,data and layout files. The first two are 582 MB so seem to contain XP itself. I was quite uncertain which of these I should use.

Never-the - less I slip streamed the x86 one, as an unattended file, and burned it. Not surprisingly I had to use a DVD, but the resulting size was 702MB, not over 1200 which showed on the nlite screen. ( I did this in the tentative hope that the various files in the two XPs might combine, as I could not see where the driver was located - as you can see I am scrambling about a bit.)

The next rash thing was to use the DVD as an installation disk. It seemed to begin OK - entered setup -asked for verification that I was qualified for "this upgrade product" Asked for OS CD. Just pressed Enter and the setup continued. Went through the usual steps to create, size and format a new partition in the unallocated space.

And that was as far as it went -message about either not enough memory or corrupted files - obviously the latter. So exit-ed the installation............ and then on entering restart got "Error loading operating system".

I will now restore from backup, and for the time being, use XP mode in W7 . Thank you again for your earlier contributions.

 

[theog]

You are welcome.

You can not use a Win XP upgrade disk.

 

[dsim]

I have now been able to slipstream Dell Vostro divers for SATA into XP with SP3 - by putting the driver files into a separate folder, thus excluding f6flpyx86 from the inserts taken into nlite.

Then installed it on to the laptop, but found then that both the Dell partitions plus the W7 and Vista partitions had merged into a single, apparently empty partition. On starting XP immediately began - there were no other OSs showing.

Then restored all the missing partitions (except Vista) from backup. Started W7 and opened EasyBCD 2.0. Added XP and ntldr.

XP now showed as an OS to choose.

However when I did so, after the first screen, where the next is usually Welcome and
Loading Your Settings only the XP icon etc appeared - no text. And nothing further happened even after about 10 minutes. Shutdown and restarted, and tried to boot into safe mode, but there was no reponse from F8.

Observed later that the XP partition only had about 1GB used now - apparently I had lost a lot when reinstalling from backup, but no idea where.

Decided to now put Vista back in, as a reinstall - but then found I already had the maximum number of primary partitions, with the addition of XP (plus the two of Dell and the W70).

Have decided to abandon the exercise, delete the partition with the remnant of XP, put Vista back and use XP MODE in W7.

So thank you to Theog and gregrocker.

 

[theog]

Sounds like a good move to use XP Mode.

You are welcome.