I have Windows 7 and XP installed on different partitions on the same computer. When I put W7 in hibernation and switch the computer back on, I don't get the dual boot menu which gives me the option to choose between 7 or XP. Instead, W7 starts loading. Is it possible to start XP while 7 is in hibernation, and if so, how can I do this? Thank you
As far as I know you have to shutdown or restart to access the Windows boot menu.
There is a way to trigger it from task bar but I'll need to research it. May be from EasyBCD.
Hi there
Hibernation isn't the same as Shutdown -- basically the OS is technically still running although "in suspended animation" so when you "wake it up" it's the OS that re-starts not the BIOS so you won't see a boot menu.
This is set via a special boot sector on the HDD which re-loads the OS (W7) IMAGE that was created on Hibernate when the Interrupt key is hit to wake up the OS.
So on this one you are out of luck unless you can alter / reverse engineer this part of the Windows Task manager which I wouldn't recommend even THINKING about doing.
Now what I would recommend is why don't you run your XP system as a Virtual Machine on W7 say using vmware or VBOX.
Now you can SUSPEND and Re-start the XP VM tem as many times as you like without having to shut down the W7 system.
These days CPU's are fast enough to give an XP VM enough resources to run at around 90% of Native speed -- for most applications you won't even notice you are running a VM.
You can of course issue a re-boot or shutdown command to Windows -- that's easy enough but this isn't what the OP wants I assume -- since Windows has to be up and running before it can accept this type of command.
Cheers
jimbo
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