Win 7 will not boot XP on separate hard drive


  1. Posts : 34
    Windows Home Premium 32bit
       #1

    Win 7 will not boot XP on separate hard drive


    Was dual booting Win XP with Slackware Linux using LILO as the boot manager. Linux and XP were both
    on separate hard drives. Story short, MB shorted and I decided to simply install the XP HD in a computer
    with Win 7 on the first HD. All startup files on the XP drive are in place; ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini.
    I added the following to the BCD file using bcdedit on Win 7:


    bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"
    bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=E:

    bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr

    bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast


    Every entry was successful and Windows XP appeared in the boot menu as expected. However, after
    selecting Windows XP to boot, the screen goes dark, one beep is heard and the hardware bootup
    screen appears again.


    Anything I missed? Still can't boot into Win XP.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3,784
    win 8 32 bit
       #2

    You have set xp to boot from partition e as I understand what you have done its not paritione its on another drive so for e it will be looking on drive 0 not drive 1


    you need something like
    device partition=\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1

    Use a free editor like Visual BCD Editor - Download
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 34
    Windows Home Premium 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    device partition=\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1 ??


    What might \Device look like?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 7,351
    Windows 7 HP 64
       #4

    You have two separate drives, one with Win 7 and the other with Win XP.
    Do you want to keep them independent, that is, each one with their own boot loader (choosing boot device by boot menu) or you want to add Win XP on win 7 boot option?
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 34
    Windows Home Premium 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    I don't understand, what's the difference? I was simply trying to add Win XP to the Win 7 boot menu, but
    as far as I can tell, Win XP must still be booted from wherever the ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini are and
    in this case they are on the separate XP drive. Regardless, I got fed up and downloaded EasyBCD which
    allows you to add a legacy OS to the boot manager with an automatic detection of the correct

    drive/partition/volume whatever. This worked and I can now boot XP from the Win 7 boot menu.


    Oddly, the entries in the BCD are unchanged; device partition=E: is the same after the change. Isn't it just
    like Microsoft and their third-party tools to accomplish something but hide the magic that makes it work.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 7,351
    Windows 7 HP 64
       #6

    Megahertz07 said:
    You have two separate drives, one with Win 7 and the other with Win XP.
    Do you want to keep them independent, that is, each one with their own boot loader (choosing boot device by boot menu) or you want to add Win XP on win 7 boot option?
    On a Legacy - MBR, BIOS takes the boot sequence to MBR on a disk that takes the boot sequence to a Boot loader on a partition. This Boot loader can have more boot options.
    You had Linux with (LILO) - BIOS - MBR - LILO = Linux or win XP
    Now you have Win XP - BIOS - MBR - Win7(BL)= Win 7 or win XP

    This is a chain. You added Win XP on win 7 boot option

    To keep them independent: (you choose a disk during POST by launching boot menu (F?))
    - Win XP disk - BIOS - MBR - WinXP
    Or
    - Win 7 disk - BIOS - MBR - Win 7
      My Computers


 

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