Another dual boot problem

Hi everyone!

I just tried to dual boot between PC-BSD and Windows 7, but it seems like Win7 didn't like that PC-BSD touches the MBR.

Windows was installed first and was working great for a few months now. I had a 15G free space at the end of the drive so I can install PC-BSD. There is an option when you install it if you want to install a boot manager (which used to work great with Windows XP). In fact, the boot manager works OK: it boots Pc-BSD and "start to boot" Windows 7.

The problem is that Windows is giving me the classic 0xc000000e error. I tried this : MBR - Restore Windows 7 Master Boot Record

It didn't change anything. I even adapted the commands to specify the partition but it didn't work. My Windows 7 installation isn't even showing in the list of detected installation. The list is empty. I tried to use the "startup repair" option, but it gives an error which is kind of logic since it doesn't detect my Win7.

I read that I could use EasyBCD from within Win7 to add Pc-BSD to the Windows boot menu. That's what I would like to try, but Windows is refusing to start. I tried to use GAG as an alternative boot manager, but I get the same Windows error. So the problem is really with Windows, not the boot manager.

When "restoring" the MBR, it deleted the PC-BSD boot manager. That should be OK, but now it boots straight to PC-BSD

So, my question is: how can I make my Win7 boot up? I don't care about PC-BSD at the moment. I'll try EasyBCD once Win7 is back on track but I don't know what else to try...

Thanks in advance for your help

Nobody got a suggestion ?!?

Thanks for your help!

It is a little hard to see what is going on. Possibly you picked the wrong partition and overwrote Win 7.

If you go back to the Install DVD and boot to the repair option, if you check the top option to work on an installation and go ahead with the repair anyway, what happens? It may take several times of running the Startup Repair and rebooting in between, before you can boot back into Win 7.

If that doesn't help, or it won't do anything, open a command prompt window and type the following and hit enter after each:

bootrec /fixmbr
hit enter
bootrec /fixboot
hit enter

If that doesn't work, try this one, which just about what you have already done.

bootsect /nt60 all

Try rebooting back into Win 7 after attempts to see if it will. I know it takes a long time for the Win 7 Install DVD to load, but you don't seem to have many options.

Post back with any messages you get, or what the dialog boxes are telling you. When you post your results, or lack thereof, we will try something else.

Thanks for your reply Saltgrass!

I retried the Startup Repair, but it always says the same thing after not finding my Windows installation. It says that it can't repair automatically. When I look in the details of the problem I see:

(I'm translating the messages because my Windows is in French)

Event problem name: StartupRepairOffline
Problem signature 01: 0.0.0.0
Problem signature 02: 0.0.0.0
Problem signature 03: unknown
Problem signature 04: 0
Problem signature 05: unknown
Problem signature 06: 1
Problem signature 07: unknown
System version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Regional settings ID: 1036

So I tried the commands you proposed in the command prompt.

bootrec /fixmbr worked OK, but I got an error the /fixboot command (again, it's the approx. message):

The volume doesn't contain a known filesystem. Verify that all the necessary filesystem drivers are loaded and that the volume is not altered.

So, I ran "chkdsk /F" on the c: (boot partition) and on the d: (normal Windows partition). Both were identified as NTFS and no error were found.

The problem remains the same: it boot straight to PC-BSD, without any boot manager.

Thanks for your help!

Mouin

You mention nothing about the most important step Saltgrass gave you: running Startup Repair repeatedly with reboots. Try that before and after each command given.

Boot free Partition Wizard CD to see whether you still have a Win7 partition and it is marked active. If not, rightclick it>Modify>Set to Active, OK, Apply.


Then retry Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots from the Win7 DVD Repair console.

Post back where the System (MBR) drive is currently located as shown by Partition Wizard.

I finally found the problem! Thanks to you gregrocker, you posted what I needed in another thread. The problem was that the Windows boot partition (c:) was not active. Once I activated it, the Startup Repair option worked and Windows started to boot again!

Thanks a lot to you gregrocker and saltgrass!

Next step is to try EasyBCD to make a boot menu so I can start PC-BSD again!

Mouin

if you have any problem, Post back a screenshot of your full disk Management drive map and Easy listings page

first install windows 7 then install pcbsd, you will loose the MBR. Now you insert your windows 7 CD and boot it. There will be a screen to start install windows but click repair>command Prompt>type diskpart, wait for a while, then type:
>list disk
>select disk (enter disk number that is your disk No which will be 0 if you use single hard drive)
>list partition
>select partition (enter partition number which should be windows partition)
>active
exit
exit

now reboot and repair again the windows MBR which is automatically done.

Now you can normally boot your windows7, after entering windows install EasyBCD and edit MBR for dual boot with PC BSD.