Disk 2 Does Not Boot OS When Selected as the Boot Device on Startup

[MrITGuy]

I copied my Windows 7 OS partition on Disk 1 to a second drive Disk 2. When I boot my computer and select Disk 2 from the BIOS boot menu (F12), Disk 2 will not boot. How do I get this to work?

Side Notes:
Not having any success with BIOS booting (via F12), I did install EasyBCD on Disk 1. With EasyBCD I can boot into Disk 1 or Disk 2, but I want to be able to do it from the BIOS boot menu. I then installed EasyBCD on Disk 2. At this point I expected to have 2 EasyBCD boot menus one for Disk 1 and one on Disk 2. This is not what happened. When I use Easy BCD to boot into Disk 2 and proceed to make changes to the boot menu for Easy BCD, these changes are reflected in Disk 1. I guess I just have 1 Boot Record on Disk 1 and no Boot Record on Disk 2?

 

[mjf]

How did you make the "copy"?
A screen shot from Disk Management would be useful.

Also, your reason for wanting to do this in the first place would help with suggestions.

 

[MrITGuy]

I used EASEUS Partition Master to copy the partition.

 

[Arc]

I would suggest you to unplug the power cable and sata cable from disk 0 (500 GB Western Digital), and then run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html with only disk 1 (500 GB Seagate) attached. It will add the MBR to disk 1 .

As you have copied the system from a different location, you will need to run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html for three separate times with restarts .

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105541-startup-repair-run-3-separate-times.html

Be cautious .... when unplugging the power and sata from disk 0, the power of the entire system should be off !!

EDIT : You should assign a drive letter to the partition in which you are copying the installation . Right click on the partition in disk management window > Change drive letter > Assign the following drive letter (choose one) > Ok .

 

[MrITGuy]

I can't do exactly what you are describing interms of removing sata cables etc...
I have a laptop Disk 0 is inside the laptop, Disk 1 is in my ultra bay (so I can't use the CD ROM).

Should I physically remove Disk 0, take Disk 1 out of the ultra bay and put into my laptop (which now makes it Disk 0)? At this point I could use the CD ROM in the ultra bay.

 

[Arc]

Should I physically remove Disk 0, take Disk 1 out of the ultra bay and put into my laptop (which now makes it Disk 0)? At this point I could use the CD ROM in the ultra bay.

Dont do this ... I am searching for more help !

 

[MrITGuy]

I am wondering if another option would be to:
1) copy the hidden (1st) partition on Disk 1 to Disk 0
2) Do a drive copy (image) from Disk 0 to Disk 1
After this I would loose my 2nd partition on Disk 1, but at this point it is the same as the 1st partition on Disk 0. I just don't know if after I do all this that the problem will be fixed (i.e. I will be able to boot into both Disks using F12).

 

[gregrocker]

The reason for your problem is that you must image or clone and not copy an OS to have it's MBR intact.

You were correct to then add it using EasyBCD from the System OS on Disk0. This gives you access to it. There is no more you need to do unless you want to write the System Boot files to Disk1 as they are on Disk0, which would then allow you to boot either via the BIOS using the Boot order or one-time BIOS Boot menu key.

To do this without the ability to unplug Disk 0 during startup repair, you would disable disk0 in BIOS while the Repairs are being run until Win7 on Disk1 starts on its own. It is already marked Active so you needn't do that - as must be done first for Startup Repair to write the System boot files when run up to 3 separate times with reboots.

Once Disk1 Win7 is also a System Active self-booting HD, set the preferred one to boot first in BIOS setup, then use the one-time BIOS boot menu key to boot the other. This keeps them separate to come and go as you please, whereas using a Windows Boot Menu interlocks them requiring surgery to remove one. You would then remove that menu using EasyBCD>Edit OS entries>Delete.

Or leave it the way you have it now, booting off Disk0 into the Windows Dual Boot menu. You have the steps here how to make Disk1 independent if need be.

 

[mjf]

Hence my question earlier on - what do function do you want to achieve?
Is it a safety backup OS disk if the main one goes bad?

If you "clone" a drive and have the 2 attached at the same you will have 2 drives with the same disk signature. Now I believe the Windows OS resolution is to force one offline.

 

[theog]

Or leave it the way you have it now, booting off Disk0 into the Windows Dual Boot menu. You have the steps here how to make Disk1 independent if need be.

Two Product Keys need.

Hence my question earlier on - what do function do you want to achieve?

Yes, what.

 

[MrITGuy]

I tried the following but still did not get it to work:

To get a MBR on Disk1 which would provide the ability to boot into it using F12, I tried the following:
1) I cloned/imaged Disk0 (Western Digital - WD) to Disk1 (Seagate - SG).
2) I then removed Disk0 from the computer. (There was no way to disable the drive in the BIOS).
3) I was then able to boot using F12 to the SG. (Important Side Note: when I removed the WD, the SG was assigned Disk0) At this point I figured everything was good. I have a MBR on the SG!
4) I then plug in my WD. WD gets assigned Disk0, SG gets assigned Disk1. I then was able to boot using F12 into the WD (looking really good!).
5) I then use F12 to go back to boot into Disk1...BSOD. STOP : 0x0000007B (I try again BSOD, I try again BSOD...I quit).
6) I then remove the WD. This causes the SG to get Disk0 and I can then boot into the SG using F12

So at this point I can only boot using F12 into either disk if it is assigned Disk0. It seems Windows 7 is sensitive to Disk numbering.

Given this is a pain to have to physically remove disks, I then proceed to do the following:
1) I put the WD (Disk0) back into the laptop.
2) I boot into WD (Disk0). I look at Disk Management. It shows me that Disk1 is offline. Interesting. I change it to online.
3) I reboot into Disk1. It does not BSOD this time. However the drive letters are incorrectly assigned. Even though I booted using Disk1, the boot partition is assigned E:. I use regedit to swap the letters around and I reboot into Disk1 and it seems ok.
4) I then reboot into Disk0 and its drive letters are all screwed up. It seems Windows does not like having 2 disks with MBRs with a C: drive. On booting Disk0 it seems to notice that Disk1 has a C: drive and relabels the partitions on Disk0.
5) I reboot into Disk1, change C: back to E:
6) Reboot into Disk 0, and the boot partition is now correctly labeled C:. Phew!

At this point I am thinking that using F12 to boot into 2 different devices with Windows 7 (and getting the drive letters correct) is not supported. Not sure if anybody has this working?