Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

adrek · Jul 14, 2009

Deleting a listed OS

Thanks for this great guide Brink.

I followed this guide a while ago to have a dual boot in separate hard drives for 7 and XP.
But now I stopped using xp and want to use the xp drive as a drive for storage only. Windows 7 is the default operating system.

So I checked this Guide:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2288-operating-system-start-delete-os-list-boot.html http://www.sevenforums.com/2288-operating-system-start-delete-os-list-boot.html

But after checking the Boot Tab in msconfig, Windows 7 is the only OS listed and I'm unable to delete the xp entry since it's not shown there.

Here's a pic of msconfig:

I want to format my XP drive.
So my main concern is how can I delete the xp option in order to boot straight forward to windows 7 (just like it was before I performed the dual boot guide) ?

Should I get into Xp ,run EasyBCD and delete the xp list from there?

Thanks in advance man

Brink · Jul 14, 2009

Hello Adrek, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If XP is not listed there, then XP is already off of the boot list.

You can format the XP drive from Computer in Windows 7 by right clicking on the drive and clicking format. If you installed XP first then Windows 7, then Windows 7 may not boot afterwards since formating the XP drive may have wiped out the boot file. If this occurs, then you can run a startup repair with your Windows 7 installation DVD to repair the boot file for Windows 7. If it still will not boot for some reason, then you can use EasyBCD to repair the boot file for Windows 7 by using the Vista option in EasyBCD, or do a repair install with Windows 7.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

adrek · Jul 14, 2009

Thanks for the quick replay.
Pardon my ignorance but if Xp were already off of the boot list, shouldn't that mean I could no longer boot into xp?

I ask this just because at the screen where you are given the option to boot from Windows 7 or Xp (well, in my case) I can choose both of them and boot either Windows 7 or XP without a problem.
Is that ok?

SIW2 · Jul 14, 2009

Hi,

That's curious,

open an elevated command and type bcdedit then press enter.

Post a screenshot of the result, like this:

adrek · Jul 14, 2009

Here's the bcdedit:

Something I forgtot to tell:

After I did the dual boot guide everything was fine but a few days later I added a third Hard drive (with no OS on it) and windows 7 was ok but Xp didn't start anymore.
So I reinstalled Xp with the 3rd HD plugged and followed the guide again and everything is fine now, but if a thumbdrive is inserted at the moment I turn on my pc then Xp won't start, just like what happened with the 3rd HD.

When I reinstalled Xp and performed the guide again I ended up with 3 options to boot from:
Windows 7
Windows XP
Windows XP (again)

One of the XP options was not working and I deleted it from the msconfig under XP.

Disk Management Pic:

The DVD rom has the E letter assigned

SIW2 · Jul 14, 2009

To remove the XP entry, open an elevated cmd and type:

bcdedit /delete {ntldr} /f

then press enter.

Please post a screenshot of Disk Management also, like this:

adrek · Jul 15, 2009

This is shown in command prompt when I typed: bcdedit /delete {ntldr} /f

The Disk management picture is in my previous post

Thanks for your help man

Brink · Jul 15, 2009

adrek said:
Here's the bcdedit:

View attachment 18343

Something I forgtot to tell:

After I did the dual boot guide everything was fine but a few days later I added a third Hard drive (with no OS on it) and windows 7 was ok but Xp didn't start anymore.
So I reinstalled Xp with the 3rd HD plugged and followed the guide again and everything is fine now, but if a thumbdrive is inserted at the moment I turn on my pc then Xp won't start, just like what happened with the 3rd HD.

When I reinstalled Xp and performed the guide again I ended up with 3 options to boot from:
Windows 7
Windows XP
Windows XP (again)

One of the XP options was not working and I deleted it from the msconfig under XP.

Disk Management Pic:
View attachment 18352

The DVD rom has the E letter assigned

Adrek,

Since Windows 7 is listed in Disk Management as a boot disk and is marked active, you should be able to just format the XP drive from within Windows 7 without any problems though.

adrek · Jul 21, 2009

All right I just got time to format the XP drive and everything is almost fine now. A quick final question:

How do I get rid of the "Windows boot manager" screen?

It still appears showing me the Windows XP along with the 7 option to boot from.
Should I Install EasyBCD and go to 'Add/Remove entries', delete the Xp Entry and then go to 'Manage Bootloader' and click in the 'Write MBR' button?

I can go to Control Panel/System and Security/System and click on Advance system Settings then click on the Advanced Tab and go to Settings under the Startup and Recovery section and from there I can uncheck "Time to display list of operating systems" to skip the boot manager screen but I want to get rid of the XP option.

Just asking before I produce a mess, thanks guys.

SIW2 · Jul 21, 2009

Type msconfig in start search box - click it when it pops up.

Under the Boot tab, highlight the XP entry, Delete, Apply, OK.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2288-operating-system-start-delete-os-list-boot.html

Hope it helps

adrek · Jul 21, 2009

Well actually that was my main problem to ask for help. In my first post here I mentioned that Windows 7 was the only OS listed under the Boot Tab, even when XP was installed and running.
Weird isn't it?

UPDATE:
I used EasyBCD to remove the XP entry and everything is fine now.
Thanks for your patience and help guys.

Brink · Jul 21, 2009

Adrek, I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

Tooler · Jul 27, 2009

Thanks for the guide, but after I install 7, then create a new partition and install XP, I get no option for selecting XP or 7, boots back into 7. If I keep the XP disk in the drive, I get the NTLDR is missing error, ....Help

.

SIW2 · Jul 27, 2009

Did you install Easybcd? (Step 7 METHOD TWO)

http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

Select "Add entry" .

Where it says "Type" select the line that includes XP in the drop down.

Select the Active partition for the drive letter - not necessarily the same partition you installed XP on.

Click "Add Entry", Click "Save".

( Look in Disk Management for the System, Active partition drive letter)

Tooler · Jul 28, 2009

No, I couldn't finish the install of XP. My problem was multiple hard drives. after removing the other 2 HD's all went smoothly.

I'm a doof.

Thanks for the reply.... :thumbsup:

ABuNeNe · Jul 31, 2009

Hi I've a WinXP on one HDD and recently installed Win7 RTM on another. When the installation completes, it'll prompt me to boot to which OS upon startup. How can I change it to there is no prompt but when I want to boot to another OS, I'll change the HDD boot priority.

Please advise.

Brink · Jul 31, 2009

Hello ABuNeNe,

From within Windows 7, you can do the tutorial below to remove Windows 7 from the boot list.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2288-operating-system-start-delete-os-list-boot.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Explodatron · Aug 5, 2009

I've run in to a bad problem. I followed your guide (method 2) exactly. I installed XP on to a second partition on the same hard drive that Windows 7 resides on. Now when I boot up it goes straight to "Unable to load operating system." I cannot boot into Windows 7 OR XP. I don't have a Windows 7 install disc as I installed it with a virtual drive. Can I fix this or am I screwed?

SIW2 · Aug 5, 2009

If you have XP disc, boot that and repair.
You will then be able to boot into XP, but not 7.

Good idea to then use an isoburner ( this will do ) to burn a dvd of the 7.iso

View attachment Burn CDCC.zip

Boot the 7 dvd and run startup repair 3 times.

You will then be able to boot into 7 but you may not be able to boot into XP.

If not, install Easybcd on 7 and use it to add XP entry to 7 bcd.

Explodatron · Aug 5, 2009

I've tried running the XP repair disc and the problem persists. I tried doing was FIXMBR and FIXBOOT on the XP partition. I'm currently downloading a Vista x64 recovery disc to try and repair the boot manager that way.

Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

When XP is Installed First

When Windows 7 is Installed First

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