Dualboot

[termikxs]

Hello I have 3 Hard Drives. I had 2 Win XP on two different hard drives. I have formated one of those hard drives and put Win 7 here. But each time I turn on pc there is no OS choosing. It just boots to the Win 7... How to enable choice of OS I want boot to?

 

[TheSchaft]

Hello I have 3 Hard Drives. I had 2 Win XP on two different hard drives. I have formated one of those hard drives and put Win 7 here. But each time I turn on pc there is no OS choosing. It just boots to the Win 7... How to enable choice of OS I want boot to?

It will only dual boot if both operating systems are on the same HD.

From what you have said, one HD has only Windows 7 and is set as the primary boot device, correct?

 

[chuckr]

Hello I have 3 Hard Drives. I had 2 Win XP on two different hard drives.

I have formated one of those hard drives and put Win 7 here.

But each time I turn on pc there is no OS choosing. It just boots to the Win 7... How to enable choice of OS I want boot to?

Should we guess which one ?

OS Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x86 Build 7600
CPU Intel Core2Duo 2.44GHz
Memory 2048GB
Graphics Card ATi Radeon X550 128MB
Monitor(s) Displays Acer 17" AL1716
Screen Resolution 1280x1024

Keyboard Logitech G15
Hard Drives WD320 WD80

 

[termikxs]

Yes, but on my previous PC I had two hard drives, one OS on each (7 and XP) and everything was fine.... Boot menu appeared each reboot.

I just need to get the choice of the OS :X

EDIT: 2Chuckr: This is my home computer, now I am working on different computer

 

[SquonkSC]

Hello I have 3 Hard Drives. I had 2 Win XP on two different hard drives. I have formated one of those hard drives and put Win 7 here. But each time I turn on pc there is no OS choosing. It just boots to the Win 7... How to enable choice of OS I want boot to?

It will only dual boot if both operating systems are on the same HD.

From what you have said, one HD has only Windows 7 and is set as the primary boot device, correct?

Sorry Schaft, but that's not correct.

They can be on different HDD's

W7 doesn't even have to be on the active partition, as long as the W7 boot files are on the active partition.

To answer the OP

To incorporate XP in the boot sequence, you could download easybcd.
You can add OS's to the boot sequences with it, among other things.

If you need help with it, check back here.

 

[patio]

Or you could simply enter the BIOS at boot time to determine which drive you want to boot to...

 

[SquonkSC]

Or you could simply enter the BIOS at boot time to determine which drive you want to boot to...

Go in the bios every time you want to boot the other OS??
I don't see how that would be useful.

Wouldn't dual booting be a more practical solution?

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

Something is screwed up -- download EasyBcd - this should fix it.

The only requirement is for the BOOTLOADER to be on an active partition -- otherwise OS'es can be on ANY hard disk you like (or at least AFAIK on the first 4) -- the Bootloader will ensure that the Windows OS booted will see the OS disk as drive "C".

Note also that in this scenario your 2nd or 3rd OS (if Windows systems) will see the drives (apart from its own "C" drive) with different letters -- for example drive "E" on OS 1 might be Drive "F" on OS 2.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[SquonkSC]

Hey Jimbo, you sound like a parrot.

This what you wrote,

Hi there

Something is screwed up -- download EasyBcd - this should fix it.

The only requirement is for the BOOTLOADER to be on an active partition -- otherwise OS'es can be on ANY hard disk you like (or at least AFAIK on the first 4) -- the Bootloader will ensure that the Windows OS booted will see the OS disk as drive "C".

Note also that in this scenario your 2nd or 3rd OS (if Windows systems) will see the drives (apart from its own "C" drive) with different letters -- for example drive "E" on OS 1 might be Drive "F" on OS 2.

Cheers
jimbo

.

This is what I wrote a few posts back

They can be on different HDD's
Windows 7 doesn't even have to be on the active partition, as long as the Windows 7 boot files are on the active partition.

To answer the OP
To incorporate XP in the boot sequence, you could download easybcd.
You can add OS's to the boot sequences with it, among other things.

No hard feelings, just too funny!

 

[whs]

Or you could simply enter the BIOS at boot time to determine which drive you want to boot to...

This works, but only if you have an independent boot record on each drive. To accomplish that you have to physically disconnect drives B and C whilst you are installing on drive A - etc.
I personally like this method of installation and switching the OS via the BIOS boot sequence. No mess with the boot record and when you want to uninstall one system, you need not fumble with the boot record either. But you have to open the box and pull the appropriate wires during the installation of each OS. I guess it is either that or EasyBCD.

 

[termikxs]

Hi all...

I have downloaded EasyBCD but when I try to add entries and add WinXP it says some files (NTDETECT.com and NTLDR) are needed.... Where can I get them? How to copy them correctly?

And I can't choose the "hard drive letter" when adding a new entry...

 

[wysiwyg]

Forget Easybcd, only good for altering systems already set.

It will always boot to the latest OS, the easiest way is to go into RUN "msconfig" BOOT and select your own default.

 

[SquonkSC]

Forget Easybcd, only good for altering systems already set.

It will always boot to the latest OS, the easiest way is to go into RUN "msconfig" BOOT and select your own default.

Everything msconfig can do for booting, easybcd can, and then some.

How would msconfig magically recreate his lost boot files?

No NTLDR = no boot. simple as that.

 

[SquonkSC]

Hi all...

I have downloaded EasyBCD but when I try to add entries and add WinXP it says some files (NTDETECT.com and NTLDR) are needed.... Where can I get them? How to copy them correctly?

And I can't choose the "hard drive letter" when adding a new entry...

From this info I can deduct the following.

1. You had two partitions with windows XP
2. You deleted the wrong one. (the one that contained the boot files)

solution.
Extract NTDETECT.com, Command.com, and NTDLR from the XP CD,
and copy them to your C: (where Win7 resides.)

Next with easybcd, create a new entry for XP.

The previous poster had it 180 degrees wrong.

msconfig can not do that for you. :sarc:
msconfig can only select an os that is already there to boot.

good luck

 

[SIW2]

Hi all...

I have downloaded EasyBCD but when I try to add entries and add WinXP it says some files (NTDETECT.com and NTLDR) are needed.... Where can I get them? How to copy them correctly?

And I can't choose the "hard drive letter" when adding a new entry...

Post a screenshot of Disk Management window, like this:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-how-post-screenshot-seven-forums.html



Somebody will post up the files you need - ntldr, ntdetect.com and a properly configured boot.ini.

They need to be placed on the SYSTEM partition - then you can add the XP entry. I assume you are using Easybcd 1.7.2.

 

[SquonkSC]

Hi Siw2,

The OP dropped his question and never came back.

I'm 10-7 until he decides to come back and give us something to work with.

Greetings

 

[SIW2]

Have a good night.

 

[SquonkSC]

Have a good night.

A little late, but you too.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Here are the 32-bit XP boot files.


View attachment XPBOOTFILES.zip

 

[termikxs]

Hey guys ..

Something has gone terribly wrong... I really dunno WTH is with that computer.

i have copied files NTLDR, NTDETECT.com from XP CD to Win 7 C:/ Drive...
Then I have added entry in EasyBCD.....

Each time I try to boot to Win XP it says "Invalid BOOT.ini" so I have copied boot.ini from the XPBOOTFILES.zip to XP Partition... But without effect...